Turkey’s Erdogan orders the removal of 10 ambassadors, including U.S. envoy

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Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan looks up during a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Istanbul on Oct. 16.





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The Two-Way
18 Face Charges Over Attack Near Turkish Ambassador’s Residence In D.C.

International observers and human rights groups have repeatedly called for the release of Kavala and Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtas, who has been jailed since 2016. They say their imprisonment is based on political considerations. Ankara denies the claims and insists on the independence of Turkish courts.

The European Court of Human Rights called for Kavala’s release in 2019, saying his incarceration acted to silence him and wasn’t supported by evidence of an offense. The Council of Europe says it will start infringement proceedings again Turkey at the end of November if Kavala is not released.

The current U.S. ambassador, David Satterfield, was appointed in 2019. The nomination of his replacement, Jeff Flake, was approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday.

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