Alisher Sakhatov and Abdulla Orusov. Photo: hronikatm.com
Turkish authorities have deported Turkmen activists and bloggers Alisher Sakhatov and Abdulla Orusov to their home country, Chronicles of Turkmenistan reported, citing lawyer Gülden Sönmez.
Government agencies in Turkey are refusing to provide official documents in the deportation case. No other details are currently available.
Until July 24, Sakhatov and Orusov had been held at a deportation center, after which contact with them was lost. Police in the city of Bursa told the lawyers that the bloggers had not left Turkish territory. Later, police and prosecutors in the city of Sinop closed the case into their disappearance, citing a lack of sufficient evidence.
Sakhatov and Orusov were detained on April 28 in Sinop and transferred to a deportation center in Ankara. In early May, they were denied international protection, but they filed an appeal. On June 13, a court of first instance upheld the migration authorities’ decision to expel them. However, on July 14, the Constitutional Court issued a temporary suspension of deportation and notified the migration authorities. On July 24, the deportation center in Edirne issued release documents. The Turkmen activists never got back in touch.
Turkish law allows certain categories of foreigners to be deported before a final court decision. According to the Turkmen Helsinki Foundation, the legal basis is Article 54(d) of Turkey’s Law on Foreigners and International Protection, which applies to “persons who pose a threat to public order or public security or public health.”
