A 55-year-old German citizen from Hamburg who was arrested last summer in Turkey on charges of terrorism was deported to Germany, Deutsche Welle Turkish service reported, citing Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA).
The German citizen, identified as Dennis E., who is reportedly of Kurdish origin, was arrested at his home in southern Turkey in July 2018 on charges of disseminating terrorist propaganda on Facebook.
The indictment deemed Dennis E.’s Facebook posts, which allegedly included videos featuring members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), to be terrorist propaganda.
After a hearing on Nov. 29, Dennis E. was released under judicial supervision and scheduled for deportation on Sunday. The German Embassy in Ankara was notified of the proceedings.
DPA attributed the news of Dennis E.’s deportation to Germany to the Federal Foreign Office as well as to Bülent Akbay, a lawyer for Dennis E. who spoke to the news agency to confirm his client’s deportation to Hamburg on Sunday.
Akbay added that the prosecution against Dennis E. is ongoing and that the next trial will be held on Feb. 12.
German citizens arrested in Turkey constitute one of the major issues causing friction between the two countries. According to Federal Foreign Office, at least four German citizens are still held in prison in Turkey on charges of a political nature.