Prosecutors will seek conviction and a 5- to
10-year prison term after an investigation of Mehmet Kanter,
Anadolu Agency said. There is no word when a trial is set to
begin.
The Knicks' Kanter, 26, has said publicly he believes the
Turkish government has targeted his father over the player's
strong statements condemning the Turkish government and
president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
ESPN reported that Kanter's father is not currently in Turkey,
according to Hank Fetic, the manager of the Knicks' center.
Mehmet Kanter is a former professor who was forced from public
service and jailed for five days last summer as one of thousands
of Turkish citizens tied to cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom the
government alleged attempted a military coup in 2016.
The younger Kanter, whose Turkish passport was canceled by
Turkish authorities on in May 2017, tweeted Monday to "Keep my
family, innocent people in your prayers" with the hashtag
"DictatorErdogan." His Twitter account is banned from active
status in Turkey.
--Field Level Media
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