Spain releases writer Dogan Akhanli, whose extradition is sought by Turkey

Spanish authorities have released Dogan Akhanli, a German writer of Turkish origin, who was arrested at Turkey's request, reports the Patria agency.

Conditions were set for his release, one of which is that the writer remain in Madrid, his lawyer Ilias Uyar told the dpa news agency, as reported by Hina.

Akhanli was on holiday in Granada, Spain, where he was arrested on Saturday. Germany called on Spain not to extradite him to Turkey. Dogan Akhanli, who among other works wrote a trilogy about the Armenian genocide, has been prosecuted in Turkey.

The writer, described as a critic of the Turkish regime, was previously suspected of involvement in an armed robbery in 1989 and was arrested in 2010 upon arriving in Istanbul. He was released and acquitted. Members of the German Green Party claimed it was a case of political persecution.

There are 10 German nationals in Turkish prisons, some of whom hold dual citizenship, according to German authorities. Among them is Deniz Yucel, a German-Turkish journalist and correspondent for the German newspaper Die Welt, who has been in prison since February. Relations between Turkey and Germany have particularly deteriorated after the failed coup on July 15, 2016, attributed to cleric Fethullah Gulen, who denies all charges.