The German journalist has called on Berlin to "stand up for the victims of human rights violations" in Turkey. A court has blocked Tolu from leaving Turkey pending a trial over alleged membership in a terror group.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/L. Pitarakis
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German journalist Mesale Tolu called on Berlin to continue pressuring Turkey on detaining journalists and media workers in an interview published by Hamburg-based news magazine Der Spiegel.
"We cannot look away now," Tolu said. "I expect the federal government to stand up for the victims of human rights violations."
The German journalist has also been accused of being a "member of a terrorist organization," namely Turkey's extremist Marxist-Leninist Communist Party.
Tolu denied the allegations, saying: "As a journalist for the news agency ETHA, I reported on what's going on in Turkey. That obviously disturbed the government."
Die Welt journalist Deniz Yücel is one of more than 150 journalists in Turkish custodyImage: picture-alliance/Eventpress/Stauffenberg
Tolu's remarks come as Germany and Turkey witness a gradual thaw in relations after they took a nosedive in the wake of a failed coup in July 2016.
Since the failed coup, Turkey has detained 50,000 people and suspended 150,000 more from work for suspected links to self-exiled Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen.
The crackdown has also resulted in Turkey targeting media workers, with more than 150 journalists remaining in Turkish custody, including Deniz Yücel, correspondent for Berlin-based Die Welt. Tolu is prohibited from leaving Turkey under a court-ordered travel ban.
Turkey: The failed coup and its aftermath
Night of terror: The failed coup attempt turned Turkey into a war zone. More than 260 people have died. Does the country face the threat of a civil war?
Image: Getty Images/E.Ortac
Bloodshed by the Bosphorus
A blood covered resident of Istanbul stands near the Bosphorus Bridge. There were clashes between civilians and the army after the military had blocked the bridge. Government sources say that more than 260 people were killed in fighting during the coup attempt.
Image: Getty Images/B.Kilic
Tanks roll through streets
Tanks drove through several cities in the night in a completely surprise move. The Turkish military announced its takeover. The tracked vehicles flattened cars in the streets of Istanbul and Ankara, turning the country into a war zone.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/T.Bozoglu
Lights out in parliament
After the bombing of parliament in Ankara, the building is in ruins. Fighter jets flew low over the capital and had the citizens panicking.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/B.Uzun
Who owns the Republic Monument?
The army not only closed the Bosphorus Bridge: it also occupied Taksim Square, a main transportation hub in Istanbul. The soldiers positioned themselves in front of the Republic Monument.
Image: Reuters/M. Sezer
Icon of resistance
Erdogan supporters also protested on the square. A showdown began when a soldier pointed his gun at a man. The army opened fire on the protesting crowd on the square.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/U.O.Simsek/
The calm after the storm
Shirts off their backs: After the failed coup attempt, rebel soldiers laid down their arms on the Bosporus Bridge and fled.
Image: Getty Images/G.Tan
Put to flight
After the armed forces had surrendered, soldiers tried to get on a bus to flee from the angry masses.
Image: Reuters/M.Sezer
Cheering crowds
President Tayyip Erdogan returned to Istanbul. Cheering crowds received him at the airport. Erdogan announced that the rebels would pay a heavy price.
Image: Reuters/H.Aldemir
It's over!
Erdogan supporters triumph and wave the Turkish flag after the army's withdrawal. The coup attempt has failed.
Image: Getty Images/G.Tan
Posing on a tank
Bizarre souvenir: A mother took a picture of her daughter on top of a tank. The tank on the Bosphorus Bridge was surrounded by Turkish police.
