U.S. Urges Turkey To Free Jailed Iraqi Kurdish Journalist

The U.S. State Department is urging Turkey to uphold due process in the case of an Iraqi journalist who was arrested on August 27 while working with Vice News.

Mohammed Rasool, a 24-year-old Iraqi Kurd who has worked as a fixer for The Associated Press, was helping the two Vice News journalists report on the fighting in Turkey's Kurdish southeast when he was arrested.

Police claimed an informant had reported them for supporting the Islamic State (IS) group -- an unlikely charge given Rasool's work with Vice documenting IS atrocities.

The two British journalists were freed after being held for 11 days on terrorism charges. But Rasool remains in custody.

U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said on October 16, "We urge Turkish authorities to ensure that their actions vis-a-vis Mr. Rasool's case uphold universal democratic values, including obviously due process, freedom of expression, and access to media and information."

Based on reporting by AP, ITV, and Vice News