“Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan moved to expel the ambassadors of 10 Western countries who appealed for the release of a jailed civil society leader. ‘I have ordered our foreign minister to declare these 10 ambassadors as persona non grata as soon as possible,’ he said on Saturday, referring to a term used in diplomacy that signifies the first step before expulsion. He did not set a firm date,” reports Al Jazeera.

“The envoys issued a highly unusual joint statement on Monday saying the continued detention of Parisian-born philanthropist and activist Osman Kavala ‘cast a shadow’ over Turkey.”

“Kavala has been in prison since late 2017, charged with financing nationwide protests in 2013 and with involvement in a 2016 failed coup. He denies the charges. ‘They must know and understand Turkey,’ Erdogan added, accusing the envoys of ‘indecency’. ‘They must leave here the day they no longer know Turkey,’ Erdogan said.”

“The US, Germany, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden called for a resolution of Kavala’s case.”

Erdogan has developed a reputation for violence, and for pulling Turkey farther away from NATO and into the orbit of Russian influence. Recent offenses against international order include Erdogan’s secret negotiations with Trump that resulted in US Military forces standing down and allowing the Turkish military to slaughter Kurdish Freedom Fighters in Syria, and a recent hours long summit with Vladimir Putin where the Turkish leader allegedly discussed matters of economic and military cooperation in the region.