ISTANBUL (Reuters) – The United States Embassy in Ankara said on Thursday that it was “deeply disappointed” by the sentencing of its Istanbul consulate employee Metin Topuz on a charges of aiding a terrorist organisation.

It said that U.S. officials observed every hearing in the trial and they did not see credible evidence to support the conviction, adding that they hoped it will be “swiftly overturned”.

A Turkish court sentenced Topuz to 8 years and 9 months in jail on Thursday for aiding a terrorist organisation, state-owned Anadolu news agency said.