We Appeal to Türkiye Again: We Expect Not a Formal Reply, but the Fulfilment of Its Obligations

We Appeal to Türkiye Again: We Expect Not a Formal Reply, but the Fulfilment of Its Obligations The Dayanç Human Rights Platform of the Civil Movement – Turkmenistan has once again sent official letters to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye, the Ministry of Interior of Türkiye, and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan regarding the disappearance of Turkmen activists Alisher Sahatov and Abdulla Orusov. This is not our first appeal. For a considerable period of time, we have repeatedly raised the issue of their fate and called for the circumstances surrounding their disappearance after leaving the Edirne Removal Centre on 24 July 2025 to be established. More than a year has now passed, yet their families still have not received clear and verified information about the whereabouts of the two men. In our latest appeals, we once again called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances of their disappearance, including what happened on 24 July 2025, the actions of the staff at the Edirne Removal Centre, the fate of CCTV footage requested by lawyers, as well as relevant airport, customs, cargo, flight and possible diplomatic records. We have also specifically requested an investigation into serious but as yet unverified allegations that Sahatov and Orusov may have been secretly transferred from Türkiye to Turkmenistan through diplomatic channels and by means of a cargo flight. Our platform possesses video and audio materials which, according to the information available to us, may provide evidence of alleged ill-treatment of the activists while they were held at the removal centre. We are prepared to provide all available evidence for an official investigation. The situation of Alisher Sahatov’s family remains particularly distressing. His wife, Gülala Hasanova, has been left alone in Türkiye with their four children, who have now been living without their father for approximately a year. We are once again addressing the Turkish authorities because our previous appeals have not resulted in the fate of these two missing men being established. This time, we are not waiting merely for another formal response. We expect concrete action and the fulfilment by Türkiye of its domestic and international obligations to protect individuals who were under its jurisdiction. If it is established that Sahatov and Orusov were unlawfully removed from the country, all those responsible must be identified, the events must receive an appropriate legal assessment, and the necessary legal and diplomatic steps must be taken to establish their whereabouts, ensure their safety, and secure their return. We will continue to follow this case and raise it both with Turkish state institutions and through international human rights mechanisms. More than a year of waiting is already far too long. The families do not need formal letters. They need the truth. And the state has an obligation to establish what happened to individuals who were under its jurisdiction. Dayanç Human Rights Platform of the Civil Movement – Turkmenistan https://dayanchcivil.com/