A French reporter who has been held on terror charges in Turkey for the last seven weeks was freed on Friday, his lawyers said.
The news came a day after French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian had pressed Turkish leaders on a visit to Ankara to free 27-year-old journalism student, Loup Bureau.
Bureau’s lawyers said “we have the satisfaction to announce that he is being freed” while Christophe Deloire, of Reporters Without Borders, said on Twitter that Bureau’s release was “imminent” and he would return to Paris on Saturday.
French President Emmanuel Macron had previously sought to secure the reporter’s release in a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who also met Le Drian on Thursday.
Bureau was detained at the Habur border post with Iraq in Turkey’s southeastern province of Sirnak on the suspicion of aiding and abetting the YPG, which Ankara considers to be the Syrian branch of the PKK.
The PKK has led an armed campaign against the Turkish state for four decades and is also considered to be a terrorist organisation by the US and the EU, in addition to being on the Turkish terror list.
After the initial investigation, it was discovered that Bureau had photographs and video recordings of YPG members and documents with their propaganda in his possession.
In June, Ankara released and deported French photojournalist Mathias Depardon, who was held for a month on charges of supporting terror groups. He was also detained in Turkey’s southeast.
Bureau is also expected to be deported.
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