Alliance for Shared Values Statement on Detention of Turkish Nationals in Kosovo and Their Imminent Transfer to Turkey


Date posted: March 29, 2018

March 29, 2018 – The Alliance for Shared Values denounces the detention of six Turkish nationals in Kosovo on Thursday morning as a result of demands from the Turkish government. This is the latest incident in which the Recep Tayyip Erdogan regime has targeted innocent individuals solely based on affiliation with the Hizmet movement.

The Turkish nationals who were detained are Mustafa Erdem, Yusuf Karabina, Kahraman Demirez, Cihan Ozkan, Hasan Huseyin Gunakan, and Prof. Osman Karakaya. These individuals have legal residence or working permits in Kosovo but are detained for working at educational institutions targeted by the Turkish government. Media reports suggest that they are currently being held in Pristina airport and are risking illegal transfer to Turkey.

Kosovo had previously detained another Turkish national, Ugur Toksoy, but a Kosovar court suspended the extradition process due to lack of material evidence. We are deeply concerned for further detentions by the Kosovar police. The Turkish government is targeting other Hizmet movement participants abroad, and UN sources indicate that 200 more Hizmet participants in Kosovo are among those to be detained. The detainees risk extradition to Turkey, where any critic is persecuted and jailed with no justifiable indictment. International human rights organizations such as Amnesty International have reported on their inhumane treatment in Turkish prisons including ill-treatment, overcrowding, torture, and rape. Rule of law no longer exists in Turkey as the Erdogan regime goes to great lengths to repress any opposition through an ongoing systematic campaign to persecute thousands of innocent individuals including teachers, academics, and doctors.

We urge the Kosovo government to immediately halt these detentions of innocent people and prevent their extradition to Turkey, where they would face torture, ill-treatment and risk to their lives. We also urge the UNHCR and international institutions to take action against Erdogan’s extrajudicial efforts outside of Turkey.

 

Source: Alliance for Shared Values , March 29, 2018

Tags: | | | | | |


Related News

Alevi demands remain unfulfilled as their disappointment grows

SEVGİ AKARÇEŞME, İSTANBUL The democratization package unveiled by the governing AK Party (Justice and Development Party) on Sept. 30 further disappointed already discouraged Alevis who have been expecting the state to officially recognize their houses of worship in accordance with other steps taken to equate all faiths in the country and this frustration led a […]

Ishik University To Educate Students About the Threats of [the so-called] Islamic State

The President of Ishik University Prof. Ahmet Oztas mentioned that the staff and instructors of the university are strongly against the message of IS. They echo the official line of Gulen, that believes that Islamic State must be fought. He emphasized that IS militants are the enemy of all humanity, Turkey, Kurdistan, US and democracy, and it is the duty of all people to fight against them to the best of their ability.

Fethullah Gulen: “If the allegations are proved, I agree to return to Turkey”

If some were under the influence of interventionist culture of the army and preferred to trample the values ​​of Hizmet with this reflex – which I do not think – their sins can not be attributed to all supporters of the movement. May God punish them. Nobody, including me, is above the law. I wish that all perpetrators, regardless of their affiliation, are sentenced to what they deserve through fair trial.

The businessman who sits on his cell phone to avoid wiretapping

A businessman summarized it like this: “In the past, it was very important in the business community to have a meeting with Fethullah Gülen. Those going to the United States would try to get an appointment; yet today, different meanings are being attributed to these meetings. Those who in the past made sure to have these meetings publicly are now praying they do not come to the surface.”

Helping hands to Kosova

Turkey extended a helping hand to Kosova, the ninth poorest country of the world, through Kimse Yok Mu Relief Foundation. Responding to cries of the orphans in the country, which gained independence in 2008, Kimse Yok Mu Relief Foundation distributed a variety of supplies ranging from sewing machines to goreceries, stationeries to toys. Aids have been distributed to those who became widows and orphans for the sake of their country’s independence. Among volunteers, there were Mujgan Koralturk, who plays Dilan character in the famous series ‘Tek Turkiye’, and Aslihan Erkisi, a famous vocal artist.

Tajik-Turkish Schools excel in Science Olympiads

Haci Kemal Tajik-Turkish Schools operating in Tajikistan recorded another victory in the science olympiads held in Kazakhistan. The schools’ team ranked second, winning one gold and two silver medals. Following their arrival back in Tajikistan, the contestants having represented the country were received by Minister of Education Nuriddin Saidov. The Minister congratulated the team on […]

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

Crackdown in Turkey felt in Capital Region

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

HAPPENING NOW: Police await outside hospital to detain woman who just gave birth

Inability to generate values

Stuttgart police: ‘Boycotts of Gülen-friendly shops are potential hate crimes’

Turkey: Effort to Force Closure of Gülen Schools Falling Flat in Eurasia

Turkish President calls for calm as gov’t defuses tension with Gülen movement

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News