TURKISH unions have slammed the country’s authoritarian government following the arrest of a journalist for reporting the news of a man driven to suicide because he could not afford to buy a school uniform for his son.

Ergun Demir was detained following his report on the suicide of Ismail Devrim, who was found hanging in his bathroom in Koaceli, just outside Istanbul.

Mr Devrim, who had been unemployed for some time, became depressed after hearing his son could not attend school as he did not have the correct uniform.