Turkey rebuffed on Feb. 11 a US call to free Osman Kavala, a Turkish businessman and philanthropist, saying the United States had no right to tell the Turkish judiciary how to conduct its affairs. But amid all the bluster, Ankara’s nerves are growing increasingly frayed in the face of the frosty tone espoused by the newly installed Joe Biden administration. A senior Turkish official told Al-Monitor, “We are feeling increasingly squeezed.” He declined to elaborate.

The State Department called the charges against Kavala “specious” in an unprompted and standalone Feb. 10 statement crafted to convey its seriousness. The statement referred to the European Court of Human Rights’ rulings calling for Kavala’s immediate release.

It also mentioned US academic Henri Barkey, who along with Kavala has been indicted on bogus charges of espionage and conspiring to overthrow the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Barkey is in the United States and is being tried in absentia.

“Taken with the other public statements, this administration is sending a clear signal about the need for Turkey to address rule of law issues. It's challenging Turkey to return to being the kind of country that the United States wants to work with,” said a Western diplomat speaking not for attribution.