Enes Kanter Freedom is no longer just an outspoken human rights activist who was ostracized from the NBA. He is now a wanted terrorist in his native Turkey.
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has put out a $500,000 bounty (about 10 million Turkish Iira) to capture Freedom and bring him back to his country of birth.
“That makes it so dangerous,” Freedom, 30, told The New York Post. “Before the bounty, Turkish intelligence were after the people on the list, but now everyone is after them because they want the money.”
Fortunately, Freedom is under 24/7 protection and is in contact with local authorities and the FBI while he currently resides in Washington, D.C.
However, Freedom’s protection is not offered to everyone on Turkey’s terrorist list. In just the past year, the amount of journalists that have ended up in Turkish jail has doubled.
“I’m speaking out (about the bounty) because I am not the only one on that list,” Freedom said. “There are so many journalists, so many activists, and so many athletes, but they aren’t as well-known as me. They are way easier targets — and they’re alone out there.”
Freedom is also considering suing the NBA after the league forced him to stop speaking about its relationship with China.
“I’m waiting for the right time,” he said.
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