Turkish court sentences U.S. Consulate employee to prison
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Version 0 of 1. A Turkish court on Thursday sentenced Metin Topuz, an employee of the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul, to nearly nine years in prison in a case that has stoked tensions between Ankara and Washington for years. Topuz, a Turkish citizen who started working at the consulate more than three decades ago as a switchboard operator, was convicted of “aiding an armed terrorist organization,” according to the state-run Anadolu news agency. He retained the right to appeal the conviction. U.S. officials have called the charges against Topuz groundless and accused Turkey’s government of using him Topuz as a bargaining chip during negotiations over other disputes between the two countries. A statement posted on the Twitter account of the U.S. Embassy in Turkey on Thursday said U.S. officials have “observed every hearing in the trial of Metin Topuz in Istanbul, and we are deeply disappointed in today’s decision.” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the accusations against Topuz “baseless” in a statement later Thursday, saying the charges “misrepresent both the scope and nature of the important work undertaken by our local staff on behalf of the U.S. government and in the promotion of our bilateral relationship. “This conviction undermines confidence in Turkey’s institutions and the critical trust at the foundation of Turkish-American relations. We reiterate our call on the Turkish government to resolve his case in a just manner,” Pomepo said. The sentence was handed down three days after a phone call between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Trump in which the two leaders discussed the conflict in Libya and the American protests against police brutality, according to a Turkish readout of the conversation. After the call Monday, Erdogan said during a television interview that “a new era” could begin in Turkey’s relationship with the United States. Topuz’s arrest in 2017 set off a tit-for-tat spat between the United States and Turkey, which included reciprocal travel restrictions. In March, Turkish prosecutors reduced the charges against Topuz, dropping accusations of espionage and of attempting to overthrow the government. He was convicted Thursday of aiding a movement led by Fethullah Gulen, an exiled Turkish cleric who is accused by Turkish officials of orchestrating a failed coup against Erdogan’s government in 2016. Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania, has denied backing the coup attempt. Some of the accusations against Topuz appeared related to his work for the Drug Enforcement Administration as a translator and liaison between U.S. and Turkish officials — a post that put him in contact with Turkish security officials who were later prosecuted for being members of Gulen’s movement. “I have not committed any crime, I have no contacts with FETO,” Topuz said in court Thursday, referring to the Gulen movement by an acronym, in comments reported by the Haberturk news website. “The unfounded accusations against me are hurtful to me and my family. I have been under arrest for 990 days and I want to be reunited with my family and my freedom.” he said. |