INVESTIGATIVE journalist Ahmet Sik was detained in Istanbul yesterday on charges that he “denigrated” the Turkish state and tweeted “terrorist propaganda.”

Mr Sik was arrested as the trial of novelist Asli Erdogan, writer Necmiye Alpay and seven former senior journalists at pro-Kurdish newspaper Ozgur Gundem began. They are accused of belonging to the outlawed Kurdish guerilla group the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

The newspaper itself was closed in October on the grounds that it was a “mouthpiece” for the PKK, and the journalists could face life sentences if they are found guilty. They deny membership.

The clampdown on the media accompanies a massive purge of state institutions following a failed military coup in the summer.