German Citizen of Turkish Descent Arrested in Turkey

Doğan Akhanli, a writer of Turkish descent and German citizen, who was arrested in Turkey in August, will appear in court. The prosecutor is asking for imprisonment for life because he is being accused of overthrowing constitutional order in Turkey, reports German news source Taz.de.

According to  Turkish law enforcement agencies, Akhanli was acting as the head of a “terrorist group.” After being arrested, he was accused of robbery, which resulted in the death of a man. In the prosecutor’s opinion, that which was stolen during the robbery was to have been sent to fund a terrorist organization.

Akhanli’s friends and family believe that his arrest is related to his work, which has repeatedly drawn the attention of the international community to the issue of the Armenian Genocide.

According to Regnum news agency, German writer Günter Wallraff likewise believes that the Turkish authorities’ actions toward Akhanli are connected to the writer’s views on the Armenian Genocide of 1915.