08:55, 17 July 2017

MEP urges Georgia not to extradite Mustafa Emre Çabuk to Turkey

Rebecca Harms, the chair of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, an MP of the European Parliament, visited in prison Mustafa Emre Çabuk, a citizen of Turkey, detained in Georgia and accused by the Turkish authorities of aiding and abetting terrorism. After the visit, the MEP addressed the Georgian authorities with an appeal not to extradite him to Turkey.

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.

On July 16, Rebecca Harms visited Mustafa Emre Çabuk in a prison in Tbilisi. The MEP has said that the Turkish citizen is being kept in good conditions and feels well.

"I am trying to convince the authorities of Georgia and the European Union not to transfer Mr. Çabuk to Turkey only because he is a teacher at a school affiliated with the Fethullah Gülen's movement ... Mr. Çabuk and his family members should be granted political asylum in the EU countries or in Georgia," said Rebecca Harms at a press conference as quoted by the "Echo of the Caucasus".

Earlier, Zeki Levent Gümrükçü, Turkey's Ambassador to Georgia, has assured the Georgian side that Mustafa Emre Çabuk, accused of aiding and abetting terrorism, will face a fair trial in his homeland.

One of the reasons to refuse Mustafa Emre Çabuk the refugee status in Georgia was in the fact that the Turkish Embassy produced diplomatic guarantees stating that in case of the teacher's extradition, he will not be in danger, the "Sputnik-Georgia" reports.

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