The Sierra Leone Embassy in Ankara, Türkiye has debunked news making rounds that 40 Sierra Leoneans in Turkey have on Sunday 6 November 2022 been deported to Freetown via Turkish Airlines.

The Embassy made this standpoint in a press release issued today, Wednesday 9 November 2022.

According to Embassy, this is a calculated ploy by certain unscrupulous individuals to create panic among the Sierra Leonean Community in Turkey and the general populace back home.

The Sierra Leone Embassy in Turkey went on to make the following clarifications:

1. That the Government of the Republic of Türkiye is currently on an operation of clamping down of law breakers, those involved in drugs, and deporting illegal people from their country.

2. That before the alleged deportation on the 6 November 2022, the Sierra Leone Embassy organised a meeting in Istanbul with the leadership and cross-session of the Sierra Leonean Community, admonishing them to be law abiding and to desist from activities that are not within the Turkish laws, like drug peddling and other activities.

3. That the Sierra Leone Embassy in Ankara made the usual inquiries with the Ministry Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye on the justification of the alleged deportation of 40 (Forty) Sierra Leoneans to Freetown, as no prior contact was made by the Turkish authorities on the issuance of Emergency Travelling Certificates as per standard procedures.

4. That the Turkish authorities at the Istanbul International Airport confirmed the deportation to Freetown of 7 (Seven) allegedly Sierra Leonean citizens, via Turkish Airlines on Sunday 6 November 2022, who were accused of various crimes.

5. That most of the Sierra Leoneans coming to Türkiye entered the country with hidden identity, ie, holding other passports rather than the Sierra Leone Passport.

6. That most of the Sierra Leoneans coming to Türkiye are yet to register with the Sierra Leonean Community, so as to ascertain some of these erroneous claims they make after deportation.

7. That the Sierra Leone Embassy in Ankara will continue to liaise with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, the leadership of the Sierra Leone Community, and other related bodies to ensure the security and safety of our nationals.