Photo: turkmen.news
Turkish authorities have officially denied asylum to Turkmen bloggers Alisher Sakhadov and Abdulla Orusov, according to a report by Turkmen.news.
The bloggers submitted asylum requests and were interviewed the day after their detention, but on May 5 they received formal rejections. They now have 15 days to appeal the decision. However, under Turkish law, the authorities may deport them even before the appeal is reviewed, as they have been deemed a “threat to public order” under Article 54 of the Law on Foreigners and International Protection.
Human Rights Watch has urged Turkey not to deport Sakhadov and Orusov to Turkmenistan due to the high risk of torture and unfair trial. The organization noted that the same law prohibits deporting foreign nationals to countries where they may face inhuman or degrading treatment, torture, or the death penalty.
Nevertheless, Turkey has a record of cooperating with Turkmenistan in the extradition of dissidents. In recent years, several Turkmen opposition activists have been deported from Turkey to their home country, where they were subjected to severe persecution. Among them are Farhad Meymankuliyev, Rovshen Klychev, Serdar Durdylyev, Merdan Mukhammadov, and others. In some cases, the fate of deported individuals remains unknown. Meymankuliyev was sentenced to 22 years in prison in Turkmenistan.
Alisher Sakhadov and Abdulla Orusov, who ran popular blogs focused on issues in Turkmenistan, were detained on April 28 in the Turkish city of Sinop and transferred to a deportation center in Ankara. Human rights groups have expressed deep concern over the possibility of their extradition to Turkmenistan, where they face potential prosecution and long prison terms.
