The wife of jailed seafarer Ali Albokhari has stepped up her fight for justice as the Syrian-born, Finnish chief officer continues to serve a 30-year prison sentence in Turkey.
Albokhari was convicted in September 2024 on drug charges linked to the 2023 arrest of the bulk carrier Phoenician M in the port of Eregli. Turkish police claimed they discovered 137 kg of cocaine hidden in the vessel’s aft peak tank, despite Colombian authorities already having seized the drugs before the ship sailed from Barranquilla.
While the ship’s Croatian master, Marko Bekavac, and the rest of the crew have since been released, Albokhari remains behind bars.
His wife Elena insists the verdict was handed down without disclosure of the evidence or charges relied upon by prosecutors.“He has lost hope. He is dead in there. He now sees no help,” Elena told Human Rights at Sea (HRAS), which has produced a short advocacy film documenting her struggle.
In recent weeks, Elena has taken her campaign to London, where she met representatives from the ITF, the IMO and HRAS to raise awareness of the case.
She described the film project as a way to ensure other families do not endure the same ordeal: “I want to thank everyone who has supported us through this very difficult time. As an introvert, it has never been easy for me to share my feelings openly, but I believe the moment has come to speak, so that what happened to my husband will never happen to anyone else again.”
HRAS founder David Hammond said Albokhari’s case highlights the wider issue of seafarer criminalisation. “This process cannot be achieved by any one entity; it involves welfare, union, industry and state-level coordinated diplomatic efforts to be successful,” he said.
Despite multiple appeals and questions over the investigation, Albokhari remains imprisoned, the only crewmember of the Phoenician M still held in Turkey.
