Diplomatic Note Sent to Embassies Monitoring Dündar-Gül Trial

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Turkey has sent a diplomatic note to embassies as to ambassadors following the case hearing Cumhuriyet daily’s Editor-in-Chief Can Dündar, and its Ankara representative Erdem Gül.

According to Hürriyet daily citing Reuters, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials stated that some diplomatic and consul officials appearing in court to follow the hearing “share posts on social media which might come to mean an intervention in ongoing legislative process and contradicts with principle of impartiality”.

Consul Generals of Holland, England, Italy, Belgium, Australia, Sweden, Poland, Switzerland, Germany, Finland, the US, and Canada as well as Germany’s Ambassador to Turkey, Martin Erdmann attended the trial.

Erdoğan: They wouldn’t host them even for one day somewhere else

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said the following in his speech at the War Academy:

“Consul General of a country is attending a court trying a journalist over espionage, furthermore takes a photo with him cheek to cheek.

“If this person can still sustain his duty, it is because of our hospitality.

“Any other place wouldn’t host diplomats acting in this way even for a single day”.

Dündar: It is normal the world follows unlawfulness

Can Dündar attending 14th TÜYAP Book Fair in Bursa had responded to Erdoğan and AKP (Justice and Development Party) members as follows:

“The consuls came on their own initiative, we don’t have a role in that. They also themselves took the photos.

“It is normal that the world follows such unlawfulness because the whole world wonders where Turkey is headed to. Besides, they all see Turkey is sliding into an authoritarian regime, which lays a special significance on this case because they are aware of the unlawfulness here.

“Indeed the western world in which Turkey wants to be a member wants to see if its principles are in effect in Turkey”.

US Consul General had visited Erdoğan

President Erdoğan was visited by US Consul General, Carolyn Huggins four days after the decision of 10-month prison sentence, which was given over a poet he read in 1998, was approved by the Supreme Court of Appeal.

“Penalties inflicted on democratically elected politicians hurts the trust in Turkish democracy”, Huggins had said following the meeting.

Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Rapporteurs to Turkey, Andreas Barsony and Walter Schimmer visiting Erdoğan after the Supreme Court of Appeal approved the decision had stated that they will show Erdoğan’s case as example of violations of freedom of thought in Turkey. (EKN/TK)