Most Turkish asylum seekers in Netherlands Gülen followers
Date posted: February 21, 2018
Dutch authorities have granted residence permits to 73 percent of 509 Turkish citizens who applied for asylum last year and most of them were followers of U.S.-based Turkish preacher Fethullah Gülen, the man Turkey blames for the failed 2016 coup, BBC Turkish reported.
The Netherlands said it had granted residency to more Turkish nationals in 2017, than to citizens of any other country. Most of them, BBC Turkish said, were followers of Gülen. Tens of Turkish citizens are applying for asylum in the Netherlands each month, it said.
Wil Eikelboom, head of the Association of Dutch Lawyers and Asylum Lawyers (VAJN), said in October that his country recognised the right to asylum for followers of Gülen.
Once considered a beacon of hope for the Middle East, Turkey has been rapidly backsliding on issues of democracy, freedom of the press, and human rights. One would have thought this downfall hit bottom on July 15, when a bloody coup was attempted, leaving behind more than 250 dead.
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