Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
'He's still in prison': Trump lifts Turkey sanctions but Americans remain detained
The move baffled those who say the U.S. has otherwise been working hard behind the scenes to free those still held in Turkey.
By ELI OKUN 12/29/2018 07:07 AM EST
When the United States celebrated the release of American pastor Andrew Brunson in October, Kubra Golge was hurt.
Like Brunson, her husband, former NASA scientist Serkan Golge, was detained in Turkey on what the U.S. government considers trumped-up charges, locked up during a family vacation.
“I was really disappointed,” she told POLITICO. “He’s still in prison.”
In fact, Golge is one of several Americans still being held in Turkey, some for dubious reasons. Several U.S. Consulate workers are also detained.
So human rights activists were struck when, a month after Brunson’s release, the Treasury Department lifted sanctions on senior Turkish officials. In exchange, Turkey also agreed to roll back its own penalties on two U.S. Cabinet heads. The move baffled those who say the U.S. has otherwise been working hard behind the scenes to free those still detained in Turkey.
more
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/12/29/trump-lifts-turkey-sanctions-americans-detained-1076618