According to the German newspaper, the Turkey correspondent for “Die Welt”, Deniz Yücel, is currently in police custody. Yücel, who was wanted in connection with reports on a hacker attack on the email account of the Turkish Energy Minister, presented himself at the police headquarters in Istanbul on Tuesday to answer investigators’ questions.

Noting that Yücel’s apartment was searched by police, the newspaper recalled that according to the regulations of the state of emergency that currently prevails in Turkey, he can be held in police custody for up to 14 days without a hearing before a judge.

The 43-year-old, who holds dual Turkish-German citizenship, had reported on emails that the leftist Turkish hacker collective RedHack had acquired from the private email account of Energy Minister Berat Albayrak.

The authorities accuse Yücel of being a member of a terrorist organization, misuse of data and terrorist propaganda.

“Our correspondent Deniz Yücel does excellent work,” said “Welt” Editor-in-Chief Ulf Poschardt. “The Turkish government constantly stresses that Turkey is beholden to the rule of law. Therefore we trust that fair proceedings will prove his innocence.”

Poschardt also appealed to the Turkish authorities not to remand the correspondent in custody. “Deniz Yücel has demonstrated his willingness to co-operate in proceedings that follow the rule of law. This, and the recognition of the freedom of the press enshrined in the Turkish constitution, ought to figure in this decision.”