Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ordered 10 foreign ambassadors to be declared persona non grata for calling out the urgent release of activist – Osman Kavala
The President of Turkey – Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ordered the expulsion of envoys of 10 nations, including those from Germany, France, and United States (U.S.), for calling out the urgent release of activist – Osman Kavala.
He declared them persona non grata which means they are unwelcome. Under persona non grata, the diplomatic status is removed and often results in expulsion or withdrawal of recognition of envoys.
The other envoys who have been ordered to leave include Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Canada and New Zealand.
Speaking on the occasion, Erdogan said, “I gave the necessary order to our foreign minister and said what must be done. These 10 ambassadors must be declared persona non grata at once. You will sort it out immediately.”
In a stern warning to envoys, Erdogan said that they cannot dare to come to the Turkish foreign ministry and give orders. He told them to either understand Turkey or leave.
Osman Kavala, a critic of Erdogan, is a Turkish businessperson, activist, philanthropist and political prisoner. Kavala has supported numerous civil society organizations since the early 1990s. He is the founder and chair of the board of directors of Anadolu Kültür, a non-profit arts and culture organization based in Istanbul. He was detained on October 18, 2017, at the Istanbul Atatürk Airport after his visit to Gaziantep for a joint project with Goethe Institute. He has been accused of being a business tycoon with a shady background and having contacts with the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ). He was later arrested on November 1, 2017.
Kavala was acquitted of charges in 2020 over nationwide protests in 2013, but almost immediately rearrested. The acquittal was overturned and new charges were added relating to the military coup attempt against the Erdogan Government in 2016. However, what will happen now remains unclear.
The Council of Europe, Europe’s main human rights watchdog, has given Turkey a final warning to heed a European Court of Human Rights ruling to free Kavala pending trial.
Taking it to twitter, the President of European Parliament – David Sassoli tweeted,
The expulsion of ten ambassadors is a sign of the authoritarian drift of the Turkish government. We will not be intimidated.
— David Sassoli (@EP_President) October 23, 2021
Freedom for Osman Kavala.
Reacting to the expulsion, the German Foreign Ministry said that the nations involved were in intensive consultation. The Norwegian Foreign Ministry said that its envoy had not done anything that warrants an expulsion.
The Kavala case has been a source of tension between the Turkish Government and its Western allies. The 10 embassies had criticised the delay in Osman Kavala’s trial, which cast a shadow over respect for democracy, the rule of law and transparency in the Turkish judiciary system. 7 of these nations are NATO allies and any escalation is definitely going to impact Turkish relations with them.
