Spaniard imprisoned in Turkey for trying to take ancient marble out of the country

The legal aid lawyer handling the case appealed against the arrest order yesterday, and there is some hope that 27-year-old Diego Martínez from Calatayud (Zaragoza) might be freed within the next few hours.

Martínez was arrested at Antalya airport on Monday as he prepared to fly back to Spain after spending his holidays in Turkey.

The two pieces of marble - one the size of a cigarette lighter and the other slightly larger, that he had picked up at the historic Hellenistic-Roman ruins of Pergue in Capadocia - were detected in his luggage during a routine security screen.

After being interrogated by the airport police, Martínez was then taken to the city's central police station and arraigned in court the following day, and then held on remand, charged with "antiquities trafficking".

"Antalya archaelogical museum confirmed that the pieces of stone had an historic value, and therefore cannot be removed from the country", explained Martínez's brother, Cosme.

Although he accknowledged that "ignorance of the law is no defence to cirminal liability", Cosme wanted to make it clear that his brother picked the two chunks of marble up adjacent to the car park "outside the area marked out as the historic ruins" and not from the archaelogical site itself.

Cosme has not been able to speak to his brother since he was taken into custody on Wednesday, but has been able to give him a parcel containing clothes and some money.

Zeki Durmaz, an Antalya-based lawyer with experience in similar cases, says charges will only be dropped if the lumps of marble are shown to have no historic value.  It is more likely, however, that he will be released on bail, which is expected to be set at around 6,000€.  Once bail is paid, Martínez will have his passport returned to him and will be allowed to leave the country, even though the case against him will continue.