UN Body Calls Out Kenya Over Repatriation Of Turkish Refugees
This is as Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing'oei was pressured to explain why the four were returned to the Turkish government on October 18, 2024
Viral Tea Ke Writer 
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has put Kenya on the spot over the decision by its government to deport four Turkish nationals who were allegedly abducted in Nairobi, back to their home country.
In a statement, the United Nations (UN) agency said it was "deeply concerned by the refoulment of four refugees from Kenya and urges the government of Kenya to abide by their international legal obligations."
"In particular, to respect the principle of non-refoulment, which protects asylum seekers and refugees from any measure that could lead to their removal to a place where their life or freedoms would be threatened," the body appealed to the East African country.
This is as Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing'oei was pressured to explain why the four were returned to the Turkish government on October 18, 2024, a move which attracted local and international condemnation.
Screengrabs of the individuals allegedly involved in the abduction, and a car suspected to have been used in the abduction on October 18, 2024. /BOLD
Speaking during an engagement with civil society leaders on Tuesday, PS Sing’oei termed the move the “bigger good,” reiterating that the nation had to balance diplomatic principles and maintaining mutual ties with other nations.
The PS underscored that the four Turks were facing grievous and treasonous charges and thus the need to repatriate them to ensure Kenya did not interfere with Turkey's internal affairs.
"The issue of being accused of harbouring subversive elements within your country who are undertaking activities detrimental to another country is very serious and you cannot ignore it. This is a very difficult dilemma for Kenya and people who think it is easy have to know that it is very difficult because there are two principles which we hold dear," he said.
"The principle of non-interference on the internal affairs of another country is a rock-solid principle that goes to the very founding of states."
The PS had argued that the government had to make the tough decision to repatriate the four Turks to recuse itself from the affairs of another country as well as to peace and unity between the two countries, despite the country being condemned for putting their lives at risk.
He highlighted Turkey's global reach as a foreign investor in the African continent saying that it was critical for Kenya to consider the bilateral relations. "The State in question, Turkey, is a big player in the region as you know; it is involved in Somalia, Ethiopia, around our neighbourhoods," he emphasised.
"If you view the matter from a peace and security lens, you can see the dilemma that sometimes we are confronted with. So it is not a delusion or a departure from our cardinal principles necessarily, but this is where diplomacy operates within the range of balancing interests and thinking in terms of what is the bigger good in this context."
He added: "Sometimes we’d rather be on the side of caution and sometimes that is a consistent principle. Sometimes we may take a position that appears completely out of tandem with principle but I can tell you that in this case, it is a very well-considered position."
The four Turkish nationals were allegedly abducted on October 18, 2024, along with three others. While the three were eventually released, the four Turks remained in captivity.
The abducted individuals included Mustafa Genç, his son Abdullah Genç, Hüseyin Yeşilsu, Necdet Seyitoğlu, Öztürk Uzun, Alparslan Taşçı, and his wife Saadet Taşçı, all reportedly taken by unknown individuals.
Among those released were Abdullah Genç, Necdet Seyitoğlu, and Saadet Taşçı.
The quartet were abducted alongside a British national, who revealed that on the fateful day, two vehicles intercepted and blocked them from the front and behind, and then the occupants came out fully armed before pulling the risky manoeuvre.
