MP Axel Ronse (N-VA) has penned a letter to the Turkish Ambassador to Belgium in reaction to the detention of a Belgian university student who has been detained in a Turkish prison for two weeks.
Esila Ayik is a student at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent and has been detained in a Turkish prison for two weeks following her participation in a protest against the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu.
Ayik was studying photography in Belgium on a valid residence permit. She joined a demonstration on 9 April in Istanbul in response to Imamoglu’s arrest.
Imamoglu is a key political rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. She was arrested during the protest and has been imprisoned since then.
The student was an intern with Ronse a few months ago. The MP, who is also parliamentary group leader, draws attention to her health condition in the letter.
"The situation is dire, not only because of its impact on her studies and mental wellbeing but particularly due to her physical health. Esila suffers from kidney and heart problems," Ronse wrote.
