European condemnation of Erdogan’s expulsion of its ambassadors

 On October 23rd, the European countries denounced the decision of the President of the Turkish regime, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to expel the ambassadors of ten countries from Turkey, including the American and German ambassadors, under the pretext of calling for the release of Turkish dissident Osman Kavala.

“Our ambassadors did nothing to justify the expulsion,we  pledge to continue pressure on the Turkish regime on the file of human rights and democracy,” Agence France-Presse quoted Norwegian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman TrodeMaaside as saying to local media.

For his part, European Parliament President David Sassoli denounced Erdogan’s decision to expel the ambassadors under the pretext of calling for the release of Kavala.

“The expulsion of ambassadors of 10 countries is an indication of the authoritarian tendency of the Turkish government,”Sassoli said on twitter.

 Earlier today, the head of the Turkish regime created a diplomatic crisis and ordered the expulsion of the ambassadors of ten countries: Canada, France, Finland, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and the United States.

 The Council of Europe had threatened Erdogan’s regime with punitive measures that could be approved during its next session if Kavala was not released during the continuation of his trial, as the measures against Turkey could reach the suspension of voting rights and even membership in the Council.

 Osman Kavala has been under arrest  since 2017, and imprisoned without conviction, as he faces a number of charges against the backdrop of the Gezi protests in 2013 and the attempted coup in 2016.

O. al-Mohammad