The European Court of Justice on Friday dismissed the PKK terrorist group’s request seeking an appeal against the restrictive measures taken against it by EU courts in previous years.
The court denied the request made in January 2023 by the terrorist group regarding a review of decisions toward the PKK between the years 2015-2017 as well as 2019, 2021 and 2022.
Thereby, the top court upheld its decisions made previously on the PKK.
The EU Council reviews the list of sanctions such as freezing the financial assets of persons, groups and entities deemed terrorists and prohibiting the provision of financial resources at least once every six months.
The PKK was included in the list in 2002.
The terrorist group applied to the EU General Court on Nov. 30, 2022, to be removed from the list of terrorist organizations and the freezing of its financial resources in connection with this but did not receive any results.
Türkiye has repeatedly warned European nations about the PKK’s threat to public order. The PKK is classified by the EU’s law enforcement agency, Europol, as an "ethno-nationalist" and "separatist" terrorist organization.
The PKK's exploitation of legal gaps and vague policies in Europe has enabled it to recruit militants and finance its activities. European countries, particularly Belgium, have faced criticism for their perceived tolerance of PKK activities, including propaganda and recruitment efforts in France, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Despite the PKK’s classification as a terrorist group by the EU, there has been significant criticism of European nations for their inaction.
