Fadi Mansour, a Syrian, has been detained in a Turkish airport for over a year after he attempted to emigrate to Europe and escape from the danger in his home country.
The Malaysian government accused him of flying with a falsified passport, an allegation which he continues to deny, and because of the charge he cannot leave the airport except to go back to Syria.
Instead of having the ability to wander around the airport like a real-life Tom Hanks character, he has been in one room the entire time with no windows or beds and no access to anything besides his phone other than fast food that he is provided three times a day.
Amnesty International’s efforts to free him were not taken seriously or acknowledged by Turkish authorities until recently. However, there is a positive recent development to the saga. Based on a tweet Fadi sent out a few days after his one year “anniversary”, it looks as if Turkey will him leave the airport.
