Circassian Historian Denied Entry to Turkey

[Diri]

Historian not allowed entry to Turkey Mehmet Sait Uluışık, a German citizen of Turkish origins and a journalist-publisher, was banned from entering Turkey without any explanation, the daily Taraf reported yesterday.

Uluışık has been carrying out studies on Circassian history since 1860 and the role of Circassians in Armenian events in 1915 by using the Prime Ministry's Ottoman archives. He said while he was working in the archives officials employed there kept him under close observation. “Some people were following me when I left the building, they must have recorded me as persona non grata at that time,” said Uluışık.

Uluışık has been living in Germany since 1984 and his Turkish citizenship was revoked in 1991 since he didn't perform his military service. Uluışık, 47, applied for and was granted German citizenship in 1997.

Since 2005 he has been working on the Circassian history and has visited Turkey almost 20 times during the last two years for his research. The last time he arrived in Turkey was at Yeşilköy Airport in Istanbul on Nov. 20, 2007, where he was handed a paper from the Interior Ministry that declared he is barred from entering Turkey and was deported to Berlin. When Uluışık asked the police officer that handed him the paper for the reason behind it, he learned that the ban was not issued by the police department but came directly from the Interior Ministry. The daily quoted Uluışık as saying that he requested to talk to a parliamentarian to learn the reason behind his ban. “The deputy told me that the ban had nothing to do with the revocation of my citizenship for completing my military duty,” said Uluışık.

ZAMAN


@AEA

You're the only Circassian we have on this board - so I'd like to ask you: how do you feel about this news?