Trapped at Home in Ukraine, Turkish Journalist Faces Risk of Abduction, Deportation

Trapped at his home and unable to leave, a dissident Turkish journalist called on the international community to persuade Ukraine authorities to refuse extradition request by Ankara after his name appeared on an abduction list published by Ukrainian media.

Only a week after Turkish intelligence operation to snatch two people affiliated with Gulen Movement, a Turkish journalist living in Kyiv fears for his life.

Yusuf Erdogdu, a Kyiv-based journalist, faces the risk of abduction by Turkey-linked elements in Ukraine. He told the International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) that he fears for his safety.

The IFJ and EFJ have called on the Ukrainian authorities to take urgent action to protect Erdogdu, founder and owner of the first Turkish language website in Ukraine.

What aggravates concerns of the international community and media watchdog groups is the fact that just recently Ukraine allowed Turkish intelligence agency to capture and bring two people back to Turkey. Turkish journalist Yusuf Inan and businessman Salih Zeki Yigit were extradited back to Turkey after a joint operation.

Harlem Desir, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) representative on freedom of the media, urged Ukrainian authorities to stop the deportation process, to no avail. He expressed his concerns in a letter addressed to the Ukrainian government on July 19.

OSCE blasted Ukraine for the deportation of two people back to Turkey.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan‘s government has embarked on a relentless campaign to haunt and capture real and perceived sympathizers of Gulen Movement across the world.