Journo goes on trial for 'insulting president'

ISTANBUL:

A Turkish journalist with Deutsche Welle (DW) went on trial in Ankara on Thursday for allegedly "insulting the president", with the court granting him conditional release, the German broadcaster said.

Alican Uludag was arrested at his home in Ankara on February 19 over allegations of "insulting" President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and "disseminating false news" over several posts on X.

Berlin has denounced the allegations against him as "baseless" and Amnesty International has demanded his release.

Held at an Istanbul jail some 500 kilometres (300 miles) from his home, he appeared before the court via video link, giving a strong defence for his innocence and asking the court to acquit him, said DW which had a team in the courtroom.

"I was detained, but I did not commit a crime that warrants arrest."