Turkish student forced to flee Ukraine after Erdogan’s pressure on Hizmet Movement
Turkish dissidents feel unsafe as Zelenskyy acquiesces to Erdogan’s demands. The crackdown extends beyond Turkey’s borders. Since 2016, Ukraine, too, has been asked to investigate institutions and people that Ankara says are linked to the Gülen movement.
Gamzenur Uzunlu, a Turkish national, came to Ukraine in 2018 to escape the political persecution of herself and her family following the coup attempt in Turkey in 2016. Gamzenur Uzunlu learned the Ukrainian and started studying for a bachelor’s degree at Kyiv National Technical University (KPI), while also participating in the Turkish Language Club and other dialogue activities at the “Syaivo” International Cultural Center, which is affiliated with the Hizmet Movement.
However, in July 2018, two Gulenists, Yusuf Inan and Salih Zeki Yigit, were arrested by the Ukrainian Security Service (SSU) and forcibly deported to Turkey by Turkish Intelligence (MIT). This was followed by the publication of a list of a dozen more Gulenists to be detained and deported to Turkey, putting Uzunlu in a precarious situation.
Things worsened for Uzunlu in February 2020 when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised President of Turkey Recep T. Erdogan to charge the SSU with dealing with Gulen followers in Ukraine.
With meeting Erdoğan in Kyiv, Zelesnkyy said, “Talking on the ban of those organizations that are behind educational institutions in Ukraine. We have been discussing this topic for a long time today, in detail … Today I received very detailed things, facts, specific names … I gave all this information to our SBU leadership, which should deal with this issue.”
This was followed by an agreement at the 9th Meeting of the High-Level Strategic Council held in Istanbul on April 10, 2021, which included the swift processing of extradition requests and support for educational activities of the Turkish Maarif Foundation in Ukraine.
Gamzenur Uzunlu: “When Zelenskyy promised Erdogan to charge Ukrainian Security Service to deal with Gulen followers in Ukraine. Hard days started for me in Kyiv where I took shelter. Going outside was extremely unsettling for me. Events at the cultural center were open to the public, so I was always in the spotlight. It was learned by everyone that I supported the Hizmet movement with these dialogue activities I participated in in Ukraine. I decided to flee from Ukraine in February 2020.”
Gamzenur Uzunlu with her Ukrainian friend Yulia Yakovchenko
Feeling unsafe, Uzunlu and her family decided to flee Ukraine and seek refuge in a European safe country. The situation was made worse by the deportation of two Gulenist teachers, Salih Fidan and Samet Gure, by Ukraine to Ankara in January 2021, as part of the agreement between the Ukrainian and Turkish states. Uzunlu’s name was also mentioned in the investigations in Turkey, making her stay in Ukraine even more difficult.
The authorities canceled more than 230,000 passports
Halil Uzunlu, the brother of Gamzenur Uzunlu, attempted to travel from İzmir, Turkey to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, on July 3th, 2021. However, he learned at the border during a police check that his passport had been cancelled for political reasons. Despite having a valid passport and a ticket in hand, Halil Uzunlu was not allowed to board his flight.
The constitution provides for freedom of internal movement and foreign travel but the government restricts foreign travel for some citizens accused of links to the Gulenist movement. The authorities canceled more than 230,000 passports after the coup attempt and reported an unknown number of passports as lost or stolen. Alleged Gulenists did not necessarily have to be charged or convicted before having a passport invalidated; those with a legal investigation or lawsuit pending could find their passports invalidated. Relatives of suspected Gülenists have also had their passports cancelled. Suspected Gulenists abroad reported being unable to renew their passports or have passports issued for their children at Turkish Consulates, and so had to return to Turkey at the risk of arrest. In June 2020, passport restrictions were lifted for 28,075 persons, in addition to those lifted for 57,000 persons in 2019, but it is unclear how many people remain unable to travel.
Police report stating that his brother was prevented from going abroad.
Family members of suspected Gülenists
The government also uses anti-terrorism legislation to target family members of suspected Gulenists. For example, travel was restricted for extended family members of tens of thousands of persons accused of links to the Gulenist movement. There have been cases of the wives of suspected Gulenists being arrested when the husband cannot be found; however, it is not clear how common this may be. Relatives of high-ranking Gulenists are at greatest risk of adverse attention.
