On the 18th May 2022, my father Mohamed Amar Ampara, a 67 year old grandfather of 4, and father of 4, was returning to his hotel in Gaziantep in Turkey after a meal with his colleague.

On their way, several vehicles stopped our elderly father and his colleague, and forcefully put them in two separate vans.His colleague was released almost immediately upon capture, however our father was taken, which is how we were told about the situation.

We had been trying to contact him for almost 40 days and have filed missing person police reports in Turkey, as well as spoken to the Greek Embassy, and to our dismay there had been no contact about him and his well-being, we were always told he was 'kidnapped.' Our father has high blood pressure and suffers a leg injury which has resulted in a permanent limp, and him being elderly has caused his family to be completely devastated by his disappearance.

On 25th June 2022 our father’s name has been flooding the media. He is being falsely accused of being a spy for Greece and disguising himself as a businessman in Turkey, as well as gathering research on businessmen affiliated with Fethulla Gulen. For his friends and family this is bizarre and unacceptable. Our father has worked his way up as a businessman in Greece for almost 35 years, has created a reputation for himself in the trade business, and built a life for him and his family in Greece. He is a man who enjoys his family life, is close to his children and grandchildren and always been a man of logic. His family and friends love him dearly, and his grandchildren are constantly asking for him and they are shocked their 'Jido' and ‘pappou’ (grandfather) has not spoken to them in 40 days.

Him being violently abducted by Turkish Intelligence (MIT), accused with no lawyer in Turkey, and publicly humiliated with no consent are all violations of Human Rights. His well-being and his family's, whose names have been tainted falsely, will suffer the impact of the terrorizing of our elderly 67 year old father. 

We need to ensure his release from Turkish custody, and have the backup of Human Rights lawyers, the Greek government, and Greek and Turkish public. Our dad is not involved in politics and is a normal citizen who needs to be returned to his family urgently. If no action is taken, our dad will remain unjustly imprisoned, with his rights taken away.

Our father is simply an elderly man, close to retirement, who has no personal interest or gain from being involved in this situation. His latest picture from the press shows him unshaven, having lost weight, puffy eyes and looking weak. This is inhumane and as his family who love him we please ask you to support us in the safe return of our father.

Thank you

Ampara family