"Obviously, we cannot accept such a deal," the source said, as quoted by the media outlet.
Yucel, who was working for Die Welt newspaper, was arrested in Istanbul in February over allegedly spreading propaganda of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), listed as a terrorist organization in Turkey. German officials repeatedly called for liberation of the journalist. During the NATO summit in May, Merkel once again urged Erdogan to release Yucel.
In July 2016, a coup attempt took place in Turkey, leaving over 240 people killed and some 2,000 injured. Responding to the failed coup, Ankara introduced a national state of emergency, facilitating waves of arrests across the country targeting military, officials, legal and educational workers, as well as journalists and human rights activists allegedly tied to the attempted takeover.
