A Turkish court today acquitted German journalist Mesale Tolu of terrorism charges, he said on Twitter, in a case that lasted almost five years and escalated tensions between Ankara and Berlin during her detention.
Tolu was detained in April 2017 as part of a crackdown by the Turkish government following a coup attempt on July 15, 2016, and was jailed for eight months before being released. He was accused of publishing terrorist propaganda and participating in a terrorist organization.
“After four years, eight months and 20 days: Acquittal for both charges!” she wrote on twitter.
“In a state governed by the rule of law, such a trial would not have taken place from the beginning. The verdict could not make up for the repression and the time I spent in prison,” Tolu added.
Relations between NATO allies Turkey and Germany have deteriorated since Berlin condemned the arrests of some 50,000 people by Turkish authorities following a failed coup and the suspension or dismissal of 150,000 others, including teachers, judges and the military.
About a dozen people with German citizenship were also jailed in Turkey as part of the crackdown. About 3 million people of Turkish origin live in Germany.
Relations between the two countries rekindled after the release of German-born Turkish journalist Deniz Yucel in 2018 and the lifting of the travel ban against Tolo, months after her release.
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