Country frees one of Germans arrested 'for political reasons'

pulse

September 4, 2017 1:41 PM

The arrest of the two individuals, whose identities have not been disclosed, was announced on Friday by Berlin with great consternation.

One of two German nationals arrested by Turkey for "political reasons" has been released, Berlin said Monday, as tensions intensified between the two NATO allies.

"The lawyer of one of the affected people told us that he has now been freed, without restrictions," said a German foreign ministry spokesman, adding that the ministry was still seeking independent confirmation of the release.

Foreign ministry officials said the German nationals were detained on Thursday for "political reasons".

The arrests came at a time when ties were already at rock bottom between the two countries which share longstanding historical links.

Ankara had been smarting over Germany's criticism of its rights record following a failed coup in July 2016 that prompted a massive crackdown in Turkey.

The escalating tensions have split the Turkish community in Europe's top economy, the largest Turkish diaspora abroad, which is a legacy of Germany's "guest worker" programme of the 1960s and 70s.

On Sunday, Chancellor Angela Merkel signalled that she had run out of patience, saying she did not see Turkey ever joining the EU, and that she "had never believed that it would happen".

She said she would discuss with EU counterparts whether to call off membership talks with Ankara, adding that Germany would also look at imposing economic restrictions on Turkey.

Merkel's strong words prompted a swift rebuke from Ankara, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman on Monday accusing German politicians of pandering to populism.

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