Turkish activist Julide Yazici, arrested three days ago at Albania’s Rinas Airport, will remain in custody until authorities receive the documentation from Turkey, where she is wanted internationally.
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| Turkish activist and teacher Julide Yazici remains in custody in Albania following her arrest at Rinas Airport, as she fights extradition to Turkey while citing political asylum in France. |
During the hearing, Yazici told the court that she was being persecuted because of her political beliefs.
“I am being persecuted because of my political beliefs,” she reportedly told the court, rejecting the allegations against her and opposing extradition to Turkey.
However, Thursday’s hearing was procedural. Judge Kujtim Vranici confirmed her detention in custody based on the international arrest request issued by Turkish authorities.
Turkey sentenced Yazici over protest participation
According to the information presented by Turkish authorities, Yazici was sentenced by an Istanbul court to four years and two months in prison for the alleged offenses of “providing logistical assistance to a terrorist organization” and “membership in a terrorist organization.”
Authorities say she still has three years, five months and 22 days of her sentence remaining.
Yazici’s case dates back to protests in Turkey seven years ago, when she was still a student at Istanbul’s Boğaziçi University. She and her supporters have rejected the allegations, describing the case as politically motivated.
Political asylum in France
The case has an additional legal dimension because Yazici previously obtained political asylum in France, where she claimed she faced political persecution in Turkey.
She has asked the Albanian authorities not to extradite her to Turkey, citing her refugee status and arguing that the case against her is politically motivated.
For now, however, the Albanian court has not ruled on the merits of the extradition request.
Yazici will remain in custody until the requested documentation arrives from the Turkish authorities. Once the file is received, further judicial proceedings will determine whether the extradition request meets Albania’s legal requirements.
One of the key issues in the proceedings could be whether her refugee status in France and her allegations of political persecution will influence the Albanian authorities' assessment of Turkey’s extradition request.
The case is likely to attract attention because it places Albania between an international arrest request from Turkey and the claim of a Turkish national that she has already been granted protection in another European country on political-persecution grounds.