Two Americans of Turkish descent have been sentenced to one year in prison for taking part in violent clashes between President Erdogan's security team and Kurdish protesters outside the Turkish embassy in Washington.
The two men, who were arrested in June on charges of assaulting protesters, have pleaded not guilty to a charge of "hate crime".
In late March, judicial authorities dropped charges against 11 of Erdogan's bodyguards allegedly involved in the attack.
In addition, prosecutors had decided to drop charges against four other bodyguards a day before Vice President Mike Pence met with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Gildirim last November. Something similar happened in February when authorities withdrew the charges against seven other security men, just a day before then-US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with President Erdogan in Ankara.
The violent attack, which took place outside the residence of the Turkish ambassador in Washington, had spread to the international media and had caused outrage among many members of the US Congress, which eventually led to Washington's decision to suspend the sale. Turkish President's protection service.
