German writer released after arrest in Spain on Turkish warrant

Update 2.15pm: A German writer detained in Spain on a Turkish warrant has been released from jail, according to a German news agency.

German writer released after arrest in Spain on Turkish warrant

Latest: A German writer detained in Spain on a Turkish warrant has been released from jail, according to a German news agency.

Dpa cited lawyer Ilias Uyar as saying on Sunday that his client Dogan Akhanli had been ordered to stay in Madrid while Turkey's extradition request is considered.

Mr Akhanli was arrested on Saturday while on holiday in southern Spain.

It was not immediately clear what he is accused of.

Earlier:

Germany's foreign minister has urged Spain not to extradite a German writer to Turkey after he was arrested on a Turkish warrant.

Sigmar Gabriel called his Spanish counterpart on Saturday over the arrest of Doghan Akhanli while on holiday in Spain.

Mr Akhanli was born in Turkey but emigrated to Germany in 1991 after spending years in Turkish prison following the 1984 military coup in the country.

German news agency dpa reported that Mr Akhanli only has German citizenship.

The German section of the writers' association PEN said charges against Mr Akhanli centre on a crime committed while he was not Turkey.

The group said it believes the arrest warrant against Mr Akhanli to be politically motivated, citing his writings about the mass killing of Armenians in Turkey in 1915.

- AP

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