Concerns over the fate of Fabien Azoulay, a Frenchman detained in Turkey

Frenchman Fabien Azoulay, 43, imprisoned in Turkey since 2017, in a photo provided by his family.

© AFP / Azoulay family

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3 min

The fate of a Frenchman arrested in Turkey 4 years ago worries his relatives.

Fabien Azoulay was sentenced to 16 years of detention for "importing narcotics" after a hasty trial.

But there, the life of this homosexual and Jewish man is threatened. 

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Fabien Azoulay went to Istanbul in 2017 for hair implants.

At his hotel, he was delivered a vial of GBL, a solvent used as a stimulant.

But in Turkey, this product was banned six months earlier.

The French, who also has American nationality, is then arrested and then imprisoned.

Tried in February 2018, he was found guilty after a 15-minute hearing, "importing narcotics", according to his lawyers.

The Frenchman is sentenced to 20 years imprisonment, reduced to 16 years and 8 months by the judge.

Since then, Fabien Azouley has been going through an ordeal, according to his lawyer.

" 

Unfortunately, one of his fellow prisoners realized that he was Jewish and homosexual, and in the middle of the night he boiled pots of hot water, which he poured on his body and face, 

" said Carole-Olivia Montenot.

 In May 2019, once his sentence was confirmed, a request for transfer to France was filed.

But according to the lawyer, two years later, the Quai d'Orsay has still not received the Ankara file, and Fabien Azoulay's morale is at its lowest.

Fabien Azoulay was recently transferred to a prison in Giresun, on the shores of the Black Sea, 800 km from Istanbul.

“

We realize that in fact the two years that have passed have not enabled us to have a start of a discussion with the Turkish authorities on the terms of the transfer and there we say to ourselves ' 

but this is madness'.

 We are extremely worried because Fabien cannot have in mind that the discussions have not yet started.

It is not possible.

He is doing very badly, he is not sleeping anymore, he is in a terrible state of psychological distress.

 "

The family denounces a miscarriage of justice and Fabien Azoulay's lawyers call on the authorities to speed up the transfer request to France.  

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