Germany ‘waiting for details’ on citizen’s arrest in Turkey
BERLIN – The Associated Press
The German Foreign Ministry said on April 18 that it is “waiting to learn” why one of its nationals was detained in Istanbul, in the latest such incident to strain relations between the two countries.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Adebahr said consular officials are in touch with Adil Demirci’s lawyer but have not yet been able to speak to him directly.
The circumstances surrounding last week’s detention of Demirci, a dual German-Turkish citizen, were not immediately clear.
Adebahr told reporters on April 18 that currently five Germans are being held in Turkey for political reasons, not counting Demirci.
Spiegel Online reported that Demirci is a social worker in Cologne who also writes for the left-wing Turkish ETHA news agency.
It also reported that Demirci was detained during a visit with his mother there. It said police last week stormed the Istanbul apartment of relatives he was visiting.
The year-long detention of German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yücel, released in February, caused considerable friction between Berlin and Ankara.
