Turkey’s Refusal Strands Former Chechen Commander at Saudi Airport
Musa Kaimov, a former Chechen commander who were newly given asylum by Turkey, is waiting for help at Jeddah airport in fear of being deported to Russia.
Returning from Umrah visit to Turkey, former Chechen commander Musa Kaimov (35), was not allowed entry and sent back to Saudi Arabia by the order of the Interior Ministry, Turkish Cihan news agency reported.
Since his visa expired, he was not taken to Saudi Arabia as well, the former Chechen commander is waiting for a helping hand, in fear of being extradited to Russia at the Jeddah airport.
After Russia assault, Musa Kaimov sought refuge in Turkey five years ago. Early September, as soon as he received his residence permit in Turkey, Kaimov went to the holy land for Umrah, leaving his wife and children. Although he did not have any problems at the Ataturk airport passport control point during checkout process, the former Chechen commander faced an entry barrier when he wanted to return to Turkey, after a month long visit to Saudi Arabia.
The agency said the former commander was not allowed to enter the country by the “instructions received”, with no specified reasons, from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Chechen citizen was sent back to Jeddah by the same plane he came to Turkey with. Kaimov’s baggages and Zemzem water was delivered to his family.
Reaching his relatives in Turkey by his cell phone, the commander said he wanted to go to Azerbaijan or Egypt, if he was not able to come back to Turkey, and extradition to Russia would mean “death to him”.
After hearing Turkey’s refusal, his wife Mared Kaimov, and children 8-month Omar, Nural (5) and Ibrahim (3) ran to the Ataturk Airport. Another former Chechen commander, who did tear up his passaport in order to avoid extradition to Russia last year, Imran Abdulazimov came to the airport to support the family.
Mared Kaimov, who is worried about her husband, could not receive any information from the police. Stating that they live in Turkey legally, Mared Kaimov asked ”I want to know why they took my husband away from us.” She indicated that, in the duration of their stay in Turkey, they never experience any trouble. ”We are here for 5 years. A month ago we received a residence permit that was valid until 2009. I do not know if my husband’s entry was cancelled because of Russia’s request.
We had sought refuge in Turkey because its people are muslim. I did not believe such a thing could have been done. I’m in shock. We want my husband to come to Turkey,” she requested.
Another former Chechen commander, who escaped the deportation to Russia by Ministry of Home Affairs on December 26, 2008, by tearing up his passport at the Ataturk Airport, Abdulazimov stressed his concern about his friend’s life. Abdulazimov said “as happened before in his case, no one says anything about the reasons behind these desicions” and claimed Kaimov’s life was “in jeopardy” because Saudi Arabia might send him to Russia.
Human rights groups have repeatedly accused the Russian authorities and their puppets of serious abuses including house burning, extra-judicial killings, torture and illegal punishment in Chechnya.
If anybody would like to support Musa Kaimov, then he/she may send a support text to following contact addresss or telefax numbers of Turkish authorities:
Interior Affairs Minister pof Turkey, Besir ATALAY: besir.atalay@icisleri.gov.tr
Undersecretariat of Interior Ministry: mustesarlik@icisleri.gov.tr
General Secretary of Interior Ministry: gsekreter@icisleri.gov.tr
The Office of Executive Assistans in Interior Ministery: ozelkalem@icisleri.gov.tr
The Presidency of Republic: cumhurbaskanligi@tccb.gov.tr
The Office of Prime Ministry: bimer@basbakanlik.gov.tr
The Office of Interior Affairs Ministry: basin@icisleri.gov.tr
The Home Affairs Comission of Turkish Parliament: iciskom@tbmm.gov.tr
The Human Rights Investigation Committe of Turkish Parliament: inshkkom@tbmm.gov.tr
Telefaks Numbers:
The Presidency of Republic: +9(0312) 470 13 16
The Office of Prime Ministry: +9(0312) 425 13 75
The Office of Interior Affairs Ministry: +9(0312) 419 50 02
The Home Affairs Comission of Turkish Parliament: +9(0312) 420 53 31
The Human Rights Investigation Committe of Turkish Parliament: +9(0312) 420 53 94