Was Syrian activist Katie abducted by intelligence agents?

Syrian refugee and human rights activist Ahmed Katie has been missing since November 27.

Having received numerous threats on social media, Katie was reportedly abducted on the evening of November 27 in Aksaray by three individuals claiming to be intelligence agents.

Despite legal efforts, Katie's whereabouts remain unknown.

Speaking to bianet, Katie's lawyer, Nurullah Çelen, stated that they have not heard from their client for days and expressed their concerns.

Çelen, stating that they have applied to the police and the prosecutor's office, emphasized that they still have not received any feedback from these applications, The lawyer mentioned that Katie has not been taken to a repatriation center either; that they have been unable to find any records indicating such a transfer.

"He was being threatened on social media"

Çelen stated that there is no investigation or detention order regarding Katie and that they have not been able to obtain information about the identities of those who abducted him. He gave the following information:

"Katie was constantly receiving threats on social media due to his statements about the rights of Syrians in Turkey. Additionally, some time ago, he claimed that intelligence agents had called his wife. We don't know who the callers really are and whether they are intelligence agents.

They asked Katie to remove his phone line and hand it over to them without connecting the line back to his phone. Katie removed the line and gave it to those people, but after handing it over, he submitted a petition to the prosecutor's office regarding the lines he used and stated that he was not using the lines registered under his name.

"We requested examination of camera and telecommunications records"

On the evening of November 27, he called his wife, stating that individuals claiming to be intelligence agents had called him again and that he would meet with them. He gave the same information to a relative, and he has not been heard from since.

We don't know if these individuals are really intelligence agents or police. We requested assistance from the police, and his wife filed a missing person report. We filed a criminal complaint with the prosecutor's office. We requested the examination of camera and telecommunications records. We think that if the individuals who took Katie were police, there would be a record, but there is no record. We are concerned about where he has been for all this time.

"If he is sent to Syria, they won't respect his right to life"

Çelen recalled some previous incidents related to Syrians, and stated the following:

"There is a situation that we have witnessed, particularly concerning Syrians. The police or gendarmerie makes an arrest, creates a record. And they are being deported before we, as lawyers are able to initiate a lagal process, without informing the family.

If Katie had been deported, he would somehow have informed his family. Moreover, Syria poses a significant risk for him at the moment. He is already known as a figure opposing the Assad regime, and if he is sent there, they won't respect his right to life."

Syrian human rights activist Ahmed Katie reportedly detained in Turkey

30 November 2023

Who is Ahmed Katie?

Ahmed Katie, who served a prison sentence in Syria in place of his father, a regime opponent, between 2005 and 2010, was arrested in Idlib between 2011 and 2012 on charges of "inciting the people to rebellion" and imprisoned for a second time.

After his release in 2013, he settled in Turkey. In 2018, he obtained a work permit and fell under the scope of the Law on Foreigners and International Protection.

In 2022, he founded the Refugee Rights Justice Center, providing legal counseling to refugees.

In an interview he gave to the Middle East Diary website on September 12, 2023, Katie talks about the increasing racism towards Syrians. He says:

Racism is truly a significant issue for Turkey. Ümit Özdağ is a politician who was expelled first from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and later from the Good Party (İYİ Parti). Eventually, he established his own party in 2021. I meticulously monitor all the Twitter accounts and Telegram channels of the party members, minute by minute, even second by second. In my opinion, this party has the characteristics of an organization that incites violence; it openly calls for civil war. They make the same call not only between Syrians/Arabs and Turks but also among conservative and non-conservative Turks. As such, it poses such a great danger for Turkey, even before Syrians. The closed Telegram channels established by members of the Victory Party are highly perilous. I was able to enter these channels quickly before they closed them because I closely monitor them. In these channels, there are calls to kill Syrians and Afghans. Moreover, they explain how to use weapons, how to stab a knife into the target. They even teach each other which knife is better, which weapon is cheaper, and where to buy them.

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In short, Syrians are very afraid of increasing racism. Unfortunately, the media is exacerbating these fears, and both sides of the media are relentless. Especially in the Turkish media, the media affiliated with the Victory Party and the Good Party are truly oppressing Syrians. First, they spread a lot of baseless rumors, then they incited people to hatred, and finally, they started to gain votes from this. These provocations they made to gain votes turned the lives of Syrians into hell. Believe me, including myself, most Syrians are afraid to go out on the streets. They have stabbed many young people. While walking on the street, I constantly check my surroundings, look behind me, wondering if someone is there to stab me in the back.