Turkey summons German charge d’affaires over Can Dündar reception invitation

ANKARA

The Turkish Foreign Affairs Ministry has summoned the German charge d’affaires in Ankara to express its reaction over German Justice Minister Heiko Maas’ invitation of Turkish journalist Can Dündar to a reception in Berlin, German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) reported on Jan. 24. 

Maas invited Dündar, who currently has a pending appeal case in Turkey and whose detention is demanded in two separate probes, to the Justice Ministry event, due to take place on Jan. 25, to express the importance he places on democracy and press freedom in Turkey. Dündar was also due to deliver a speech about press freedom at the reception. 

Upon the invitation, Turkish officials at the Foreign Ministry reportedly summoned the German charge d’affaires to state that Ankara regarded Maas’ invitation “strange” considering the fact that there is a sentence ruling against him in addition to detention warrants.

DW also reported that Turkish officials had stated that Turkish Ambassador to Germany Ali Kemal Aydın would not participate in the reception.  

Dündar has been living in Germany since June 2016 and faces detention warrants as part of two separate probes in Turkey. He was arrested in November 2015 on charges of espionage, helping a terrorist organization, trying to topple the government and revealing state secrets after publishing reports on alleged covert arms deliveries by Turkish intelligence to Syrian rebel fighters.