Yücel

German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yücel, who was detained in Turkey a year ago, has been released from jail, German newspaper Die Welt reported on Feb. 16 citing his lawyer.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the Turkish government was encouraging the judiciary to speed up an indictment against German journalist Deniz Yucel on Monday, Deutsche Welle reported. 

German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yücel, who has been detained at a prison in Istanbul for nine months, is no longer in solitary confinement.

Two more German citizens have been detained in Turkey "for political reasons", Berlin said Sept. 1, bringing the total number of German political prisoners in Turkish custody to 12 amid badly frayed ties between the countries.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel informed European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Aug. 30 that her country would veto an update of the Customs Union agreement with Turkey, daily Hürriyet has learned.

One day before their meetings in Berlin, Merkel announced they will convey the German government's position to Juncker regarding the Customs Union issue.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Aug. 29 at a Berlin press conference that she wanted to have better relations with Turkey, but the relationship between Berlin and Ankara was currently at "a very complicated phase."

"I would very much like having better relations, but we have to face reality … It's a very complicated phase in our relations," she said. 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Aug. 29 that the relationship between Berlin and Ankara was at "a very complicated phase."

Merkel said Germany would like better relations with Turkey but added that Ankara had to take steps regarding fulfillment of the principles of the rule of law.

A German publishing group filed a complaint to the European Court of Human Rigths (ECHR) over jailed German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yücel's case. 

The German publisher WeltN24 has accused Turkey of violating Yücel's right to freedom of expression, Die Welt reported on Aug. 5. 

German Foreign Ministry spokesperson Martin Schafer has said the German government is concerned about the potentially worsening jail conditions of human rights activist Peter Steudtner, who was recently transferred to Istanbul's Silivri Prison, Deutsche Welle has reported. 

Germany has been trying to turn ongoing problems in bilateral ties with Turkey into a crisis because of looming elections, a senior Turkish official has said, accusing German officials of depicting Turkey as an unsafe country for its investors despite numerous high-level refuting statements from Ankara.