BBC reporter Mark Lowen has been deported from Turkey following his arrest on Wednesday, the broadcaster said.
Lowen had been in the country for several days to report on the ongoing protests following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.
Imamoglu, who is being held in jail on corruption charges which he denies, is regarded as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival and has been selected by his party as presidential candidate in the 2028 election.
Lowen was detained at his hotel and held for 17 hours before being issued with a notice describing him as a “threat to public order”, according to a BBC statement.
Speaking after being detained, Lowen said: "To be detained and deported from the country where I previously lived for five years and for which I have such affection has been extremely distressing.
“Press freedom and impartial reporting are fundamental to any democracy.”
Several journalists have also been arrested, including a photojournalist from French news agency Agence France Presse and several Turkish reporters, many of which were released on Thursday morning, according to reports.
Thousands of people across Turkey have turned out for protests which have so far seen more than 1400 people detained.
Protesters are adamant Imamoglu's arrest is politically motivated, but Turkey’s justice ministry insists on its judicial independence.
However, critics say the evidence is based on secret witnesses and lacks credibility.
President Erdogan has labelled the demonstrations “evil” and has blamed the opposition for “disturbing the peace”.
The BBC's CEO of News Deborah Turness added: "This is an extremely troubling incident and we will be making representations to the Turkish authorities.
“Mark is a very experienced correspondent with a deep knowledge of Turkey and no journalist should face this kind of treatment simply for doing their job. We will continue to report impartially and fairly on events in Turkey.”
Early on Thursday, student demonstrators tried to march and gathered to read a statement near the gates at Middle East Technical University, pro-opposition broadcaster Halk TV and local media reported.
They were met by security forces who deployed pepper spray, water cannons and plastic pellets.
A stand-off ensued where the students hid behind a barricade of dumpsters until the police charged to detain them.
Melih Meric, a legislator with Imamoglu’s Republican People’s Party (CHP), was seen soaked with water and suffering from pepper spray exposure.
“My student friends only wanted to make a press statement, but the police strictly did not allow it, this is the result,” Meric said in social media videos.
