Leading French satellite provider Eutelsat stopped the broadcast of Newroz TV, a Sweden-based TV station affiliated with the PKK terrorist group. Sweden's state-run radio EKOT reported that the channel, on air since 2008, has faced calls for its closure by Turkey's radio and television watchdog RTÜK for the constant propaganda of the terrorist group responsible for the ongoing attacks in Turkey.
Last week, Eutelsat also stopped airing Med Nuçe, a Belgium-based channel linked to the PKK. The PKK, which is listed as a terrorist group also by the U.S. and the EU, is blamed for killing of hundreds of security personnel and civilians particularly in Turkey's southeastern and eastern regions since July 2015, the same month it cancelled a unilateral truce with Turkey. Ankara has stepped up its anti-terror operations to eliminate the terrorist group whose members hide out in mountainous territories in Turkey's southeast and northern Iraq.
Turkey often criticizes European countries for offering a safe haven for supporters of the terrorist group as well as its active members. Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, occasionally hosts demonstrations by pro-PKK groups who openly display posters of Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the PKK, and chant slogans in favor of the terrorist group.
Many supporters of the terrorist group who claim persecution in Turkey find asylum in European countries. The PKK, exploiting several nongovernmental organization fronts, is also active in other countries including Germany, Austria, Denmark, France, the Netherlands and Greece. A report by Europol, the law enforcement agency of European Union, which highlights increasing recruitment to the terrorist group, cites Sweden among European countries where the PKK collects "donations" during campaigns to finance the terrorist group and its affiliates in Syria.
