Arrested Journalist Zirngast to be Awarded Solidarity Prize by Austria

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Max Zirngast, a journalist and activist from Austria, who was taken into custody and arrested in Ankara on charge of "being a member of a terrorist organization" almost a month ago, will be awarded the Dr. Karl Renner Solidarity Prize (Dr. Karl Renner Publizistikpreis) by the Austrian Journalists Club (ÖJC), a journalists' organization based in Austria.

In 2017, the solidarity prize, which was named after Dr. Karl Renner, who was one of the founders of the First and Second Republic in Austria, was awarded to journalists Deniz Yücel and Meşale Tolu, who were also behind bars in Turkey at the time when the prize was awarded.

According to a statement released by the ÖJC, which has also made a call for the release of Zirngast, the prize of the journalist will be given at a ceremony to be held in the Town Hall of Vienna on December 18 by Meşale Tolu, who returned to Germany shortly after being released from prison.

On the other hand, it has also been reported that the government of Austria has been using "quiet diplomacy" for the release of Zirngast and has been meeting and negotiating with the authorities from Turkey, including President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, to demand the release of Zirngast from prison.

CLICK - Journalist from Austria Max Zirngast Arrested

Presidents of Turkey and Austria previously met

As reported by the Austria-based Standard newspaper, President of Austria Alexander van der Bellen and President Erdoğan, who were in the US for the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, met in New York.

The newspaper has reported that in the meeting, which was also attended by the ministers of foreign affairs of the two countries, Austria requested that "the journalist be released from prison as soon as possible." (GK/EKN/SD)