Turkey’s authorities have accelerated their crackdown on members of the Muslim Brotherhood residing within the country.
This move followed the announcement of restored relations and the reopening of embassies between Turkey and Egypt. Approximately 60 members of the group, who lack identification, residency permits or citizenship, have been detained.
The Turkish authorities held Brotherhood members in Gaziantep prison and decided to deport those lacking any form of identification or nationality. Already seven individuals have been deported to neighboring countries. Additionally, Turkey has halted naturalization processes and humanitarian residencies, alerting the Brotherhood leadership to cease the influx of any new members to the country.
The Turkish authorities have targeted areas where Brotherhood members reside, such as Başakşehir and Şirinevler. This move is designed to identify and deport all members living unlawfully in the country. This initiative coincides with the declaration of the new Turkish Interior Minister, Ali Yerlikaya, who, in an interview with the Turkish newspaper “Hürriyet,” confirmed the increase in operations against illegal migrants, especially in Istanbul.
Sources revealed to “Alarabiya.net” that Turkish authorities intend to deport all illegal immigrants within five months. They have also imposed new restrictions on the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood and asked its leaders to cease any activities against Egypt from within Turkish territory.
Previously, Turkish authorities have imposed strict restrictions on the movement of Brotherhood members convicted of capital crimes, such as Nasreddin Farag Ghazlani, Magdy Salem, and Mohamed Abdel Maqsoud, and refused to grant citizenship to the latter two individuals. The same restriction applies to Dr. Mohamed Elhami, a Brotherhood member who manages a group-affiliated center.
Previously, the Turkish authorities also rejected a citizenship application from Egyptian Islamist preacher and convicted criminal, Wagdy Ghoneim. Despite his joy over Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s election victory, Ghoneim expressed sadness over Ankara’s refusal to grant him citizenship. Following this, the Turkish authorities refused citizenship and renewal of residence permits for many other Brotherhood members, including media professionals and journalists, without providing justifications.
On July 4, 2023, Egypt and Turkey announced an elevation of their diplomatic relations to ambassadorial level. Egypt has nominated Ambassador Amr Al-Hamami as its ambassador in Ankara, while Turkey has nominated Ambassador Saleh Mutlu Shin as its ambassador in Cairo. This move aims to establish normal relations between the two countries, reflecting their mutual commitment to strengthening bilateral relations for the benefit of the Egyptian and Turkish people.
Relations between the two countries were severed following the overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood president Mohamed Morsi and the group’s rule in a popular uprising in June 2013, along with Turkey and its President’s support for the group and the ousted president.
Turkey hosts approximately 5,000 Brotherhood members who fled from Egypt after the revolution against the group. Of these, 2,000 have obtained Turkish nationality or residency, while approximately 3,000 others are still struggling to secure residency or citizenship and are considered illegal migrants by Turkey.
