BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s Foreign Ministry says three German photojournalists detained in southeastern Turkey have been released.

Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer confirmed Twitter messages from the photographers themselves Monday that they had been released in the town of Diyarbakir.

Bjoern Kietzmann, Chris Grodotzki and Ruben Neugebauer were detained Saturday while covering Kurdish protests against the Islamic State group. According to German media reports Turkish police accused them of espionage.

Schaefer said the foreign ministry was “aware of the significance of these allegations” and working to ensure that the journalists could continue their work.

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