Ankara: President of Turkey Risp Tayip Erdogan On Saturday asked his foreign minister to expel ambassadors from 10 countries, including Germany and the United States, who had appealed for the release of the jailed civil society leader.
The envoys issued a highly unusual joint statement on Monday saying that the Paris-born philanthropist and activist is under continued detention. Usman Kavala “Shade Over” Turkey.
A growing row with Western nations – most of whom are also NATO allies – has had a rough week for Turkey in that it was added to a global money-laundering and terrorism-financing blacklist and its currency collapsed over fears of economic mismanagement and hyperinflation. danger of
“I have ordered my foreign minister to declare these 10 ambassadors as personalityless at the earliest,” erdogan That said, using a diplomatic term that means the first step before expulsion.
He accused them of “indecency”, saying “they should leave on a day when they don’t know Turkey.”
Several European countries said late Saturday that they had not received any official communication from Turkey.
“We are currently in close consultation with nine other relevant countries,” the German foreign ministry said.
“Our ambassador has done nothing that justifies the expulsion,” a Norwegian foreign ministry spokeswoman said. Trud Messages told the media in his country.
She vowed to continue pressuring Turkey over human rights and democracy – comments echoed by Danish and Dutch officials.
The United States was aware of the reports and was seeking clarity from Turkish Foreign MinistryState Department spokesman said.
Kavala, 64, has been in prison without a conviction since 2017 on charges related to anti-government protests since 2013 and a failed military coup in 2016.
Western ambassadors had called for an “equitable and speedy resolution” in his case.
But on Saturday, Erdogan told kavala As the “agent in Turkey” of Hungarian-born American billionaire George Soros—a regular target of right-wing and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.
Kavala’s supporters see him as a symbol of Erdogan’s sweeping crackdown after surviving a 2016 coup attempt.
Kavala told AFP from his cell last week that Erdogan was trying to blame a foreign conspiracy for his nearly two-decade opposition to the regime, most notably the plan to demolish Gezhi Park in Istanbul in 2013 nationwide. Protest.
“Since I have been accused of being part of this conspiracy allegedly organized by foreign powers, my release would undermine the imagination,” he said.
Kavala was acquitted last year of charges linked to the Gezi protests, only to be arrested again before returning home over alleged links to a 2016 coup plot.
The Council of Europe, a human rights watchdog, has issued a final warning to Turkey to comply with a 2019 European Court of Human Rights order to release Kavala’s pending trial.
If this fails, Turkey may eventually have to suspend its voting rights or even its membership.
Erdogan faces many challenges at home and abroad, with the global financial malpractice watchdog FATF placing Turkey under watch for failing to properly tackle money laundering and terrorism financing.
Erdogan passed anti-terrorism laws but failed to impress the FATF, and critics say the new rules mostly target Turkish NGOs that promote pro-Kurdish causes and human rights.
The president’s attacks on kavala this week caused panic in the markets, with fears of a deeper confrontation with the West causing the lira to fall further against the dollar.
The Eurasia Group said Erdogan was in danger of “dragging Turkey’s economy into a crisis created by the president”.
The envoys issued a highly unusual joint statement on Monday saying that the Paris-born philanthropist and activist is under continued detention. Usman Kavala “Shade Over” Turkey.
A growing row with Western nations – most of whom are also NATO allies – has had a rough week for Turkey in that it was added to a global money-laundering and terrorism-financing blacklist and its currency collapsed over fears of economic mismanagement and hyperinflation. danger of
“I have ordered my foreign minister to declare these 10 ambassadors as personalityless at the earliest,” erdogan That said, using a diplomatic term that means the first step before expulsion.
He accused them of “indecency”, saying “they should leave on a day when they don’t know Turkey.”
Several European countries said late Saturday that they had not received any official communication from Turkey.
“We are currently in close consultation with nine other relevant countries,” the German foreign ministry said.
“Our ambassador has done nothing that justifies the expulsion,” a Norwegian foreign ministry spokeswoman said. Trud Messages told the media in his country.
She vowed to continue pressuring Turkey over human rights and democracy – comments echoed by Danish and Dutch officials.
The United States was aware of the reports and was seeking clarity from Turkish Foreign MinistryState Department spokesman said.
Kavala, 64, has been in prison without a conviction since 2017 on charges related to anti-government protests since 2013 and a failed military coup in 2016.
Western ambassadors had called for an “equitable and speedy resolution” in his case.
But on Saturday, Erdogan told kavala As the “agent in Turkey” of Hungarian-born American billionaire George Soros—a regular target of right-wing and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.
Kavala’s supporters see him as a symbol of Erdogan’s sweeping crackdown after surviving a 2016 coup attempt.
Kavala told AFP from his cell last week that Erdogan was trying to blame a foreign conspiracy for his nearly two-decade opposition to the regime, most notably the plan to demolish Gezhi Park in Istanbul in 2013 nationwide. Protest.
“Since I have been accused of being part of this conspiracy allegedly organized by foreign powers, my release would undermine the imagination,” he said.
Kavala was acquitted last year of charges linked to the Gezi protests, only to be arrested again before returning home over alleged links to a 2016 coup plot.
The Council of Europe, a human rights watchdog, has issued a final warning to Turkey to comply with a 2019 European Court of Human Rights order to release Kavala’s pending trial.
If this fails, Turkey may eventually have to suspend its voting rights or even its membership.
Erdogan faces many challenges at home and abroad, with the global financial malpractice watchdog FATF placing Turkey under watch for failing to properly tackle money laundering and terrorism financing.
Erdogan passed anti-terrorism laws but failed to impress the FATF, and critics say the new rules mostly target Turkish NGOs that promote pro-Kurdish causes and human rights.
The president’s attacks on kavala this week caused panic in the markets, with fears of a deeper confrontation with the West causing the lira to fall further against the dollar.
The Eurasia Group said Erdogan was in danger of “dragging Turkey’s economy into a crisis created by the president”.
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