Turkey Set to Expel 10 Ambassadors for Calling on Activist Osman Kavala’s Release From Detention
GHRTV Reporter
Elia Duran-Smith
Europe and Human Rights Researcher
Global Human Rights Defence
On the 23rd of October, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a statement in which he declared 10 ambassadors to Turkey to be ‘persona non grata’ for calling upon the Turkish authorities to release activist Osman Kavala who has been detained without conviction for four years.
Those countries whose representatives have been condemned are France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, the US, Canada and New Zealand. This came after they issued a joint statement calling for “a just and speedy resolution to [Kavala’s] case” in support of the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights for Kavala’s immediate release. Indeed, it found the case against him could not provide any reasonable evidence for the charges and was ultimately politically motivated. Following Erdogan’s statement, Dutch, Danish and Norwegian officials have maintained they will continue to urge Turkey to protect democracy and human rights. In solidarity with the group of states, European Parliament President David Sassoli stressed this action “is a sign of the authoritarian drift of the Turkish government. We will not be intimidated. Freedom for Osman Kavala.”
The declaration of dignitaries as ‘persona non grata’ is widely recognised as the precursory step to expelling foreign ambassadors. From Erdogan’s statements, this is likely to follow as he said the ambassadors “must leave here the day they no longer know Turkey” and that he told the Foreign Minister Turkey “cannot have the luxury of hosting them in our country”. Furthermore, Erdogan countered the joint statement, asserting that they would not discharge “bandits, murderers and terrorists” in their own countries.
Sources and further reading:
Pitel, A. (2021, October 24). Turkey’s Erdogan declares 10 western ambassadors ‘persona non grata’. Financial Times. https://www.ft.com/content/5d0cec70-3c7e-46e7-a3cf-4330e72328ca
Erdogan threatens to expel 10 Western envoys. (2021, October 22). Euractiv. https://www.euractiv.com/section/global-europe/news/erdogan-threatens-to-expel-10-western-envoys/
Turkey to declare 10 ambassadors ‘persona non grata’. (2021, October 23). Deutsche Welle. https://www.dw.com/en/turkey-to-declare-10-ambassadors-persona-non-grata/a-59604866
Erdogan orders expulsion of Dutch and nine other ambassadors for supporting activist. (2021, October 24). NL Times. https://nltimes.nl/2021/10/24/erdogan-orders-expulsion-dutch-nine-ambassadors-supporting-activist
