Turkish President Erdoğan says jailed journalist a terrorist agent

Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan on Sunday accused a jailed Turkish-German journalist of being a terrorist agent
Sunday, 19 March 2017 20:24

Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan on Sunday accused a jailed Turkish-German journalist of being a terrorist agent in comments likely to cause further unease in Berlin over the incident.

Erdoğan, who was speaking at a meeting of an Islamic foundation in Istanbul, said the reporter, Deniz Yücel of Germany's Die Welt newspaper, would be tried by Turkey's independent judiciary.

“Now [the chancellor] demands that we let out the terrorist spy, supposedly a journalist, who has been hiding in the German consulate general for a month. I said we have a judiciary. He will get tried first,” he said referring to Deniz Yücel, a German daily Die Welt reporter who has been charged with spreading terrorist propaganda by Turkish courts. “He was tried and arrested. He is now in jail,” he said. 

A Turkish court arrested Yücel, a dual Turkish and German national, last month on charges of propaganda in support of a terrorist organisation and inciting the public to violence. He was initially detained after he reported on emails that a leftist hacker collective had purportedly obtained from the private account of Berat Albayrak, Turkey's energy minister and Erdoğan's son-in-law.

In another event, Erdoğan accused German Chancellor Angela Merkel of employing "Nazi" measures as new rows erupted between Ankara and Berlin over a pro-Kurdish rally and the July 15 coup attempt.

"When we call them Nazis they (Europe) get uncomfortable. They rally together in solidarity. Especially Merkel," Erdogan said in a televised speech. "But you are right now employing Nazi measures," Erdogan said referring to Merkel, pointedly using the informal "you" in Turkish.

"Against who? My Turkish brother citizens in Germany and brother ministers" who went to the country to hold campaign rallies for a 'yes' vote in next month's referendum, he said.