Kenya has confirmed that it captured and repatriated four Turkish refugees on request of the Government of Turkey. This was confirmed Monday by Foreign Affairs PS Korir Sing’oei, who said that Ankara pledged to “treat its nationals with dignity”.
Alparslan Taşçı, Mustafa Genç, Huseyin Yesilsa and Öztürk Uzun were flown out of Nairobi on Friday.
Mustafa Genç, former principal of Light Academy.
Photo credit: Nation Media Group
“The four have been residing in Kenya as refugees. The Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs has received assurances from the Turkish authorities that the four will be treated with dignity in keeping with national and international law,” Dr Sing’Oei said.
He stated that the government of Kenya yielded to the request on the strength of the robust historical and strategic relations anchored on bilateral instruments between the two countries.
“Kenya is committed to the privacy and confidentiality of the repatriated individuals and will refrain from responding to media inquiries on the subject until the ongoing inter-agency review of the case is complete.”
Dr Sing’Oei further assured the international community of its unwavering commitment to the protection and promotion of refugee rights as prescribed under national and international law.
“As such, the rights, welfare and well-being of the more than 780,000 refugees residing in the country will remain the government’s singular priority.”
‘Breach of Kenyan and international refugee law’
Following the reported case of kidnapping last week, Amnesty International condemned the act, saying that the incident constitutes a breach of both Kenyan and international refugee law.
Amnesty stated that the refuges had sought the protection of the Kenyan government, and that their abductions underscore the growing concerns about the safety of all refugees and asylum seekers in Kenya.
“Amnesty International Kenya is further concerned that they may be facing an imminent forceful and unlawful return to Turkey. Should this happen, they face considerable risk of serious human rights violations. Abduction and forced return to countries they fled directly violates the principle of non-refoulement enshrined in Kenyan law, the 1951 Refugee Convention and the African Union Convention Governing Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa,” Amnesty said in its statement.
According to Yasin Yakut, a director of one of the institutions in the country, the lives of the refugees are in danger.
“They are all refugees under the United Nations in the country, so they are all accepted and are working with different organisations here,” Mr Yakut told Nation.Africa.
‘Saved by British passport’
Turkish national Necdet Seyitoglu was among the seven people abducted in Kileleshwa, Nairobi on October 18, 2024.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation Media Group
Educational consultant Necdet Seyitoglu was among the missing Turkish nationals before he was released by the abductors eight hours later. In an interview with Nation.Africa on Friday night after his release, he said his passport seemed to be what saved him.
The kidnappers reportedly released him after realising he held a British passport.
The matter was reported at Kileleshwa Police Station on Friday by Yusuf Kar as a case of abduction.
He said that his missing colleagues had families and children who have been left shocked and devastated since they were informed of the situation.
“Their children are crying and we don’t know where they are…we deserve an explanation of where they are and what they have done.”
He was captured at around 8am on Friday while leaving his home in Nairobi.
