German police are under fire for heeding a report from a fugitive member of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) and arresting two journalists working for Sabah, a newspaper belonging to Turkish Turkuvaz Media Group, in a move that sparked an outcry for muffling press freedom.
Following a complaint from FETÖ members Cevheri Güven and Ercan Karakoyun, German security forces raided the homes of Sabah’s German representative Ismail Erel and European edition’s chief editor Cemil Albay early in the morning and detained the two without even issuing a notice, Sabah said.
Two journalists were released hours later.
Police also searched the Sabah offices in Frankfurt and seized Erel and Albay’s computers and mobile phones.
German authorities did not disclose the raid’s purpose, Sabah said, adding that the Turkish Foreign Ministry and professional unions have officially stepped in for the release of the two journalists.
Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun slammed the incident, saying, "The arrest of Turkish journalists over the stories they break against FETÖ in Germany and the confiscation of their equipment is a blatant violation of press freedom."
Türkiye considers Germany’s attempt to muzzle journalists unacceptable and is concerned about this pressure on freedom of the press, Altun said via Twitter.
He called on the German authorities "that shelter FETÖ members and allow this bloody terror group to continue operating to reverse its erroneous attitude, genuinely cooperate with Türkiye and release the detained journalists immediately."
Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın told A Haber that the arrest of journalists by the pressure of members of FETÖ was unacceptable. On a question, if it was related to the outcome of the elections in Türkiye, Kalın said if so, it would "backfire."
Other diplomatic sources have since condemned the arrest as "unacceptable violations of press freedom" and conveyed their dissatisfaction to German authorities.
"The issue has been made a topic of protest in both Ankara and Berlin. High-level talks with German authorities are underway for the release of Erel and Albay," sources noted.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry too summoned the German ambassador to Ankara to convey that Türkiye "strongly condemns" the arrest as an "act of harassing and intimidating Turkish press."
"We expect the journalists targeted for covering terror group FETÖ’s activities in Germany due to a baseless report to be released at once," the ministry said in a statement.
"Türkiye considers this arrest directly made without even summoning for questioning a deliberate act. This behavior of Germany, which attempts to teach the world a lesson in freedom of press and expression, exposes the double standard in their approach," it stressed.
It added that the necessary initiative was taken, and the German ambassador was informed about Türkiye’s "strong reaction."
The German Embassy declined to comment on the matter.
The German Ambassador was told that the arrest of Turkish journalists was unacceptable and that it amounted to the violation of freedom of the press and expression, diplomatic sources said.
The ministry also told the ambassador that the detentions, which were made shortly after the elections in Türkiye, were done on purpose, and that German authorities should not be tools to FETÖ members in the country, who target Turkish journalists and prevent their activities.
Meanwhile, Ekrem Kızıltaş, the head of the non-profit Media Association of Journalists, also condemned the "unlawful" detentions of Turkish journalists by German police, saying that it is a grave violation of press freedom.
He continued by saying that the police further escalated the incident by preventing the journalists from contacting their families and the media outlet they work for.
While welcoming the arrest of journalists, Kızıltaş said German authorities’ refusal to provide information about the state of the journalists has been noted, as he urged Berlin to refrain from an arbitrary and hostile stance against the journalists for reporting on FETÖ.
He also urged Germany to respect the freedom of the press and issue an apology to the journalists and the institution they work for.
Ankara has a long list of wanted fugitives it wants to be deported from Germany, including top figures from FETÖ whom Berlin refuses to return. Sabah has so far led expansive investigations to uncover these fugitives and published several reports exposing their comfortable lives in the country.
Orhan Sali, the broadcast coordinator for Sabah’s sister platform Anews, told Turkish network A Haber that they had been working to collect information about the incident since early Wednesday.
"This is an unbelievable situation. Both Erel and Albay’s homes were raided at 6 a.m., and both are still under arrest. We’re waiting for an explanation from Germany in the next couple of hours," Sali said later in the day.
For author and Turkish security and military expert Abdullah Ağar, the cuffing of two press members at 6 a.m. is a "complete calamity for German democracy."
"We have observed over time that they stigmatize the political activities of Türkiye’s political groups in Europe, including Germany. They have often tried to pressure German Turks too," Ağar told A Haber in a live interview, referring to German efforts to ban rallies by Türkiye’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in the run-up to the May 14 presidential and parliamentary rallies.
"There is also the issue of FETÖ turning into an apparatus in Germany. Their approach based on influencing sociology is also plain and clear. Why cuff away two press members upon a complaint report? There is only one meaning to this; FETÖ members are using Germany for their interests."
Pointing out that the arrest could strain bilateral relations between Germany and Türkiye, Ağar added: "I wonder how the German government will interpret the arrest of two people operating within the freedom of the press."
Zafer Meşe, the Berlin representative of the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA), recalled that Germany had been a safe haven for FETÖ fugitives since their 2016 coup attempt failed and hundreds fled Türkiye to dodge justice.
"Their intelligence chief told Der Spiegel that FETÖ was working for the good of the public. It was the first time a German intelligence chief gave the public an explanation. These terrorists are in cahoots with Germany’s shadow government," Meşe argued.
"FETÖ is a handy tool for Germany, and if their government goes as far as detaining two media representatives with a dawn operation, it does not bode well for the future," he said.
FETÖ is not the only terror group Germany has been sheltering. In addition to enabling their activities, the country harbors PKK/YPG terrorist group members and permits their public demonstrations.