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.
Human Rights Watch: People being tortured, abducted in post-coup Turkey
People detained after the last year’s failed putsch have been subject to torture in police custody while several others were abducted outside detention facilities, according to a recent report by the Human Rights Watch. The New York-based watchdog documented human rights abuses occurred between March and August 2017 in its 43-page report, “In Custody: Police Torture and Abductions in Turkey.”
Turkish schools important for northern Iraq’s future
ALİHAN HASANOĞLU , ARBIL Dlawer Abdul-Aziz Ala’Aldeen, minister of higher education of the Kurdish Regional Administration in northern Iraq, has expressed appreciation for Turkish schools in the region, explaining that they have helped improve economic, trade and political relations between Turks and the region. A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the construction of a campus […]
Detained woman, newborn baby transferred to prison 1,291 km away from home
Detained in the southern province of Isparta, Turkey, as part of a post-coup investigation, a woman, identified with initials Ö.A., has been transferred to a prison 1,291 kilometers away from home. Her 6-mont-old baby reportedly accompanied her under detention as her husband was already in jail as part of an investigation in the aftermath of the July 15, 2016 coup attempt.
Anonymous witnesses fail to identify suspects they earlier tipped off as Gulenist
An anonymous witness in Denizli failed to identify any of the 145 suspects, earlier accused of being followers of the Gulen movement, during a court hearing on Oct. 30. The judge in charge loudly read the names, however Aslan did not remember any of them. The judge asked: “Did you tip off about some names during your statement to the prosecutor, is that right?”
‘I don’t have a home right now’: Turkish NBA player Enes Kanter talks activism, basketball
“I don’t have a home right now,” Kanter told CBC News Network’s Steve Niles on Tuesday. “If I was anywhere else besides in America, besides Canada, yes, I believe my life could be in danger because I get death threats almost every day [from] Erdogan’s goons.
Fethullah Gülen’s Statement on Notre-Dame Cathedral Fire
I believe that the people of France will reconstruct this historic building and fully restore its magnificence. I extend my condolences to the French President Emmanuel Macron, Archbishop Michel Aupetit, the rector Patrick Jacquin, ministers of Notre Dame Cathedral, and the people of France. I invite everyone to support the efforts to reconstruct this beautiful Cathedral.
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
Tajik-Turkish Schools excel in Science Olympiads
Turkey’s Maarif Foundation illegally seized German-run school in Ethiopia, says manager
Abduction of Kacmaz family – An act of high-handedness
We’ll kiss the hands of those who tell us our shortcomings
Kyrgyzstan: Antagonism Grows with Turkey Over Gülen Links
Al Arabiya: Gulen confident US will not extradite him