Turkish student Emre Gurbuz, who served in Egyptian jails for six months after being accused of damaging al-Azhar University, was freed and has arrived in Turkey on Monday.
Emre Gurbuz, a Turk who had been studying in Egypt, was arrested on the al-Azhar University campus on November 20 during demonstrations.
Gurbuz, freed after 186 days, told journalists at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport: “I have been through a lot, but thank Allah this is all over."
According to Gurbuz’s statements, he was taken into custody on the campus where he had gone to finalize the papers for a transfer to a Turkish university.
“When I was leaving the campus, I got caught between protesters and police,” said Gurbuz. “They assumed I was a protestor and arrested me.”
The released Turkish student expressed his gratitudes to the Turkish consulate in Egypt, which helped him arrange his transfer to Turkey when he was in custody.
Gurbuz spoke with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and thanked him for his support.
On November 20, 2013, Emre Gurbuz and 20 other students were detained on al-Azhar University campus. The students faced charges of writing “Do not hurt the Grand Imam” on the university’s building and were sentenced from 3 to 5 years. The 20 students are still serving their prison sentences.
aa.com.tr/en
