Bosnia rejects Turkey extradition bid
SARAJEVO: A Bosnian court has dismissed a request for extradition to Turkey of a Turkish national, one among several wanted for alleged links to the Fethullah Gulen movement which Ankara has blamed for the failed coup in Turkey in 2016.
The court’s final ruling comes at a time of increased pressure by Turkey on its allies to deport people believed to be linked to schools financed by Gulen, whose movement Ankara has declared a terrorist organisation.
Last month, six Turkish nationals arrested in Kosovo over links to Gulen’s schools were secretly extradited to Turkey, prompting Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj to dismiss the interior minister and state security chief.
Ankara accuses Gulen, a US-based Muslim cleric, of orchestrating the July 15, 2016, coup attempt. He denies it.
The Appeals Chamber of Bosnia’s state court last month ruled against the extradition of Humeyra Gokcen on the grounds she had requested asylum in Bosnia before Turkey had asked for her extradition. The court also said claims that Gokcen was a member of a terrorist organisation could not be sustained because the Feto organisation has not been verified as such by resolutions of the UN or the Council of Europe. A source confirmed yesterday that Turkey has requested the extradition of several more people who have arrived in Bosnia after the coup attempt, over schools linked to the Gulen network.
Bosnia hasn’t taken any steps against these schools, but some Turkish teachers have left the country under political pressure since the failed coup.
Last month, during his visit to Sarajevo, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said more action should be taken against Gulen’s followers there.
At its peak, the Gulen movement operated schools in 160 countries. Since the coup bid, Turkey has pressured allies to shut them.