Reactions pour in over Turks’ controversial arrest in Malaysia as UN joins calls against extradition


Date posted: May 11, 2017

The UN Human Rights Office for South-East Asia has expressed serious concern about the recent arrests of three Turkish nationals in Malaysia, joining calls on the government to refrain from extradition.

“There are concerns that these men may have been targeted over their suspected links to the Gülen movement which is accused of being behind a coup attempt in Turkey in July 2016,” said Laurent Meillan, acting regional representative of the UN Human Rights Office in Bangkok.

Mr. Turgay Karaman, the principal of an international school in Ipoh, and Mr. Ihsan Aslan, a businessman, were detained by unidentified individuals in Kuala Lumpur on 2 May 2017. The Inspector-General of Police reportedly said that the two men were being held for activities that threaten the safety of Malaysia. The Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs Mr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that the men were being investigated under Malaysia’s Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA) for alleged activities related to Islamic State (IS). Provisions under SOSMA permit authorities to detain individuals for up to 28 days before being brought to Court.

On 4 May 2017, Mr. Ismet Ozcelik – a university director also residing in Malaysia – was arrested on the same charges.

Previously, in October 2016, two other Turkish nationals were detained in Malaysia and were deported the following day. Both men were arrested upon their return to Turkey where they remain in detention without trial. “We are very concerned that the three men arrested this week may face the same fate as the other two individuals deported to Turkey last year,” said Meillan.

“We call on the Malaysian Government to ensure that the three men are given a fair trial in Malaysia and urge authorities not to extradite them as we have serious concerns regarding their safety if they are deported to Turkey,” Meillan said.

Source: Turkey Purge , May 7, 2017

Tags: | | | |


Related News

ECtHR urges Albania not to deport Gülen follower to Turkey

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Strasbourg sent an official request to Albania asking it not to deport a Turkish citizen who is known to be a follower of the Gülen movement to Turkey as his trial has not been concluded in Albania, the Tirana Times reported.

Turkey’s Opposition Fails a Critical Test: To Challenge Erdogan

The CHP’s inability to seize the moment and strongly condemn the arbitrary extent and nature of the purges from the start was a critical failure, and one that serves to undermine its integrity and sustainability as an opposition force. Despite tentative but welcome signs from the CHP towards highlighting the exponential injustices of Turkey’s ongoing purge, it still seems like a classic case of acting too little, too late.

Fethullah Gülen’s message to PM Tayyip Erdoğan regarding consultants [in 2005]

Mehmet Gündem: If you were to write a letter or send a message to the Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan, what would you tell him? Fethullah Gülen: “Do not be content with employing consultants only from among the admirers of your party. Do not only speak with your own organizations. Benefit from the wise people who love Turkey; because they act objectively, and seek no personal gain.”

The more we learn, the more we are the same

During my stay in Turkey, I met with many business leaders and academics that provide funding for schools and universities based on this philosophy. As one businessman told me, “Educated people can understand each other.”

AK Party’s Deputy Günay joins intra-party opposition to prep school ban

Another deputy from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has criticized a recent government plan to shut down prep schools, saying that these institutions are not the cause of problems in the education system but a consequence of the current system. Günay’s remarks come one day after the AK Party referred Kütahya deputy İdris Bal to the party’s disciplinary board for expulsion after he opposed the government’s plan to close prep schools.

Students of Turkish school in Iraq learn four languages

YONCA POYRAZ DOĞAN, ARBIL / SULAIMANIYA In Turkey, education in one’s mother tongue other than the official language, Turkish, has long been an issue of hot debate, but in the Kurdish region of Iraq, students have been graduating from Turkish schools having learned four languages. “In this area, people know two or three languages. In […]

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

New York Times interviews Mr. Gulen

Samanyolu high school ranks first in Infomatrix Asia and Pacific Olympics

Turkish FM calls on Gülen Movement for dialogue to find way out political crisis

The Encyclopedia of Islam and hate speech

Civil war in Mali did not discourage the Turkish school teachers

Beacons of hope in Germany

The mosque-cemevi project and the settlement process

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News