A Turkish refugee named Mustafa Güngör and his family were arrested in Kenya on the night of December 21, 2025, over alleged ties to the Gülen movement. This marks the third such detention of Turkish nationals in the country, with the family facing deportation risks that could lead to torture. Amnesty International Kenya has warned that the action violates international law and Kenya's 2021 Refugee Act.
On the night of December 21, 2025, at midnight, Mustafa Güngör, an IT manager at Light Academy Schools in Kenya since December 2011, was arrested along with his wife and two children. He held a refugee card issued in December 2024. The Anti-Terror Police Unit of the DCI booked him under OB 02 of December 21, 2025, at the request of Turkish authorities through a mutual legal assistance arrangement with Kenya's Attorney General's office.
The Gülen movement, inspired by cleric Fethullah Gülen, has been targeted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan since 2013 following graft investigations implicating his government members. Erdoğan designated it a terror organization and escalated the crackdown after a failed 2016 coup attempt, which he blamed on Gülen—a claim the movement denies. Since 2016, Turkey has faced accusations of pursuing critics abroad via surveillance, intimidation, and unlawful renditions, with the Turkish National Intelligence Organisation (MİT) admitting to forcibly returning over 100 individuals linked to the Gülen movement.
Amnesty International Kenya stated, “The Turkish citizen is at serious risk of refoulement to Türkiye, where he could be subjected to arbitrary detention, torture, or ill-treatment.” Forcing a refugee back to a country of potential persecution violates international law and Kenya's 2021 Refugee Act.
This follows an October 2024 incident where four Turkish refugees were repatriated to Turkey despite UN protections, after being abducted by masked men in Nairobi. UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned it, and Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing'oei noted Turkey's pledge to treat them with dignity under national and international law. Another case occurred in August 2021, when Turkish businessman Harun Aydin was detained at Nairobi's Wilson Airport on terror financing suspicions and deported without charges.
