February 26, 2010
AMSTERDAM, —
Dutch police have arrested a suspected leader of
Turkey's rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) during
a border patrol in the south-east of the country, a
Justice Ministry official says.
The man, identified as Hasan Adir, was arrested on
January 19 when he drove into the Netherlands from
Germany with two other people.
The spokesman says Turkey has requested the
extradition of Adir, but he has objected and has
requested a court hearing, which will be held on
March 18 in the southern city of Roermond.
Adir can appeal to his extradition ultimately at the
Supreme Court. The Dutch Justice Minister will make
a final decision, the spokesman says.
Turkey asked for his arrest because they suspect he
was recruiting people for the armed wing of the PKK
in Iraq,www.ekurd.netDutch
news agency ANP reported.
Since 1984 PKK took up arms for self-rule in the
mainly Kurdish southeast of Turkey
(Turkey-Kurdistan) which has claimed around 45,000
lives of Turkish soldiers and Kurdish PKK
guerrillas. A large Turkey's Kurdish community
openly sympathise with the Kurdish PKK rebels.
The PKK is considered a
'terrorist' organization by Ankara, U.S., the PKK
continues to be on the blacklist list in EU despite
court ruling which
overturned a decision
to place the Kurdish rebel group PKK and its
political wing on the European Union's terror list.
The PKK demanded Turkey's recognition of the Kurds'
identity in its constitution and of their language
as a native language along with Turkish in the
country's Kurdish areas,www.ekurd.net
the party also demanded
an end to ethnic discrimination in Turkish laws and
constitution against Kurds, ranting them full
political freedoms.
Turkey refuses to recognize its Kurdish population
as a distinct minority. It has allowed some cultural
rights such as limited broadcasts in the Kurdish
language and private Kurdish language courses with
the prodding of the European Union, but Kurdish
politicians say the measures fall short of their
expectations.
Last August, the government announced plans to expand
Kurdish freedoms in a bid to erode popular support
for the PKK and end the insurgency.
Although the drive faltered amid a ban on the
country's main Kurdish DTP party, street protests and PKK
violence, Ankara has vowed to push ahead with the
reforms.
Copyright, respective
author or news agency,
Reuters | Agencies
Top |
®
