The country of Turkey is giving Enes Kanter Freedom the terrorist treatment as he has been added to the 2023 Most Wanted list. His former country’s government has also placed a published bounty of up to half a million dollars on his head.
Come and get it @RTErdogan!
Wanna waste half a million?
Be my guest… pic.twitter.com/3jLAqVF2V5— Enes FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) January 13, 2023
Freedom said he found out a week ago that Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s is offering up to 10 million Turkish Lira, roughly $500,000 in U.S currency, for information that leads his capture.
“That makes it so dangerous,” Freedom said to 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.”
Hearing from some of my friends on the ground
The Cartel
The Mafia
Professional Hitmencould be after my case.
I can’t believe @RTErdogan is putting an American citizen’s life in danger on U.S. soil.
— Enes FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) January 14, 2023
“Freedom” Isn’t Free
Freedom is one of the most outspoken critics of the Turkish government. Born in Switzerland to Turkish parents, he was raised in Turkey before emigrating to America in high school to play basketball. Since playing in the NBA and after, he has been steadfast about calling out what he sees as dictatorships worldwide in Turkey and China. He also has been very critical of the NBA and one of its most pronounced stars, LeBron James, for what he views as human rights violations in China for manufacturing branded athletic wear.
“First of all, you know, dictatorships are happening, not just in Turkey or China, but all around the world,” Freedom said on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends” in December 2021. “In recent years, more than six million Venezuelans have been forced to leave their country and look for a chance to survive. And many of them live now as refugees or illegal immigrants around the world.
“You know, my goal was to not just talk about Turkey or China but all the dictatorships around the world. And I’m going to get them one by one. Because I believe that this platform is given to me by God. And the one thing about me, I’m not scared of anything.”
Turkey has put a $500K bounty on Enes Freedom’s head, per @nypost pic.twitter.com/3lRgzKNPRe
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) January 13, 2023
The newfound Most Wanted designation has emboldened Freedom further as he now joins other less notable people that are targeted by the Turkish government.
“There are so many journalists, so many activists, and so many athletes, but they aren’t as well-known as me,” Freedom continued to the New York Post. “They are way easier targets — and they’re alone out there.”
God (Allah) Gave Me This Battle For A Reason
— Enes FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) January 14, 2023
Going Against NBA Grain
Freedom expressed that he is looking at suing the NBA in the future. He has not played in the NBA since being waived by the Houston Rockets in February 2022 and is currently a free agent. He believes the NBA is punishing him for his vocal stance, specifically about the Chinese government’s continuing human rights abuse allegations against the Uyghur people.
“I’ve had many conversations, and everyone is saying the same thing: ‘Your career has ended because of your China comments,'” Freedom told The Post about his lack of placement on an NBA roster. “They are a 100 percent American-made organization, but they are being controlled and run by the biggest dictatorship in the world, China. How can China fire an American citizen from an American organization? That is unacceptable.”
Enes Kanter Freedom has decided that his principles will fortify his life and now comes with a Most Wanted tag and an international bounty.
