Brazil’s top court denies extradition of [Gulen-linked] Erdogan opponent

General view of a hearing on Turkey's extradition request for Brazilian-Turkish businessman Ali Sipahi, in Brasilia, on August 6, 2019. Sipahi is accused by the Turkish government of being a terrorist of the Hizmet movement. / AFP / EVARISTO SA
General view of a hearing on Turkey's extradition request for Brazilian-Turkish businessman Ali Sipahi, in Brasilia, on August 6, 2019. Sipahi is accused by the Turkish government of being a terrorist of the Hizmet movement. / AFP / EVARISTO SA


Date posted: August 7, 2019

Brazil’s Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a request for the extradition of an opponent of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan saying there was no guarantee he would get a fair trial in Turkey.

Ali Sipahi, a businessman and owner of restaurants in Sao Paulo, is a member of Hizmet, a moderate Islamic movement inspired by U.S.-based Turkish preacher Fethullah Gulen. It is considered a terrorist group by the Erdogan government.

“There is no assurance that the extradited person would be ensured an impartial trial by an independent judge,” Justice Edson Fachin said in his ruling unanimously backed by the five-member second chamber of the Supreme Court.

Brazil’s chief prosecutor’s office argued before the court against the extradition of Sipahi, who has lived in Brazil for 12 years, saying it had no evidence of terrorist acts committed by Hizmet.

The Estado de S.Paulo newspaper reported that there are about 300 Turkish citizens linked to Hizmet living in Brazil and Turkey’s government is seeking the extradition of at least 10 of them.

The Brazilian Justice Ministry did not immediately reply to a request to confirm the other extradition requests.

(Reporting by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

Source: Euronews , August 7, 2019


Related News

Fate of preparatory courses

Zaman’s Hüseyin Gülerce denied allegations that there is tension between the government and Hizmet movement due to government’s steps to bring an end to these preparatory courses, saying that Hizmet does not own all preparatory course schools in the country. What bothers members of Hizmet is that the government has not given a clear or reasonable explanation as to why they are taking these steps, Gülerce said.

Another woman faces detention at hospital just after giving birth

Elif Coşkun, who just gave birth on Monday night in Turkey’s western province of İzmir, will reportedly be taken into custody at the hospital due to her links to the faith-based Gülen movement, according to an opposition deputy.

Turkic American Alliance Condemns Government Takeover of Zaman

Turkish government seized control of Zaman Newspaper, the largest and highly circulated newspaper in Turkey. The takeover is a violation of the freedom of press which is vital for every democratic state and requires political intervention from the international community.

Body of Turkish woman fleeing to Greece found weeks after boat capsized

Turkish authorities have found the body of Aslı Doğan, a Turkish woman who went missing after a refugee boat carrying eight people capsized in the river that marks the border of Turkey and Greece on Feb. 13, 2018.

Gülen convinces people that Islam is integral part of global order

SEVGİ AKARÇEŞME, ABANT/TURKEY Professor Hans Köchler from Austria, the president of the International Progress Organization (IPO), has said the European Union’s resistance to Turkey’s membership is not due to its identity or its Islamic culture, as some argue, but mainly for economic reasons. The Abant Platform organized by the Journalists and Writers’ Foundation (GYV) hosted […]

France Urges Turkey to Respect Rights in Aftermath of Coup

France’s foreign minister urged Turkey on Monday to respect fundamental rights and freedoms in the aftermath of the country’s failed military coup, saying democracy is the best defense against those trying to defy it.

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

Henri Barkey: Why Is Turkey Accusing Me of Plotting a Coup?

A perseverant Kurdish man at the Turkish school in Siberia

Relatives Fear Turkish Govt May Kill Prisoners Through Staged Riot

Turkish business suffers under Erdogan’s post-coup Gulen purge

Kimse Yok Mu opens education complex in Kenya

An Indian professor’s reflections on Erdogan’s visit to India, crackdown on Gulen movement

Education [for Kurds] in mother tongue

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News