Albania deports Gülen follower at Turkey’s request despite court rejection of extradition


Date posted: January 3, 2020

Albanian authorities on Wednesday deported Harun Çelik, a Turkish teacher at a school affiliated with the faith-based Gülen movement in Albania, to Turkey despite a court order releasing him from his five-month incarceration over an extradition request from Ankara.

Çelik, 41, was reportedly arrested five months ago at Turkey’s request, but the court denied the extradition.

According to Bold Medya, Çelik was released from prison on Wednesday evening, when the Albanian police picked him up for transport to Tirana’s Rinas International Airport.

He had applied for asylum in the country five months ago, but officials have not yet proceeded with the request, the report said.

Turkey had previously been able to bring Gülen-affiliated individuals back home without official extradition processes in Kosovo and Moldova.

Turkish officials claim more than 100 Gülen followers have been brought back to the country since a failed 2016 coup.

Ankara accuses the Gülen movement of orchestrating the coup, although it strongly denies any involvement.

Source: Turkish Minute , January 1, 2020

Tags: | | | | | |


Related News

Texas Agency Finds No Wrongdoing by Harmony Public Schools

Texas education officials have dismissed a complaint against the state’s largest charter school network after determining two major charges leveled against it by the Turkish government were baseless. “The flagrant lies spread by these foreign agents are unconscionable,” said Robert Schulman, a lawyer representing Harmony Public Schools.

Turkish Deputy PM says he will not visit Gülen amid ‘prep school tension’

Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç has said that he will not visit Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen during his trip to the United States, amid tension between the Gülen movement and the government over the possible closure of private “dershane” examination prep schools. After a Cabinet meeting on Nov. 18, Arınç had said the government would reevaluate its work on the controversial closure of the prep schools “together with the related parties.”

Turkish family, kidnapped in Pakistan, deported to Turkey Saturday morning

Ex-director of a Turkish schools in Pakistan, Mesut Kaçmaz, and his family have allegedly been deported to Turkey days after they were abducted from their apartment in Lahore, according to the friends of the family.

African queen promises to give support to Turkish schools

Queen Ntombi Twala of Swaziland received a group of teachers from Turkish schools and businesspeople, affiliated with the Hizmet Movement, at her palace. “Success of the schools you established pleased me a lot. If you open such schools in our country, my people will benefit from them,” said Ntombi adding that she promise to support schools which will be opened in her country.

Caretaker AK Party gov’t criticized for police operation against youth association

The Yağmur Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Association, which was founded in 2013 by Ahmet Turhan, the Balıkesir governor of the time, has been giving Quran lessons to 60 children during Ramadan.

Video shows Malaysia detained Turkish expats at Turkey’s request

Malaysian police chief Khalid Abu Bakar told reporters in a press meeting that three Turks were arrested without any request from the Turkish government. However, a recent video recording submitted to Turkey Purge shows that Malaysia was detaining three Turks in the country at the request of Turkish government.

Latest News

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

Erdoğan’s Civil Death Project’ : The ‘politicide’ spanning more than a decade

Fethullah Gülen’s Vision and the Purpose of Hizmet

In Case You Missed It

Gülen-linked gold firm’s operations halted for second time in two months

Informant on Gülen movement members says he fabricated testimony to avoid jail time

Turkish scholar Fethullah Gulen receives Manhae Peace Prize

What is at stake is not prep schools [in Turkey]

A time for sacrifice

Silence of the (AKP) lambs

Coup in Turkey, Turkish Schools in Nigeria, and Implications for Nigeria’s National Security

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News