Arrested cameraman speaks of Turkish IS arrest ordeal

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-34258995

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A cameraman held in Turkey after being wrongly accused of working for the Islamic State group has spoken of his ordeal.

Philip Pendlebury, 30, from Wigan, told the BBC he and a colleague were told they "would be given seven years" if found guilty.

They were arrested after filming clashes between police and Kurdish youths in Turkey.

He said the charge of working for a terrorist organisation was "ludicrous".

Mr Pendlebury and Vice News journalist Jake Hanrahan, 25, from Northampton, were questioned over alleged links to both so-called Islamic State and PKK militants before they were charged by a Turkish court on 31 August.

'Really concerned'

Conflict between security forces and the pro-Kurdistan Workers' party (PKK) has flared up in the south-east of the country, with Turkey limiting journalists' access to the region.

When they returned from filming, they were met by "up to 10 or 15 Turkish police", said the cameraman.

"They said we working for a terrorist organisation, Isis and the PKK, which we said we weren't."

"At first it seemed ridiculous," he said. "Up until the trial, I took everything with a pinch of salt."

But Mr Pendlebury said he became "really concerned" when they were in prison and away from legal support.

"There was absolutely no evidence whatsoever," he added. "I think they arrested us to send a message to journalists not to cover the region."

He said despite being banned from Turkey, he is determined to return as "it needs covering."

The pair were held for 11 days in various Turkish prisons, including a high security "F-type" facility, with translator Mohammed Ismael Rasool until their release on 3 September.

Mr Pendlebury said: "The guards came in and told Rasool 'those two are free to go,' and then he had to translate. And we were kind of like lost for words with him, we didn't know what to tell him, because he's as innocent as we are."

"For some reason he's not been allowed to go. Whatever that reason is, I don't know."

While detained, they were allowed to stay together in a cell, but were given no contact with family and friends.

The Foreign Office has previously expressed concern about their detention.