Interpol Removal Lawyers Turkey

Following the failed coup attempt of July 2016, the Turkish government launched a sweeping purge that affected hundreds of thousands of people: military officers, judges, academics, journalists, civil servants, businesspeople, and members of opposition political parties. Turkish authorities used emergency decree powers to dismiss, detain, and prosecute vast numbers of individuals, many of whom had no genuine connection to any act of violence or subversion.

A significant number of those targeted fled Turkey and sought asylum abroad. Turkish authorities then turned to Interpol’s Red Notice system in a systematic effort to locate and detain these individuals internationally. The scale and indiscriminate nature of this campaign attracted intense scrutiny from Interpol itself, the Council of Europe, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), and numerous national courts, all of which have recognised that many Turkish-issued Red Notices are politically motivated and therefore non-compliant with Interpol’s rules.

Our Interpol removal lawyers have represented a wide range of individuals subject to Turkish Red Notices, including members and supporters of the Gülen movement (designated by Turkey as a terrorist organisation under the label FETÖ), HDP politicians and Kurdish activists, academics and journalists, and businesspeople whose assets were seized under emergency decrees. In the majority of these cases, we have secured the deletion of the Red Notice through a successful CCF complaint.

Interpol’s rules are clear: notices must not be used for political, military, racial, or religious purposes, and they must relate to genuine ordinary-law crimes. Turkish Red Notices issued in the aftermath of the coup attempt frequently fail to meet these standards on multiple grounds.

First, the ECHR and the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights have documented systematic violations of fair trial rights, including the use of pre-trial detention as punishment, the absence of independent judicial oversight, and the criminalisation of conduct that constitutes lawful political activity or the exercise of fundamental freedoms. These findings directly undermine the legitimacy of the underlying arrest warrants and prosecution files.

Second, many Turkish Red Notices are based on terrorism charges under Turkey’s broadly drafted anti-terror legislation. Interpol’s CCF has recognised that where terrorism charges are applied to ordinary political activity — such as using a particular messaging application, maintaining a bank account, or belonging to a lawful organisation — the notice does not satisfy Interpol’s requirement that the underlying offence be a genuine ordinary-law crime.

Third, the mass, undifferentiated nature of the post-coup purge means that individual notices often lack specific evidence of personal wrongdoing. Where a Red Notice is based on nothing more than membership of a group or employment in a particular institution, it is difficult for the issuing country to demonstrate that the notice is targeted at a specific individual for specific criminal conduct rather than at a category of people for political reasons.

Our Interpol defence lawyers deploy a range of legal arguments depending on the specific facts of each case. The most commonly used defences in Turkish notice cases include the following.

Political persecution: We demonstrate to the CCF that the prosecution is motivated by the client’s political opinions, affiliation with a particular movement or party, or exercise of fundamental freedoms such as freedom of expression and association. Evidence of the broader post-coup purge context, ECHR judgments, and any asylum or refugee status granted to the client all strengthen this argument.

Lack of fair trial guarantee: Where the client would face prosecution in a judicial system that cannot guarantee independence and impartiality — as documented by the ECHR and international monitoring bodies — we argue that Interpol should not lend its assistance to a process that would violate fundamental human rights standards.

The specialty rule: In extradition proceedings, we invoke the specialty principle to argue that even if extradition were theoretically permissible, Turkey could not be trusted to limit prosecution to the specific charges on which extradition was sought, given the well-documented pattern of charging individuals with additional politically motivated offences after their return.

Refugee and asylum status: Where a client has been recognised as a refugee or granted asylum in their country of residence, this recognition by a competent national authority that they face persecution constitutes strong evidence that the Red Notice is politically motivated and should be deleted.

When you contact our Interpol removal lawyers regarding a Turkish Red Notice, we begin with a detailed case assessment: reviewing all available documentation, identifying the specific charges and the legal basis for the notice, and advising you on the realistic prospects of a successful CCF challenge. Because Turkish cases often involve a well-documented pattern of political persecution, we are frequently able to move quickly to prepare a compelling CCF submission.

We prepare a comprehensive legal memorandum for the CCF setting out the factual background, the political context, the relevant ECHR and Council of Europe materials, and the specific provisions of Interpol’s rules that the notice violates. We file the submission, correspond with the CCF on your behalf, and provide updates throughout the review process, which typically takes several months.

Where you face an immediate risk of arrest — for example, if you travel internationally and risk detention at a border — we can also seek urgent interim measures and advise on preventive strategies to protect your freedom of movement while the CCF review is ongoing. Our Interpol defence lawyers are experienced in managing the full range of risks that arise when a Turkish Red Notice is in force, and we work closely with local counsel in your country of residence to ensure comprehensive protection.

Contact our team today for a confidential and no-obligation assessment of your Turkish Red Notice case.