Britain’s first ever female Kurdish MP Feryal Clark has called for urgent action over the disappearance of socialist youth Gökhan Güneş.
Ms Clark, who was elected as Labour MP for Enfield North in December 2019, called on Amnesty International to investigate the whereabouts of Mr Güneş who has been missing since Wednesday.
Mr Güneş was last seen on CCTV footage being bundled into the back of a police vehicle after attending a hospital appointment in Istanbul.
In a statement Ms Clark said: “It’s extremely concerning to hear about further forced disappearance of political activist in Turkey, the latest Mr Gökhan Güneş.
“The past year has seen Turkish state cracking down on opposition politicians & political activist Amnesty must investigate this ongoing situation.”
The human rights group has been contacted for comment but has so far not responded.
In May 2019 its offices were occupied by Kurdish activists who accused Amnesty of ignoring the plight of hunger strikers in Turkish prisons.
Amnesty were forced to apologise after it called police who violently removed the activists triggering a backlash from supporters.
Fears have intensified over the safety of Mr Güneş with police in Istanbul denying they are holding him.
On Saturday the municipal workers that gave the CCTV footage to Mr Güneş family were detained. His sister Gülhayat Güneş, said that Istanbul police informed her that he would be returned soon.
She said: “When I told the Police Chief to find my brother, he did not say I would find Gökhan. ‘I will deliver him to you as soon as possible,’ he said. This shows that Gökhan is in his hands.”
Speaking on Saturday she said: “We will not stop until my brother is found, we will not stop until we are informed.
“They will not be able to daunt us in any way. “I want everyone to give a voice to our voices, to find my brother.”
Ms Clark will speak at a meeting on Zoom on Wednesday at 7pm GMT alongside HDP MP for Izmir Murat Cepni and members of ESP organised by the Kurdistan Solidarity Campaign.
