▲Rally in support of Mustafa Emre Çabuk in Tbilisi on 7 June (Luka Pertaia/OC Media)
Rally in support of Mustafa Emre Çabuk in Tbilisi on 7 June (Luka Pertaia/OC Media)
Georgia’s Ministry of Refugees has refused to grant a refugee status to Mustafa Emre Çabuk, a manager at the Private Demirel College, a school linked to Turkish opposition political figure Fethullah Gülen, who was detained in Tbilisi on Turkey’s request.
Çabuk’s lawyer Soso Baratashvili said that the ministry had ‘no legal grounds’ to reject his defendant and his family.
Baratashvili said they would appeal the decision in court.
The ministry had been considering asylum for Çabuk family since June, but his lawyer was informed on 7 July they had turned down Çabuk, a father of two.
According to Baratashvili, Çabuk’s wife Tuba Çabuk, who claims to have been receiving threats on her social media profiles, will hold a press-conference on 10 July to make an official statement.
Çabuk was detained in Tbilisi on 24 May, accused by Turkey of ‘supporting a terrorist organisation’. Tbilisi City Court ordered Çabuk’s provisional detention for three months, and he remains in custody.
Later in June, as rights groups urged the authorities not to extradite the teacher, Georgia temporarily halted extradition procedures against Çabuk, while the Ministry of Refugees considered his application for asylum.
By law, If Çabuk’s asylum request is denied, the extradition process against him will continue. However, the maximum duration of pre-extradition detention in Georgia is 9 months.
Çabuk has been living in Georgia since 2002, when he started teaching at Batumi’s Şahin School, before working as a manager at Demirel College in Tbilisi. His wife and two children also reside in Tbilisi.
Georgia’s crackdown on ‘Gülen schools’
Çabuk, a citizen of Turkey currently residing in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi, is not the first to be detained allegedly for being connected toFethullah Gülen. Turkish businessman Sinan Saraç was detained in Georgia earlier in May for ‘supporting FETO’.
‘Fethullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO)’ is how Turkish authorities have named the movement lead by the former Islamic Cleric and former ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. ‘FETO’ is considered a terrorist organisation only by Turkey.
Another school, Şahin lyceum in Batumi, had its licenserevoked by Georgia’s Ministry of Education In early 2017, after the Turkish Consul in Batumi claimed that the school ‘raises terrorists’.
The Education Ministry of Georgia has banned the International Black Sea University from taking in new students for one year, raising questions about possible political motives amidst the Turkish ambassador’s recent allegations that the Gülen movement ‘still has its university in Georgia’. The university denies any connection to the movement.
On 20 August, the Tbilisi-based International Black Sea University (IBSU) issued a statement saying the ban is ‘totally illogical and incompatible’
Member of the European Parliament Rebecca Harms has expressed concerns about attempts to extradite Mustafa Emre Çabuk, a former manager at Tbilisi’s Private Demirel College who is being sought by Turkey on terror charges.
After visiting Çabuk in prison on 15 February in Tbilisi, Rebecca Harms told journalists she does not believe in any of the charges against him, and expressed hope he will not be extradited to Turkey.
‘If extradited to Turkey, I think he will be immediately imprisoned
The Tbilisi Court of Appeals upheld on 26 January the decision to deny asylum to Mustafa Emre Çabuk. The former manager at Tbilisi’s Private Demirel College, which has been linked to Turkish opposition political figure Fethullah Gülen, is being sought by Turkey on terror charges. Rights groups urged the government not to extradite Çabuk to Turkey, where they say he would not receive a fair trial.
Following the ruling, a number of rights groups, including Transparency International — Georgia
Tbilisi City Court has upheld the Ministry of Refugees’ decision to refuse asylum to Mustafa Emre Çabuk, a manager at Tbilisi’s Private Demirel College being sought by Turkey on terror charges. The school, closed down by Georgian authorities in August, has been linked to Turkish opposition figure Fethullah Gülen.
The court announced the decision on 21 November. Çabuk has insisted his innocence, claiming he has never been in touch with any terrorist organisation, or transferred any money to
Georgia’s Ministry of Refugees has refused to grant a refugee status to Mustafa Emre Çabuk, a manager at the
