Four Germans released in Turkey
October 7, 2019
Germany's Foreign Office confirmed to the press on Sunday that four of six German arrested in Turkey earlier in the week had been released. Speaking with public broadcast NDR, those freed are still required to report to police five times a week and are not allowed to leave Turkey.
A Turkish court is set to decide whether to release the other two detained Germans later this week.
The six have been accused of spreading propaganda for the banned Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) and of belonging to a group that supports the party. A lawyer for one of the accused has said that she is a child care worker from Hamburg of Kurdish descent.
The Interior Ministry has denied that there is a connection between a recent visit from Minister Horst Seehofer to Turkey and the release for four German nationals.
Since the attempted coup in July 2016, many German citizens, including several journalists, have been arrested in Turkey. The Foreign Office has explicitly warned those traveling to Turkey to refrain from posting or liking anything critical of the Turkish government on social media.