The United Nations is concerned about the deportation of a Turkish national, Muhammet Furkan Sokmen, by Myanmar and Thailand, over alleged connections to a July 2016 coup attempt in Turkey.
The United Nations Human Rights office said Sokmen’s deportation was one of an increasing cases of Turkish nationals singled out by Turkish authorities for suspected links to the U.S.-based Muslim cleric, Fethullah Gulen.
Ankara says Gulen’s network of followers in the military staged the abortive coup, in which more than 240 people died.
Muhammet was reportedly arrested at Yangon airport on Wednesday, a statement by the U.N. said. He was sent to Thailand where he was held at an immigration detention centre before he was deported to Turkey on Friday.
Spokesman for the Myanmar police headquarters in Naypyitaw Col. Myo Thu Soe told Reuters that an official of the Turkish embassy gave him a certificate of identification and Muhammet was put on a Myanmar Airways plane to Bangkok, while his wife and daughter remained in Yangon.
A statement by the acting regional representative of the UN Human Rights office for Southeast Asia, Laurent Meillan, said: “UN Human Rights for Southeast Asia expressed concerns over the deportation by Myanmar – via Thailand – of Turkish national Muhammet Furkan Sokmen, and urge authorities not to deport those deemed at risk upon their return to Turkey.
“We reiterate our call to all governments, including in this latest case the Thai and Myanmar governments, to put in place an effective system of review before deportation.” said Laurent Meillan, acting regional representative of the UN Human Rights office for South-East Asia.
Muhammet is at least the sixth person to be deported from Southeast Asia over alleged connections to Gulen’s movement.