Turkey has expelled a Turkish Cypriot researcher and columnist claiming he had engaged in activities against national security, reports said on Monday.
Reports said Ahmet Cavit An arrived in Istanbul on Sunday and was told that he was banned from entering.
An was quoted as saying that he was travelling from the north to Smyrni through Istanbul when he was told at passport control that entry was banned as part of a decision made in September 2020.
Airport officials told An that he could get more information regarding the decision from the Turkish embassy in the north.
An, a paediatrician, has been exercising the profession since 1982 and at the same time he does research and writes books on Cyprus.
His expulsion on Sunday followed that of Ali Bizden, former Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci’s communications officer, on July 6 for the same reason. Bizden was banned from entering Turkey for five years.
Bizden said at the time that when he arrived his wallet and mobile phone were confiscated and he was told that by order of September 8, 2020, he was to be deported on the next flight back.
Published at cyprus-mail.com
