Turkey Wants Enes Kanter Freedom on Terrorism Charges Enes Kanter, a professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers, has been vocal about his support for Fethullah Gulen.
Gulen is a Muslim cleric who has been living in exile in the United States since 1999. He is also the founder of the Hizmet movement, which is dedicated to promoting moderate Islam.
The Turkish government has accused Gulen of orchestrating a failed military coup in 2016, and they have been pressuring the U.S. to extradite him back to Turkey.
Kanter has publicly criticized Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and has even called him a dictator.
Because of Kanter’s support for Gulen, the Turkish government has issued an arrest warrant for him. If he were to return to Turkey, he would be arrested and could face up to four years in prison.
Come and get it @RTErdogan!
Wanna waste half a million?
Be my guest… pic.twitter.com/3jLAqVF2V5— Enes FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) January 13, 2023
Kanter is currently in the United States and his passport has been revoked by the Turkish government. He is unable to leave the country and return to Turkey because he would be arrested at the airport.
The Trail Blazers are scheduled to play a game in Toronto on May 14th, but it is unclear if Kanter will be able to travel with the team.
The Canadian government has not said whether or not they will allow Kanter into the country. Kanter has said that he fears for his life if he goes back to Turkey, and he has even received death threats from Erdogan supporters.
He is currently working with Senator Jeff Merkley to try and get his situation resolved.
It is outrageous that the Turkish government wants to arrest Kanter just because he exercised his right to freedom of speech.
It is even more outrageous that they are trying to extradite Gulen without any evidence that he was involved in the failed coup attempt.
The United States needs to stand up for our values and protect those who speak out against tyranny and oppression.
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