Students of Mehmet Akif college protesting in Pristina on Thursday | Photo: Atdhe Mulla

Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj on Friday sought the immediate removal of the head of Kosovo’s Intelligence Agency, Driton Gashi, and the Interior Minister, Flamur Sefaj, after a group of Turkish citizens were arrested and reportedly deported on Thursday without his knowledge.

HRW: Kosovo Shows Disregard for Human Rights Human Rights Watch said on Friday that Kosovo’s decision to arrest six Turkish citizens and hand them to Turkish authorities showed a callous disregard for human rights and rule of law. “In addition to the questionable arrests, the men were sent to a country where they face a serious risk of torture. The Kosovo President, Prime Minister and speaker of parliament, who claim no knowledge of the operation, should demand a thorough investigation and explain how this travesty took place,” HRW added.

The announcement said Haradinaj had not been duly informed about the “secret and urgent deportation” of six Turkish nationals.

“The operation … was conducted without informing me, or requesting my permission as Prime Minister,” Haradinaj noted.

The law on the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, KIA, states that the dismissal of the KIA director requires the signature of the President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci.

Police on Thursday arrested several employees of Turkish colleges in Kosovo, allegedly linked to the exiled cleric Fetullah Gulen, who Turkey calls a terrorist.

But, following the arrest, a number of senior officials claimed they had not been informed about the operation.

First reports stated that three men were arrested in Gjakova/Djakovica and two others in Pristina, all of whom worked for the Mehmet Akif schools network in Kosovo. Reports said they were deported to Turkey almost immediately.

President Thaci, the speaker of parliament, Kadri Veseli, Prime Minister Haradinaj and the Foreign Minister, Behgjet Pacolli, all condemned the hasty operation.

However, it is still not clear yet where the arrested persons are being held.

The families and lawyers of the arrested men suspect they are still being held somewhere in Kosovo. The families have requested a meeting with Haradinaj, demanding clarification, as they say they do not trust the Turkish embassy.

During a parliamentary session, Haradinaj told MPs that, according to his information, the arrested men were deported Thursday afternoon.

The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, meanwhile told a party meeting in Ankara on Friday that the deportation operation was carried out by the Turkish intelligence agency.

“Our intelligence agency brought six top FETO terrorists to Turkey in cooperation with [Kosovo] local institutions, and they were delivered to police and to justice. As we said before, they would run but we would catch them. Wherever they are, we will find them and we will bring them back to Turkey,” he said.