Turkish lawyer detained in Mozambique over extradition request denied access to legal counsel
Emre Çınar, a Turkish lawyer detained in Mozambique following an extradition request from Turkish authorities over alleged links to the faith-based Gülen movement, has not been granted access to his attorneys or family since his detention, a rights group said Thursday, the Stockholm Center for Freedom reported.
The Universal Rights Association said on X that Çınar, who serves as the legal representative of the Willow International School in Mozambique, has not been allowed any contact with legal counsel or relatives since he was taken into custody on December 30 and that authorities have not disclosed any updates on whether he has appeared before a judge or if any judicial order authorizing his detention or possible extradition has been issued.
The group called on Mozambican authorities to immediately allow access to legal counsel and family members, disclose any judicial decisions related to the case and ensure that the detention and any extradition proceedings comply with due process and the international prohibition on transferring individuals to countries where they face a real risk of serious human rights violations.
Çınar, who left Turkey amid political pressure, has been living in Maputo since 2017.
Local media reported that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, during a visit to Mozambique in 2017, publicly called for Çınar and several Turkish businesspeople to be “finished off” and demanded the closure of the international school.
Reports also said Haluk Görgün, the head of Turkey’s Presidency of the Defense Industry (SSB), reiterated Ankara’s demand during a visit to Maputo in November, allegedly offering support for Mozambique’s counterterrorism efforts in the northern Cabo Delgado province in exchange for action against Gülen-linked institutions.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been targeting followers of the Gülen movement, inspired by the late Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen, since corruption investigations in December 2013 implicated him as well as some members of his family and inner circle.
Dismissing the investigations as a Gülenist coup and a conspiracy against his government, Erdoğan began to target the movement’s members. He designated the movement as a terrorist organization in May 2016 and intensified the crackdown on it following an abortive putsch in July of the same year that he accused Gülen of masterminding. The movement strongly denies involvement in the coup attempt or any terrorist activity.
Human rights organizations have warned that Çınar could face persecution if extradited and have called on international bodies, including the United Nations, to intervene.
Under the international legal principle of non-refoulement, asylum-seekers and refugees should be protected from removal to a country where their life or freedom would be threatened. The principle is a cornerstone of refugee protection enshrined in the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention.
Since the coup attempt Erdoğan’s long arm has reached tens of thousands of Turkish citizens abroad. From surveillance through diplomatic missions and pro-government diaspora organizations to the denial of consular services and outright intimidation and illegal renditions, the Turkish government has employed a wide range of tactics against its critics overseas. The campaign has mostly relied on renditions, in which Turkey and its National Intelligence Organization (MİT) persuade other states to hand over individuals without due process. Victims of such operations have reported several human rights violations, including arbitrary arrest, torture and ill-treatment. MİT has acknowledged conducting operations for the forcible return of more than 100 people accused of links to the Gülen movement.
