A camerman from Wigan is one of two British journalists who have been charged with assisting the so-called Islamic State terror group while working in Turkey.

Philip Pendlebury, 29, was arrested along with news correspondent Jake Hanrahan while the pair were working for Vice News filming clashes between police and youth members of the pro-Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Diyarbakir in the south east of the country.

His family, from Whitley, are extremely concerned. Phil’s father John played rugby league for Wigan in the 1980s.

The arrests have been condemned by Amnesty International.

The pair were held, along with a Turkish colleague who has not been named, while filming last Thursday.

They were charged with ‘assisting Islamic State’ and are due to stand trial in Turkey.

Vice News condemned the accusations as ‘baseless and false’

Amnesty International said the charges were another example of the Turkish authorities ‘suppressing the reporting of stories that are embarrassing to them’.

(Image: PA)

Andrew Gardner, Amnesty International’s Turkey researcher, said: “It is completely proper that journalists should cover this important story.

“The decision to detain the journalists was wrong, while the allegation of assisting Islamic State is unsubstantiated, outrageous and bizarre.”

He added: “They are held on pre-trial detention, and they could well be there until it comes to trial.

“In Turkey it is very slow-moving and it could take six months, or even longer, for an indictment to be prepared. It could well not come to trial before six months or more.”

Kevin Sutcliffe, head of news programming Europe at Vice, said: “The Turkish government has levelled 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. Prior to being unjustly detained, these journalists were reporting and documenting the situation in the southeastern Turkish province of Diyarbakir.

“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.”

PEN International and PEN Turkey - which promote literature and freedom of expression - said they were ‘extremely concerned’ about the men’s detention.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: “We are providing consular assistance and are in touch with the relevant authorities following the arrest of two British nationals in Diyarbakir.”