A Turkish court sentenced US consulate employee Metin Topuz to eight years and nine months on Thursday for aiding a 2016 coup attempt.
In a statement released Thursday, the US embassy denounced the conviction. The statement claims that the trial lacked credible evidence to support conviction. Further, US embassy officials stated:
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.
Topuz has been held in Turkish jails for two-and-a-half years awaiting the conclusion of his trial. He was initially accused of espionage and attempting to overthrow the government, but Turkey dropped these charges in March.
Topuz was a translator for the US Drug Enforcement agency at the US consulate in Turkey. Turkey claimed Topuz had links to Fethulla Gulen. Turkey credits Gulen with the plot to overthrow the government in 2016. Al Jazeera reported that Topuz maintained throughout the trial that his contacts with Gulen were for his job.
