Detained Turkish lecturer in Israel released

JERUSALEM - Anadolu Agency

Israeli authorities on Feb. 11 released Istanbul Medeniyet University’s assistant law professor Cemil Tekeli, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Tekeli was set free on the morning of Feb. 11 and arrived in Istanbul on the same day.

He arrived aboard a Turkish Airlines flight from Tel Aviv and was welcomed at Atatürk International Airport by his wife Meryem Tekeli, his daughter Merve Canan Tekeli and others.

Tekeli left the airport without giving any statements.

The reason of his detention remains unclear as Israeli courts and authorities refrained from issuing any statements on Tekeli.

Tekeli was detained by Israeli police on Jan. 15 at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport after he attended a program in Jerusalem that began on Jan. 11.

“My husband was unlawfully arrested, we are in shock. We only went to Jerusalem for travel reasons. My husband is innocent. Israeli authorities are not giving us any information,” said Tekeli’s wife.

Earlier, his detention had been extended for several times until he was released on Feb. 11.