A former US consulate staffer jailed in Turkey on terror-related charges has been released, an embassy spokesperson told AFP on Wednesday, removing an issue that had gnawed at diplomatic ties for years.
[ad]
Metin Topuz, a Turkish national who worked as a liaison officer for the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Istanbul, was initially arrested in 2017.

An Istanbul court sentenced him to eight years and nine months in prison in 2020 for “aiding an armed terror group”.

He was convicted of making contact with police and a prosecutor suspected of ties to Fethullah Gulen, a US-based Muslim preacher Ankara blames for a failed coup attempt in 2016.

During his trial, Topuz said all his contacts with Turkish officials were work-related and in no way linked to the coup plot.
[ad]
A US embassy spokesperson confirmed to AFP that Topuz has been released, without providing details about the conditions or timing of the Turkish decision.

His lawyer was not immediately available to comment whether Topuz was released early or had been eligible for parole.

Topuz’s case had strained relations with the United States at the time, with former secretary of state Mike Pompeo saying Washington was “deeply troubled” by the Turkish court decision.

Turkey’s Western allies and human rights activists have long accused Ankara of using the coup plot as an excuse to unleash crackdown on government opponents.
[ad unit=2]