Catalan journalists call for release of Swedish-Turkish colleague

Catalan PEN and the Association of Journalists of Catalonia presented a manifesto today demanding freedom for journalist Hamza Yalçin, who was detained by Spanish Police on August 3 under alleged terrorism charges.

The manifesto appealing for Yalçin’s immediate release denounces his arrest, stating that the charges are based on false accusations as part of a campaign to repress free speech in Turkey.

"We are worried about the Spanish state’s complicity in the repression of the free press, and the imprisonment of voices of dissidence against the Turkish regime," the manifesto states.

"Other European states have ignored Turkey's requests and have refused to cooperate with their authorities in the imprisonment and repression of political dissidence," the manifesto goes on to say.

It calls on the Spanish government to respect human rights laws and not extradite the journalist, with a reminder that he is "a European citizen who came as a political refugee in 1987, before being given full Swedish citizenship in 2006."