Gökay Akbulut, a member of Germany’s Left Party, was reportedly briefly detained at Antalya Airport after entering Turkey on August 3rd. It has come to light that Akbulut was released after the German Foreign Ministry intervened, diffusing a potential diplomatic crisis.
According to a report by Deutsche Welle Türkçe, Gökay Akbulut, a member of Germany’s Left Party, was temporarily detained at Antalya Airport after entering Turkey.
Akbulut’s plane landed at Antalya Airport around 3rd August, at approximately 3:00 PM local time. Despite identifying herself as a parliamentarian during passport control, she was taken into custody.
It was revealed that Akbulut had an outstanding arrest warrant on charges of “terrorist propaganda,” and she was held at the airport for several hours.
Subsequently taken to the local police station and then presented to the Prosecutor’s Office following a medical examination, Akbulut was released around 11:00 PM local time, following intervention from the German Foreign Ministry. The statement announced that “the case has been deleted, and the arrest warrant has been lifted.”
The investigation was reportedly initiated by the Kayseri Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office due to Akbulut’s social media posts and statements, which were deemed to be in violation of “terrorist propaganda.”
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported on the matter, stating that the German government intervened in the incident through “high-level channels,” and the Turkish Ministry of Justice also got involved.
Responding briefly on her Twitter account to media coverage, Akbulut said, “This incident once again demonstrates the lack of separation of powers in Turkey. But don’t worry! You won’t intimidate me by issuing an arrest warrant against me.”
