Alican Uludag, a correspondent for Deutsche Welle (DW), was released Wednesday under judicial supervision after spending approximately 25 hours in police custody. He was taken into custody Tuesday on suspicion of inciting hatred and hostility and publicly spreading misleading information, the Turkish prosecutor's office said.

At the time of his latest detention, Uludag was already on conditional release after being detained in February on charges including insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The new arrest came just two months after he was released pending trial in a separate case.

A German government spokesperson said Berlin was "highly irritated" by Uludag's renewed detention, accusing Turkish authorities of violating press freedom, which Turkey had committed to upholding by joining the Council of Europe and signing the European Convention on Human Rights.

DW Director General Barbara Massing described his re-arrest as "deeply concerning" and stated, "we expect his rights to be fully respected and demand a fair trial in accordance with the rule of law."

Turkish press organizations gathered outside the Ankara courthouse before the proceedings Wednesday, with a small group of demonstrators carrying signs and chanting "Journalism is not a crime," calling for his immediate release.

The court released Uludag but warned him not to leave the country and ordered him to report to police four times a week. Sinan Tartanoglu, head of the Ankara branch of the Turkish Journalists' Union, said the case reflected broader pressure on reporters in Turkey, noting that "many journalists are in prison and many under investigation." Uludag has repeatedly denied the charges against him.

Source: www.dw.com