The legal team representing the 104 members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light in Turkey, has successfully filed the appeal today against the deportation orders issued by the Turkish authorities against them. The members are a persecuted religious minority, who were detained after legally attempting to seek asylum at the Turkish-Bulgarian border. We strongly urge the Turkish authorities to stop the deportation, respect international law and release the 104 members until the decision on the appeal comes from the courts.
We were also saddened to receive today more testimonies from inside detention from our members, detailing cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment they are exposed to inside detention.
Azerbaijani citizen tortured by Turkish authorities
Turkish authorities torture a migrant father in front of his two sons
We demand that all abuse and violation of our member’s human rights stop immediately and that our members are freed. Furthermore, we are currently in talks with many high-level actors and bodies worldwide regarding this case.
We also strongly condemn Turkish media's deliberate publication of fake news, saying that the two British journalists were involved in espionage, a claim that is completely baseless and questions the integrity of Turkish media, as it is intentionally disseminating falsehood and misleading information to its readers. In fact the two UK journalists face no charges and are expected to be released on Sunday.
Turkish Government Lying Blatantly on Television accusing two UK journalists of espionage
Transcript :
The other day in Edirne, a group of about 100 people of different nationalities tried to pass through the Kapıkule Border Gate and were detained. This group identified themselves as refugees, members of the Ahmadi Religion of peace and light community, and went to the Kapıkule Border Gate from Istanbul with three buses. Security forces intervened with this group, who were found to be without passports, and the entire activist group was detained.
In the statement by the Governorship of Edirne, information was given about two British citizens who identified themselves as journalists. Journalist Tolga Şardan claimed that these two people were involved in espionage activities. In addition, it was alleged that the Governorship of Edirne requested news agencies not to report on this issue.
It is known that the two British citizens in question have been living in Istanbul for a while. During this time, who they were connected with and how remains a question mark as to whether it was detected by the state's intelligence units. Moreover, whether the group called Ahmadi Religion of peace and light, which the activists claim to be affiliated with, is among the risky structures that need to be monitored remains an unanswered question
قدم الفريق القانوني الذي يمثل الأعضاء الـ 104 من دين السلام والنور الأحمدي طعناً اليوم ضد أحكام الترحيل التي أصدرتها السلطات التركية ضدهم، تنتمي هذه المجموعة إلى أقلية دينية مضطهدة، وقد تم احتجازهم بعد محاولتهم طلب اللجوء على الحدود التركية البلغارية بشكل قانوني. نحث السلطات التركية بشدة على وقف أحكام الترحيل واحترام القانون الدولي والإفراج عن الأعضاء الـ 104 حتى يصدر قرار المحكمة بخصوص الطعن
كما تلقينا ببالغ الأسى المزيد من الشهادات اليوم من أعضائنا المحتجزين، والتي توضح بالتفصيل المعاملة القاسية والغير إنسانية والمهينة التي يتعرضون لها داخل الحجز
نطالب السلطات التركية بوقف جميع الاعتداءات وانتهاكات حقوق الإنسان التي يتعرض لها أعضاؤنا على الفور وإطلاق سراحهم. علاوة على ذلك، نجري حالياً محادثات مع العديد من الجهات الفاعلة والهيئات رفيعة المستوى في جميع أنحاء العالم بشأن هذه القضية
كما ندين وبشدة نشر وسائل الإعلام التركية لأخبار كاذبة اليوم بشكل متعمد، حيث قالوا أن الصحفيين البريطانيين متورطان في أعمال تجسسية، وهو إدعاء لا أساس له من الصحة ويضع علامة استفهام على نزاهة الإعلام التركي، حيث ينشر عن قصد معلومات كاذبة ومضللة لقرائه، بل إن الصحفيين البريطانيين لا يواجهان أي تهم ومن المتوقع أن يتم إطلاق سراحهم يوم الأحد