Former Kosovo Intelligence Chief ‘Observed’ Turks Being Deported

Students, fellow teachers and family members of Turkish nationals who were arrested in March, protesting in Prishtina, calling for their release. Photo: BIRN/ Atdhe Mulla

The report, showing a timeline of the procedural steps taken in the deportation case, shows Gashi, who was the head of AKI, was there when checks on the six Turkish nationals' IDs were completed at 10:09 on March 29, 2018.

"At this time, the head of the Immigration Unit of the Airport, the director and officers from Directorate of Migration and Foreigners and the director and officers of the AKI [were all present]," it reads.

It says: "At 10:25, Kosovo Police began transporting the Turkish nationals to the airplane of the Turkish authorities … at 10:42, handover of the six Turkish national was complete."

The plane took off for Turkey eight minutes later.

The six Turkish citizens, who all had permits to be in Kosovo, were wanted by Ankara over their alleged links to a movement led by the exiled Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen.

Turkey calls this alleged movement the "Fethullahist Terror Organisation", or FETO, and blames it for the failed coup in Turkey in 2016. Gulen, based in Pennsylvania in the US, insists he had nothing to do with it.

Kosovo officials have long claimed the deportation caught them by surprise, claiming they were not informed about it.

On the day of the operation, Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said the Turkish citizens had been deported without his knowledge. "As Prime Minister, I was not informed about this operation," he wrote on Facebook.

Claiming that misuse of the police and intelligence agency had taken place, Haradinaj demanded the removal of the head of the AKI, Driton Gashi, and the Interior Minister, Flamur Sefaj....