Germany releases Turkish journalists hours after their controversial arrest

Germany has released two Turkish journalists, whose arrest by police in Frankfurt hours earlier had sparked a diplomatic row between Ankara and Berlin.

Ismail Erel and Cemil Albay, senior journalists working for Turkish daily Sabah, were arrested in the early hours of Wednesday after dozens of police personnel raided their homes in Frankfurt. Their phones, laptops and electronic storage devices were also seized by the police.

Fatih Zingal, a lawyer representing the newspaper, said according to initial information, the two journalists were arrested upon a complaint by the followers of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).

“German authorities could have invited journalists and directed their questions about this complaint. Instead of this, they arrested them and seized their mobile phones and laptops,” he said.

Zingal stressed that Erel and Albay are professional journalists, and their arrest simply for their journalist work is completely unacceptable.

The arrests triggered protests from local journalist associations, while the Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned the German ambassador to Ankara, Jurgen Schulz, and demanded the immediate release of the journalists.

"The detention of Frankfurt Bureau representatives of Sabah newspaper by the German police today without justification is an act of harassment and intimidation against the Turkish press. We strongly condemn this heinous act," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“Germany, which attempts to lecture the world about freedom of the press and freedom of expression, reveals its double-standard approach,” it added.

The Turkish language daily Sabah has widely covered the activities of FETO, which orchestrated a defeated coup attempt in Türkiye on July 15, 2016, and received numerous threats from the extremist group.

The German government’s tolerance towards FETO and its reluctance to extradite key suspects to Türkiye, including ex-generals, bureaucrats or prosecutors involved in the 2016 coup plot, has been a major source of tension between Berlin and Ankara in recent years.

"The detention of Frankfurt Bureau representatives of Sabah newspaper by the German police today without justification is an act of harassment and intimidation against the Turkish press. We strongly condemn this heinous act," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.

"We expect the immediate release of journalists who were targeted by a false denunciation of a FETO member for their reporting on the terrorist organization FETO's activities in Germany," it added.

Necessary initiatives have been taken in Germany regarding the issue, and our strong reaction is conveyed to the German ambassador to Ankara, Jurgen Schulz, who was summoned today, the ministry said.

"Right after the first round of the successful Presidential Elections and the 28th Term Parliamentary Elections, we consider it a deliberate act that the German authorities directly detained the aforementioned press members without even inviting them to testify.

'Unacceptable' move

Erel is the German Representative of Sabah newspaper, and Albay is the Managing Editor of Sabah Europe newspaper. They were both deployed in the city of Frankfurt.

Turkish Communications Director Fahrettin Altun also condemned the move, saying the arrests came upon a complaint from FETO terrorist Cevheri Guven.

"The early morning raids on the homes and offices of Turkish journalists, as well as their detention and the confiscation of their equipment due to their reporting against the terrorist organisation FETO in Germany, are a clear violation of freedom of the press," Altun said in a tweet.

"We find this move by Germany to silence journalists unacceptable, and we are concerned about the pressure on the freedom of the press in the country," he added.

The arrests triggered protests from local journalist associations, while the Turkish Foreign Ministry contacted German authorities and demanded the immediate release of the journalists, according to Anadolu.

"We call on German authorities, who protect FETO members and excuse the activities of this bloody terrorist organisation, to turn back from this faulty attitude," Altun said.