Turkish Cypriot man denied entry to Turkey, deported after overnight detention

Ankara, Turkey — Turkish Cypriot economist and academic Mertkan Hamit was denied entry to Turkey and deported back to Northern Cyprus after being flagged with an N82 travel restriction code, a designation commonly used to prevent individuals from entering the country. 

Hamit shared the details of the incident through a series of posts on his social media account, expressing both surprise and criticism.

According to his account, Hamit departed from Ercan Airport en route to Ankara, marking his first time using the newly inaugurated terminal. Upon arrival at Esenboğa Airport, however, he was informed by Turkish immigration officials that he was barred from entering the country. He stated that the restriction was initially based on a G82 code, later updated to N82, often associated with national security concerns.

“I spent last night at Esenboga airport with a group of Uzbek and Kyrgyz citizens with visa issues in a ‘waiting room’ full of bunkbeds, which belonged to the immigration office. The staff were polite. Everyone else was suffering,” he said. 

Hamit was held overnight in a dormitory-style detention room operated by Turkey’s Directorate General of Migration Management. He described sharing the space with Uzbek and Kyrgyz nationals facing visa issues, referring to the experience as a “mini summit.”

“We held a mini summit in the bunkbed room” and that “I hung out as an observer”. 

He said he was deported back to Ercan on Wednesday morning on the first available flight and that it had been listed that there were “184+1 people on the plane”. He said he was the “+1”, and that he was listed as “INAD” (inadmissible stamped on his boarding pass) on the flight data.

“I still don’t know what it means,” he said humorously in his post. “But if it means 'inad,' they might be right. Maybe just being Cypriot is enough.”

Hamit said the gate agent at Esenboga airport had “questioned the situation”, and that he had replied, “perhaps being Cypriot is enough”.

“I took my first, and probably last flight from the new Ercan airport.

Beyond the entry ban, Hamit also commented on the steep prices and currency rates at Ercan Airport. He noted that a cold coffee cost him 500 TL, and that the Euro exchange rate was set at 1 Euro = 50 TL, far above market rates. “It’s not just that Ercan hasn’t switched to the Euro — they’ve devalued the Lira even further,” he remarked, citing airport staff who responded to his inquiry with, “I wish the same rate applied to our salaries.”

In a final note, Hamit reflected critically on the political and social dynamics that led to his deportation, writing: “Even if they string barbed wire through the middle of the island or impose arbitrary punishments to enforce their will, the reality on the ground will not change. Cyprus is still an island — and there are two more airports on it. Not to mention, the coffee is much cheaper there.”

Hamit is now among a growing list of Turkish Cypriots reportedly banned from entering Turkey, prompting increased scrutiny of Ankara's policies toward political expression and academic voices from the Turkish Cypriot community.