A Turkish family has sought assistance to bring back their son who was arbitrarily detained by putschist Gen. Khalifa Haftar’s forces in Libya 11 months ago.
Musa and Döndü Çalık, the parents of 48-year-old Nurettin Çalık, want Turkey's highest power to get involved.
“I ask for our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s help. I plead for him to save my son from the putschists,” the father told Demirören News Agency (DHA) on Thursday.
The detained Turkish national, Nurettin Çalık, is a baklava maker and a father of two children. He went to Libya two years ago, the parents said, adding that he and his friends were detained by Haftar’s forces 11 months ago. His friends were released shortly after their detention, but the parents have not heard from their son since.
“According to his friends, Nurettin is imprisoned in Libya, but we’ve been unable to contact him and do not even know if he’s alive,” the father said.
Noting that her daughter-in-law and grandchildren are shattered about the situation, the grieving mother begged for help.
“I call on our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his wife Emine Erdoğan. She’s a mother too, she would understand how I feel. I seek help to reunite with my son,” the mother said.
Nurettin Çalık was arbitrarily detained in the city of Sirte. Haftar officials have provided no information on the Turkish citizen’s whereabouts or his physical and mental state.
The Turkish Embassy in Tripoli on its website advised its citizens to avoid any steps that would jeopardize their security and safety in regions under the control of the illegal militia loyal to Haftar.
It also urged Turkish citizens to stay away from conflict zones under the control of the Government of National Accord (GNA), which is recognized as the only legitimate government by the United Nations and the majority of the international community.
In the Libyan conflict, Turkey backs the GNA against the eastern-based illegitimate Haftar forces, which are supported by Russia, France, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
