Erdogan critic urges Spain to reject extradition request from Turkey

A Turkish-born German writer urged Spain not to extradite him to Turkey, where he stands accused of "terrorism".

Dogan Akhanli, who is a critic of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was recently arrested and conditionally released in Spain under an Interpol 'red notice' issued by Ankara.

"How can they consider deporting me to Turkey, a country that is slipping towards fascism, when Spaniards themselves must have learned from history what this means for mankind," he said at a Madrid news conference on Wednesday, referring to General Franco's dictatorship in Spain from 1939 to 1975.

Akhanli, 60, is a writer whose works focus on many of the atrocities committed in the 20th century. His works on the Armenian genocide have drawn the anger of Turkish authorities, which his supporters say has caused him to become a target of state persecution.

Turkey has long rejected that large-scale massacres of Armenians by Ottoman forces took place during the First World War, saying any killing was carried out in self defence.

Having grown up in Istanbul, Akhanli was jailed for two years following Turkey's 1980 military coup.

In 1991, he emigrated to Germant, where he was granted political asylum and eventually citizenship. 

In 2010, Akhanli was arrested on a return trip to Turkey and accused of heading a terrorist organisation and participation in a deadly 1989 robbery.

He was later cleared of charges and left Turkey.

Akhanli says Turkey ordered his recent arrest in Spain because "I express myself out loud, and because I write books about the Armenian genocide and the rights of the Kurds".

He was released by Spanish authorities on 20 August on condition that he remains in Madrid while Turkey has its 40 day period to send a formal extradition request.

Akhanli's arrest has further strained ties between Ankara and Berlin, with Germany having dismissed the charges against him as politically motivated.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has personally weighed in on the issue, warning President Recept Tayyip Erdogan's government not to "misuse" Interpol to persecute its rivals.

Despite Spain granting Akhanli conditional release, the writer's lawyer, Gonzalo Boye, has expressed concern about Spain's record on extraditions, saying that it has in the past granted requests too easily.

"The numbers speak for themselves," Boye said, referring to nine extraditions to Turkey granted by Madrid between 2014 to 2016.