Erdogan’s decision came against the background of what he said was the interference of these ambassadors in the case of the prominent civilian and imprisoned businessman, Osman Kavala.
If the matter is completed to the end, it is likely to provoke a diplomatic crisis and the ten countries represented by the ambassadors.
The official Anatolia news agency said that Erdogan had instructed the foreign minister to declare the ten ambassadors persona non grata as soon as possible, against the background of their demand for the release of a businessman accused of involvement in the coup attempt.
Earlier this October, the Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned the ambassadors of ten countries, including the United States, Germany and France, over a statement calling for Kavala’s immediate release.
The rest of the ambassadors represent Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Finland and New Zealand.
The ambassadors’ statement called for an urgent and quick solution to Kavala’s case, after four years of his detention, especially as the case “casts doubts on respect for democracy.”
Kavala, a businessman and one of the symbols of civil society in Turkey, has been in detention since October 2017 and faces life imprisonment if convicted of the charges against him.
The Turkish judiciary accuses Kavala of “attempting to overthrow the regime”, in reference to his alleged involvement in the failed coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in July 2016, and “political espionage.”
The accusations against Kavala extend to his alleged role in anti-government protests in 2013, after an appeals court in January overturned his acquittal a year earlier in this second case.
Kavala has long denied all the charges against him, and rights NGOs believe the government is trying to set an example for him to intimidate civil society.
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