Emre Çınar. Photo: Supplied
The Johannesburg-based Universal Rights Association (URA) has raised urgent concerns over the detention of Emre Çınar, a Turkish lawyer living in exile in Mozambique, warning that the case may reflect a broader pattern of transnational repression linked to political pressure from Türkiye.
Çınar, 35, has lived in Maputo since 2017. According to URA, he was detained on 30 December at around 3pm. For several days following his arrest, his whereabouts were unknown, prompting fears that he had been subjected to secret or unlawful detention.
What initially appeared to be a routine arrest, URA said, quickly evolved into a legal and humanitarian grey zone.
Family members and local reports indicated that Çınar’s phone and personal belongings were confiscated at the time of his detention. He was reportedly told he would be taken to the public prosecutor’s office. However, for days there was no confirmation of his location within the formal justice system, and no explanation was provided to his lawyers or family.
URA highlighted a series of troubling facts during this initial period: Çınar had not appeared before a prosecutor, was not registered at any police station, and there was no publicly available record of his detention. These gaps raised fears of enforced disappearance or incommunicado detention.
Çınar fled Türkiye in 2017 amid political pressure following the government’s crackdown on alleged critics. He has since lived lawfully in Mozambique and is known locally as the legal representative of Willow International School. Early Mozambican media reports described his detention as a possible kidnapping, intensifying concerns that the case might be linked to political persecution beyond Türkiye’s borders.
On Thursday, URA issued a Public Human Rights Update outlining ongoing due process concerns.
The organisation recalled Amnesty International Southern Africa’s public call urging Mozambican authorities to grant Çınar confidential access to his lawyer and family, and stressing that no individual should be transferred to a country where they face a real risk of serious human rights violations, including arbitrary detention.
According to URA, since his detention on 30 December 2025, neither Çınar’s family nor his legal representatives have been granted face-to-face or confidential access to him.
As of 1 January, no direct in-person access to legal counsel had been permitted.
URA further stated that the family and lawyers have not been formally informed whether Çınar has appeared before a judge, any judicial decision authorising his detention, arrest or extradition has been issued and the legal and factual grounds of the alleged extradition request have been disclosed.
While investigative proceedings may involve limited confidentiality, URA stressed that the legal basis of detention and the right to confidential access to counsel and family cannot lawfully remain undisclosed. In the absence of these safeguards, the right to defence is undermined, heightening the risk of arbitrary or incommunicado detention.
Authorities respond
On 31 December, Mozambique’s National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) publicly confirmed that Emre Çınar has been in custody since 30 December, allegedly in connection with an extradition request from the Republic of Türkiye, and that he is expected to be brought before a criminal investigation judge.
In a media release, SERNIC said the arrest was carried out in compliance with an arrest warrant issued by Mozambican judicial authorities and insisted that it “does not constitute an act of kidnapping or arbitrary deprivation of liberty”. The agency said it remains committed to respecting human rights, procedural legality and institutional transparency.
Despite this, URA and other rights groups say serious due process concerns persist, particularly regarding access to legal counsel, disclosure of judicial decisions and the risk of unlawful transfer.
Amnesty International Southern Africa warned that, given the circumstances of the arrest and Türkiye’s record, there are grave concerns of secret detention or imminent unlawful extradition linked to political requests.
Human rights advocates note that the case comes amid heightened regional scrutiny of Türkiye’s extraterritorial reach, particularly in East and Southern Africa.
In Kenya, international attention recently focused on the detention of Mustafa Güngör, a registered Turkish refugee arrested in December over alleged links to the Gülen movement. Rights groups warned that his prolonged detention risked violating refugee protections and international law. Güngör was later released on personal bond following sustained pressure and is due back in court in February.
Advocates argue that the timing of Çınar’s detention, shortly after Güngör’s release, has intensified fears that political pressure exerted in one country may be followed by similar actions elsewhere.
Since corruption investigations in December 2013 implicated then–prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and members of his inner circle, the Turkish government has carried out an extensive crackdown on the Gülen movement, which it designated a terrorist organisation in 2016 following the failed coup attempt.
The movement denies involvement in the coup or terrorism, describing itself as a global civil society network focused on education and dialogue. Critics say the crackdown has extended far beyond Türkiye’s borders.
Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MİT) has acknowledged operations leading to the forcible return of more than 100 individuals accused of Gülen links. Victims of such operations have reported arbitrary detention, ill-treatment and torture.
Kenya has previously faced international criticism for the forcible return of Turkish nationals. In 2021, Selahaddin Gülen, a nephew of Fethullah Gülen, was abducted in Nairobi and transferred to Türkiye despite a court order blocking his extradition. In October 2024, four registered Turkish refugees were forcibly returned from Kenya despite UNHCR protection, drawing condemnation from the United Nations.
Against this backdrop, URA warns that Emre Çınar may be at risk of unlawful extradition, potentially violating the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning individuals to countries where they may face persecution or ill-treatment.
From Johannesburg, URA has called on the United Nations, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to closely monitor the case.
The organisation has urged Mozambican authorities to clarify Çınar’s whereabouts without delay, grant him immediate access to legal counsel and family, and ensure that all judicial and procedural safeguards are respected.
The Stockholm Center for Freedom has reported that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, during an official visit to Mozambique in 2017, publicly called for Emre Çınar and several Turkish businesspeople to be “finished off” and demanded the closure of an international school linked to them.
The same reports state that Haluk Görgün, head of Türkiye’s Presidency of Defence Industries, reiterated Ankara’s demands during a visit to Maputo in November, allegedly offering support for Mozambique’s counterterrorism efforts in the Cabo Delgado province in exchange for action against institutions associated with the Gülen movement.
At the time of publication, the Turkish Embassy in Pretoria had not responded to detailed questions from the Mail & Guardian.