German Greens MEP backs Gülen school official’s plea against extradition


Date posted: July 17, 2017

TBILISI, DFWatch–The head of the Greens faction in the EU parliament calls on Georgia not to extradite a school manager to Turkey.

“To be a teacher is not a crime,” said Rebecca Harms, a German politician who is current head of the Greens-European Free Alliance in the EU parliament.

She was speaking at a press conference in Tbilisi after visiting Mustafa Emre Cabuk in prison on Sunday.

Cabuk was detained in May. The Demireli School in Tbilisi where he works is part of the educational network of the US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gülen, whom Turkey blames for the failed coup attempt in July, 2016.

Lawyers warn that he may face inhumane treatment in Turkey if extradited.

Last week, Cabuk asked for political asylum in Georgia, but the Georgian government turned down his request. Harms urged authorities to offer him refugee status.

She was appearing alongside Cabuk’s wife and lawyers at another Gülen-linked school, called Skhivi.

“I am convinced that @governmentGeo @coe & EU memberstates must be principled. Extradition to Turkey is impossible,” Harms wrote on Twitter.

Mukhtarli’s abduction

Harms also met with Leila Mustafaeva, wife of Azerbaijani investigative journalist Afgan Mukhtarli, whose abduction in Tbilisi in May sparked outrage, particularly about the alleged involvement of Georgian law enforcers. Harms called on Georgian authorities to conduct a fair and independent investigation into the case.

Source: Democracy & Freedom Watch , July 17, 2016

Tags: | | | |


Related News

Nigerian students lament harassment, detention by Turkish authorities

No fewer than 50 Nigerians attending private schools in Turkey, including Fatih University, were recently deported by that country after the coup attempt. Nigeria had ignored calls by the Turkish government to close down 17 Turkish schools in the country. The Turkish government alleged that the schools were linked to Fethullah Gülen.

Professors in Gaziantep profiled alongside students

Those mainly profiled are reportedly followers of the Hizmet movement, a faith-based movement inspired by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen. The daily also claimed that other religious groups that voiced criticism or disapproval of the government’s activities were also profiled, mainly civil servants or those who planned or hoped to be employed in a state post.

Police raid Gülen-inspired prep schools in Erzurum

In another government-orchestrated operation targeting the faith-based Gülen movement, popularly known as the Hizmet movement, police officers and inspectors from a number of ministries and government bodies carried out raids early on Thursday on FEM prep schools established by Hizmet volunteers in Erzurum.

Suspicious Deaths And Suicides On The Rise In Turkey With 54 People In Last 8 Months

Against the background of massive crackdown on critics and opponents in Turkey and widespread torture practices in detentions and prisons, 54 people were reported to have lost their lives, most under suspicious circumstances and under lock-up in the last eight months.

Kimse Yok Mu opens school in Afghanistan

The former vice-president of Afghanistan Prof. Nematullah Shahrani, in his address, said, “Afghan-Turk schools have been serving our country for long years and listed among best schools ever since. Students at these schools are receiving a quality education and representing Afghanistan at international contests in the best way possible.”

Pundits: plans to close down Turkish schools abroad arbitrary, political vandalism

Turkish intellectuals are increasingly voicing concerns about the government attempt to close down the Turkish schools that provide an education to thousands of students abroad, saying the move is personally motivated and unwise.

Latest News

Sacramento leaders gather for Iftar dinner in celebration of Ramadan

SEO Skill Suite: Tools for Keyword Research, Technical & Backlink Analysis

Turkish inmate jailed over alleged Gülen links dies of heart attack in prison

Message of Condemnation and Condolences for Mass Shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney

Media executive Hidayet Karaca marks 11th year in prison over alleged links to Gülen movement

ECtHR faults Turkey for convictions of 2,420 applicants over Gülen links in follow-up to 2023 judgment

New Book Exposes Erdoğan’s “Civil Death Project” Targeting the Hizmet Movement

European Human Rights Treaty Faces Legal And Political Tests

ECtHR rejects Turkey’s appeal, clearing path for retrials in Gülen-linked cases

In Case You Missed It

Turkish Cultural Center Vermont gives awards at Friendship Dinner

The follower of Hizmet

Report: Erdoğan’s anti-Turkish school rhetoric damages Turkish-African ties

Gulen named author of the month in Casablanca

Gulen blasts ‘despicable’ 2016 Turkey coup bid, subsequent ‘witch hunt’

Friends of Hrant slam gov’t attempt to associate Dink murder with Gülen movement

Erdogan opponents being monitored in Denmark

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News