Residency Interview Too Close for Comfort

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Sözcü Newspaper, 16 February 2018)


Ahmet B. updating his personal residency 
requirements during a special house call...

Ahmet B., the chief of the Konya immigration office and the
brother of an AKP parliamentarian, was taken into custody by
police last week for sexually harassing an Egyptian woman,
the mother of three children, who is seeking Turkish residency.

In his statement to police, Ahmet B. claimed that "I went to her
house to find out what her needs might be." (!)  However, the
woman, Merve Atiye Abdulrezak M., explained the nightmare
that Ahmet B. had put her and her children, two girls aged 20
and 17 and a son 15-years-old, through:

"After I rented a house in the Karatay neighborhood I went to
see Ahmet B. on the advice of a Yemeni friend of mine and we
spoke in Arabic.  He told me that he could easily take care of
my asylum request, rather than let it linger on for the normal
3-4 years.  That night he came to my house and said 'We are
the continuation of the Ottoman Empire and Turkey is a big
country.'  He promised me life-long residency if I agreed to
keep meeting with him."

"The next morning at 11 o'clock he came again, saying 'I want
to talk with you alone.'  He sat next to me, hugged me, took
off my veil and began kissing me. I resisted and told him to
leave immediately. He apologized and said that 'I know all
about Islam and I want to marry you.'"


Life-long residency in prison?  Don't bet on it.

In fear, Merve Atiye Abdulrezak M. moved to Ankara but
returned with her son to Konya on 2 February to retrieve
their belongings.  "While doing so Ahmet B. showed up and
I said to my son 'don't dare leave me.  While the director is
here secretly take a video, with a sound track, too'.  However,
Ahmet B. gave my son some money and sent him shopping.
Ahmet B. then said to me 'I want to see you naked. I want to
kiss you.'  Again, I resisted and told him I wouldn't marry
him under these conditions.  In response, he said 'then let's
be lovers' but I refused, reminding him 'that would be
adultery.'"

"The next day, Ahmet B. sent my son a phone message
saying he would be coming to the house.  I told my son
to call the police when he arrived.  Ahmet B. came and
tried to take my clothes off.  As I was resisting the police
came.  I rushed to meet them at the door, while Ahmet B.
tried to put his clothes back on."

Ahmet B. has been released pending trial but relieved of
his job by the Konya governor.  Merve Atiye hanım said
that she came to Turkey in September 2017 and as a
supporter of deposed Egyptian President Muhammed
Mursi she thought she could take refuge in Turkey, which
supported him.  After 3 days in Istanbul she moved to
Konya.