Germany emphasizes support for jailed Turkish journalists

BERLIN – Dozens of people have rallied outside the Turkish embassy in Berlin, calling for the release of German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yucel and scores of other reporters imprisoned in Turkey.

Demonstrators waved signs like “free media can’t be silenced” and “freedom for imprisoned journalists” along with photos of Yucel and others at the rally Wednesday organized by Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders.

Amnesty spokesman Markus Beeko says their message is that “nobody should be jailed for carrying out their important, legitimate work.”

In a World Press Freedom Day statement, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert reiterated the government’s support for Yucel, who was detained earlier this year, and other journalists jailed by Turkey in the wake of a failed coup.

Seibert says “press freedom is a cornerstone of democracy.”