On Monday, the US Supreme Court refused to consider Turkey’s request to reject two demands from protesters to pay compensation for injuries protesters received from Turkish security agents during protests in Washington in 2017. , when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was visiting the US capital.
The judges dismissed Turkey’s appeal against the lower court rulings, allowing the case to continue and rejecting Turkey’s claim that it has immunity from such cases in the United States under a federal law restricting jurisdiction of US courts over lawsuits against foreign governments.
The case centers on clashes between protesters and Erdogan’s guards near the Turkish ambassador’s residence in Washington on May 6, 2017. Erdogan had come to the US capital to meet with then-President Donald Trump. The incident put a strain on relations between Turkey and the United States.
The complaints were filed in the US court in 2018. One complaint was filed by 15 plaintiffs and the other by five plaintiffs. They want to hold the Turkish government accountable and seek compensation for the injuries sustained: concussions and broken teeth.
Plaintiffs have claimed tens of millions of dollars in damages, court documents show.
Turkey blamed protesters linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) for the brawl outside the embassy, but the Washington police chief called it a brutal attack on peaceful protesters.
In Washington, several Turkish security officers and others involved in the brawl faced criminal charges for the attack. Two of the defendants, who were not members of Erdogan’s entourage, pleaded guilty. In 2018, prosecutors dropped the charges against 11 officers.
The administration of US President Joe Biden had asked the Supreme Court not to heed Turkey’s appeals to avoid legal action, saying that when foreign security officials use force unrelated to protecting officials from physical harm, they take action to outside the scope of their legal immunity.
The lower courts of the United States ruled in favor of the protesters.
