A new report has revealed Turkey's involvement in a fresh violation of international laws, as it has been spying on opponents of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan abroad. The military and security affairs site "Nordic Monitor" presented documents today, Saturday, showing that Ankara used its diplomatic mission in South Africa to gather intelligence on Erdoğan's opponents. The report clarified that confidential documents have exposed a series of scandals involving the Turkish diplomatic mission in Pretoria, the capital of South Africa, indicating that the Turkish mission engaged in illegal spying operations against Turkish dissenters.
In 2018, the Turkish prosecutor's office opened investigations into 16 Turks who were included in files containing names of opponents, with documents confirming that the Foreign Ministry had submitted the files to the prosecutor's office. The report noted that the documents may have been sent to Ankara by Kaan Esener or Elif Çomoğlu Ülgen, the Turkish ambassadors in Pretoria between 2012 and 2021.
### Lists of Opponents' Names
Esener, who was later appointed deputy undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry after his tour in South Africa, was responsible for forwarding lists of opponents sent from Turkish embassies worldwide to the public prosecutor's office, the national police, and the national intelligence organization. The report also disclosed espionage activities conducted by Turkish diplomatic missions in Switzerland, Germany, Greece, Belgium, India, and Colombia to gather information about Turks as part of a spying campaign ongoing since the 2016 coup attempt.
According to the report, critics of Erdoğan's government abroad have faced constant monitoring, harassment, threats of murder, and kidnapping.
### Denial of Consular Services
Additionally, many of these critics have been deprived of consular services, such as official representation, birth registrations, and passport retrievals. Their assets in Turkey have also been confiscated, and their family members at home face the risk of criminal charges. It is noted that under the law, Turkish police are prohibited from collecting intelligence outside Turkey, and their role is limited to providing protection for diplomatic missions and the homes of ambassadors. Only the Turkish National Intelligence Organization is authorized to collect such information in foreign countries.
