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Turkey uses post-9/11 counterterrorism model to target critics in exile.
Turkey has used strategies similar to post-9/11 US counterterrorism practices to crack down on critics in exile, particularly members of the Gülen movement, according to a special report published by The Washington Post on Sunday.
The report details the abduction of four Turkish nationals in Kenya in October of this year, which was allegedly orchestrated by Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MİT) with the help of Kenyan authorities.
The abductees, who had refugee status recognized by the United Nations, were returned to Turkey without trial, bypassing Kenyan courts and international protection. The operation is part of a wider campaign by Turkey, which has carried out more than 118 renditions from 28 countries over the past decade, according to the report.
Turkey has classified the Gülen movement, inspired by US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gülen, who passed away in October, as a terrorist organization and accuses its members of orchestrating a failed coup in 2016. However, Western governments and human rights groups deny the classification as a terrorist organization, stating that there is no evidence linking the group to violence.
The report compares Turkey’s methods to those of US counterterrorism efforts after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, including renditions, secret detentions and torture. While Washington defends the US response as “legitimate,” critics argue that such practices undermine human rights norms and encourage authoritarian regimes to take similar measures against political opponents.
Kenya’s role in the recent abductions has been condemned by human rights advocates. The Washington Post reports that Kenyan authorities cooperated with MİT despite the victims’ protected status.
Kenyan rights groups condemned the deportations, suggesting Kenya could have offered asylum in a third country under international refugee conventions. Human rights activists argue the actions contravene the 1951 Refugee Convention and African Union protocols that prohibit forced repatriation without consideration of the refugees’ safety.
Since the coup attempt intelligence organization MİT has conducted operations for the forcible return of more than 100 people with alleged links to the Gülen movement. The latest cases include Koray Vural, a Turkish businessman who went missing in Tajikistan in September 2023 and was found to be in police custody in Turkey the next month. Emsal Koç, who also went missing Tajikistan in June 2023, was found to be in police custody in the eastern Turkish province of Erzurum when the police contacted his family living in the province.
According to a 2023 report by Freedom House, Turkey has become the world’s second most prolific perpetrator of transnational repression. A wide range of tactics used by the Turkish government against its critics abroad include spying through diplomatic missions and pro-government diaspora organizations, the denial of consular services and outright intimidation and illegal renditions.
