Turkish Ambassador Refrains from Meeting Family of Kidnapped Diplomat

My husband has been kidnapped by Turkish security and intelligence forces, said spouse of Asgari, the former Iranian deputy defense minister who was kidnapped in Turkey more than 4 months ago. After the Turkish ambassador to Tehran refrained from meeting her, Ziba Ahmadi here on Wednesday said that the Turkish ambassador shrank the meeting while she had an arranged appointment with him.

“Turkish ambassador has also stated that Ankara has provided the press with all the measures it has already taken with regard to this case, but I don’t know why I can’t see any mention of the Turkish government’s measures in the press,” she said sarcastically.

Reminding Iran’s affection in the case of the 15 British marines who had entered Iranian waters illegally, Ahmadi blasted the Turkish government as an Islamic and neighboring state for keeping her husband incarcerated, saying that Asgari had entered Turkey legally and as a normal citizen of the Islamic Republic.

She also criticized the world media for ignoring her husband’s case, saying the whole world was involved with the case of the 15 British troops and that the press responded to the letter of one of the British marines’ mother very actively while they do not mention Asgari’s case at all.

“We also demand the world to put pressure on the agents in charge of this crime,” she continued.

Asgari’s wife described the stances of the Turkish government in the face of the abduction of her husband as unreal, and stressed, “They themselves have had a hand in the abduction and Asgari has been kidnapped through the help and assistance of the Turkish security and intelligence agents.”

Meantime, Asgari’s brother slashed Ankara for accepting the responsibility of its actions, saying that despite an appointment arranged earlier, the Turkish ambassador to Tehran has refrained from meeting Asgari’s family.

“As a so called advanced and democratic government, the Turkish government does not accept the responsibility for its actions, and they have not even allowed us to meet their ambassador. We had an appointment with the Turkish ambassador, but only one of the members of our family could enter the embassy building, whom the Turkish ambassador refrained from meeting with,” he said.

The former Iranian deputy defense minister was abducted in Turkey some 125 days ago while on a personal business trip to that country.