CNN's Ivan Watson Detained by Istanbul Police On-Air [VIDEO]

Turkish police detained journalist Ivan Watson while he was reporting live on air Saturday.

VIDEO:  Youtube, CNNInternational

In the video you are about to see, Watson is describing the scene in central Istanbul, when plainclothes police officers begin surrounding him (around the 3:00 mark). The CNN correspondent, who is based in Istanbul, was reporting from Taksim Square, where he says Turkish riot police were on hand to prevent demonstrations on the one-year anniversary of last summer's Gezi Park protests. Watch video below:



Later on Twitter, Watson says he and his team were released after half an hour. Read his tweet below:

Turkish police released CNN team after half an hour. Officer apologized for another officer who kneed me while I was being detained. 1/2
— Ivan Watson (@IvanCNN) May 31, 2014

Watson also explains why the Turkish police officer did not accept his press card:

"Turkish police officer wasn't satisfied w/my press card from prime ministry. "Many are counterfeited," he said, demanding passport 2/2", Watson later tweeted.

According to Mashable, Turkey has experienced ongoing turmoil since last summer, when police cracked down on a protest in Istanbul's Gezi Park. Protests have popped up intermittently across the country since then, most recently following the deadly mining accident that killed 301 workers in western Turkey.