BISHKEK -- A Turkish-Kyrgyz educator who was abducted by Turkish agents in Kyrgyzstan in 2021 has been sentenced to 21 years in prison on a charge of "establishing an armed terrorist group," Turkish media reports said on June 16, adding that Orhan Inandi had been "brought to Turkey via an "operation" carried out by the National Intelligence Organization.
Inandi, who headed the Turkish-language Sapat school system in Kyrgyzstan, was abducted by Turkish agents in Bishkek in June 2021.
Turkish officials have called Inandi a top Central Asian leader of the Gulen movement, which is led by the U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, a former close friend of Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan before falling out of favor and becoming a rival.
Turkey considers the movement, known as Hizmet in Turkish, to be a terrorist organization, though it is mainly involved in educational activities and promoting civil society. Its schools in Kyrgyzstan are considered prestigious and have been attended by thousands of people, many of them now serving in government.
Turkey blames Gulen supporters for an attempted coup in 2016 that killed some 250 people. Turkey arrested tens of thousands of people while purging the civil service and military of people suspected of being loyal to Gulen. It has also had many so-called Gulenists living abroad extradited to face charges in Turkey.
Inandi, 55, had lived in Kyrgyzstan since 1995 and holds dual Turkish-Kyrgyz citizenship. He claimed he was tortured while in custody in Turkey.
Hundreds of people demonstrated in Kyrgyzstan after his disappearance and abduction in 2021. Many accused Kyrgyz officials of complicity in the kidnapping.
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov said such charges were absurd and that Bishkek would demand the quick return of Inandi to his family in Kyrgyzstan. He blamed local authorities for allowing the abduction to take place.
The UN Committee Against Torture said in November that the Kyrgyz state was responsible for Inandi's kidnapping.