Kosovo Assembly to Probe Legality of Turkish Deportations

The Assembly of Kosovo on Wednesday adopted a resolution proposed by the Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK, based on which it will establish a committee to investigate the highly controversial deportation of six Turkish nationals on March 29.

After several hours of debate, the assembly of Kosovo voted for the proposed recommendations with 60 votes in favour, one abstention and none against.

The chief of the LDK parliamentary group, Avdullah Hoti said the first aim of the committee was "to shed light on the case of deportation of six Turkish citizens on 29 March ... [and]  review the compliance of the procedures followed in this case with the Constitution and applicable laws".

Kosovo police on March 29 arrested five employees of Turkish colleges in Kosovo and a Turkish doctor.

They were all allegedly linked to Fethullah Gulen, the Turkish preacher who has lived in voluntary exile in the US since 1999, who Turkey calls the head of a terrorist organisation and blames for the failed coup in Turkey in 2016. They were deported soon after.

Turkey later said its secret service conducted the operation in cooperation with Kosovo's security and intelligence institutions.

But After Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj complained that the Turks had been deported without his knowledge, he axed the director of the Intelligence Agency and the Interior Minister.

However, the director of the Intelligence Agency, Driton Gashi, is still in office, as his dismissal requires the signature of President Hashim Thaci, who has not done so as yet.

Read more:

Kosovo Arrests Five Turkish School Employees

Kosovo PM Denies Knowing About Turks' Deportation