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Opinion
Eli Lake

Turkey Is Not Exactly a Model Citizen, Either

Releasing one prisoner, and helping investigate the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, doesn't excuse other Turkish transgressions.

Andrew Brunson’s release doesn’t excuse Turkey’s other misbehavior. 

Andrew Brunson’s release doesn’t excuse Turkey’s other misbehavior. 

Photographer: Chris McGrath/Getty Images Europe
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One irony of the crisis over missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi is the opportunity it has provided Turkey to polish its image.

It’s not just that a Turkish court on Friday finally released the American pastor Andrew Brunson, who had been detained for nearly two years. The Turkish authorities have blown the whistle on the Saudis, leaking surveillance footage and dossiers of the Saudi team alleged to have murdered Khashoggi in the face of stonewalling from Riyadh. They also claim to have audio and video evidence showing that Khashoggi was murdered inside the Saudi consulate this month.