Turkey has released US-Turkish scientist Serkan Golge from jail, a move that could help ease relations with Washington. The former NASA researcher is one of thousands detained in a Turkish government crackdown.
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The US State Department announced Wednesday that Serkan Golge, who Turkish prosecutors claimed belonged to a terrorist organization, has been released from prison.
Golge's nearly three-year detention — along with that of several other US citizens — has soured relations between Ankara and Washington. Golge was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison in 2018, despite State Department objections that he was convicted without any credible evidence.
"We welcome the news that Serkan Golge has been released from prison today," State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus told reporters.
"We will continue to follow Mr. Golge's case closely along with those involving our own locally employed staff" in Turkey, she said, referring to the detention of several US consulate employees and other US citizens in Turkey on terrorism charges.
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A role in Mars project
Before his arrest, Golge had worked as a full-time contractor on NASA's proposed mission to Mars. As part of the evidence against him, prosecutors had claimed to present links to the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. These included the presence of a US $1 bill in his apartment, the fact that he had an account at a bank linked with the Gulen movement and that he had studied at a university linked to the Gulen movement.
Turkey's government claims the Gulen movement is connected with a failed coup attempt in 2016, after which Ankara launched a sweeping crackdown. There are currently more than 30,000 people with alleged links to the Gulen movement in Turkish prisons, including judges, academics and journalists.
Last year, despite being NATO allies, Turkey and the US imposed tit-for-tat sanctions on each other's high-level officials over the detention of US Christian pastor Andrew Brunson. Brunson was arrested on espionage and terrorism-related charges, but was released in October and returned to the US.
What is the Andrew Brunson row all about?
A Turkish court has ruled to release US pastor Andrew Brunson, whose detention has strained diplomatic ties between the US and Turkey. Who is Brunson, and why did the Turkish government put him behind bars?
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AP Photo/E. Tazegul
Alleged connection to failed military coup
US pastor Andrew Brunson was first arrested in October 2016, when Turkey was in the immediate throes of a crackdown on suspected instigators of the failed July coup attempt. He is accused of supporting exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen as well as Kurdish militants. Ankara claims Gulen masterminded the coup bid.
Image: picture-alliance/Zaman/AA/B. Ozkan
Espionage charges
Brunson was charged of "committing crimes on behalf of terror groups without being a member" and espionage. The 50-year-old pastor spent two years in jail, facing a prison sentence of up to 35 years if convicted on both counts.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Suna
'No credible evidence'
In July, 2018, Brunson was allowed to leave prison and remain under house arrest, but his request to leave Turkey was denied by authorities. Washington has maintained that there is no credible evidence to support the charges brought against him. "Release Pastor Andrew Brunson now or be prepared to face the consequences," US Vice President Mike Pence warned Turkey.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AP Photo/E. Tazegul
'No one dictates to Turkey'
US President Donald Trump threatened to slap "large sanctions" on Turkey if it refused to free the Christian pastor. Trump took to Twitter to demand that the pastor be freed, writing: "This innocent man of faith should be released immediately!" In a tit-for-tat tweet, Turkish Foreign Minister Melvut Cavusoglu responded by saying that, "No one dictates [to] Turkey."
Image: Reuters/K. Lemarque
US sanctions
In early August the White House announced it was imposing sanctions on two top members of the Turkish government – Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul (above right) and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu – for their roles in Brunson's detention. President Erdogan has said that he will not be swayed by sanctions.
Image: picture-alliance/AA/S. Yordamovic/A. Ozler
'Constructive' dialogue
But signs of a diplomatic thaw began to appear after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Turkey's Cavusoglu met in Singapore on the sidelines of a regional summit on August 3. "They [Pompeo and Cavusoglu] spoke about a number of issues and had a constructive conversation," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.
Image: picture-alliance/AA/F. Aktas
Found guilty, but set free
Eventually, a court in Turkey's Aliaga found Brunson guilty on terror charges and sentenced him to over three years in prison. At the same time, however, the court said he would not serve the term due to the time he had already spent behind bars. The preacher was allowed to leave the country.
Image: Reuters/Depo Photos
Shaky US-Turkey ties
The Brunson row is the latest in a series of diplomatic and military disputes between the two NATO allies. The US uses bases in Turkey for its military operations across the Middle East, but the two countries have sparred over numerous issues, including Washington's support for Kurdish fighters in Syria, whom Ankara sees as a threat to its political stability.
