Apparently, there are two arrest warrants in Turkey against the well-known Viennese integration expert Kenan Güngör. According to Güngör, he is accused of insulting the president and supporting terrorism.
Güngör has not been to his home country of Turkey for six years because he fears arrest – an apparently justified concern. A lawyer saw two arrest warrants against him in Turkey at the office of the responsible public prosecutor, Güngör told Ö1.
Allegations of insulting the president and supporting terrorism
In the first case, he was accused of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkish authorities are currently carrying out 160,000 investigations based on such an allegation. According to the integration expert, who is of Kurdish origin, the second arrest warrant is on the allegation of supporting terrorism, probably because of statements critical of Turkey, specifically in favor of Kurds in Syria.
According to Güngör, Turkey is trying to use these methods to silence hundreds of opposition members living abroad. For example, people would no longer dare to “write something critical about Turkey” on social media. Güngör, a German national, said he had a justified concern that he would have trouble entering Turkey.
Department of State: will follow the case
Güngör shows understanding for the recent meetings between Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) and President Erdogan and between Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) and the Turkish Foreign Minister. But he is more critical of the fact that Parliament Speaker Wolfgang Sobotka (ÖVP) and Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) also visited Erdogan. Erdogan is being “courted” for no reason.
The Turkish Embassy said today that justice in Turkey is carried out by independent and impartial courts. The Vienna Mayor’s Office said it expected the Foreign Ministry to take over the Güngör case. The Itamaraty, in turn, assured that the case will be followed up and the German authorities will be contacted on the spot.