Georgian authorities deny Turkish teacher's refugee status

Today, the Ministry for Refugees, Accommodation and Forced Migrants from the Occupied Territories of Georgia has notified the Turkish citizen Mustafa Çabuk about refusal to grant him a refugee status. Soso Baratashvili, an advocate of the Turkish citizen, told the story to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Mustafa Emre Çabuk was detained in Tbilisi at the request of the Turkish party on May 24; and on May 26, the Tbilisi City Court appointed him an extradition arrest for three months. Mr Çabuk had been working in Georgia since 2002; in recent years, he was one of the managers of Tbilisi private college named after Demirel.

In Turkey, Mustafa Çabuk was accused of having links with the FETO, an organization of supporters of the preacher Fethullah Gulen. Mustafa himself has refused to plead guilty.

According to Mr Baratashvili, "the Çabuk 's defence had expected a positive decision on granting him the refugee status." "After all, the Çabuk issue was considered at a meeting of Prime Ministers of Turkey and Georgia," Soso Baratashvili has added, stating, however, that recently Mustafa Çabuk, his wife and teachers of the Demirel College "are treated by Turkish mass media as traitors acting to the detriment of Turkey's interests."

Mr Çabuk 's advocates have decided to appeal against the decision of the above Ministry at the Tbilisi City Court; they have one month to do this.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.