Oklahoma Thunder NBA player, Enes Kanter, is a Turkish citizen who has spoken out loudly against dictator Erdoğan. Like tens of thousands of his countrymen, his passport has been cancelled as a result. Now, on tour in Europe for his eponymous foundation, Kanter finds himself detained in a Romanian airport. If he is deported back to Turkey, he faces grave consequences for speaking out against the dictator currently ruling the country.
Kanter said the police had been holding him at the airport for hours before panning over to show authorities in the background. As he did last summer, Kanter is currently traveling the world as part of his Enes Kanter Foundation, which helps provide meals and clothing to those in need worldwide.
In the video, he states:
“What’s up world? Just wanted to say we’re in Romania and they said they canceled my passport by Turkish Embassy,” Kanter said. Kanter claimed the reason behind it was his political views, then attributed his delay to the President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“He’s a bad, bad man,” Kanter said. “He’s a dictator. (Adolf) Hitler of our century.”
Saturday, May 20, 2017 · 6:57:45 PM +00:00 · ExpatGirl
According to the NY Times, Kanter has been released and allowed to travel to the UK. As far as I know, the only way it is possible for someone no longer in possession of a valid passport to enter the UK is if there is intervention by the UK government. Hopefully we will learn more about what happened soon.