France reluctant to extradite PKK member
Turkey's fight against terrorism has again been impeded by a NATO ally: France. The European power is yet to respond to Turkey's request for the extradition of Zübeyir Aydar, a senior member of the PKK terrorist organization.
Turkey put out an arrest warrant and a TL 4 million ($1.38 million) bounty on Aydar, who showed up at an event at the French parliament earlier this month. Turkey immediately issued an extradition request to France for Aydar on Nov. 17 through Interpol, but France has still not responded to this request.
In 1994 Aydar, who has been designated by the U.S. Treasury Department as an international drug trafficker, left Turkey where he had served as a lawmaker after several other lawmakers linked to the PKK were imprisoned. He was arrested in Belgium in 2010 but released three weeks later.
France had also turned down a request by Turkey to extradite Sakine Cansız, another senior PKK official who was killed in Paris two years ago.
Though it is not clear why France rejects extradition requests, it is most likely linked to a policy giving asylum to PKK members claiming that they are persecuted in Turkey. This was at least the case for Adem Uzun, another senior PKK militant. After Turkey found out Uzun was in France, it asked authorities to deport him to Turkey but France rejected the request on the grounds that Uzun had "refugee status."
Reports suggest that there are 27 others accused of having ties to the PKK and other terrorist organizations residing in France, but French authorities have declined to extradite them or simply ignored Turkey's calls.
Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) reported in September that European Union member states had rejected extradition requests for hundreds of suspected PKK members since the 1980s. Security sources told AA that Turkey had requested the extradition of 657 PKK members under Interpol Red Notices, which flags individuals wanted for prosecution based on an arrest warrant or court decision. Germany had refused to hand over 27 PKK members, citing implementation of aggravated life imprisonment, according to the AA report.
Turkey put out an arrest warrant and a TL 4 million ($1.38 million) bounty on Aydar, who showed up at an event at the French parliament earlier this month. Turkey immediately issued an extradition request to France for Aydar on Nov. 17 through Interpol, but France has still not responded to this request.
In 1994 Aydar, who has been designated by the U.S. Treasury Department as an international drug trafficker, left Turkey where he had served as a lawmaker after several other lawmakers linked to the PKK were imprisoned. He was arrested in Belgium in 2010 but released three weeks later.
France had also turned down a request by Turkey to extradite Sakine Cansız, another senior PKK official who was killed in Paris two years ago.
Though it is not clear why France rejects extradition requests, it is most likely linked to a policy giving asylum to PKK members claiming that they are persecuted in Turkey. This was at least the case for Adem Uzun, another senior PKK militant. After Turkey found out Uzun was in France, it asked authorities to deport him to Turkey but France rejected the request on the grounds that Uzun had "refugee status."
Reports suggest that there are 27 others accused of having ties to the PKK and other terrorist organizations residing in France, but French authorities have declined to extradite them or simply ignored Turkey's calls.
Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) reported in September that European Union member states had rejected extradition requests for hundreds of suspected PKK members since the 1980s. Security sources told AA that Turkey had requested the extradition of 657 PKK members under Interpol Red Notices, which flags individuals wanted for prosecution based on an arrest warrant or court decision. Germany had refused to hand over 27 PKK members, citing implementation of aggravated life imprisonment, according to the AA report.