PKK supporter, Dutch activist, Frederike Geerdink to be deported from Turkey

Dutch activist Frederike Geerdink, who has been spreading PKK propaganda saying she will be disappointed if the PKK lays down its arms, has been handed to the foreigners branch in Turkey's southeastern Hakkari Provincial Police Department for deportation.

Six people, including Frederike Geerdink, were released from custody Tuesday, according to a lawyer who attended the hearing in Hakkari, southeast Turkey. They had been among a group of 32 arrested on Sept. 5 for allegedly assisting the PKK terror organization. The remaining 26 people are due to appear in court for a detention hearing.

Previously she was detained in January of this year on charges of producing "terrorist propaganda" on behalf of the outlawed PKK terrorist organization and a lawsuit was opened against Geerdink on the relevant charges; however she was acquitted of those charges in April by the Diyarbakır 6th High Criminal Court. Geerdink, known for her previous pro-PKK statements, had been facing a prison term of up to five years.

Geerdink, who has been in Turkey since 2006 and has been living in Diyarbakır since 2012, expressed her frustration at the PKK laying down its arms and continuing negotiations to end the decades-long conflict between the organization and the state. Geerdink received criticism for supporting the continuation of the existence of a violent terrorist organization. She was accused of attempting to recruit militants for the terrorist organization.

"And the topic that the media seem to get excited about is disarmament … Öcalan, after all, said a few days ago that a solution to the conflict could be reached within months. So, is he preparing for another ground-breaking speech at Nevruz? Will he declare a permanent cease-fire? I'd be disappointed if he did," she wrote, referring to the PKK's jailed leader's earlier call for disarmament.

Authorities have stated that her detention was due to a series of complaints over her alleged support for the terrorist organization.

The PKK is recognized as a terrorist organization by the U.S., EU and Turkey and its terrorist attacks have claimed the lives of 40,000 people since 1983. The terrorist group has escalated its attacks since the June 7 parliamentary elections. The group is targeting infrastructure projects and separately teachers and doctors in the southeast of the country, creating significant anger among civilians. Its efforts to harm the local economy have caused a sharp drop in investments.