Patricia Zengerle and Humeyra Pamuk

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman criticised Secretary of State Antony Blinken for not condemning Turkey’s conviction of Osman Kavala, philanthropist and philanthropist Osman Kavala of life imprisonment. This verdict was seen as symbolic of President Tayyip Erdoan’s crackdown against dissent.

Kavala was imprisoned without parole for his role in trying to topple the government through financing protests.

On Monday, the State Department released a statement expressing its disappointment at Kavala’s conviction.

The Democratic chair of the committee, Senator Bob Menendez stated that the statement did not meet its standards.

Erdogan is an authoritarian figure. They can continue doing the same thing they are doing. Menendez exclaimed, in his final remarks to a hearing about the State Department budget, that we should have condemned this conviction.

Menendez is the chairman and has the authority to look at arms deals. Turkey lobbying Congress for the approval of Ankara to purchase F-16 fighter planes from the United States.

Turkey requested 40 units of purchase in October last year. Lockheed Martin (NYSE,:) Corp-made F-16 fighter aircrafts and over 80 modernization kits to its existing warplanes.

After Turkey acquired Russian-made missile defense systems (also known as S-400s), the sale of U.S. arms to NATO ally Turkey was a contentious matter. This triggered sanctions and the removal of Turkey from the F-35 fighter-jet program.

Menendez was opposed to the sale of F-16s in Turkey as long Turkey kept its S-400s.

Washington has so far resisted expressing an opinion regarding the sale. It said it must go through the normal arms sales review process.

Last month, a State Department response to bipartisan legislators asking the Biden government not to proceed with F-16 sales included language that supported “appropriate” defense ties to Turkey.

According to the letter, “The Administration considers that there remain compelling long term NATO alliance unity, capability, and U.S. economic and national security interests that are supported through appropriate U.S. defence trade ties with Turkey.”

However, it did not provide any timeline or give any assurances as to when that sale might take place.