(Berlin) – The Turkish government should end any plans to deport two Turkmen activists detained to Turkmenistan, where they risk being arbitrarily arrested and tortured, Human Rights Watch said today. The Turkish authorities should immediately release them from deportation detention.
Three activists, Akhmed Rakhmanov, Kamil Abulov and Bayram Allaliyev, were detained between October 18-22, 2021 and transferred to the immigration detention center in Istanbul. Several sources told Human Rights Watch that there were plans to expel them imminently, but this could not be confirmed. On the evening of October 26, the authorities released Rakhmanov.
“Turkmenistan has long punished peaceful government criticism harshly,” said Rachel Denber, deputy director for Europe and Central Asia at Human Rights Watch. “Returning activists to Turkmenistan would put them at serious risk of persecution, including torture and other ill-treatment, and enforced disappearance. Turkey must respect its international obligations not to send men to places where they could be mistreated. “
Turkey’s international partners should call on Ankara to respect its international legal obligations and not to deport any activists to Turkmenistan, including those currently in detention, Human Rights Watch said.
In an October 26 letter, Human Rights Watch urged Turkish immigration authorities to ensure that Rakhmanov, Abulov, and Allaliyev are not forcibly returned to Turkmenistan, that they have access to a lawyer, and that they have access to a lawyer. they are quickly released from their detention and allowed to continue their efforts to regularize their status in Turkey.
These arrests come amid increasing pressure on Turkmen militants in Turkey and their relatives in Turkmenistan. Three separate sources told the Turkmenistan Helsinki Foundation, a Bulgaria-based rights group, that Turkish authorities have a list of 25 names of Turkmen activists in Turkey, who the group says are at risk of detention. or deported, at the request of the Turkmen government. . The sources said Abulov and Allaliyev were on the list, which was listed alphabetically by last name, but could not read until the end of the list and therefore could not confirm whether Rakhmanov was also there.
On September 27, Turkish police arrested another Turkmen activist, Dursoltan Taganova, and transferred her to pre-trial detention. She was released two days later.
The increased pressure on Turkmen dissidents is exerted in the run-up to the Summit of November 12 in Ankara of the Cooperation Council of Turkish Speaking States, during which Turkmenistan would participate as an observer. Some commentators have said that Turkey is keen to strengthen the organization and is trying to convince Turkmenistan and other countries to join.
Rakhmanov, Abulov and Allaliyev criticized the policies of the Turkmen government. These include the government’s refusal to renew passports via consular services abroad and other violations of freedom of movement, the government’s refusal to recognize the presence of Covid-19 infections in Turkmenistan, policies relating to the country’s economic crisis and the authorities’ suppression of free speech.
The Turkmenistan Helsinki Foundation and the Russian group Memorial Human Rights Center reported that authorities in Antalya arrested Rakhmanov, 47, on October 18 and took him to a deportation center in Istanbul on October 19. The groups said Rakhmanov is the administrator of an online discussion group for an exiled Turkmen political opposition group, the Democratic Choice of Turkmenistan. Rakhmanov’s Turkish residence permit expired 18 months ago and he was unable to renew it because his Turkmen passport had expired.
Turkmen consulates systematically refuse to renew the passports of Turkmen nationals abroad. Rakhmanov was only recently able to extend his passport until December 2022, and he intended to renew his Turkish residence permit. Rakhmonov’s lawyer intends to file a refugee claim on his behalf, the Turkmenistan Helsinki Foundation said.
Istanbul police arrested 35-year-old Abulov on October 18 and transferred him to a deportation center. He has a valid Turkish residence permit and has not applied for refugee status. In August, Abulov attempted to participate in a small rally outside the Turkmen Consulate in Istanbul which was attacked by unidentified people and then dispersed by Turkish police.
Authorities arrested Allaliyev, 34, on October 22 in Istanbul at a migration office he had been summoned to request the renewal of his expired residence permit, and it is believed he was transferred to deportation detention. Allaliyev, whose Turkmen passport has expired, has been active in the online discussion groups of Turkmen dissidents.
The Turkmen authorities severely punish peaceful criticism of the government. They do not allow any independent monitoring of the media or of human rights. The authorities crack down on any indication of dissent and political expression and have imprisoned or forced into exile members of the political opposition, human rights defenders and activists, as well as independent journalists. Justice totally lacks independence and transparency. Torture is rampant and dozens of people have forcibly disappeared from Turkmen prisons, some for more than 19 years. The Turkmen government routinely imposes informal and arbitrary travel bans on various groups, including activists and relatives of exiled dissidents.
The involvement of Rakhmanov, Abulov and Allaliyev in online and other discussion groups in Turkey puts them at immediate risk of persecution and ill-treatment upon their return to Turkmenistan, Human Rights Watch said. Turkmenistan also regularly harasses and intimidates the families of peaceful critics and dissidents abroad. In recent weeks, law enforcement and security officials in Turkmenistan have pressured the family members of a number of activists to convince them to stop their involvement in the discussion groups, online critics say. , etc.
Sending people to a country where they face a real risk of persecution, including torture, is prohibited under international law. In international refugee law, the prohibition against returning a person to a country where he or she is at risk of persecution is known as the principle of non-refoulement. Turkey is bound by these prohibitions under both customary international law and treaty law.
“It is a relief that the Turkish authorities have released Rakhmonov, and they have an obligation to protect Rakhmanov, Abulov and Allaliyev from persecution,” Denber said. “They should not be complicit in serious human rights violations, but should instead release the other two men and ensure that they have access to an asylum process, if they wish. “
