Germany’s arrests of two Turkish journalists from Sabah, a sister newspaper of Daily Sabah, has demonstrated the European country’s double standard regarding press freedom. Often critical of Türkiye for arrests and conviction of terror suspects also working as journalists, Germany found itself in hot water after Ismail Erel and Cemil Albay were detained in a dawn raid in Frankfurt on Wednesday.

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu hit out at Berlin over arrests at a news conference yesterday. Referring to the German ambassador’s reply to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tanju Bilgiç after the former was summoned to the ministry, Çavuşoğlu slammed the double standards of Germany over press freedom. "(The ambassador) said press freedom had limits. Those who highlighted press freedom when Türkiye investigated journalists for support to the PKK terrorist group and those involved in the coup plot (by the Gülenist Terror Group, or FETÖ) raided Sabah over a complaint of FETÖ members," he said. Çavuşoğlu said Germany’s real intent was to intimidate those who were arrested, "because they published articles shedding light on FETÖ and supporters of the PKK. This incident laid bare the double standard of Germany, which attempts to teach freedom of press and expression to the world," he said.

Erel and Albay were released after several hours in detention as police raided their homes, seizing their phones, laptops and electronic storage devices. After their release, the duo said they would seek legal rights over "being treated like terrorists." Erel said their arrest stemmed from "a false complaint" and said they would file a lawsuit against those who filed that complaint for slander. Cevheri Güven, a fugitive member of FETÖ, was behind the complaints against journalists.

Erel said he discovered the raid when his frightened daughter alerted him. "I looked out the window and about 20-30 policemen were standing below. When I turned around, I saw the cops entering our bedroom." He said although he told the police that they could not enter his house like this and that a journalist could keep its sources confidential, they confiscated every mobile phone, digital media and tablet computer they found. "The search lasted three and half hours. Then we were taken to the police headquarters in Darmstadt," he said. "I stayed there for about four and half hours."

Albay also said that his house was raided simultaneously after the "false" complaint by Cevheri Güven. Noting that the search lasted four and a half hours, he said dogs were used in the search. Albay said everything digital, including his mobile phone, computers, external disks and memories, was confiscated during the investigation. "They also towed my vehicle to the police headquarters, and they searched it," he said. "We were held at the police headquarters for about five hours." Describing the way he was detained was similar to "a terrorist, an agent," Albay said: "After we were taken to the police headquarters, our fingerprints, palm prints, our photos were taken. In other words, we were treated like a terrorist."

The Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the arrests, calling them "heinous."

"The detention of Frankfurt Bureau representatives of Sabah newspaper by the German police today without justification is an act of harassment and intimidation against the Turkish press. We strongly condemn this heinous act," the ministry said.

Abdurrahman Şimşek, the news coordinator for the Sabah newspaper, said Wednesday that they also lost contact with some 30 freelancer journalists working for them in Germany in the aftermath of the arrests and they did not know their whereabouts. The newspaper is known for its investigative reporting on members of FETÖ, which is behind a 2016 coup attempt in Türkiye. It traced several members of the terrorist group in Germany in the past. Ankara often complains that Berlin gives a safe haven for FETÖ and the PKK. However, it is believed that hundreds of FETÖ members received asylum from Germany after the coup attempt.