For four years, the French Fabien Azoulay has been locked in a prison in Turkey.

He was sentenced in 2017 to 16 years and 8 months of detention for "importing narcotics".

But in the Turkish prison world, his life is in danger.

His family and lawyers are calling today for a transfer of the 43-year-old man. 

A daily ordeal.

For four years, the French Fabien Azoulay has been imprisoned in Turkey.

His lawyers and relatives are fighting for him to be repatriated.

So far without success.

And this nightmare could last up to 16 years, the number of years to which he is condemned.

One of the lawyers of this 43-year-old man, François Zimeray, explains on Europe 1 the conditions of his client's detention.

"Imagine the fate of a gay French Jew in a Turkish prison where everyone speaks Arabic and he does not speak the language", breathes François Zimeray.

At the microphone of Europe 1, the lawyer announces the color directly.

The life of Fabien Azoulay, this Frenchman detained in Turkey is threatened.

"It's a thousand reasons for him to be persecuted, to be harassed, to be the victim of annoyance", continues the lawyer.

Sixteen years of imprisonment

In 2017, Fabien Azoulay went to Istanbul to perform hair implants.

He had a vial of GBL, a solvent used as a stimulant, delivered to his hotel.

The French did not suspect that this product had been banned six months earlier in Turkey.

He was then arrested and found guilty after a 15-minute hearing, "importing narcotics", according to his lawyers.

Before being sentenced to 20 years imprisonment, reduced to 16 years and 8 months by the judge.

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At the start of his imprisonment, Fabien Azoulay's lawyers "believed in Turkish justice" and "played along", says François Zimeray.

Alongside Carole-Olivia Montenot, they both try to get him out.

In vain.

"We tried everything that could be tried and we came to the conclusion that if his tragic fate was not made known to the public, then there was nothing to expect," he adds.

Burns inflicted "because of his homosexuality and his religion"

Since then, Fabien Azoulay's morale and his safety have been declining day by day.

In 2018, "he was the victim of aggravated violence committed by a fellow detainee, who inflicted burns on him because of his homosexuality and his membership of the Jewish religion," said his lawyers in a statement.

"He could not be more depressed, he is as discreet as possible, prison life in Turkey is very difficult," says his brother, Xavier Azoulay, who cries out for "judicial error", and demands his transfer as much as possible. quickly possible in France.

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Asked by AFP, the French Foreign Ministry said it was "fully mobilized on the situation of Fabien Azoulay" and also "to be in regular contact with the Turkish authorities to inquire about his situation and the evolution of his request transfer to France ".

For his part, the detainee's lawyer calls for Fabien Azoulay not to be "a collateral victim" of the degraded relations between France and Turkey.