The letter pointed out that Depardon had been in Hasankeyf on a professional assignment to do a report on Tigris and Euphrates rivers for the National Geographic which was also confirmed by the magazine.
RSF ile 21 medya kuruluşu ve ifade özgürlüğü örgütü, 19 Mayıs’ta İçişleri Bakanı Süleyman Soylu’ya bir mektup yazarak Depardon’un serbest kalmasını istedi.