Mesale Tolu speaks out in favour of free speech as she is released from a Turkish prison, pending trial.
ADVERTISEMENTGerman journalist Mesale Tolu has spoken out against the Turkish government after being released from a prison in the country. She had been held for eight months on terror-related charges that she denies.
An Istanbul judge ruled she could be freed pending trial, but stated that she must not leave Turkey.
"Even though the reasons for my arrest are different on my file, the real reason for my arrest is the fact that I worked for ETHA, for a socialist news agency. That's when I became a target for the state's police and security. Because, it was a period during which the free press was silenced; newspapers, TV stations and radios were shut down; tens of journalists, over 50 journalists were imprisoned. I also was arrested during that period," she said.
Tolu's father accused Ankara of 'stealing' nearly a year of her life. The journalist is among 28 Germans to be banned from leaving Turkey.