Posted on 01/20/2019 1:44:53 PM PST by Texas Fossil
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Turkish prosecutors demand aggravated life imprisonment for a local US Consulate employee, Metin Topuz, who they charge with espionage for a foreign nation, membership in a terrorist organization, and participation in conspiracies to overthrow the government of Turkey.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Parliament Speaker Binali Yildirim, former ministers Ali Babacan, Muammer Guler, and Zafer Caglayan – the last two themselves targets of a high-level corruption investigation in 2013 – and former Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag are among 30 officials who claimed victimhood and are plaintiffs in an indictment released this weekend against Topuz.
The Turkish national who worked for the Drug Enforcement Agency in the US Consulate in Istanbul is accused of being a member of the movement of Turkish-Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, a Pennsylvania-based, self-exiled opponent of President Erdogan.
Separately from life imprisonment, prosecutors also asked for another 18 to 29 years for Topuz in jail over alleged crimes of “possessing private data and violating secrecy,” related to his work at the American consulate.
According to the indictment released this week after nearly 15 months of detention, Topuz “played a central role” as a liaison between the US consulate and Turkish police and judiciary officials who launched the 2013 corruption investigation against four ministers, their sons, and members of the then Prime Minister Erdogan’s inner circle.
The scandal caused a cabinet reshuffle as the government quickly suppressed the investigation, dismissed police officers and prosecutors who it said were rogue state employees with allegiance to Gulen, and sparked a now ongoing vendetta between Erdogan and Gulenists that has so far seen the unprecedented purge of some 150,000 people within the Turkish state structure.
Shortly after Topuz’ 2017 arrest in Istanbul, the US and Turkey mutually suspended non-immigrant visa services at their respective diplomatic missions for over two months.
(Excerpt) Read more at kurdistan24.net ...
Related article:
Turkey detains US army sergeant at Istanbul airport: pro-gov media
http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/db99b81d-5f3d-4899-9674-a06b4c49edd1
Rawa Barwari (December 20-2018) 03:14 PM
"The man identified Yahya Ozer (22) was an American with Turkish roots and was serving as a sergeant and translator at NATO's Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey, claimed Aksam newspaper, which has close links to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's administration."
"Ozer had an arrest warrant by a prosecutor in the Manisa province for alleged membership to the Gulenist movement, a Muslim Turkish group whose leader, Fethullah Gulen, resides in Pennsylvania."
Meanwhile Lindsey Graham is silent about Uncle Sam needing to do something about Erdogan. What a JAGoff.
“...who they charge with espionage for a foreign nation, membership in a terrorist organization, and participation in conspiracies to overthrow the government...”
Sounds like a typical Democrat in this country, particularly during the Cold War.
Yep.
Yes, Hillary, McCain and Graham all rode the wrong horse in Syria during the Obama administration. Backed the Jihadi’s.
Other than withhold American support, given the Incirlik Air Base as a hostage, what would you have us do?
This is almost too much information to take in at one sitting.
The author has done an astonishing job. My worldview is sharpened.
Erdogan evil.
Thanks Texas Fossil. It'll be entertaining when Erdogan is making his last stand, surrounded by the enemies he's manufactured. That'll be a good time to make Islam illegal in Turkey, unless of course he's being killed by his fellow jihadists, which is not unlikely.
Turkey, where people’s names look like the sounds one makes in a bathroom after consuming a couple of bean and cheese burritos! We need to consider kicking Turkey out of NATO for openers. And as Trump has suggested, put the economic hammerlock on this excuse for a country.
Diplomacy: such a pure and high-minded human endeavor.
/sarcasm
I’m not giving advice to President Trump.
Have my opinions. But know there are things he knows that I don’t.
I was not so kind to Obozo.
He needs to take the “Midnight Express.”
Well. It is what it is.
At some point it will run it’s course.
Yes, Evil. And Turkey’s history? The Great Evil, even if they deny it.
I had been following this for some time. I did not know all who were charged, but I did know this is punishment for exposing the crimes (tip of the iceburg) of Erdogan the Islamist Dictator of Turkey.
The crime may not be in the book of laws, but that is not necessary in Turkey. Only necessary for Erdogan to decree someone guilty.
Headshake.
Hint? You don’t ever want to go there.
It is like Hotel California, you can check in any time, but never leave.
I have a few Egyptian friends who have been watching this. They got rid of the Muslim Brotherhood in spite of Obama’s efforts to keep him in power, the remaining leadership of the MB are being sheltered in Turkey. Makes no points with Egyptians.
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