“The decision to expel the seven Turkish citizens in September 2018 was arbitrary and in clear violation of legal provisions,” stated MP Chiril Moţpan, chairman of the National Security Commission.

“This arbitrariness of the Security and Intelligence Service has cost us over 340,000 lei, an ECHR sentence, damages of 125,000 euros, damage to reputation and seven ruined lives of people who definitely did not deserve such a fate,” the MP said in a press conference today, two days after the Commission heard SIS and Asylum Bureau representatives.

Chiril Moţpan underlined that these were his own conclusions and he was not speaking on behalf of the whole Commission. As reported at the hearing, on 3 September 2018, SIS formally asked the Migration and Asylum Bureau to declare 18 Turkish people undesirable in Moldova; the request was received the next day, and on September 5, the Bureau informed SIS that the 18 persons were declared undesirable. The people in question were reportedly notified by post about this decision. Eventually, seven Turkish citizens were deported.

“On September 7, 2018, then SIS director Vasile Botnari acted arbitrarily, abusively and contrary to the provisions of the Asylum Law, in particular the principle of non-refoulement, which states that no applicant will be expelled until the procedure is completed in courts,” said Chiril Moţpan about the principle of international law that forbids a country from returning asylum seekers to a country in which they would be in likely danger.

“The then SIS director acted unilaterally in expelling the seven citizens declared undesirable to Turkey,” added Moţpan.

SIS representatives cited a few reasons for why the Turkish citizens were “brutally expelled” from Moldova, including suspicions that they might have been involved in terrorism, espionage, pedophilia and other crimes. However, according to Moţpan, during the hearing the SIS representatives were unable to provide “clear and conclusive” evidence for the alleged suspicions. Of the 18 people targeted, seven were expelled.

The Commission chairman added that, although no politicians’ names transpire in the information presented, it would be a fair assumption to say that the decision was politically motivated.

The Commission is to assemble once more before publishing a report on the matter.

Five of the seven Turkish citizens expelled last year from Moldova, presumably on Ankara's request, have already been convicted. Two days ago, one received 12 years in prison.

In June 2019, the ECHR ruled that by deporting the seven Turkish citizens Moldova violated their rights.