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Merkel welcomes release of German-Turkish author in Spain

Merkel welcomes release of German-Turkish author in Spain | iNFOnews.ca
In this Aug. 17, 2017 file photo, German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks during an election campaign event in Annaberg-Buchholz, eastern Germany. German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday Aug. 20, 2017 stood by her decision to open Germany's borders to hundreds of thousands of refugees two years ago, a move she has previously defended as a necessary response to a humanitarian emergency. Asked during a pre-election television event with voters whether she would do things differently if faced with the same situation, Merkel said in retrospect, "I still think my decision was right." (Sebastian Kahnert/dpa via AP)

BERLIN – German Chancellor Angela Merkel has welcomed the release of a German writer detained in Spain on a Turkish warrant and criticized Turkey for “abusing” Interpol.

Merkel told RTL Television late Sunday that “I’m very happy that Spain released him … We cannot abuse international organizations like Interpol for such things.”

Turkish-born writer Dogan Akhanli, who has German citizenship, was arrested Saturday while vacationing in southern Spain. Akhanli was conditionally released after a court hearing Sunday, but ordered to remain in Madrid, while Turkey’s extradition request is considered.

It wasn’t immediately clear what Akhanli is accused of, but the author has written about the mass killings of Armenians in Turkey in 1915. The killings are a sensitive subject in Turkey, which rejects the widespread view that they constituted genocide.

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