Seafarers are increasingly being caught in the crosshairs of efforts to combat organised crime, with some effectively becoming collateral damage in cases that raise serious questions about judicial procedures and institutional responsibility.
The case of Chief Mate Ali Albokhari is one such example. The seafarer has spent the past three years in a Turkish prison after being convicted of drug smuggling. Yet the conviction itself is now under renewed scrutiny, including from Türkiye’s own Chief Public Prosecutor, who has concluded that the ruling is unsafe.
Ali’s partner, Elena, has spent years fighting for his freedom while attempting to navigate what she describes as the Kafkaesque bureaucracy surrounding Türkiye’s judicial system. Her objective is to establish what needs to happen to bring Ali home and obtain justice.
“Whatever other issues exist between the two countries [Finland and Türkiye], Ali must not become collateral damage of interstate relations. He is a professional seafarer and a human being. His liberty and his life cannot simply disappear somewhere between diplomacy, judicial procedure and institutional responsibility,” Elena said in a message directed at politicians and representatives of the maritime industry.
Growing concerns over Ali’s health
Ali’s situation has also become increasingly concerning from a medical perspective. The chief mate has been experiencing abdominal pain for approximately one month. According to Elena, he was seen by a doctor once, but no adequate examination was carried out and the pain has continued.
For Elena, the circumstances surrounding Ali’s conviction require clear answers. If those answers cannot be provided, she argues that the judicial process should be reviewed rapidly rather than allowing further uncertainty, delay or obfuscation.
One senior maritime industry figure told Seatrade Maritime News that the wider problem concerns a system in which governments can end up treating seafarers such as Ali as collateral damage in the fight against organised crime.
“The blame [lies with] a system where governments systematically treat seafarers, including Ali, as collateral damage of organised crime. We do need to give more visibility to the suffering of Ali and the numerous other seafarers who are in prison,” the source said.
The same source also praised Elena Albokhari for continuing to pursue the case. Her latest open letter was addressed to Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs and several maritime industry organisations, seeking answers over why her partner remains imprisoned.
Questions surrounding the Phoenician-M case
Ali’s case has also raised questions because of what happened to his colleague from the Phoenician-M, Captain Marko Bekavac.
Bekavac was released in what Elena describes as suspicious circumstances in August 2025, approximately six months before a five-judge Supreme Court ruling upheld both his conviction and Ali’s conviction.
The situation became even more significant following the decision by Türkiye’s Chief Public Prosecutor to file an extraordinary objection under Article 308 of the Turkish Criminal Procedure Code.
The provision allows the Chief Public Prosecutor to challenge a Supreme Court decision when there are grounds to consider the conviction unsafe.
The objection was formally filed on 2 July this year. At that time, the prosecutor highlighted serious deficiencies in the police investigation. That assessment broadly echoed the conclusions of two dissenting Supreme Court judges, who had also identified several significant failures in the police investigation.
The Article 308 objection represents an important development for Ali and Elena as they continue their efforts to secure a review of the case.
However, Elena remains concerned about the lack of a decision.
“We understand that Article 308 does not provide a fixed statutory deadline for a decision. However, the procedure requires the matter to be considered as soon as possible. Almost three months have now passed since the objection was filed.
“How long is Ali expected to remain imprisoned while the Turkish judicial system considers serious deficiencies in the investigation identified by its own Chief Public Prosecutor?” she asked.
Human Rights At Sea report adds pressure
The concerns have also been reinforced by a report from Human Rights At Sea (HRAS), prepared by barrister David Hammond and published on 24 August. The report was subsequently forwarded to the relevant Finnish authorities.
According to Elena, the latest correspondence is only the most recent addition to a substantial body of evidence already supplied to Finland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
That material includes documents used during the court proceedings, the HRAS report, information regarding Ali’s medical condition and details concerning his position within the Turkish judicial system.
Elena also says that Finland has previously been asked to clarify information received from the Croatian side regarding a potential offer of cooperation between the Croatian Embassy in Ankara and the Finnish Embassy.
“We are still waiting for meaningful answers,” Elena said.
Helsinki-Ankara contacts remain under scrutiny
Elena believes that high-level contact between Helsinki and Ankara is continuing, with the latest reported contact taking place on 16 September. However, she says there has been no information explaining what those discussions produced, if anything.
Her questions to the Finnish authorities remain direct:
“What diplomatic, political, consular and humanitarian steps is Finland taking, within the law and within its powers, to achieve the return home of its citizen? Has Ali’s case been raised at the highest appropriate level? With whom? When? What response was received? What further action is planned?”
Seatrade Maritime News has contacted several maritime industry organisations for comment, as well as Finland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
So far, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) is the only organisation to have responded.
“ICS is concerned with the ongoing detention of Mr Ali Albokhari. ICS understands that there is an ongoing judicial appeal process. While that process remains ongoing, ICS is engaged in discussions with other relevant organisations, including the International Transport Workers’ Federation, to understand what further representation can be made to press for his release whilst at the same time, not wishing to prejudice any ongoing legal proceedings,” ICS said.
The case therefore remains unresolved, with Ali still imprisoned while an extraordinary objection filed by Türkiye’s Chief Public Prosecutor awaits consideration. For Elena, the continuing delay adds urgency to the questions surrounding the i
