Turkish Journalist Detained and Deported from Belarus After Years of Praise

Turkish-Russian journalist Okay Deprem, once an outspoken admirer of Belarus who had called it “the last real European country,” faced a startling reversal of fortune during his September visit to Minsk, resulting in a 10-day detention under harsh conditions followed by deportation.

Deprem, who had previously been welcomed by Belarusian state media and even received the third-degree Emil Chechko Award in 2023, arrived in Minsk on September 8 for what he expected to be another routine visit. Instead, four plainclothes police officers appeared at his apartment that same day, forcibly entering when he opened the door.

“Without giving any clear explanation for why they came, they used mocking expressions and derogatory words,” Deprem told Turkish media outlet Veryansın TV. When one officer seized his mobile phone without permission, Deprem’s attempt to retrieve it resulted in him being handcuffed.

The journalist was taken to the Pershamaiski District Police Department, where he stood handcuffed for three hours. He identified one officer as Hleb Sergeyevich Polyak, a name that matches a senior officer in the district’s anti-drug and anti-trafficking unit. Deprem claims officers interrupted his attempts to give a statement, mocked him, and threatened physical violence.

Although initially released, authorities confiscated Deprem’s passport and phone, instructing him to return two days later. Seeking help, he filed complaints with both the Interior Ministry’s Main Directorate and the Investigative Committee—actions that would ultimately prove fruitless.

At the Citizenship and Migration Department, officials informed Deprem he was in Belarus illegally, citing a supposedly long-standing entry ban. His reminders of his media appearances and the Chechko Award did little to sway officials, who proceeded with deportation procedures.

Despite agreeing to leave the country that evening, Deprem was arrested, briefly held at a police station, and then transferred to the notorious Akrescina detention center, where he would spend the next 10 days.

The conditions at Akrescina deeply shocked the journalist. He described a severely overcrowded cell where 16 people shared six bunks, with no showers available and constant lighting that prevented sleep. “The place was infested with insects, especially bedbugs. Because of the bedbugs, most of us, including me, barely slept at night,” he recounted.

Detainees were denied basic necessities like towels, toothbrushes, and clean clothing. Deprem spent his entire detention in the same clothes he arrived in. The food was inadequate, with no consideration for dietary restrictions—pork meatballs were served regardless of religious beliefs.

Perhaps most disturbing were his accounts of fellow detainees’ treatment. According to Deprem, some had been held without trial for months or even a year. He met a Nigerian student detained for an expired visa and migrants who claimed Belarusian soldiers had fired upon them.

After 10 days of detention, Deprem was finally released and deported to Moscow. At the airport, authorities returned his belongings but forced him to pay for his stay at Akrescina—adding financial insult to his ordeal.

The Turkish embassy reportedly began inquiries about Deprem’s whereabouts shortly before his release, though their intervention came late in the process. A week after leaving Belarus, Deprem learned his complaint about police misconduct had been dismissed for “lack of objective evidence.”

This incident marks a striking contrast to Deprem’s previous public statements about Belarus. Earlier this year, while covering the presidential “election,” he told state news agency BelTA that he always left Minsk with “a good impression” and had “never noticed anything bad here at all.”

Now back in Turkey, the journalist says he needs time to recover from his ordeal. “After everything that happened, and after the reactions of many journalists and media outlets in Russia, I became a bit cold towards the places where I lived for many years,” he said.

The case highlights the precarious position of foreign journalists in Belarus, a country that has faced international criticism for its treatment of both domestic and international press. It also demonstrates how quickly one’s status can change in a system where rule of law remains tenuous at best.