Alevi deputy in Turkey denied going abroad again

An Alevi deputy from the pro-Kurdish HDP (Peoples’ Democratic Party) on Friday was denied going abroad again although no court order inflicted any restriction upon him.

HDP’s Kemal Bulbul reacted angrily after police in Sabiha Gokcen Airport of Istanbul prevented him from boarding a plane to go to the United Kingdom where he was supposed to join a solidarity night by an Alevi organization.

“Bullying by gangs!” he said on Twitter where he shared a copy of a written report of the police that said he was stopped because of an ‘administrative measure.’

An active member of the Alevi community, who follow a mystic version of Islam and considered the biggest religious minority in Turkey, Bulbul has been a member of the parliament since 2018. He also founded several associations to fight for equal rights and recognition as the Sunni sect.

Bulbul was also stopped at the airport in April last year on his way to Paris.

Last December, Zeynel Ozen, another Alevi deputy from the HDP was also stopped by the police with the same reason while going to Sweden where his family lives.