25 Turks arrested in Karbala

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

Ünal says the foreign ministry is making every effort to free the workers. AA photo

Twenty-five Turkish citizens working in Karbala, Iraq have been arrested on charges that they were in violation of Iraq’s residence code, according to Anatolia news agency. Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Selçuk Ünal said his ministry is making every effort to secure the release of the workers through Turkey’s embassy in Baghdad.

Ünal said the workers entered Iraq via the Habur border gate with 10-day visas, and were arrested following a complaint from an Iraqi worker. The Turkish workers’ case has been brought to an upper court.

“The Turkish Foreign Ministry and our embassy in Baghdad are in contact with the firm that employed the workers, and all the necessary efforts are being made via a lawyer in Karbala,” Ünal said. “Turkey’s embassy in Baghdad has also sent a diplomatic note to the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, demanding that Iraqi authorities take initiative to release the workers.”