Protesters in Georgia rally against extradition of teacher to Turkey
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 7 June 2017 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Protesters in Georgia rally against extradition of teacher to Turkey, 7 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59818dcb13.html [accessed 19 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
June 07, 2017 14:37 GMT
By RFE/RL's Georgian Service
A rally was held in Tbilisi on June 7 to protest the detention of Mustafa Emre Cabuk, a teacher and manager at Demirel College in the Georgian capital.
TBILISI – Dozens of protesters rallied in front of the Georgian government's chancellery in Tbilisi on June 7 to voice support for a Turkish professor who faces extradition to Turkey.
Activists, NGO officers, and Black Sea University students and teachers handcuffed themselves in support of Mustafa Emre Cabuk, a teacher and manager at Demirel College in the Georgian capital.
He is wanted by Ankara for alleged links with the movement of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom the Turkish government considers a terrorist and claims was behind a failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in July 2016. Gulen denies invovement.
The Tbilisi City Court placed Cabuk under three-month preextradition detention on May 25.
The activists held European Union and Georgian flags and posters saying "The Teacher Is Innocent," "Do Not Extradite," and "Freedom For Mustafa Cabuk."
Cabuk has lived in Georgia for 15 years. His lawyer, Soso Baratashvili, has said the Turkish extradition request contains no solid evidence proving his client is associated with Gulen.
Georgian Ombudsman Ucha Nanuashvili has called on Georgia's government to rely on international regulations and standards when making a decision on Cabuk's extradition and to take into account "numerous violations of rights" of people arrested in Turkey following the coup attempt.
More than 120,000 people have been suspended or dismissed from their jobs in the state and private sectors and more than 40,000 arrested in the wake of the mutiny.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
