Former US Consulate Employee in Turkey Released After Controversial Imprisonment

Metin Topuz, a former Turkish employee of the US Consulate in Istanbul, has been released from prison, Bloomberg News reported on Monday. Topuz, who worked as a Drug Enforcement Agency liaison officer, had been sentenced to eight years and nine months in 2020 for allegedly aiding a terrorist organization, a charge linked to the network of US-based cleric Fethullah Gülen. Turkey accuses Gülen’s network of orchestrating the failed 2016 military coup. Topuz’s release comes after three years of incarceration, a period marked by tensions between the US and Turkey, NATO allies.

The US Consulate in Istanbul, respecting the Topuz family’s privacy, declined to comment further on the matter. Topuz’s conviction had been a point of contention between the two nations, with the US stating at the time that there was “no credible evidence” to support the court’s decision. This incident had raised concerns about the trust and confidence in Turkish institutions and its impact on Turkish-US relations.

Topuz’s arrest and subsequent conviction were part of a series of events that strained the relations between the US and Turkey. Two other US Consulate employees have faced similar charges in Turkey, with one serving a two-year sentence and another receiving a five-year sentence in October 2020.