Zim to engage Turkey over jailed students

Source: Zim to engage Turkey over jailed students – Sunday News  Jun 18, 2017

Tinomuda Chakanyuka, Senior Reporter
THE Government is seeking the release and extradition of three Zimbabwean students who are held in prison in Cyprus for drug trafficking.

Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs Cde Kindness Paradza last week said the Government would send emissaries to Turkey to negotiate for the release of the trio.

Turkey controls the Northern part of Cyprus where the three students are serving sentences.

“Efforts are being made to try and send (embassy) officers to Cyprus via Turkey.

“We are trying to engage Turkish authorities to at least release these kids and allow them to be transferred to Zimbabwe and serve their sentences here. The prison conditions there are not safe for them (the students).”

He said his committee was also engaging the Turkish Ambassador to Zimbabwe over the same matter.

Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs last week interviewed three agencies that recruit and offer scholarships to local students to study abroad. Ruothey Edu, Global Careers and Eskard Consulting appeared before the committee on Tuesday last week.

The meeting came in the wake of revelations that a number of Zimbabwean students studying in Cyprus were being forced into crime and prostitution after being offered fake university scholarships.

Cde Paradza said during the meeting, it emerged that the agencies were merely registered as shelf companies and had no permission from the Government to recruit students for foreign universities.

He said the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development should investigate all agencies that recruit students.