Ugandan media allegations of Turkish child abuser disproved

Today's Zaman

Turks in Uganda breathed a sigh of relief when it turned out that a man who sexually abused little girls and then paid them off is not Turkish, contrary to claims, the Cihan news agency reported on Friday.

A 53-year-old man named Emin Baro, who is at the center of the allegations, was presented by the Ugandan media as a Turk who works as a teacher in the country; however, it has been determined that Baro is not Turkish and carries passports from New Zealand and Macedonia.

Turkish Ambassador to Uganda Ahmet Melih Ulueren held a news conference in Kampala earlier this week where he asked the Ugandan media to correct the mistake they had made regarding the nationality of the child abuser.

The news conference attracted extensive coverage in the Ugandan media. Speaking to Cihan, Ulueren said his statements clarifying the incident were covered by the major dailies in the country, which include the New Vision, the Daily Monitor and the Observer. The ambassador also noted that the child abuser has never worked for Turkish schools that were established by Turkish entrepreneurs in the country.

Published on Today's Zaman, 20 April 2012, Friday