Germany urges Spain not to hand Turkey arrested dual nat'l

BERLIN, Aug 19 (KUNA) -- Germany on Saturday urged Spain not to extradite a German national of Turkish roots, who Madrid arrested based on an Interpol warrant issued by Turkey.
Germany's foreign ministry called for a halt of the extradition and Berlin's official participation in any legal proceedings taken against Dogan Akhanli, a fierce critic of the current Turkish administration.
The request also urges consular assistance for the writer, who escaped to Germany in early 1990s after being arrested by the Turkish government for opposition activities, including left-leaning journalism.
Speaking to German magazine Der Spiegel, Akhanli's lawyer Ilias Uyar claimed that his client's arrest was a "targeted hunt against critics of the Turkish government living abroad in Europe." The arrest has the potential to further damage relations between Ankara and Berlin that have been unusually spiralling downwards for over a year now.
Turkey is also currently detaining 10 German citizens, some of whom are dual nationals, including German newspaper Die Welt correspondent Denis Yucel. (end) anj.sd