Germany welcomes release of writer sought by Turkey

BERLIN (AP) - Germany's foreign minister welcomed the release Sunday of a German writer detained in Spain on a Turkish warrant.

Turkish-born writer Dogan Akhanli, who has German citizenship, was arrested Saturday while on holiday in southern Spain.

Following a court hearing he was conditionally released but ordered to stay in Madrid while Turkey's extradition request is considered, his lawyer said.

It wasn't immediately clear what Akhanli is accused of, but the author has in the past written about the mass killing of Armenians in Turkey in 1915 - a sensitive subject in Turkey, which rejects the widespread view that the killings constituted genocide.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said in a statement "it would be terrible if Turkey could get people who raise their voice against (Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan imprisoned on the other side of Europe."

"I have complete faith in Spain's judicial system and know that our friends and partners in the Spanish government understand what's at stake," said Gabriel.

Akhanli emigrated to Germany in 1991 after spending years in a Turkish prison following the 1984 military coup in the country.

The German section of the writers' association PEN called the arrest warrant against Akhanli politically motivated.