Ambassadors of 10 countries were summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry over a prisoner.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned the ambassadors of 10 countries to ask for the release of a prisoner, saying that no government or other party could assert its legal interests in the Turkish courts.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned the ambassadors of 10 countries on Monday evening for their joint statement on the release of Osman Kavala, a Turkish businessman imprisoned in the country.
“Turkey is a state governed by the rule of law,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement. No government or other party can rule in Turkish courts over legal proceedings. The trial of Osman Kavala, conducted by independent courts, is ongoing. “Everyone should respect these judicial processes.”
“It is an obligation for all diplomatic institutions to respect the sovereignty of our country and the independence of the Turkish judiciary, and to refrain from interfering in our internal affairs,” Omar Celik, a spokesman for Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party, tweeted.
“We are pleased that diplomats working in our country are contributing to the relationship between our nation and their governments,” he was quoted as saying by the Daily Sabah. “But we categorically reject their false statements about the sovereignty of our country.”
The embassies of the United States, Canada, France, Finland, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden on Tuesday demanded the release of Kavala, who has been in prison for four years for alleged role in the 2013 protests and subsequent demonstrations. .
