Turkish authorities target Brotherhood members

Turkey's authorities have elevated their crackdown on members of the Muslim Brotherhood residing in the country. This move followed the announcement of restored relations and the reopening of embassies in Turkey and Egypt.

Approximately 60 members of the group, who lack identification, residency permits or citizenship, have been detained, Sources revealed to Alarabiya.

The Turkish authorities held Muslim Brotherhood members in Gaziantep prison and decided to deport those lacking any form of identification or nationality.

Seven individuals have already been deported to neighboring countries. Additionally, Turkey has halted naturalization processes and humanitarian residencies, alerting the Brotherhood leadership to cease the influx of any new members to the country.

The Turkish authorities have targeted areas where Brotherhood members reside, such as Başakşehir and Şirinevler. The move, which is designed to identify and deport all members living unlawfully in the country, coincides with new Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya's statements in the Turkish newspaper "Hürriyet," where he confirmed stepping up the operations against illegal migrants, especially in Istanbul.

Previously, Turkish authorities have imposed strict restrictions on the movement of Brotherhood members convicted of capital crimes, such as Nasreddin Farag Ghazlani, Magdy Salem, and Mohamed Abdel Maqsoud, and refused to grant citizenship to the latter two individuals. The same restriction applies to Dr. Mohamed Elhami, a Brotherhood member who manages a group-affiliated center.

Additionally, the Turkish authorities had rejected a citizenship application from Egyptian Islamist preacher and convicted criminal, Wagdy Ghoneim. Despite his joy over Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's election victory, Ghoneim expressed sadness over Ankara's refusal to grant him citizenship. 

Following this, the Turkish authorities had also refused the citizenship applications and the renewal of residence permits for many other Brotherhood members, including media professionals and journalists, without providing justifications.