Germany's Merkel criticizes Turkey over arrest of German human rights activist

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on July 18 sharply criticized the arrest of German human rights activist Peter Steudtner in Turkey as "absolutely unjustified" and said the German government would do all it could to secure his release.

The Turkish court ruled for the arrest of six human rights activists on July 18, including the director of Amnesty International Turkey, İdil Eser and German Steudner for "aiding a terror group."

Merkel made the unscheduled remarks at a ceremony for German top athletes, saying the case was of "the utmost concern."

"We are firmly convinced that this arrest is absolutely unjustified. We, as the German government, condemn it. We declare our solidarity with him and all the others arrested," Merkel said.

"And the German government will do all it can, on all levels, to secure his release," she added.

The arrest marked another case "where innocent people had been caught up in the wheels of the justice system and wound up in detention," said Merkel.

Meanwhile, the German government also criticized the decision for Steudtner's arrest.

"The German government condemns the arrest of Peter Steudtner and other human rights defenders in Turkey. We demand that he is quickly released from prison," said a spokeswoman for Germany's foreign office.

Moreover, the Swedish Foreign Ministry expressed their concern over the arrest of Swedish citizen Ali Gharavi.

"Our Consulate General in Istanbul, our Embassy in Ankara and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Stockholm are working on this issue," said the Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Jessica Garpvall.

Amnesty International called on world leaders on July 17 to pressure Turkey into releasing six human rights activists...