Willow International School expresses confidence in fair handling of Turkish citizen’s case in Mozambique

Willow International School, a private educational institution, said it trusts in a fair and equitable assessment of the situation of Turkish national Emre Çınar, who has been detained by Mozambique’s criminal investigation police in connection with an extradition request submitted by Turkey.

“We trust that the legal status and the concrete situation of Mr Emre Çınar in Mozambique will be assessed with justice and equity, in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Mozambique and other ordinary laws, as well as the conventions and international treaties to which Mozambique is a signatory,” Willow International School said in a statement consulted on Saturday by Lusa.

The employer, which confirmed Emre Çınar as a member of its staff, also said that the Turkish national holds a valid passport issued by the Turkish authorities and a residence permit granted by Mozambican government entities, expressing concern over his detention.

“We nonetheless reaffirm our full confidence in the principle of the rule of law of the Republic of Mozambique, as well as in the independence and sovereignty of its judicial authorities, and for that reason we are convinced and believe that the process will be conducted with rigour and transparency, in accordance with universal principles of law, human rights and the right to a fair trial,” the private educational institution stated. The school has been operating in the country for more than 20 years.

Last Friday, Emre Çınar’s lawyer complained of a “total blockage” in gaining access to his client by Mozambican authorities. He said the family had been informed that the Turkish national was being held at the preventive detention facility in Maputo Province after spending several hours at Mozambique’s Office of the Attorney-General (PGR), together with family members, seeking information about the detainee.

“They do not allow us, as lawyers or as family, to communicate with him in order to reassure him, to comfort him, to tell him what is actually happening, so that the accused effectively knows what he is being accused of. And so that we, as legal representatives, [know] what charge he is facing in order to assess the legality of the detention, whether there is an arrest warrant,” said on Friday Henriques Júnior, the Turkish citizen’s lawyer.

Mozambique’s National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) announced on Wednesday the detention of a Turkish national, in execution of an arrest warrant issued by Mozambican authorities within the framework of an extradition process requested by Turkey.

“It is important to clarify that the detention was carried out in strict observance of legal formalities and does not constitute any act of kidnapping or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, as has been improperly disseminated in some media outlets and communication channels,” reads a statement from SERNIC sent to the media.

Source: Lusa