Dutch journalist arrested for Erdogan insults must stay in Turkey

Ebru Umar, a Dutch journalist arrested in Turkey on Saturday, was released on Sunday. She is not allowed to leave the country however. Umar was arrested for insulting Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, she reports on Twitter. On Saturday Umar wrote on Twitter: "Okay. Police at the door timeline. No joke." She was taken to the police office for questioning. She tweets that she was treated well and was released on Sunday morning after her arraignment. Minister Bert Koenders of Foreign Affairs is "relieved" by Umar's release, though "apparently the legal process is still continuing", his ministry said to the Volkskrant on Sunday. The Ministry is assisting where needed and is in contact with the Turkish authorities. "I spoke to Ebru Umar today. It was reassuring to hear that she is doing well under the circumstances", Koenders said. "It is of course upsetting to be arrested in the middle of the night for questioning." Prime Minister Mark Rutte spoke to the journalist on Saturday after she was taken to the police station. "I had telephone contact with Ebr Umar last night. Our embassy is in close contact with her for assistance. Koenders and Foreign Affairs are on top of it", he tweeted. Last week Umar wrote a critical column in Metro about an email the Turkish consulate sent to Turkish-Dutch, telling them to report insults directed at the country or president. "But to every Dutch-Turk that supports the call from the Turkish consulate and thinks he can play NSB (a former fascist party in the Netherlands, ed) member over what Dutch say in the Netherlands about Sultan Erdogan, the biggest megalomaniac dictator that Turkey's known since the founding of the republic in 1923, I only have on thing to say: go fuck yourself", she wrote.

TIMELINE! paar dingen: vrij maar heb landarrest. Later meer bij @metro @TPOnl @geenstijl pic.twitter.com/6W294EXkzv

— Ebru Umar (@umarebru) April 24, 2016

Heb tel contact gehad met @umarebru gisteravond. Onze ambassade heeft nauw contact met haar voor bijstand, Koenders en BZ zitten er bovenop.

— Mark Rutte (@MinPres) April 24, 2016

.@MinBZ sinds arrestatie in nauw contact met @umarebru & lokale autoriteiten. Via @nlinistanbul actief betrokken. Heeft volle aandacht.

— Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken (@MinBZ) April 23, 2016