Turkey warns of expelling 10 western envoys

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday threatened to expel the US, German and eight other Western ambassadors after they issued a rare joint statement in support of a jailed civil society leader.

Parisian-born philanthropist and activist Osman Kavala, 64, has been in jail without a conviction since 2017, becoming a symbol of what critics see as Erdogan's growing intolerance of dissent.

The 10 ambassadors issued a highly unusual joint statement on Monday -- distributed widely on their Turkish social media accounts -- saying Kavala's continued detention "cast a shadow" over Turkey.

Kavala has faced a string of alternating charges linked to 2013 anti-government protests and a failed military coup in 2016.

The 10 envoys were summoned to the Turkish foreign ministry on Tuesday.