Turkish anti-Erdogan journalist working for Zaman Romania publication, taken in, facing extradition

Turkish journalist Kamil Demirkaya, employed at Zaman Romania publication, former general manager of Zaman Bulgaria, has been taken in from his house by the police this morning, based on an extradition request. He is charged with being a member of the Gulen movement.

There is an arrest warrant issued on this name by the Prosecutor’s Office from Antalya, at the order of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Hotnews.ro reported, quoting Zaman România.

The above mentioned source writes that there is no final conviction on his name, according to his criminal record.

A Zaman Romania’s press release says that Kamil Demirkaya has been in Romania for two years, working for the Turkish publication and that he has a temporary residence permit. In November this year, he filed the paperwork to extend this permit, and the documents are currently being processed.

The Turkish government has sent the extradition mandate on Demirkaya’s name to the Romanian authorities and the journalist has been taken in this morning.

The journalist lives in Bucharest together with his wife and 10-year-old son.

Zaman Romania has asked the Romanian authorities to take into account that a witch-hunt against journalists who are opposing Erdogan’s regime has been going on since the summer of 2016, saying that “Kamil Demirkaya has just done his job as a journalist, and reported about the ruling power’s abuses in Ankara”.