Human rights organization Amnesty International (AI) has called international community for ‘urgent action’ to prevent extradition of Turkish teacher Mustafa Emre Çabuk from Georgia. AI said in a statement in its website that Mustafa Emre Çabuk, a Turkish secondary school teacher living in Georgia, is at imminent risk of extradition to Turkey, where he is at risk of torture and other grave human rights violations.
According to AI statement “Turkey has accused Mustafa Çabuk of “supporting terrorism”, referring to his alleged links with the Gülen movement. Mustafa Çabuk, a Turkish national who has been working and living in Georgia since 2002, was arrested by Georgian police on 24 May. He is currently employed as a manager and a teacher at the private Demirel College in Tbilisi, the Capital of Georgia.
“The arrest was based on an extradition request from Turkey, who wants to try Mustafa Çabuk under terrorism-related criminal charges. Mustafa Çabuk denies any support to terrorism. He could be extradited any minute and in Turkey he could be at risk of torture or other ill-treatment, unfair trial or other serious human right violations.
“Mustafa Çabuk is alleged to have assisted one of the shareholders of the private Demirel College to sell his shares to the Metropolitan Education and Consulting Services LCC, an educational institution in the United States which Turkey believes, has links with the Gülen movement.
“The Tbilisi City Court placed Mustafa Çabuk under a three-month extradition arrest on 25 May. Mustafa Çabuk’s lawyer has appealed this decision. Notwithstanding the appeal, the Minister of Justice of Georgia can authorize Mustafa Çabuk’s extradition at any minute.
“Since 2016, the Turkish government is reported to have pressured its allies to take legal action against suspected supporters of Fethullah Gülen. There is credible evidence of arbitrary detention and torture of detainees suspected of belonging to the Gülen movement, which Amnesty International and other human rights organisations have documented.
“Under international human rights law, as well as its domestic legislation, Georgia is obliged not to return a person to a country where they might be at risk of torture, other ill-treatment or other serious human rights violations.
“Please write immediately in English, Georgian or your own language: Urging the Georgian authorities to comply with their obligations under international human rights law not to deport, extradite or otherwise return Mustafa Çabuk to a country where he would be at risk of torture, other ill-treatment or other serious human rights violations.”
May 26, 2017
