Alaaddin Duman, a former teacher in Malaysia who was abducted by the Turkish intelligence agency over alleged links to the Gülen movement in 2016, has been subjected to beating, torture and death threats while in pretrial detention in Ankara, according his cellmate.
His cellmate, identified only by the initials S.T., who was recently released from jail. told journalist Fatih Akalan during a video interview on Saturday that Duman was threatened with death on several occasions.
S.T. called on foreign governments to avoid sending Gülen followers to Turkey, where they will face similar treatment.
Early on Thursday, Kosovo police arrested six Turks who used to work at a group of schools affiliated with the Gülen movement and handed them over to the Turkish intelligence agency.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan accuses the Gülen movement of masterminding a failed coup attempt in Turkey in 2016, although the movement denies any involvement.
More than 150,000 people have been detained and 60,000 arrested over alleged Gülen links in Turkey since the summer of 2016. Meanwhile, Erdoğan called on foreign governments to punish movement sympathizers.
So far, a number of countries including Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Georgia and Myanmar have handed over academics, businessmen and school principals at the Turkish government’s request despite the fact that some of those victims already had refugee status with the United Nations.
(Turkey Purge)
