Jülide Yazici, a PhD candidate in philosophy at Tours and a former teacher in Segré, in the Maine-et-Loire department, has been arrested in Albania, where she had come for vacation. The left-wing activist of Turkish origin, who has political refugee status in France, was arrested on August 4 on the basis of an Interpol red notice issued at the request of Turkey.
The 32-year-old was arrested around noon at Tirana airport, where she had arrived for a week-long vacation with her sister. She was imprisoned and now a support committee and various organizations are mobilizing to prevent her extradition to Turkey.
"She is strong," says Rémy Durand, Jülide Yazici's partner.
Of Turkish origin, the philosophy professor arrived in France in 2017 and received political refugee status in September 2021. From January 2025 to February 2026, she taught at the Blaise-Pascal high school in Segré-en-Anjou-Bleu. It was there that she met Rémy Durand, a professor of history and geography.
Yazici had just moved to Tours, where he would begin a doctorate in philosophy at the beginning of the new academic year.
Jülide Yazici had fled Turkey, where she had been accused of logistical collaboration with terrorism and had spent several months in prison, says Rémy Durand.
According to her partner, the left-wing activist's "fault" was that she had sheltered an opponent of Recep Tayyip Erdogan's regime for one night, at the request of a friend. Durand says the Turkish state has issued an Interpol red notice against her for an absurd reason.
An Interpol Red Notice is intended to assist in locating a person and temporarily detaining him or her pending possible extradition proceedings. It does not in itself constitute an international arrest warrant.
Yazici had previously traveled to Albania for vacation, two years ago, and on that occasion she had not been bothered by the authorities. She was unaware that there was a red notice against her.
After her arrest, Jülide Yazici remained in custody until August 7. She has been in prison since then, while Albanian authorities review Turkey's request for her extradition.
Lawyers in France, Albania, and Turkey are making efforts to lift the red notice and get him out of prison.
"This will take several months. In the best case, she will not return to France before November or December," warns Rémy Durand, who has not yet received a response from the Albanian embassy.
"We have to stay strong. Move forward. We have no other choice," he says.
The request to place Jülide Yazici under house arrest in Albania has been rejected in the first instance. The appeal is expected to be reviewed by a judge soon.
"The political situation could influence his decision," says Jülide's stepmother, who lives in Segré. According to her, everything could depend on whether the judge wants to "please Turkey" or take into account the fact that Albania aims to join the European Union in 2030.
Another effort is underway at the French Foreign Ministry. The aim is for the French authorities to officially express their desire for Yazici to be handed over to French authorities.
"If Jülide is extradited to Turkey, she will end up in prison and we will never see her again," her stepmother says with concern.
At the beginning of the long procedure that awaits him, Rémy Durand trusts in the determination of his partner, with whom he has been able to communicate.
"She's been through worse. So, in principle, her morale is good. She wants to use this time to start her doctoral thesis," he says.
Jülide Yazici has not hidden her political beliefs. She is a member of the Union for Communist Reconstruction (URC).
Even from France, the political opponent continues to be active against the Erdogan regime. She writes for the Turkish magazine "Theory and Politics".
Meanwhile, a support committee called “Freedom for Jülide” has been created. The committee is calling on people to sign a petition of support via Framaforms and is also active on Facebook and Instagram, where it publishes information about actions and mobilizations in her support.
A GoFundMe fundraiser has also been opened to help finance legal proceedings and efforts for Jülide's release.
Rémy Durand has also contacted her former colleagues at Segré's public high school, in order to spread the news of her arrest.
Various political organizations and forces have expressed support for the political refugee, including the New Anti-Capitalist Party 49 (NPA 49), the URC of Indre-et-Loire, and the Student Union Federation.
The latter calls on universities, lecturers, researchers, doctoral candidates and students to demand the immediate release of Jülide Yazici.
"We demand her immediate return to France and the cessation of all criminal proceedings against her," the organization states.
