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DETROIT - An
immigration judge Wednesday ordered the deportation
of a Turkish immigrant who the government accuses of
terrorism, a court spokesman said.
Judge Elizabeth Hacker ruled all charges against
Ibrahim Parlak had been proven and ordered him
removed.
Parlak, a Kurd, once had ties to the Turkish
militant group PKK, the Kurdistan Workers' Party,
now known as KONGRA-GEL. The group is considered a
terrorist organization by the United States and the
European Union.
He was stripped of his Turkish citizenship after he
was convicted in 1988 of being involved in a
firefight on the Syrian-Turkish border in which two
Turkish soldiers were killed. He has maintained his
innocence.
Parlak was given political asylum in the United
States in 1992 and owns a Middle Eastern restaurant
in southwestern Michigan. He has been jailed since
his July 29 arrest.
During a two-day hearing earlier this month,
attorneys for the Department of Homeland Security
argued Parlak did not disclose important details
about his separatist activities in his asylum
application, and also omitted his conviction in
Turkey from subsequent immigration forms.
"Mr. Parlak has not been truthful from the day he
stepped through our doors," government attorney Mark
Jebson said at the hearing.
Martin Dzuris, a friend who has coordinated efforts
to help Parlak, said the man would appeal.
"What does that mean -- that you can never anywhere
in the world fight for democracy? You're going to be
labeled a terrorist and the U.S. is going to turn
its back on you?" he said.
Parlak's case had drawn letters of support from film
critic Roger Ebert and the Rev. Andrew Greeley, an
author and syndicated columnist.
Copyright © 2004, The Associated Press
Judge orders deportation of Kurdish restaurant
owner accused of terrorism
An immigration judge has ordered the deportation to
Turkey of a Kurdish restaurant owner who the
government accuses of terrorism, a court spokesman
said.
Ibrahim Parlak, 42, was granted asylum in 1992 and
owns Cafe Gulistan in the Lake Michigan resort town
of Harbert. The government demanded his deportation
because of his past ties to the group PKK, the
Kurdistan Workers' Party, now known as KONGRA-GEL.
The U.S. State Department classified the PKK as a
terrorist group in 1997.
Judge Elizabeth Hacker on Wednesday ruled that all
the charges against Parlak were proven and ordered
him removed. She denied his application for
protection under the Convention Against Torture,
said Greg Gagne, a spokesman for the Executive
Office for Immigration Review.
Parlak's case has attracted strong support around
Harbert, and his friends have raised money for his
defense. They argue that Parlak suffered
discrimination in Turkey because of his ethnicity
and was imprisoned by authorities there for
political reasons. They say he has reason to fear
for his safety if he returns.
Parlak's friend Martin Dzuris, who has coordinated
support efforts, said he was shocked by the
decision, which he attributed to the climate since
the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
"What does that mean — that you can never anywhere
in the world fight for democracy? You're going to be
labeled a terrorist and the U.S. is going to turn
its back on you?" he said.
Dzuris said Parlak, who has been held without bond
for nearly five months, would appeal to the 6th
Circuit Court of Appeals. He cannot be deported
until that process is complete.
During a two-day hearing in Detroit earlier this
month, attorneys for the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security argued that Parlak did not disclose
important details about his separatist activities in
his original asylum application and also omitted his
conviction in Turkey from subsequent immigration
forms.
"Mr. Parlak has not been truthful from the day he
stepped through our doors," government attorney Mark
Jebson said during the hearing.
Jebson said Parlak's activities in the Kurdish
independence movement — including using code names,
taking photographs and meeting the PKK's leader,
Abdullah Ocalan — were consistent with those of a
terrorist.
Parlak was convicted in Turkey in 1988 of engaging
in separatist activities. The Turkish government
said he was involved in a fire-fight on the
Syrian-Turkish border in which two Turkish soldiers
were killed. Parlak maintains he played no role in
the shootings.
The defense called an expert witness on Turkey's
Kurdish minority. Michael Gunter, a professor at
Tennessee Tech University, testified that Kurds who
refuse to assimilate have no political
representation in Turkey. He said that the purpose
of the state security court that convicted Parlak
was "to put a veneer of legality on quick justice."
Parlak has never been charged in a U.S. criminal
court. Hacker's options as an immigration judge were
only to free him or deport him.
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