DW: Extradition of 6 Turks could have implications for Kosovo

Kosovo will investigate the extradition of six suspects to the Fetullah Gylenn movement, FETO. The operation could have implications for the country, as Kosovo seeks to strengthen ties with the European Union.

Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj ordered on Saturday an investigation into the arrest and expulsion of six Turkish citizens from Kosovo into an operation, which he says was ordered without his knowledge.

Ankara claimed that the six men were members of the US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Ghulen movement.

The group included five teachers from a Gruevski school and a doctor who were extradited Thursday to Turkey in an operation for extradition from the Kosovo Interior Ministry and spying service (AKI) along with Turkey's National Intelligence Organisation (MIT), writes DW.

After an emergency meeting with national security personnel, Haradinaj reiterated that he was not informed of the operation, which has prompted him to dismiss Interior Minister Flamur Sefaj and AKI chief Driton Gashi.

“They were obliged to inform me [of the expulsion], they had not done so, they had not had enough faith to share the case with me, so I don't trust them anymore, they have lost my confidence”, he said.

Haradinaj said he had ordered each of the institutions involved that “fully engage in clarification of institutional responsibilities, possible constitutional and legal violations and immediately undertake comprehensive and detailed investigations”.

Turkey blames Gyleni for a failed coup in 2016 in Turkey, a move his movement has denied.

Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan said on Saturday he was grieving because Haradinaj had dismissed Interior Minister and AKI chief Friday for deportation of six Turkish citizens without his permission.

Erdogan said Haradinaj would pay for his actions.
Since when did you start protecting those who worked to make a coup against the Turkish Republic?

Turkish state news agency Anadolu Agency described men as senior persons in the Gulen movement.

Istanbul's prosecutor is investigating people who, according to Anadolu, were organising the Gylenists' movement from Turkey to the United States and European countries.
Turkey has called the Gulen movement a terrorist organisation, whose goal is to overthrow the government.

Florian Bieber, Balkan expert at the University of Graz in Austria, told Reuters news agency that the incident could be harmful for Kosovo, a country that is trying to build closer ties with the European Union.

“will certainly harm Kosovo, such as to cast doubt on rule of law and political authority, and on co-operation with a regime that is authoritarian and increasingly antagonist to the EU”, Bieber told Reuters.

International human rights organisations “Human Wright Watch” has also reacted to the arrest and deportation of Turkish citizens.
Besides the controversial arrests, they were sent to a country where they face a serious torture risk”, HRW said in a statement.