CONTACT:  MARTIN DZURIS, 269-469-9957

Ibrahim Parlak, owner of Cafe Gulistan in Harbert, Michigan, was taken into custody by the Department of Homeland Security on July 29, 2004 on the grounds that his activism for Kurdish rights in Turkey in the 1980s make him a threat to national security.
He was detained based on charges from a Turkish military court, for which he already served his sentence in Turkey in the late 1980s. He came to the U.S. 15 years ago and was granted political asylum based on the fact that he was persecuted and tortured in Turkey, but now the DHS is calling him a risk to national security for the very same reasons he was previously granted asylum. No circumstances have changed nor has new information surfaced since the U.S. gave Parlak asylum, and he has no criminal record or violations of any kind during his time in the U.S.
Parlak possibly faces deportation to TUrkey, where he will be at risk of harm or even death.
As a Kurd in Turkey, Parlak was not permitted to speak his own language, observe his own culture or determine the path of his own life.  He became involved in the Kurdish freedom movement, where his actions included writing for a newspaper, educating Kurds in Europe about their heritage, and raising awareness in the Kurdish community about their culture, which was disappearing.  His work was also aimed at gaining political recognition of the Kurds as a legitimate political group, free to speak their language openly, and entitled to representation in the Turkish parliament. 
He opened Café Gulistan in Harbert, Michigan in 1994, and worked extremely hard to make the cafe a successful establishment and community focal point.  He has a daughter, Livia, age 7, who is a U.S. citizen by birth.   
On Tues Aug 10, Parlak will have a bond hearing at the Immigration Court in downtown Detroit at 1:00 pm. Community support will help end this groundless detention and abuse of power.
Call 269-325-8123 for more information and directions to the hearing.