Erhan Arıklı rejects using foreign nationality to fuel crime debates

Minister of Public Works and Transport Erhan Arıklı has addressed recent discussions regarding the ethnicity of foreign nationals involved in criminal activities. Responding to a report titled ‘Crime Has No Nationality’ by Gıynık Gazetesi, Arıklı criticized the tendency to use the number of foreigners in prisons to fuel xenophobia and ethnic tensions.

Arıklı emphasized that crime is an individual matter and argued that focusing solely on the nationality of inmates is misleading. He noted that it is essential to distinguish between those who are convicted, those awaiting trial, and those held due to an inability to meet bail conditions. He cautioned against using statistics to promote a ‘do not accept everyone’ mentality, stating that ‘crime is individual’ and that the nature of the crime is more important than the perpetrator's nationality.