Two Vice News journalists detained in Turkey have been charged with "aiding a terrorist organisation" while reporting on conflict in the country.

Two British journalists, reporter Jake Hanrahan and cameraman Phillip Pendlebury, a local journalist who was supporting them as a fixer, and a driver were taken into custody in the Turkish city of Diyarbakir.

The driver has now been released, but the two Britons and the fixer are still in custody. A court in Diyarbakir ordered the three arrested pending trial. It has not yet been made clear which 'terrorist organisation' the journalists are accused of aiding.

The three were reporting on the fighting between Turkish forces and Kurdish rebels in the country's mainly Kurdish southeast. The fighting has involved air strikes, car bombs, and open firefights, and is over a long running conflict over the desires of various Kurdish groups to have an independent Kurdish state.

In pictures: Suruc explosion Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Suruc explosion In pictures: Suruc explosion Suruc explosion A woman cries next to the coffin of a victim after an explosion in the town of Suruc In pictures: Suruc explosion Suruc explosion A Turkish soldier helps people as they carry a coffin, after an explosion rocked the Turkish city of Suruc near the Syrian border In pictures: Suruc explosion Suruc explosion Officials carry the bodies of victims after an explosion in the town of Suruc Getty In pictures: Suruc explosion Suruc explosion A wounded man in Suruc, Turkey, where at least 28 were killed and nearly 100 injured in a suicide attack Reuters In pictures: Suruc explosion Suruc explosion People try to help wounded people after an explosion at a cultural center in Suruc In pictures: Suruc explosion Suruc explosion People search for survivors of the bomb blast in Suruc, Turkey Reuters In pictures: Suruc explosion Suruc explosion People carry coffins of victims after an explosion in the town of Suruc In pictures: Suruc explosion Suruc explosion An explosion has killed at least 27 people and wounded nearly 100 in the Turkish town of Suruc near the Syrian border In pictures: Suruc explosion Suruc explosion People try to help wounded man, in Suruc In pictures: Suruc explosion Suruc explosion 20 people were killed and some 100 wounded in a suicide EPA

The court ordered the three arrested pending trial. It has not yet been made clear which 'terrorist organisation' the journalists are accused of aiding.

It is not uncommon for journalists to be detained or taken into custody while reporting in the Kurdish areas of Turkey - however, it is rare for journalists to be accused of terrorism-related crimes.

Kevin Sutcliffe, Vice News' Head of News Programming in Europe criticised the charges.

Vice News was founded in 2013, as part of the Vice media company that was co-founded by Shane Smith (Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Vanity Fair)

"Today the Turkish government has leveled baseless and alarmingly false charges of 'working on behalf of a terrorist organization' against three Vice News reporters, in an attempt to intimidate and censor their coverage," he said.

"VICE News condemns in the strongest possible terms the Turkish government's attempts to silence our reporters who have been providing vital coverage from the region."

"We continue to work with all relevant authorities to expedite the safe release of our three colleagues and friends."

The arrests were also criticised by groups like Amnesty International, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and writer's association PEN.

Free speech has been under attack in Turkey in recent years, with the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan censoring the media, arresting journalists and blocking access to websites like Twitter and YouTube to prevent criticism of the state.

Demonstrators gather in Ankara to protest against terrorist attacks and the PKK (ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

The conflict between the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has been going on since the 1980s, but there has been renewed conflict this summer.