A U.S. consular employee was sentenced to eight years and nine months after Turkish authorities accused him of helping the network it claims tried to start a 2016 coup.
Metin Topuz, who worked as a translator and fixer for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, has been jailed for more than two years while on trial. Topuz was first accused of espionage and attempting to overthrow the Turkish government before being acquitted of those charges. Instead, he was sentenced to prison for allegedly being a member of a terrorist organization, according to Reuters.
The U.S. Embassy in Turkey pushed back against the Turkish courts, saying it was “deeply disappointed” in the outcome of Topuz’s case and that the United States hopes the conviction “will swiftly be overturned.”
“For nearly three decades, Mr. Topuz performed outstanding work appreciated and lauded by officials and citizens of both countries. Under our direction, he promoted law enforcement cooperation between Turkey and the U.S., contributing to the safety of people in both nations,” the embassy said in a Thursday statement.
“The allegations made about Mr. Topuz’s official duties 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,” it added.
The allegations made about Mr. Topuz’s official duties 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.
— U.S. Embassy Turkey #EvdeKal #StayHome (@USEmbassyTurkey) June 11, 2020
After Topuz was arrested in 2017, the two countries suspended non-immigrant visa services. Thursday’s sentence is another point of tension between the U.S. and Turkey, which have sparred over the Turkish government’s purchase of Russian missile defenses and U.S. involvement with Kurdish forces.
Turkish investigators claimed Topuz was tied to officials investigating corruption, who they said attempted a 2016 coup orchestrated by U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, a claim that Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania, has denied.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the State Department for comment.
