Urgent Action About Detainments of Six Turkish Educationists in Moldova
On September 6, 2018 six Turkish nationals in Moldova were detained. SIS agents of Moldova conducted the detainment of Vice Director and five educationists in Orizont Moldovan-Turkish Educational Institutions early hours in the morning. The detainees’ names were affirmed as Riza Dogan, Hasan Karacaoglu, Yasin Ozdil, Mujdat Celebi, Huseyin Bayraktar and Feridun Tufekci. The wife of Hasan Karacaoglu, the Vice director, stated that they have been living in Moldova for 20 years. Except Huseyin Bayraktar, five of the detainees are asylum seekers who are supposed to be granted by the end of September.
Additionally; the director of Orizont Schools, Turgay Sen, was detained without
any explanation in March 2018 and released in April after applying for asylum.
It is internationally known that Turkish government tracks the Gulen followers or sympathizers who have been targeted oppressively since the failed coup attempt. Abductions, detainments and deportations take place in such countries where rule of law and democracy are not applied. And Turkish government urges those countries to implement these illegal actions. Given the recent abduction cases in different countries such as Mongolia, Kosovo, Ukraine, Malaysia, Kirghizistan, Pakistan and also threats of deportation to Turkey where a fair trial is not likely nowadays and there is fear of torture; an urgent action to release these people and to provide protection for them is extremely vital.
As reported by families of detainees and local media resources, the lawyers are not allowed to communicate with them. Amnesty International Moldova Director Cristina Pereteatcu stated that a possible deportation would be taken into consideration. It was also reported that the operation was conducted by SIS Antiterror agents which means judicial authorities are not involved in the case. Whereabouts of detainees is still unknown. The Minister of Justice stated that Moldova could be exposed to penalty by ECHR because of the detainment and possible deportation of Turkish educationists.
We write you today to emphasize our great concern about the detainment and prospective extradition of these six educationists and also to request to take urgent action from the Government of Moldova to release and provide protection of human rights of them along with all other Hizmet movement affiliated people.
Sincerely,
We urge everyone to take action. Express your views or send attached statement to following addresses:
1) Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, U.S. Helsinki Commission
Phone: 202-225-1901
Fax: 202-226-4199
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @HelsinkiComm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helsinkicommission/
Chairman: Senator Roger F. Wicker
Address and Contact:
555 Dirksen 555 Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510
Main: (202) 224-6253 |Fax: (202) 228-0378 | Twitter: @SenatorWicker
Email: [email protected]
Co-Chairman: Representative Christopher H. Smith
Washington DC Office: 2373 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-3765 | Fax: (202) 225-7768 | Twitter: @RepChrisSmith
https://chrissmith.house.gov/contact/zipauth.htm
2) Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
Phone: +1 (202) 225-3599
Fax: +1 (202) 226-5887
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @TLHumanRights
3) United Nations Human Rights Council (UN HRC)
Phone: (+41) 22 917 9656
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @UN_HRC
Website: www.ohchr.org/hrc
4) The European Court of Human Rights Council of Europe
F-67075 Strasbourg cedex
Phone: +33 (0)3 88 41 20 18
Fax: +33 (0)3 88 41 27 30
Mr. Günter SCHIRMER
Head of the Secretariat
Phone: +33/3 88.41.2809
Email: [email protected]
5) U.S. Department of State
Phone: (202) 647-6575
Email: https://register.state.gov/contactus/contactusform
Twitter: @StateDept
Website: https://www.state.gov/
6) Mike Pence, Vice President of the United States
Phone: 202-456-6213
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @VP
7) Senator Cory Booker
Phone: (202) 224-3224
Fax: (202) 224-8378
Email: https://www.booker.senate.gov/?p=contact
Twitter:@SenBooker
8) Moldova Contacts
[email protected] ( Moldova President – Petitions Department )
[email protected] ( Foreign Affairs )
[email protected] (Minister of Justice )
https://gov.md/en/content/write-prime-minister ( prime minister link to e-mail )
[email protected] ( Moldova Embassy in U.S.)
9) Permanent Mission of the Republic of Moldova to the United Nations
Phone: (212) 447-1867
Fax: (212) 447-4067
E-mail: [email protected] ,
[email protected](preferred)
News articles on the raid:
https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2018/09/06/world/europe/06reuters-moldova-turkey
http://www.tr724.com/insan-kacirma-simdi-de-moldovada
https://dtj-online.de/entfuehrung-von-bildungsaktivisten-in-moldawien-111876
http://proderechos.org/el-largo-brazo-de-erdogan-se-extiende-a-europa
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/en/originals/2018/09/turkish-teachers-detained-moldova-gulen
Social media posts on the raid:
Videos on the abduction of Teachers in Moldova:
Moldovian Student who is in protests at the Airport
Moldovian student who was in the same car when the kidnapping happened
Set him free!! call, from Riza Dogan’s kids
Set him free!! call, from Yasin Ozdil’s daughter
Call for Investigation: Brutal Stabbing Attack on Businessman Hazim Sesli at Menemen Penitentiary
Release Abdullah Aydoğan: The 74-Year-Old Political Prisoner
