Germany summoned the Turkish ambassador on Tuesday.
Berlin told the envoy it rejected Turkey’s allegations that it violated press freedom.
What about the Germany-Turkey dispute over press freedom?
Last week, Ankara summoned the German ambassador after admitting two Turkish journalists were detained in Frankfurt.
The two journalists work for the Frankfurt bureau of the Turkish daily Morning.
Germany’s Foreign Ministry said it informed the envoy in Ankara that “the German government firmly rejects the Turkish government’s accusations regarding freedom of speech and the press as well as the German judiciary.”
A local German prosecutor denied that the journalists had been arrested. He confirmed that the couple has been charged with “dangerous dissemination of personal data.”
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry condemned what it called “harassment and intimidation” of journalists, saying it was an “action against the free press.”
He said that the alleged arrest was a “deliberate act”.
Fahrettin Altun, who serves as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s media director, condemned what he called “Germany’s stance on silencing journalists” and expressed concern “about the suppression of press freedom in this country.”
Turkey during the election
The controversy comes days after the first round of Turkish elections. Erdogan came in first place in the first round, ahead of secular opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu.
The two face each other in a runoff on Sunday.
The Turkish diaspora in Germany accounts for almost half of the more than three million Turks abroad who voted in the election. Erdogan received 65% of the vote in Germany.
Morning belongs to Turkuvaz Media Group, which has ties to Erdogan’s family.
sdi/rt (AFP, Reuters, dpa)
