ABNA-SE urges Egypt to release Anadolu Agency workers

ANKARA (AA) - The Association of the Balkan News Agencies - Southeast Europe (ABNA-SE) urged Egypt on Thursday to free four Anadolu Agency employees detained in a raid on their office in Cairo.

“ABNA-SE calls for the immediate release of the journalists, who are being held without any information from the Egyptian authorities,” it said in a statement.

The association stressed that the raid was deeply worrying.

The statement also underlined that the raid was a “flagrant move that directly harms freedom of press and the journalism community.”

“We will not tolerate any move that directly threatens our right to free speech and our democratic values,” it added.

Egyptian police raided the Cairo office of Anadolu Agency late Tuesday and detained four employees.

The staff members, including one Turkish citizen, were taken to an unknown location.

Turkey condemned the move and called for their immediate release.

*Writing by Burak Dag