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On Friday, a Turkish judge ordered the rearrest of four of those, who had been released awaiting trial. Critics say Turkeys judiciary is no longer independent, after a vast crackdown by the government that purged around 150,000 public employees, including 4,000 judges and prosecutors.

This week, the German foreign minister, Sigmar Gabriel, called Mr. Steudtners arrest absurd and said it showed that German citizens are no longer safe from arbitrary arrests in Turkey.

In remarks published Friday in Bild, the finance minister, Wolfgang Schuble, said that if Turkey doesnt stop these games, we will have to tell people: You are traveling to Turkey at your own risk, we can no longer provide guarantees.

Also on Friday, two German news channels said they would no longer run ads that feature the soccer star Lukas Podolski encouraging investors: Come to Turkey. Discover your own story.

The German government is also furious about the detainment of nine other German citizens in separate cases, including two journalists, Deniz Yucel and Mesale Tolu. Turkish politicians have also provoked their German counterparts by accusing them of Nazi practices and by refusing to allow German parliamentary delegations to visit German soldiers carrying out operations against the Islamic State from two Turkish military bases.

For his part, Mr. Erdogan is angry that Germany has granted asylum to former Turkish Army officers and other officials accused of playing a role in last years coup attempt in Turkey. Mr. Erdogan also says that Germany harbors members of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or P.K.K., which has waged an insurgency in southeastern Turkey for several decades.

The government who is hiding Turkish terrorists in Germany should first explain this, Mr. Erdogan said on Friday. Why are they hiding in Germany? How they can explain the material support given to them?

Another irritant for Mr. Erdogan is the opening of investigations by German prosecutors into German-based representatives of Turkeys religious affairs directorate. The representatives are accused of spying on Turks living in Germany, home to around three million people of Turkish origin.

Members of the Turkish diaspora in Germany were also at the center of a dispute in the spring, when German officials refused to allow Mr. Erdogans political party to hold rallies for German-Turks in the run-up to a referendum in April, when Turks voted to expand the presidents powers.

If it was up to Turkey, actually, Turkey would prefer to remain strategic partners forever, Kurtulus Tayiz wrote in his column in Aksam, a pro-Erdogan newspaper. But he said that Germany and the United States had become the center of activities that pose both internal and external threats to Turkeys survival.

Analysts say that Turkey is running risks by not backing down. German politicians now have less reason to moderate their stance, said Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, the Ankara director for the German Marshall Fund of the United States, a research organization.

While Germany has been reluctant to antagonize Turkey because it relies on Turkey to stem the flow of refugees toward Europe, migration pressures have lessened in the past year, and Turkey is no longer seen as quite so essential. Additionally, as Germany prepares for federal elections, its politicians stand to gain domestically from taking a strong stance on Turkish issues.

Turkey is playing a game of brinkmanship with the hope that Germany will back down because that is what has happened in the past, Mr. Unluhisarcikli said. But that may not be the case this time.

The spat may not escalate into a total breakdown of relations, or even into an official end to Turkeys long-delayed application to join the European Union, said Galip Dalay, research director at Al Sharq Forum, an Istanbul-based think tank.

Even if Turkey now has no realistic chance of joining the union, Mr. Dalay said, Ankara is unlikely to want to halt the membership talks entirely, since they provide some reassurance to foreign investors.

The E.U. process is dead, but the fact it isnt terminated is beneficial for Turkey, Mr. Dalay said. If tomorrow the process is officially terminated, that will have economic consequences.

An earlier version of this article misstated Wolfgang Schubles title. He is the German finance minister, not the foreign minister.

Follow Patrick Kingsley @PatrickKingsley and Melissa Eddy @meddynyt on Twitter.

Patrick Kingsley reported from Istanbul, and Melissa Eddy from Berlin.

A version of this article appears in print on July 22, 2017, on Page A6 of the New York edition with the headline: Turkey Refuses to Back Down in Feud With Germany.

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Turkey's Erdogan Refuses to Back Down in Feud With Germany - New York Times

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan is meeting Prime Minister Binali Yildirim at the presidential palace on Wednesday, and a cabinet reshuffle could be on the cards, three sources with knowledge of the matter said.

Erdogan's office announced the unscheduled meeting earlier on Wednesday, and the three sources said a reshuffle could be in the works, declining to be identified because the information is not yet public.

"There is a strong likelihood that there could be a decision on a cabinet reshuffle after the meeting," said one of the sources, who is close to the presidency.

In a separate statement, Erdogan's office said Yildirim would hold a news conference at the presidential palace in Ankara after the meeting. It was expected to be held at 1000 GMT.

A cabinet reshuffle has been widely expected since May, when Erdogan resumed his leadership of the ruling AK Party following an April 16 constitutional referendum giving him sweeping new powers.

Reporting by Orhan Coskun, Ercan Gurses and Tulay Karadeniz; Writing by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by David Dolan

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Turkey's Erdogan meeting prime minister, cabinet reshuffle ...

JERUSALEM (JTA) Israeli President Reuven Rivlin spoke with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey by phone at the Turkish presidents request despite objections from Israels Foreign Ministry.

The call took place a week after a terror attack at the Temple Mount by three Arab Israelis left two Druze Israel Police officers dead and led to the installation of metal detectors at the holy site, sparking tensions and riots in eastern Jerusalem.

Rivlin told Erdogan the attack was intolerable, and crossed a red line which endangered the ability of all of us to live together, according to a readout from the Presidents Office.

He also reminded Erdogan that following a terror attack in Turkey, the State of Israel was quick to condemn those criminal acts. Rivlin said Israel expected to hear similar condemnation from Turkey,with the understanding that terror was terrorwherever it took place in Jerusalem, in Istanbul or in Paris.

Rivlin stressed that Israel was maintaining and would continue to maintain the status quo at the holy sites, according to the Presidents Office.

Erdogan told Rivlin that Muslims should be able to enter the Al-Aqsa mosque without restrictions within the framework of freedom of religion and worship, the Turkish Anadolu news agency reported.

Erdogan also spoke with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, telling him The protection of the Islamic character and sanctity of Al-Quds [Jerusalem] and Al-Haram al-Sharif [Al-Aqsa mosque complex] is important for the whole Muslim world, Anadolu reported.

Erdogans office contacted Rivlins office Wednesday night to arrange the phone call. The Foreign Ministry in its objection said it would give Erdogan a role in the Temple Mount issue, Haaretz reported.

Rivlin decided to go forward with the call, saying it was important to answer requests for dialogue from the regions leaders, The Times of Israel reported.

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President Reuven Rivlin speaks with Turkey's Erdogan over objections by Israel's Foreign Ministry - Jewish Telegraphic Agency

WASHINGTONSenior members of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) and Ted Poe (R-TX), Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission Co-Chairman Jim McGovern (D-MA), and Representatives Jim Costa (D-CA) and John Sarbanes (D-MD) condemned Turkish President Erdogans violent crackdown both in Turkey and the U.S. during A Stand for Free Speech held at Washington, DCs Sheridan Circle, site of the May 16th attack by the Turkish presidential security detail which hospitalized nice people, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.

Were here affirming our First Amendment freedoms rejecting Ankaras violent efforts to enforce its gag-rule against American citizens, said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), which organized the event in coordination with the Sheridan Circle May 16 Initiative (including many victims of the beatings), and a host of Kurdish, Armenian, Greek, Assyrian, and Christian groups including the American Kurdish Association (AKA), In Defense of Christians, American Hellenic Council, Armenian Legal Center for Justice and Human Rights, A Demand for Action, Hellenic American Leadership Council, AHEPA, and the Armenian Youth Federation.

The idea that a foreign tyrant can come to the United States [] and allow his goons to beat up Americans on American soil is preposterous, said Rep. Poe, who went on to call for the extradition of those charged with the attack. They need to have a trial and they need to go to jail, if theyre convicted. All of them all of them involved in the assault. Rep. Poe, who had called for Congressional colleagues to join him in returning to the site of the May 16th beatings during the May 25th House Foreign Affairs Committee consideration of a measure condemning the crimes, was unequivocal: The Turkish Government is responsible for that action, and they need to be held accountable.

Rep. Jim McGovern voiced similar concerns, calling on the State Department and the Justice Department to do everything they can to extradite the perpetrators of this vicious attack on US citizens and US soil. They need to be held to account. He noted that the Turkish government showed its brutality when faced with people who disagree with them people who believe in the reality of the Armenian Genocide, people who believe in the reality of freedom of religion in Turkey, people who believe in the reality of minority rights in Turkey, and people who believe in the reality of the security of Greece and Cyprus.

Citing the increasing repression within Turkey, Rep. Rohrabacher stressed that, Erdogan beat people here and the American people need to know this was nothing compared to the suppression and brutality that Erdogan is showing his own people in Turkey. He went on to send a clear message to Turkeys authoritarian regime: Until [Erdogan] apologizes to the American people for having his thugs beat up American citizens who are expressing their opinion, Mr. Erdogan should not be welcome to come back in the United States for a visit.

Rep. Costa concurred, noting The Turkish government owes us an apology and more than that; those injuries that took place are a reflection of the lack of respect of human rights in Turkey today where literally thousands of Turkish citizens have found themselves imprisoned, found members of the press in jail, only for trying to protect their own views.

Rep. Paul Sarbanes reminded President Erdogan that in this country, under our First Amendment, under our constitutional democracy, we have the right to peaceably assemble. He noted that Turkeys authoritarianism is nothing new for those in attendance of the protest discrimination, aggression, repression, (and) violence directed at the Kurds, at Armenians, at other ethnic and religious minorities, and of course theres the shameful legacy of the Armenian Genocide.

A number of victims of the brutal attacks spoke out in defiance of President Erdogans authoritarian tactics.

As an American citizen, I was violated from exercising [my] first amendment right of freedom of speech, said Sayid Reza Yasa, who lost a tooth, required stitches on his nose, and continues to suffer from the consequences of a concussion. I will never be afraid of them, but next time I go, Ill take my hard hat with me, just in case.

Ceren Borazan, who was videotaped in a choke-hold by a member of the Turkish security detail, outlined the litany of ongoing repression in Turkey. A half million Kurdish people have been displaced, said Borazan. More than 5,000 politicians and activists arrested in just 2 years. Erdogan has jailed more than 150 journalists and closed over 200 media outlets. He has fired more than 5,000 academics and also shut down 2,000 academics. He also tells women how many children they should have, targeting womens rights.

A third victim, Lucy Usoyan, who is of Yezidi origin and hails from Armenia, reminded attendees: We all have seen what happened on May 16th. Our fundamental rights as U.S. citizens have been threatened by Turkish government. President Erdogan, himself, wanted to silence our voices, but instead he made sure that we have been heard worldwide.

Hellenic American Leadership Councils Michael Maragos noted: The Greek-American community shared everyones shock when we watched when peaceful protesters were attacked by Turkish thugs on American soil. We were shocked but not surprised. For 100 years, Turkey has ignored the rule of law.

The diverse group of community leaders were also joined by Fr. Sarkis Aktavoukian of Soorp Khatch Armenian Church, as well as by a Congressional aides, including those representing the offices of Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA), a senior member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and Congressman Devin Nunes (R-CA), Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. The July 19th gathering comes a month after Washington, DC law enforcement issued 18 arrest warrants including a dozen against Turkish President Recep Erdogans bodyguards and two Canadians of Turkish origin. Two Americans of Turkish heritage have already been arrested for assault and various related crimes. Hours after the arrest warrants were issued, the Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned U.S. Ambassador to Turkey John Bass and, according to a press statement, emphasized that the decision, which clearly was not taken as a result of an impartial and independent investigation, is unacceptable. President Erdogan later reacted angrily to news of these arrests, asking What kind of a law is this? If they [bodyguards] are not going to protect me, why would I bring them with me to America? Erdogan vowed to fight the charges leveled against his bodyguards.

The ANCAs Hamparian was videotaping live at the scene of the May 16th attack, which took place in front of the Turkish Ambassadors residence where President Erdogan was scheduled to have a closed-door meeting with think tank leaders. Hamparians video showed pro-Erdogan forces crossing a police line and beating peaceful protesters elderly men and several women who were on the ground bleeding during most of the attack.

Hamparian testified before a May 25th Foreign Affairs Subcommittee hearing on this matter. Joining him at the hearing were Ms. Lusik Usoyan, Founder and President of the Ezidi Relief Fund; Mr. Murat Yusa, a local businessman and protest organizer; and Ms. Ruth Wedgwood, Edward B. Burling Professor of International Law and Diplomacy, at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. Usoyan and Yusa were victims of the brutal assault on May 16th by President Erdogans bodyguards.

On June 6th, with a vote of 397 to 0, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously condemned Turkey in response to the attacks, taking a powerful stand against Ankaras attempts to export its violence and intolerance to Americas shores. H.Res.354, spearheaded by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA), Ranking Democrat Eliot Engel (D-NY), House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD), has received the public backing of House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI). On July 14th, the U.S. House also unanimously adopted an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Bill, championed by Armenian Caucus Co-Chairman David Trott (R-MI), raising objections to a proposed U.S. sale of handguns for use by the very Erdogan security detail involved in the May 16th attack.

Over 100 Senate and House members expressed outrage over the attacks through public statements, social media, and a series of Congressional letters.

The May 16th protest in front of the Turkish Ambassadors residence was a continuation of a demonstration held earlier in the day in front of the White House, co-hosted by the ANCA. As President Trump met with President Erdogan. human rights and religious rights groups were joined by representatives of the Kurdish, Yezidi and Armenian communities to call attention to the Erdogan regimes escalating repression against free press, the Kurdish and other ethnic communities, as well as Turkeys ongoing obstruction of justice for the Armenian Genocide.

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Members of Congress Demand Erdogan Apologize for Embassy Attack - Asbarez Armenian News

ANKARA/ISTANBUL, July 16 (Reuters) - A defiant President Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday stepped up his attack on the European Union, saying Turkey had to go its own way and vowing to bring back the death penalty if parliament passes it.

Erdogan, who was at the opening ceremony for a memorial dedicated to the roughly 250 people who died during last years failed coup, accused Brussels of messing about with Turkeys decades-long bid to join the bloc.

The speech, in front of the presidential palace in Ankara in the early hours of Sunday, wound up a marathon session of public appearances by Erdogan in both the capital and Istanbul to mark the anniversary of last years failed coup.

The stance of the European Union is clear to see... 54 years have passed and they are still messing us about, he said, citing what he said was Brussels failure to keep promises on everything from a visa deal to aid for Syrian migrants.

We will sort things out for ourselves, theres no other option.

Umit Bektas / Reuters

Ties with Europe were strained after the coup, given the Wests alarm about the scale of the government crackdown that followed. Some 150,000 people have been sacked or suspended from their jobs and more than 50,000 detained on suspicion of links to the U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara blames for the attempted putsch.

He also said he would approve, without hesitation the death penalty, if parliament voted to bring it back a move that would effectively end Turkeys bid to join the European Union.

I dont look at what Hans and George say. I look at what Ahmet, Mehmet, Hasan, Huseyin, Ayse, Fatma and Hatice say, he said, to cheers from a flag-waving crowd.

Erdogan, the most popular and divisive politician in recent Turkish history, sees himself as the liberator of pious millions who were deprived for decades of their rights and welfare by Turkeys secular elite.

Umit Bektas / Reuters

European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said the EU remained committed to dialog with Turkey and called on Ankara to strengthen democracy and the rule of law. He also warned against reinstating the death penalty.

One year after the attempted coup, Europes hand remains outstretched, Juncker wrote in Germanys Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

If Turkey were to introduce the death penalty, the Turkish government would finally slam the door to EU membership.

Addressing a crowd of hundreds of thousands in Istanbul on Saturday evening, Erdogan promised violent retribution against Turkeys enemies, including FETO - his term for Gulens network - and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

We know who is behind FETO, the PKK and all of them, he said. We cannot defeat the queen, king, or sheikhs without defeating the pawns, knights and castles. Firstly, we will rip the heads off of these traitors.

He also said that alleged members of Gulens network would be forced to wear jumpsuits like those worn by prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, after one detainee showed up to a court hearing wearing a T-shirt that said Hero.

(Additional reporting by Michael Nienaber in Berlin; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Keith Weir)

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Erdogan Vows To Punish Turkey's Enemies On Anniversary Of Failed Coup - HuffPost