Oklahoma City Thunder star Enes Kanter is back in the United States after a whirlwind of a week that saw him detained in Romania after the Turkish government cancelled his passport.
Originally from Turkey, Kanter has been outspoken against president Recep Tayyip Erdogan—a strongman who recently won a rigged referendum that gives him more power and takes away people’s freedoms. Kanter called Erdogan the “Hitler of this century” for Erdogan’s human rights violations.
Now back in the US and without a passport from any country, Kanter went on VICE’s Desus & Mero to discuss the ordeal. Here’s how it all started:
- Kanter was in Indonesia doing a camp as part of his foundation. He found out in the middle of the night that Indonesian authorities were looking to arrest him at the request of Turkey.
- His manager found out, and they took the first flight out to Singapore. Then they went to Romania.
- Romanian immigration authorities took Kanter to a back room and alerted him that Turkey had cancelled his passport and that they couldn’t tell him why, so he couldn’t enter the country.
- Kanter then flew to London. After missing a flight to the U.S., he finally got back. He worked with Homeland Security to get into the country.
Watch the full interview here:
Kanter explained that he feels obligated to speak out because innocent people have lost their rights in his home country. “I’m not a journalist, that’s not my job; my job is to play basketball,” he said. “I’m just trying to be the voice of all these innocent people in Turkey because those are my friends.”
Kanter still has family in Turkey, but they aren’t able to talk to him.
“I’ve got no Turkish friends right now,” he said. “If one person texts or calls me and the government knows about it, he’ll be in jail.”
Kanter said he wants to become a U.S. citizen, since he isn’t currently a citizen of any country. The U.S. helped him get in the country, but it will be interesting to see how the government handles his situation now.
President Donald Trump has praised Erdogan repeatedly, welcoming him to the White House and congratulating him on consolidating power, which is the opposite of what democratic leaders are supposed to want. Trump has also yet to rebuke Turkey for beating up protestors in America, and Turkey has asked for an apology. It’s unclear whether Trump will work with Kanter or Turkey on this, and whether it will have any effect on Trump and Erdogan’s relationship.
[Vice]
