Three Germans, unofficial election observers, arrested in Turkey





Uludere/Istanbul - Three Germans were arrested in Turkey on Sunday as presidential and parliamentary elections were underway, the German Foreign Ministry confirmed.



 
The two men and one woman, who were part of a group of 11 from Germany, were acting as unofficial election observers at the invitation of the opposition pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP).
They were detained in the district of Uludere in the south-eastern province of Sirnak at around midday.
One of the three told dpa by telephone that they had intentionally travelled to an area where official observers from the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe were not being deployed.
He said the police had interfered "massively" in their attempts to observe the election.
According to a lawyer for the three they will be brought before a judge on Monday.
The German Foreign Ministry said the embassy in Ankara was working on the case.
A total of 10 foreigners who said they were election observers but did not have the correct accreditation were arrested on Sunday, Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu reported, including the three Germans.
Also arrested were four Italians and three French people, whom the French Communist Party confirmed were its members. They included a senator. The French delegation had since been released, according to media reports.

Monday, June 25th 2018
(dpa)
           


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