The accused of terror charges Cologne Adil Demirci must continue to stay in Turkey. A court in Istanbul refused an application to lift the exit ban. The social worker and journalist was released from custody in mid-February after around ten months, but has not been allowed to leave Istanbul since then.
An early return to Germany is for the 33-year-old initially excluded. For the next trial, Demirci has to wait almost six months: the process will not be resumed until October 15th.
"That's very disappointing for me," Demirci said. He had expected that he could return to Germany today. Before the trial, Demirci had told the news agency dpa that he wanted to regain his life in Cologne and worried about his mother, who lives in Germany and was suffering from cancer.
New allegations
Demirci is one of the most prominent remaining cases against a German in Turkey. Demirci has German as well as Turkish nationality and was arrested in April 2018 while in Istanbul. The prosecutor accuses him, among other things, membership in the left-wing Marxist-Leninist Communist Party (MLCP).
The party is classified in Turkey as a terrorist organization. Demirci, who has also worked for the left-wing news agency Etha, rejects the allegations. In the SPIEGEL interview he said he did not know why he was being investigated.
With the extension of the exit barrier, the judge also raised new charges against the Cologne. Demirci has done "courier services in Syria and Iraq," the judge said. Demirci also denies these allegations.