Menace from Azerbaijan!
The Azerbaijani Embassy called on Azerbaijani students not to participate in the protests. Students showed reaction to the embassy that if they participate in the protests, they will be deported: Is this an ultimatum?
The Education Counsellor's Office of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Turkey made a call to Azerbaijani students enrolled in Turkey in the first week of the protests that started after the operation against Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.
The following statements were used in the call: ‘We kindly ask you not to intervene in the protests at your university or in the city where you are studying and to stay away from the places where such events are taking place! It should be noted that according to the Turkish Immigration Law (Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection), a foreign citizen, including foreign students, will be immediately deported from the country if they participate in any domestic political protest.’
A REMINDER OR AN ULTIMATUM?
Azerbaijani students reacted to this call and spoke to BirGün. ‘Is this a reminder or an ultimatum?’ the students asked.
The students reminded Article 3 of the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations: ‘Everyone has the right to organise meetings and demonstrations without prior permission, without arms and without attack, for certain purposes not criminalised by law. The subsequent amendment to this article reads: ‘The organisation of meetings and demonstration marches by foreigners in accordance with the provisions of this Law is subject to the permission of the Ministry of Interior. Foreigners may speak to the public, carry banners, placards, banners, pictures, pennants, signs, tools and equipment during meetings and demonstrations organised in accordance with this Law upon notification to the highest administrative authority of the neighbourhood where the meeting will be held at least forty-eight hours prior to the meeting."
Emphasising that the point to be underlined here is that the situation requiring permission from the Ministry of Interior should be related to the demonstrations organised by foreign students, the students said, ‘There is no legal article stating that foreign students cannot participate in legally organised meetings and demonstrations.’
PARTICIPATION IN DEMONSTRATIONS IS NOT A REASON FOR DEPORTATION
Regarding the embassy's reminder (!) that ‘you will be deported’, the students said Article 45, subparagraph (a) of the Law on Foreigners and International Protection provides for the cancellation of a residence permit if ‘the foreigner poses a serious threat to public order or public security’. However, even if the general nature of the demonstrations is interpreted as a threat to public order and public security, this does not justify the cancellation of the residence permit or deportation of the foreign student, as long as he or she only participates in the demonstrations and does not engage in activities that specifically threaten public order.’
AZERBAIJANI STUDENTS MONITORED
Although the Azerbaijani side stated that this ‘request’ did not constitute an ultimatum and was only a personal recommendation for the students not to be deported, the students stated that constitutionally there was no reason for foreign students not to participate in such actions:
In today's Turkey, where constitutional rights have been suspended by the AKP-MHP government, it is useless to write about how legally unjustified the deportation is. The Azerbaijani and Turkish sides have been taking unlawful decisions in such cases for years. Azerbaijani students coming from Azerbaijan to Turkey and establishing relations with leftist movements in Turkey due to the lack of political space in Azerbaijan have been monitored by the necessary institutions of both countries and subjected to unlawful decisions. Former Azerbaijani political prisoner Giyas Ibrahimov was banned from entering Turkey for participating in the Boğaziçi protests. There are many examples like this.
Note: This text has been translated from the original Turkish version titled Azerbaycan’dan gözdağı!, published in BirGün newspaper on April 14, 2025.
