Police release German writer detained in Spain on a Turkish warrant

GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel has welcomed the conditional release of outspoken writer, Dogan Akhanli,  who was arrested at the request of the Turkish government while holidaying in Granada.

At the weekend the German foreign ministry formally asked the Spanish government not to allow Turkish-born writer , who has German citizenship,  to be extradited to Turkey.

Akhanli was conditionally released after a court hearing  but ordered to remain in Madrid, while Turkey’s extradition request is considered.

The author has written about the mass killings of Armenians in Turkey in 1915 and critical articles about the Turkish regime.

Merkel told RTL Television in Germany,  “I’m very happy that Spain released him.

“We cannot abuse international organisations like Interpol for such things.”

This is the second arrest in Spain this month of a journalist who has published critical articles about the Turkish regime and follows the detention of Turkish-Swedish writer Hamza Yalcin in Barcelona at the beginning of August.

In this case as well, the Swedish authorities have offered help to him and opposed extradition to Turkey.