MESOP FLASH : PKK – GERMANY’S SECRET ARMY AGAINST ERDOGAN – German court cites Turkey’s support for ‘terrorism’ in Kurdish PKK case

BERLIN,26 Nov 2016 – MESOP  NEWS — A German court on Friday issued a suspended sentence to a member of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), citing in the decision to grant a mild punishment Turkey’s persecution of Kurds and support for terror groups in Syria and Iraq, “Die Welt” newspaper reported.

The court ruling is likely to further strain ties between Germany and Turkey at a time when Ankara has accused Berlin of not clamping down on the PKK and of being a center of terrorism in Europe. The court’s ruling also comes amid a broader crackdown in Turkey that has drawn sharp criticism in the EU. The Hamburg court gave the 60-year-old man a one year and nine month suspended sentence for being a member of a foreign terrorist organization and heading PKK activities in the northern city of Bremen. His arrest warrant was also lifted.

The verdict led to some 70 PKK supporters in the room erupting in applause as it became clear the man would be set free. www.mesop.de