News24 has published a handwritten application for asylum, penned by Turkish citizen Selami Simsek.
Simsek was arrested at Rinas airport by Albanian authorities for travelling with fake documents. In the letter he describes how his life in Turkey is at risk.
“I am submitting this request to the Tirana Border and Migration Office to initiate proceedings on my behalf as soon as possible for Asylum. I submit this request because in Turkey, the state thinks I am a member of the Gulen movement and I think I will be subjected to abusive treatment,” he writes.
Simsek was arrested five months ago, along with Harun Celik who was recently deported back to Turkey without being able to appeal the decision and despite asking for asylum. The action was condemned by the Council of Europe and the EU as potentially violating a number of human rights and extradition conventions, as well as Albanian law.
The Turkish government has commenced a global crackdown on alleged “Gulenists’ following the failed 2016 Coup. This has included asking a number of countries to deport supposed “Gulenists” back to Turkey. While countries like the US, Bosnia, and Romania have refused, both Kosovo and Albania have complied.
