The German Foreign Ministry on Wednesday said it had summoned Turkey's ambassador in Berlin to protest the pre-trial detention of six human rights activists, particularly that of German citizen Peter Steudtner.

"The Turkish government needs to immediately and directly hear the German government's outrage and incomprehension as well as its crystal-clear expectations in the case of Peter Steudtner and, this time, without diplomatic niceties," Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schäfer said.

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Schäfer said German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel had interrupted his summer vacation to attend government consultations over the Turkish court's decision to jail Steudtner, a human rights trainer who was taken into custody earlier this month.

German Foreign Ministry outraged

Steudtner was one of 10 people - including Amnesty's Turkey director Idil Eser - who were detained in a July 5 police raid on a hotel on the island of Buyukada, off Istanbul, while participating in a workshop on digital safety. Four detainees were released on Tuesday morning, while the other six were jailed pending trial. The six are accused of aiding an armed terror group. Under Turkey's anti-terror laws, pre-trial detention can last up to five years.

Spokesman Schäfer said the point had been clearly made to the ambassador that Germany considered the activists' arrests to have been both unacceptable and incomprehensible, and that Berlin wanted Steudtner released immediately.

"He now knows that we are serious about it," said Schäfer.

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'Absolutely unjustified'

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday condemned the decision to detain Steudtner ahead of his trial, saying it was "absolutely unjustified."

"We declare our solidarity with him and all the others arrested ... the German government will do all it can, on all levels, to secure his release," she said.

The Foreign Ministry had issued a separate statement calling for the rapid release of the six activists.

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"Linking a fighter and spokesman for human rights and democracy like Peter Steudtner to supporters of terrorists is absurd," the statement said.

Merkel's main rival in Germany's upcoming parliamentary elections in September, Martin Schulz, said the foreign minister would "certainly assess which diplomatic steps will be necessary," adding that "the time for patience is over." Schulz also prompted Chancellor Merkel to "end her silence" on a series of issues that have rocked German-Turkish relations in the past 12 months.

Rocky relations

Relations between Turkey and Germany, home to some three million people of Turkish origin, have nosedived since last year's failed coup attempt and the subsequent deterioration of the rule of law in the country under an official state of emergency. Thousands of arrests have been made and tens of thousands of public officials, including teachers and doctors, have been sacked from the jobs as part of an ongoing purge on dissident voices.

About 150 journalists all also among those who have been jailed since the July 15, 2016 failed coup, including one German-Turkish dual national, Die Welt reporter Deniz Yücel. Yücel was arrested in February and accused of spreading "terrorist propaganda" and "inciting hatred."

On the road with Turkey's march for justice Protesters' calls for justice Tens of thousands of protesters are on their way to Istanbul. The march is a response to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ongoing purges following last year's failed coup and was sparked when opposition party MP Enis Berberoglu was sentenced to 25 years in prison. The march kicked off three weeks ago in Turkey's capital Ankara and is headed to the prison in Istanbul where Berberoglu is held.

On the road with Turkey's march for justice Denouncing government crackdowns Leading the way is Kemal Kilicdaroglu (c), head of Turkey's main opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), who has been likened to Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi. Kilicdaroglu said there is no other way to denounce ongoing crackdowns and the deterioration of democratic institutions. "We feel like we're marching against a wall, and we're going to demolish it," he told DW.

On the road with Turkey's march for justice 'Coalition against fascism' "It's our obligation to form a coalition against the nation's slide towards fascism," said Tur Yildiz Bicer, CHP deputy for the city of Manisa. "After the referendum, we told ourselves 'No, it's not over' … Now we are seeing that even some AKP supporters are backing our march, and this shows people's minds are changing for the better." Some 20,000 to 40,000 people are out on the streets.

On the road with Turkey's march for justice 'Rights, law, justice' One of the protesters is Vesyel Kilic, 65, from Rize, who said he voted for conservative parties until his son was jailed following last year's coup attempt. "It's been 12 months and he still doesn't have an indictment," Kilic said. "I want justice and I noticed this leftist ideology is close to my own, so I came out to support the march." Protesters here are demanding "rights, law, justice."

On the road with Turkey's march for justice United against Erdogan? While the organizers with CHP said one of their main objectives was to unite opponents of Erdogan's agenda, the task will likely prove difficult as relations between Kemalists and Kurdish groups remain tepid due to the political risks involved in being affiliated with armed Kurdish movements. Above, marchers are shown resting in Tavsancil, Turkey, before continuing to Istanbul.

On the road with Turkey's march for justice Backlash from Erdogan supporters Protesters were often heckled and insulted by passing vehicles and crowds of Erdogan supporters who had gathered along the highway. "The march is not a fight for justice, it only brings shame to the people who are walking in this heat," said Umut Kaveci, 26, a transportation worker not pictured above. "They are just causing traffic [jams] and no one needs that."

On the road with Turkey's march for justice Heavy police presence Police presence was heavy throughout the march to deter possible attacks and altercations between groups of contrasting ideologies. For the most part, the protest proceeded smoothly, aside from occasional confrontations like this one, where an officer restrained a teenager and told him, "I've been walking with this march since Ankara and I haven't been aggressive with anyone. Don't test me."

On the road with Turkey's march for justice Blisters and heat strokes One of Kilicdaroglu's bodyguards gets his feet bandaged after another long day on the road. Blistered, swollen feet are common among marchers, as well as heat strokes. Temperatures surpassed 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in recent weeks and one protester died after suffering a heart attack during a prolonged uphill climb.

On the road with Turkey's march for justice Rough terrain Regardless of the obstacles, demonstrators have followed Kilicdaroglu's lead through Turkey's rough terrain. The march covers up to 20 km (12 miles) per day. By night, protesters either return to their homes or camp out on CHP funded campsites where they are provided with food and rudimentary shelter. Above, an exhausted protester sleeps in a dining tent in Tavsancil, just east of Istanbul.

On the road with Turkey's march for justice 'Doing this for my grandchildren' Husnu Sucu, a 58-year-old retiree, said he remained undeterred after walking more than 120 km in eight days and was camping each night with the protesters. "I am doing this for my grandchildren," Sucu said. "We cannot let the current government continue doing what it wants without doing something about it. It is too dangerous for the future of our country." Author: Diego Cupolo



rc, ss/rt (dpa, Reuters, AFP)