Every day like a year for father Husein: I hope Selmir will be free soon

GRADAČAC, (Patria) - Student Selmir Mašetović (24), who was arrested on May 22 in the Turkish city of Uşak, is still in detention. It was only on June 5 that his father Husein managed to speak with Selmir on the phone after the intervention of the BiH Embassy in Turkey and the Consulate General in Istanbul.

He denied any involvement by Selmir in the events of July 15, 2016, and at that time he was at his home in Gradačac. Turkish authorities suspect him of "belonging to the terrorist organization FETO."

As Selmir's father Husein told the Patria agency, lawyer Suhejla Husić-Demir had already been to the prosecutor to discuss Selmir's case. It was confirmed that no indictment has been filed against Mašetović.

- She is optimistic, she said she explained to him how children from BiH come to Turkey to study and that nothing else interests them. She should go to the prosecutor again on Tuesday. A document from Ankara is awaited - said Husein, adding that just a few days before the arrest, Selmir had a graduation ceremony at his faculty in Uşak, which his father also attended.

With a sigh, he says he hopes for the best possible outcome as soon as possible so he can see and hug his child. Even today, he does not understand how, two years after that July 15, they can arrest someone who was not even in Turkey at the time.

- In his case, there was an abuse of personal data, and I hope that will be proven as soon as possible.

In his hometown of Gradačac, protests were also organized by citizens demanding Selmir's release. Incidentally, this is not the first case of arrest of BiH citizens in Turkey, and all have ended with their release.