A Turkish-American NASA scientist who visited his family during the 2016 coup has been sentenced to 7.5 years in prison on terrorism charges:
Serkan Golge, a Turkish-American research scientist at NASA in Houston, Texas, was sentenced to 7.5 years in a Turkish prison Thursday on terrorism charges. The verdict, which has been condemned by the U.S. government, has put his career on hold and left his family and friends reeling. "I feel like this cannot be real," his wife Kubra Golge, who was inside the courtroom when her husband's verdict was read, tells Science.
At a press briefing in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State said the United States is "deeply concerned" by Golge's conviction, which came "without credible evidence." The spokesperson said the U.S. government would continue to follow his case closely. A spokesperson for Turkey's foreign ministry dismissed the criticism in a statement posted to its website and said the court's decision must be respected.
Golge, a dual citizen who had been studying the effects of radiation on astronauts, was swept up in a crackdown that followed Turkey's 2016 failed military coup. While visiting family in southern Turkey weeks after the putsch attempt, police showed up to his parents' home and arrested him in front of his wife and children. According to Golge's wife, a distant relative who was angered over an inheritance dispute told police Golge was a spy and supporter of Fethullah Gülen, the Islamic cleric who Turkey accuses of masterminding the coup.
(Score: 0, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 14 2018, @04:01PM
I thought #MeToo made baseless accusations acceptable convictions.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Grishnakh on Wednesday February 14 2018, @04:23PM (18 children)
Why are these assholes our allies again? It's really shameful that this despotic nation is a NATO member. NATO should kick them out and ally with the Kurds instead.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by takyon on Wednesday February 14 2018, @04:31PM (9 children)
Ally with NATO or join NATO? There is no independent Kurdistan yet.
Plus we'd have to go to war with Turkey once they firebomb the Kurds.
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(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 14 2018, @04:38PM (3 children)
The most the United States can do for the Kurds for the forseeable future is to let them run oil-rich northern Iraq (Kurdistan province).
As the parent said, anything more, and it's Kurdish Genocide 2.0 thanks to the Turks.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Grishnakh on Wednesday February 14 2018, @05:20PM (2 children)
If it came to that, I'd be all in favor of an all-out war on Turkey. They've already proven they're genocidal assholes (the Armenians in WWI, plus their continual denial of this) and really deserve to be flattened.
(Score: 2) by Unixnut on Wednesday February 14 2018, @05:42PM (1 child)
> They've already proven they're genocidal assholes (the Armenians in WWI, plus their continual denial of this) and really deserve to be flattened.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_massacres_in_Turkey [wikipedia.org]
Seems they have been at it for quite a while in fact, at least according to Wikipedia. Then again, I doubt there is a nation on earth with a squeaky clean history.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Grishnakh on Wednesday February 14 2018, @07:22PM
I don't think Iceland has much of a history of massacres.
To be fair to Turkey, that list includes many, many incidents that were not perpetrated by the government. They can't be rightfully blamed for the recent killings by ISIS, for instance. But their actions against Kurdish peoples listed there are truly atrocious, and while most nations of such size don't have squeaky clean histories, most of them don't have incidents like that in the past few decades either.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Wednesday February 14 2018, @05:24PM (4 children)
Ally with, obviously. You can't admit a region to NATO, only an actual country. Hopefully, allying with them would lead to them becoming an independent country before too long.
As for firebombing, then sure, we should declare war on Turkey if that happens. What's the problem with that? At least there, I can see an extremely justifiable reason for a war and regime change, unlike past conflicts we've been in. The Turks have long been a bunch of genocidal, oppressive assholes, as seen by their treatment of the Armenians and later the Kurds. Honestly, I think the region would have a lot more peace and stability if the Kurds had their own country and Turkey was conquered and broken up.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by janrinok on Wednesday February 14 2018, @06:47PM (3 children)
Well, there are several actually. NATO is a defensive organisation - if any one member of NATO is attacked by a foreign power then it is viewed as an attack on all members. So if the US attacked Turkey, which side should the other NATO allies be on? As a defensive pact we should be duty bound to support Turkey as it would be the USA that is being the aggressor. This is why we have professional politicians and diplomats. They are meant to resolve our differences without resorting to violence.
Of course, any such suggestion of aggression on the part of the US is ridiculous. It would precipitate the collapse of NATO and leave Russia laughing all the way to its next annexation of the former soviet states. After all, who would come to their defence? Although Turkey might not seem to be the best of bedfellows, a significant amount of the US materiel that moves into the Middle East does so via air into Turkey and then by land convoy into Iraq. The USA would not want to lose its access to Turkish bases nor to its intelligence collection facilities within that country. Nor would it want to lose the ability to mount air missions from Turkey into Syria without having to cross any other country's territory.
I suspect that behind the scenes many of the NATO partners, including the USA, UK and most of the Western European nations, will be bringing whatever political, economic and diplomatic pressure they can to get Turkey to play ball properly. Turkey on the other hand will not want to be seen bending to anyone else's wishes so will always project an appearance of operating without any regard whatsoever for the views of its NATO partners. The truth will probably be somewhere in between.
Now, if your problem is with a perceived failure of the US politicians and diplomatic corp to achieve significant influence for the US people then you need to be looking more closely on that problem rather than encouraging pointless military action which will not serve any useful gain.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by budgenator on Wednesday February 14 2018, @09:51PM (2 children)
I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult to get Turkey provoked into attacking the US. They've already shot down a Russian fighter near their border.
Turkey's downing of Russian warplane - what we know [bbc.com]
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday February 15 2018, @01:03AM
That's what NATO is for. To shoot down Russians.
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(Score: 2) by janrinok on Thursday February 15 2018, @01:09PM
The Russian aircraft had entered Turkish airspace, at least according to Turkey which was backed up by NATO radio recordings and radar data. Every nation has the right to protect its airspace.
However, NATO aircraft are not seen as being an enemy and regularly enter Turkish airspace. If you cannot see the difference between the treatment of a NATO aircraft and a Russian aircraft operating within Turkish airspace then there is little to be discussed between us.
If Turkey, for some inconceivable reason, did shoot down a US aircraft then I would not expect a military response but a significant political and diplomatic attempt to resolve the situation. Aggression is NOT the answer to everything that upsets you.
(Score: 3, Informative) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday February 14 2018, @05:19PM
NATO should kick them out...
That's a fairly bipartisan [conservativereview.com] opinion. [huffingtonpost.com]
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 14 2018, @05:23PM (2 children)
My first thought was "that is terrible!" My second thought was "I wonder how many families have said the same thing about the US."
(Score: 2) by TheGratefulNet on Thursday February 15 2018, @04:30AM (1 child)
if you travel to the US, you don't expect a 3rd world 'court system'. sure, ours is horribly broken, but we're not a left-behind nation like most of that area of the world (extended middle east).
even for business, I'd never travel to or even OVER an arab or muslim-majority country. just not worth the risk and I don't agree with a single thing that they agree with (on the major issues). I would never expect a fare trial in one of those countries.
I realize he was turkish, but he still should have thought twice about traveling to such a place.
look, a lot of backassward countries are really hostile toward foreigners. its sad to say, but if you go to such a place, you own that decision and all that it entails.
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 15 2018, @09:04AM
> if you travel to the US, you don't expect a 3rd world 'court system'.
Sadly, that's not really the case :/ It's prudent to do similar precautions for traveling to US as for the 3rd world countries. Just last week or so there was an article about a denied extradition request for a European "hacker", who will be tried in his own country because extraditing him to the US for trial would be inhumane.
Taking your electronics at the border. Indefinite detentions without trial. Trigger-happy cops. Largest prison population in the world. And what other "civilized" country not only doesn't punish robbery at badge-point, but actually encourages it?
> look, a lot of backassward countries are really hostile toward foreigners. its sad to say, but if you go to such a place, you own that decision and all that it entails.
Yeah, now you're just trolling -.-
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Wednesday February 14 2018, @09:50PM
> Why are these assholes our allies again?
http://www.openstreetmap.org/search?query=turkey#map=5/37.979/35.156 [openstreetmap.org]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realpolitik [wikipedia.org]
You're welcome.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday February 15 2018, @07:58AM (1 child)
Because they control a strategic strait and are close enough to Russia and allow American missiles on their territory.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Thursday February 15 2018, @04:15PM
Well first off, we don't need to have American missiles on their territory at all. The Cold War is over, and there's always eastern Europe if we really needed a place to put missiles (besides, this is exactly why we have ballistic missile subs, as well as ICBMs).
As for the strait, that's mainly of importance to Russia, Ukraine, and a few other eastern European nations (Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova), and Georgia (the country); some "freedom of navigation" exercises should deal with that issue handily. We don't need to be their friends and certainly not their military allies just because of a strait.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 16 2018, @09:58AM
Kurds instead of Turkey? Isn't that like replacing a**holes with butt-wipes? Oh, never mind; they have chosen to buy their weapons fron us, so the news items will say They were using US-made armalites etc
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 14 2018, @04:56PM
He's probably Muslim so that's one less terrorist to worry about. But then again the Pres is big on due process... head... gonna... explode. Help!? Where are the reicht-wing trolls when I need them?
(Score: 2) by pkrasimirov on Wednesday February 14 2018, @06:53PM
> the court's decision must be respected.
No, and not even the court in question itself. Respect is something you earn and lose, not granted forever. Decide everything you don't like happens because of one and the same bogus reason and you prety much end with no respect. Stay like this in a monopoly position where real work is needed and you get deserved disrespect. Go online to complain about and you become laughing stock. Maneuver yourself in such position -- priceless.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by insanumingenium on Wednesday February 14 2018, @06:54PM (7 children)
He was a dual citizen, he knew what was going on there, and that of course he is subject to their judicial system. Is the idea that Turkey would convene a kangaroo court actually surprising to him? Did anyone expect a sovereign nation to change a court ruling because other nations don't agree? Would we expect Turks to be released from Gitmo because Erdoğan said they were falsely tried? If I was being held as a terrorist in one country, I would do anything in my power to prevent my wife from moving to that country, you know the game is crooked, why would you go all in?
(Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday February 14 2018, @08:01PM (3 children)
Tell that to the State Department!
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 15 2018, @07:27AM (2 children)
What State Department?
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday February 15 2018, @11:08AM (1 child)
Denial
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 15 2018, @01:30PM
But that's in Egypt!
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 15 2018, @09:15AM (1 child)
I fail to see where in TFS or TFA you found the critically important piece of information that he knew he was accused of terrorism before he went to Turkey. Without that, your rant boils down to "guilty until proven innocent" combined with "she asked for it".
Of course, the game in the US is crooked as well -- if you get wrongfully convicted, fuck it, your own fault for living there and going all in, amirite?
(Score: 2) by realDonaldTrump on Thursday February 15 2018, @11:05PM
We need quick justice and we need strong justice -- much quicker and much stronger than we have right now -- because what we have right now is a JOKE, and it's a laughingstock!!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 16 2018, @10:06AM
I agree -- his brother-in-law -- could easily have said, He works for NASA. He imports these radiation-tainted astronaut costumes for Halloween; he is a terrorist, because he knows there is no treatment for radiation exposure in this country! And I should have inherited that mansion that belonged to my wife's parents!! I better stop talking now
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 14 2018, @06:54PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaLeKw8SSnk [youtube.com]
(Score: 1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 14 2018, @08:18PM (1 child)
Just as we all are for agreeing to TOSs without reading them.
Convenience trumps worst-case considerations, but people then expect to be relieved of their duties if they don't like them.
He voluntarily subjected himself to Turkeys laws, he's a fool for doing so, and nothing can be justly done to relieve him of the duty to obey it and it's courts he accepted.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 15 2018, @11:35AM
Claiming that people ought obey the laws and courts of the countries they choose to visit (I make no statement wrt those born there) is ridiculous to see as trolling.