Journalist Max Zirngast from Austria Released with International Travel Ban

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Journalist Max Zirngast from Austria, who was arrested on September 21, 2018 in Ankara, has been released with an international travel ban.

Zirngast was taken into custody on September 11 on the allegation of "being a member of a terrorist organization", arrested on September 21 and sent to the Sincan Prison in Ankara on the same day.

The Ankara 26th Heavy Penal Court imposed an international ban on Max Zirngast, whose first hearing will be held on April 11, 2019.

It has been reported that Mithatcan Türetken and Hatice Göz, members of the Social Freedom Party Constituent Assembly who were arrested along with Zirngast, have also been released.

"We have great Christmas news for you"

The New York-based Jacobin magazine, one of the publications, to which Max Zirngast has been contributing, announced the release of the journalist by stating, "We have great Christmas news for you."

The release of Zirngast was also announced on the Twitter account #FreeMaxZirngast opened in solidarity with the journalist:

"One more last photograph of Max Zirngast tonight. We wish everyone a happy Christmas night. See you tomorrow with the newest developments, which will hopefully have much more to do with "Freedom".

Noch ein letztes Bild von Max Zirngast heute Nacht. Jetzt erst mal allen wirklich eine frohe Weihnachtsnacht. Wir sehen uns alle morgen mit den neuesten Entwicklungen, die hoffentlich sehr viel mit "Freiheit" zu tun haben.

Via @odtusbt#FreeMaxZirngast#FreeThemAll pic.twitter.com/7s1Nx8PsEe

— #FreeMaxZirngast (@freemaxzirngast) 24 Aralık 2018

On September 11, the Austria-based re:volt magazine, for which Zirngast has also been working, shared a post on its Twitter account and announced that its author Max Zirngast was taken into custody by the anti-terror forces in the capital city of Ankara at 5 a.m.

In its Twitter post, the magazine stated, "The accusation against Zirngast is, of course, terror!!! Turkey is trying to silence all oppositional voices. They will not be able to do it!"

Prime Minister of Austria also made a call

Prime Minister of Austria Sebastian Kurz also released a statement after the detention of Max Zirngast and made a call to Turkey to announce the reasons of his detention, demanding "concrete evidence".

Kurz added that "if Turkey fails to present concrete evidence, Max Zirngast should be immediately released." (PT/SD)