US Consulate Staffer, Family Released from House Arrest in Istanbul
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The house arrest of a Turkish employee of the US Consulate General in Istanbul and his family has been cancelled due to health concerns, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Nazmi Mete Canturk and his wife and daughter, charged over reported links with US-based Fethullah Gulen, had been under house arrest since January, Anadolu Agency reported.
But the court retained the ban on the three defendants leaving the country.
Turkey accuses Gulen of having orchestrated the July 15, 2016 defeated coup in Turkey, which left 251 people killed and nearly 2,200 injured.
Ankara also accuses him of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary. Gulen denies the accusations.
