Erdoğan hoped to swap journalist Yücel for generals fled to Germany after coup – Reports

Erdoğan made the offer weeks ago, but Germany declined it, the Bild media outlet reported
Thursday, 20 July 2017 19:22

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan offered Germany to exchange German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yücel, imprisoned by Ankara on terror charges, for two Turkish generals that fled to Germany after the 2016 failed coup attempt, media reported on Thursday.

Erdoğan made the offer weeks ago, but Germany declined it, the Bild media outlet reported, citing its diplomatic sources. "Obviously, we cannot accept such a deal," the source said, as quoted by the media outlet.

Yücel, who was working for Die Welt newspaper, was arrested in Istanbul in February over allegedly spreading propaganda of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), listed as a terrorist organisation in Turkey. German officials repeatedly called for the liberation of the journalist. During the NATO summit in May, Merkel once again urged Erdogan to release Yücel.