Kurdish resturant owner in USA gets deported to Turkey- HELP

[Anthea]

Monday editorial: Honor asylum granted to Michigan restaurant owner

Once and for all, the U.S. government should stop hounding Ibrahim Parlak, a Michigan resident who was granted asylum in the U.S. in 1991, only to have the rug pulled out from him years later by federal authorities.

U.S. House Rep. Fred Upton, R-Michigan, and other members of Congress have backed Parlak in his fight to stay in this country. Former Sun-Times journalists Carol Marin and the late Roger Ebert also took up Parlak’s cause. The Chicago Tribune reported last week that Jeff Tweedy of the Chicago rock band Wilco will perform a solo benefit concert for Parlak on Feb. 26 in Three Oaks, Michigan.

Parlak is fortunate to have influential people on his side, but they are rallying because the cause is just. In granting him asylum years ago, the U.S. promised to protect him. Our government is reneging on that pledge.

An immigration appeals board is reviewing the case as Parlak enters the final month of a 90-day extension granted in December by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Let him stay.

This country gave him refuge, a second chance to build an honest life after it was determined Parlak, a Turkish Kurd, had suffered through torture and wrongful imprisonment in Turkey for supporting a separatist movement. Parlak made the most of that chance and became a small business owner in the town of Harbert, Michigan. He runs a popular Middle Eastern restaurant.

Why rob him of a decent, law-abiding life?

Years after granting asylum, American officials agreed with Turkey’s claims that Parlak was involved in terrorist activity during his time in the separatist movement. Because of that, Parlak spent 10 months in prison in 2004-2005 in Michigan until a judge freed him. Parlak has denied the allegations.

While initially it seemed Turkey didn’t want him back — that country revoked his citizenship some 14 years ago — officials there may be changing their minds. Parlak’s lawyer has a copy of a letter sent just days ago from Turkey’s consul general based in Chicago to Upton, pushing for Parlak’s deportation and extradition.

What would await him if he is deported? Parlak’s lawyer, Bob Carpenter, says he has consulted with experts from Amnesty International and the Human Rights Institute at Columbia Law School, among others, who say they would fear for Parlak if he is sent back.

There is still time to right this wrong.

http://chicago.suntimes.com/editorials- ... rant-owner

[Anthea]

Letter from Turkish Consulate latest road bump for Ibrahim Parlak

Ibrahim Parlak has battled against his deportation for more than two decades and a letter from the Turkish Consulate in Chicago is the latest hiccup in his fight.

Parlak was granted a 90-day stay from deportation in December however the letter does raise some concerns about his future.

In the letter, it paints a pretty drastic picture of Parlak, calling him a criminal and terrorist. However, this is in stark contrast to what has been said about Parlak in the past as an upstanding member of the community. Also, his camp believe this letter could actually help his case.

"You can see from that letter itself that everything they were providing was falsified, misleading and basically lies," Parlak said. "It's also a threat to me and my family."

The most recent accusations about his past say Parlak misled U.S. authorities about his criminal background referring to him as a terrorist.

"Anybody is a terrorist," Parlak said. "I wouldn't be surprised that you doing this reporting could be declared as a terrorist. I won't be surprised."

Among other accusations, the consulate says Parlak escaped from prison in 1992, although he has paperwork that says he was released.

"They could have looked at these papers and say, we can not say he skipped from jail," Parlak said.

Then the letter claims Parlak entered the United States illegally and remains here "under various cover by systematically evading the U.S. authorities."

"That letter says, Ibrahim lived in America illegally for 25 years," Parlak said. "Who said Ibrahim lived in America illegally?"

"This is my driver's license with no expiration date on it, that's my work permit, those are all credit cards, those are all insurance cards," Parlak said as he threw the various cards onto the table. "But saying Ibrahim lived in America illegally and is hiding? It's just lies like that. They think they can just throw out there and that's what I've been screaming all this time. Their mentality is they can throw all this mud and if it doesn't stick it will leave the mark."

Parlak continues to receive support both locally and nationally. A petition to stop the deportation of Parlak has garnered nearly 35,000 signatures and he receives support from lawmakers, like Congressman Fred Upton as well.

"This makes no sense to send him back to these jackals in Turkey that just want to do him harm because of a generational war between the establishment there and the Kurdish people," Upton said Tuesday. "It's pretty troubling. Until now, it's been pretty apparent Turkey did not want Ibrahim Parlak back. In fact, they rejected the idea that he should even have a passport stamp to come back."

While the letter claims Parlak has been living a secret life, he argues quite the opposite. He runs a successful restaurant in Michigan that has been around for 21 years. At the restaurant, he has had to apply for a liquor license and is constantly under the microscope to make sure his restaurant is up to snuff, just as any other restaurant owner would have to. He pays his taxes and has never been in trouble with the law in America. Things Fred Upton agrees with.

"This is the type of immigrant we want," Upton said. "He fled here under asylum after he was tortured and beaten. He recovered. He established a family and a small business. He's honest as the day is long. We're hoping the outcome here will be favorable and we can finally put this case to rest."

http://www.wndu.com/content/news/Letter ... 39881.html

[Anthea]

Upton gets letter from Turkish Consulate

Word has traveled fast that Ibrahim Parlak is again seeking protection for asylum under the threat of torture.

U.S. Rep. Fred Upton received a letter by fax Friday and another by mail over the weekend from the Turkish Consulate claiming Parlak is a fugitive who fled to the U.S. after escaping prison.

While Upton, R-St. Joseph, is working with the State Department to confirm the letter’s authenticity, he said he is still in support of the Harbert restauranteur.

“This troubling letter underscores a real threat to Ibrahim, and only reinforces the fact that we need to continue our bipartisan work to keep Ibrahim in Southwest Michigan,” Upton told The Herald-Palladium in an email Tuesday. “His future is in jeopardy and we need an all-hands-on-deck effort to stop his unjust deportation.”

If genuine, the letter might help Parlak from a legal standpoint.

Parlak and various legislators are pushing for the Immigration Review Board to reopen Parlak’s case as he seeks relief under the Convention Against Torture – an international law that protects refugees from being returned under threat of torture or death.

Robert Carpenter, Parlak’s attorney, said the letter to Upton from the Turkish government confirms what they feared was occuring across seas.

“Prior to them sending it, we didn’t have anything from the Turkish government saying they wanted him back,” Carpenter said. “Now it closes the gap. There is no doubt they want him back. Calling him an escaped prisoner is a bold-faced lie. We have documentation from Turkey proving he was released.

“It certainly helped our case because it solidifed the notion that Ibrahim will be tortured.”

Parlak’s letters

The letter Upton received through fax and mail came from Umut Acar – a consul general for Turkey.

Acar wrote that Parlak deliberately misled U.S. authorities about his criminal background and his membership with the PKK. The letter went on to detail alleged events about Parlak’s involvement with the PKK.

According to Acar’s letter, the PKK appointed Parlak to a terror mission from Syria to Turkey in March 1988. Acar alleged that Parlak’s unit spotted two Turkish Border Patrol officers and killed them before escaping to Syria.

According to the letter, Parlak was sentenced to life in prison with his sentence later reduced to six years as part of the Turkish Republic Reintegration Act. Acar wrote that Parlak had confessed to the crime and served as a government witness in the convictionof other PKK terrorists in Turkey.

Parlak then allegedly escaped from prison after serving 16 months before illegally entering the U.S. as a fugitive.

“The facts of Parlak’s crime are gruesome and alarming, particulary given that he has managed to evade the U.S. authorities, open and operate a restaurant in Michigan, and lead a secret life for so long,” Acar said in the letter. “What is basically a deportation and extradition of national security proportions has regrettably become the object of misguided ethnic politics that dangerously and prejudicially equate Turkish citizens of Kurdish origin with the PKK terrorist organization.”

Parlak has denied these claims along with a response letter from his attorney, who sent a copy to Upton.

Carpenter wrote in the response letter that the Turkish Consulate’s accusation of Parlak hiding in America is unfounded. Carpenter refuted this stance by saying he’s been nothing but open about his past while also running a business in plain sight.

Unwavering support

Martin Dzuris, a New Buffalo resident and longtime Parlak supporter, said the letter comes as a surprise to Parlak and his regulars at Cafe Gulistan.

Dzuris said the letter has the same language as some of the threats made against Parlak’s life that he has previously received through email.

It’s a concern to Parlak, as Dzuris said the Turkish native is worried about his safety in the U.S. Dzuris claimed the Turkish government’s actions and “escalating hostility” might inspire some Turkish group or individual to take action against Parlak.

“It shows what lengths they are willing to go,” Dzuris said. “A lot of these groups take matters into their own hands. We are now concerned for his safety here. There are independent international groups that target what are perceived to be enemies of the state. The Consulate is making him a target.”

The letter from the Turkish Consulate comes two weeks after U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow, both of Michigan, submitted letters to Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson in support of reopening Parlak’s case.

In both letters, the two Senate members asked for Department of Homeland Security and Immigration Customs and Enforcement officials for Parlak’s plea for asylum to be heard with new evidence of the rising threats to the Kurdish people in Turkey.

In January, Upton and U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Illinois, also sent a two-page letter to DHS and ICE officials in support of the motion to reopen Parlak’s case.

Contact: twittkowski@TheHP.com, 932-0358, Twitter: @TonyWittkowski

[Anthea]

Turkey claims Michigan restaurateur misled U.S. about terrorist ties

Turkish officials claim Michigan restaurant owner Ibrahim Parlak has misled authorities about past ties to terrorism, allegations Parlak and his attorney refute as they fight to avoid his deportation.

"Ibrahim Parlak has deliberately misled the U.S. authorities about his criminal background, his membership and activities in PKK, which has been listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU," Umut Acar, consulate general of the Republic of Turkey, said in a letter to two of Parlak's supporters, U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, and U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Illinois.

Parlak's attorney, Robert Carpenter, said the letter is full of "fictional, defamatory statements," including claims Parlak, a Turkish immigrant, escaped from a Turkish prison prior to seeking asylum in the U.S. He also disputes claims in the letter Parlak was involved in a "terror mission" that led to a firefight on the Syrian-Turkish border in 1988 and the deaths of two Turkish border patrol officers, and that he "managed to evade U.S. authorities, open and operate a restaurant in Michigan, and lead a secret life."

Parlak left Turkey after being convicted on charges related to his support of the Kurdish separatist movement and immigrated to the U.S. in 1991. He owns Café Guilistan in Berrien County's Harbert, having earlier owned a restaurant by that name in downtown Kalamazoo.

Parlak was granted asylum in the U.S. in 1992, but immigration officials began efforts to deport him in 2004 because of his previous ties in Turkey to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which was classified as a terrorist group by the U.S. Department of State in 1997. He was arrested in 2004 and jailed for 10 months before a federal judge ordered his release.

Parlak has won numerous deferrals of deportation by the U.S. government, the latest of which had been set to expire in December. However, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security granted a 90-day extension of his deferral through March 22 as he and Carpenter seek relief.

Their motion before the Board of Immigration Appeals, filed in December, seeks to have Parlak's case reopened and re-examined.

"It's just like living a bad movie over and over," Parlak said this week of living with the constant threat of deportation. "It's not a good feeling, just lots of frustration and exhaustion ... It's not a way to live."

Carpenter said the consulate's Feb. 8 letter is the first clear indication that Turkey's government wants Parlak returned. "They want him back and bad things are going to happen if they get him back," he said.

His attorney contends Parlak is likely to be tortured or killed if U.S. immigration officials send him to back Turkey and filed his motion for relief with the Board of Immigration Appeals under the Convention Against Torture.

As part of their case for deportation, Department of Homeland Security officials say Parlak failed to disclose details about his activities with PKK in his original application for asylum and left out information about his conviction in Turkey for his alleged role in the 1988 incident at the Syrian-Turkish border.

Parlak has denied any involvement in the killing of the two Turkish soldiers in 1988 and Carpenter has said his client has disavowed having any involvement with PKK. In court filings, Carpenter said Parlak was tortured while he served two years in a Turkish jail for his Kurdish separatist activities.

On Feb. 10, attorneys for the Department of Homeland Security filed an answer to Parlak's motion before the Board of Immigration Appeals asking that it not to reopen Parlak's case. The 27-page filing contained many of the same accusations against Parlak made in 2004, including that he failed to disclose details about PKK activities and the 1988 border skirmish in his application for asylum and a subsequent application for naturalization.

Homeland Security officials also dismissed claims made in Carpenter's motion to have Parlak's case reopened that conditions in Turkey have worsened and that Parlak is in danger if he is returned there.

"In effect, the respondent's evidence demonstrates that country conditions in Turkey largely remain unchanged since he was ordered removed eleven years ago," Jonathan Goulding, a senior attorney for the Department of Homeland Security, wrote. "... Notably, the government of Turkey has already prosecuted (Parlak) and released (Parlak). This seems to counter his asserted fear that the government of Turkey would take an interest in him today. And any fears he has of the PKK or right-wing groups can be mitigated by relocation to a safe part of Turkey."

Carpenter has said previously that Turkish newspapers have published reports about Parlak's possible return and the government's intent to punish him. He said the Feb. 8 letter to Upton and Schakowsky only serves to back those fears.

"These mistruths, and the use of the word 'extradition,' (are) evidence (of) the Turkish government's intent to arrest Parlak upon his arrival, and return him to the prison system in which he was tortured repeatedly," Carpenter said in a filing Thursday with Board of Immigration Appeals.

Carpenter points out that Parlak was ultimately convicted in Turkey in 2004 of being a separatist, but never convicted of murder or any other crimes in the 1988 border skirmish, as Acar asserts in his letter.

When the U.S. government first sought to deport Parlak in 2004, immigration officials asked Turkey to allow Parlak back into the country but Turkey had banned Parlak for his activities with the Kurds and withdrew his citizenship in 2002.

In 2010, the Department of Homeland Security granted Parlak a two-year deferral from deportation and deferrals followed each year after 2012.

Both Upton and now-retired U.S. Sen. Carl Levin have previously sponsored legislation that would have given Parlak permanent residency in the U.S. The introduction of the bills blocked actions to deport Parlak.

As March 22 looms, the Board of Immigration Appeals has not said yet whether it will reopen Parlak's case. Carpenter has requested a stay of deportation proceedings while the motion to reopen the case is pending.

Meanwhile, the number of Parlak's supporters is growing. The Chicago Tribune last week reported that Jeff Tweedy, frontman for the Chicago band Wilco, plans to perform a solo benefit concert for Parlak on Feb. 26 at the Acorn Theater in Three Oaks. Proceeds will go to pay for some of Parlak's legal fees, according to the report.

Parlak said he appreciates the work of his attorneys and support from his friends and is thankful "to have all this greatness around me."

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/ind ... ak_ba.html

[Anthea]

Parlak: Turkish Consulate accusations are 'lies'

Ibrahim Parlak blasted the Turkish Consulate on Tuesday over claims it made about the Harbert restaurateur fighting deportation.

Parlak hosted his second press conference in as many months at his Cafe Gulistan, this time to address a letter the Turkish Consulate sent to U.S. Rep. Fred Upton last week about Parlak’s alleged past in Turkey.

“The letter had false accusations and lies. Turkey is making those claims and somehow DHS (the Department of Homeland Security) is taking them seriously,” Parlak said. “It’s surprising to see the Turkish government’s response comes after I had applied several times for travel documentation over the years with no response.”

The Consulate’s letter stated that Parlak deliberately misled U.S. authorities about his criminal background and his membership with the PKK Kurdish independence organization. The letter went on to detail alleged events about Parlak’s involvement with the PKK.

According to the letter, Parlak was sentenced to life in prison with his sentence later reduced to six years as part of the Turkish Republic Reintegration Act. Parlak then allegedly escaped from prison after serving 16 months before illegally entering the U.S. as a fugitive.

During Friday’s news conference at his Harbert restaurant, Parlak produced documents showing his release from Turkish prison. Parlak said he has dozens of boxes filled with documents concerning his past, which he keeps at his home and restaurant.

Martin Dzuris, a New Buffalo resident and Parlak supporter, sat beside Parlak and explained why he believes the Turkish government is focused on his longtime friend.

“We believe it is due to the situation with the Kurds. Turkey is under enormous pressure from the international community on how it’s handling the Kurds,” Dzuris said. “The media’s coverage of Ibrahim’s situation doesn’t make Turkey look good either. It’s bad publicity for them. The only thing Ibrahim has been convicted of was separatism. Nothing else.”

New developments

Robert Carpenter, Parlak’s attorney, said they received a government brief last week concerning Parlak’s motion to reopen his case for re-examination under the Convention Against Torture – an international law that protects refugees from being returned under threat of torture or death.

Carpenter said among the 20-some page document, the government produced two main arguments against reopening Parlak’s case before the Immigration Review Board.

“The government argued that we had not shown that Ibrahim would be singled out for persecution,” Carpenter said. “The day (the brief) was filed was the day the (Turkish Consulate) letter was sent. There is a bit of irony there, since that letter is proof that Ibrahim will be arrested and tortured if he returns to Turkey.”

Another argument made against Parlak in the brief included a generalized condition of Turkey and that the country hadn’t changed much in the 11 years since Parlak’s previous request was first considered.

Despite producing testimony from two experts on Turkish affairs, Carpenter said the brief called Turkey’s current state “another bump in the road.” Parlak and his attorney have since countered with a reply brief, including the Turkish Consulate letter in their response.

“The argument that this is more of the same is disappointing,” Carpenter said. “The Kurds are being persecuted with an alarming degree of brutality. The frequency is constant right now and the methods are far worse than they have ever been.”

Now Parlak waits for the Immigration Review Board’s decision on the motion to reopen his case. Carpenter said in the past it has taken the board two to seven months for a decision.

Because Carpenter is unsure of when the board’s decision will come, Parlak has asked the Department of Homeland Security for another extension on a deferral of deportation. In December, Parlak was given a 90-day extension, which ends in late March.

http://www.heraldpalladium.com/news/loc ... a4603.html

[Anthea]

Stop the wasteful and unnecessary deportation of Ibrahim Parlak!

Reminder:

Ibrahim Parlak is a Turkish Kurd who was granted asylum by the U.S. in 1991, based on a well-founded fear of persecution in his homeland. Since 1991 he has become a restaurant owner, devoted father to an American citizen daughter, and beloved member of his community in the small town of Harbert, Michigan. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is now seeking to deport Ibrahim back to Turkey, where his life would be at risk. We, the family and friends of Ibrahim in America, want to keep him here where he belongs. Please help us to stop the wasteful and unnecessary deportation of Ibrahim Parlak!

http://www.friends4ibrahim.com/

Other LinkS

https://www.change.org/p/president-bara ... him-parlak

https://www.fundedjustice.com/en/projec ... fense-Fund

[Anthea]

Message to all Kurd who have fled Turkey

WAKE UP!

What is happening to Ibrahim Parlak

could happen to

YOU!

[Anthea]

Ibrahim Parlak: freedom rights activist and loving father

One North Central College freshman, Livia Gazzolo, has been living with her father in Michigan, and being watched by the government for all of her life. He is Ibrahim Parlak, a freedom rights activist who was arrested in Turkey.

For two years, Parlak would do things like bury Kurdish books in the watermelon fields, because the Turkish government was burning them. He eventually fled to the United States with a false passport before claiming a kind of political asylum.

He was granted asylum in the United States in 1992 under the condition that he was working to become a citizen in another country. It has been many years and applications for citizenship since then. The status change of The Kurdistan Worker’s Party to a terrorist organization has not helped Parlak’s situation.

The tension appears ever present. At elementary school, Gazzolo’s father was in prison for 10 months because of a paperwork error on his asylum application. Gazzolo recalled how she would skip school on Thursdays to go and see her father. The courtroom was the only place they were allowed to hug.

Gazzolo said, “It was a lot for a little girl to handle. Now I can understand everything that is happening.”

She now has a completely different perspective. A bill protecting Ibrahim’s residency expired two years ago. Former Michigan Sen. Carl Levin, who would put the bill up for renewal, retired.

The family has been on shaky terms with the Department of Homeland Security after finding out that there was a chance Parlak could be taken away this past Christmas Eve. Parlak was granted a 90-day stay while his case is reviewed, but how long he stays depends on how long it takes to review his case, and what the outcome of that review is. The fear is that, if Parlak is deported to Turkey, it could mean jail, or worse.

“Can’t let it affect us, ’cause that’s what they want,” Gazzolo said

Gazzolo herself has experienced travel delays that she believes were related to her father. She said that her name is on her mother’s side, specifically because her father wanted her to be able to travel without being harassed. As she traveled to London, she was searched twice and was escorted onto the plane. After a phone call, she received a letter of apology from the airline.

As an English major with a jazz studies minor, Gazzolo said that her experiences have inspired her to write. As part of an assignment on personal beliefs, Gazzolo wrote about how love allows one to grow, rather than crumble in the face of adversity.

Throughout his time in the United States, years since Parlak arrived, a community that supports the family has grown. Parlak opened a restaurant called Café Gulistan, which serves Middle Eastern dishes.

“Friends of Ibrahim,” an organization that supports Parlak, has also grown, rallying lawmakers and helping his defense fund. The signs that the group has held over time have exhibited messages from “Free Ibrahim,” to “Ibrahim for Citizen,” to “Here to Stay.” In February, alternative rockers Wilco also played a benefit concert for Parlak in Chicago.

Something Gazzolo says that Parlak tells her is, “If you know you’re clean and someone throws mud at you, you know you can’t be marked.”

http://ncclinked.com/2016/03/03/ibrahim ... ng-father/