Gürcan Balık, a purged ambassador and advisor to former President Abdullah Gül and former Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, on Thursday was convicted of membership in an armed terrorist organization and sentenced to six years, three months in prison due to his links to the faith-based Gülen movement, which the Turkish government accuses of plotting a failed coup on July 15, 2016.The Ankara 29th High Criminal Court handed down the verdict and released the former diplomat pending appeal on the condition of house arrest and a travel ban.
In his defense Balık said there was no evidence of his membership in a terrorist organization and asked for his release and acquittal, adding: “I have served my country and nation for 20 years. There is not a single charge against me based on my career.”
Former Ambassador Balık was among many civil servants who were the subjects of a witch-hunt by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government even before the failed coup. The Turkish government held the Gülen movement responsible for the corruption probes of December 2013 that implicated Erdoğan’s family.
Balık was dismissed amid Erdoğan’s accusations of a “parallel state” within the state, targeting the Gülen movement. After July 15, Balık was arrested and had since been in pre-trial detention in Ankara.
