Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu. Photo: Screenshot from press conference
Turkish parliamentarian and human rights advocate Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu has called for a stop to the deportation of Turkmen activists Abdullah Orusov and Alisher Sakhadov. The politician made the statement during a press conference, a video of which he posted on YouTube.
During his 40-minute speech, Gergerlioğlu held up portraits of Orusov and Sakhadov, demanding an end to the process of sending them back to Turkmenistan.
“The whole world knows there is no democracy in Turkmenistan. And yet Turkey is returning Turkmen opposition members, placing them in deportation centers. If they are handed over to Turkmenistan, their lives will be in danger. This must stop as soon as possible,” Gergerlioğlu urged.
According to turkmen.news, the press conference coincided with a parliamentary debate on judicial reform in Turkey. Some critics of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, including Turkish citizens, have described the proposed reforms as weak. Gergerlioğlu aimed to draw attention to the true state of the judiciary and prison system and push for deeper changes before the next stage of the reform process.
Alisher Sakhadov and Abdullah Orusov, known for their popular blogs on issues in Turkmenistan, were detained on April 28 in the Turkish city of Sinop and taken to a deportation center in Ankara. Human rights groups have voiced concern over their possible extradition to Turkmenistan, where they may face prosecution and lengthy imprisonment. In early May, Turkish authorities officially denied their applications for international protection. The activists have appealed the decision, but under Turkish law, they may still be deported before the court rules.
According to the Turkmen Helsinki Foundation, the activists are being deported under subsections d and i of Article 54 of the Law on Foreigners and International Protection. Human Rights Watch has urged Turkish authorities not to deport them, citing the risk of torture and unfair trials in Turkmenistan.
Nevertheless, Turkey has actively cooperated with Turkmenistan in extraditing activists. In recent years, several Turkmen opposition figures have been sent back and subsequently faced severe persecution, including Farhad Meymankuliev, Rovshen Klychev, Serdar Durdyliev, Merdan Mukhammedov, and others. The fate of some remains unknown. Meymankuliev was sentenced to 22 years in prison upon return.
ℹ️ Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu represents the center-left Party of Equality and Democracy (DEM), which defends the rights of Kurds and other ethnic minorities in Turkey, as well as broader human rights and social equality. DEM is the successor to the Green Left Party and the Peoples’ Democratic Party, both of which lost their positions following government crackdowns. In 2018, Gergerlioğlu was arrested, and in 2021 he was stripped of his parliamentary mandate for pro-Kurdish remarks, though the Constitutional Court later ruled to reinstate him. He also advocates for the rights of prisoners and dissidents.
