Turkish Judge of Armenian-Kurdish Descent Seeks Political Asylum in Netherlands

A Turkish judge of Armenian-Kurdish descent is seeking political asylum from the Netherlands, reports Turkish news source Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review, adding that Çağatay Çetin left Turkey for the Netherlands on January 15 with a fake Bulgarian passport.

In an explanation to the Dutch local authorities, Çetin said he was consistently persecuted politically due to his political views and Armenian-Kurdish ancestry. He even sent letters to the president and the prime minister of Turkey on this matter — yet to no avail.

In Çetin’s words, his life in Turkey is put at risk, he is being persecuted, while he cannot defend his rights as defined by the law. Çetin also stated that his relatives have also been at risk and thus, they’ve had to changes their peramenent residence.

In his word, the legal system in Turkey is not independent. “It is subjected to ongoing opression and threats. The judges pray so that they never have to deal with a political case. And if you express an opinion or make a decision in relation to the Justice and Development Party, the Justice Ministry inspectors are immediately sent to you,” said the judge.

Çağatay Çetin said he was goiong to bring his case to the European Court of Human Rights.

“I’m not seeking financial compensation, I am fighting to defend my rights,” said Çetin.

He also said that there are a lot of other judges in Turkey who wait to see whether the Netherlands grants him a political asylum so that they can also follow suit.

“If the answer is positive, others will come here too. The condition of Kurd judges and prosecutors in Turkey is very critical,” explained Çetin.

According to Turkish news agency Firat, Çetin sought the attention of Turkish authorities and was persecuted after he, revealing his Armenian and Kurdish roots, allegedly said that a genocide had taken place against the Armenians and Kurds.