Top official from the Syrian-Kurd PYD arrested in Prague
Salih Muslim, who recently criticized the Afrin operation, is wanted by Turkey for his alleged links to the PKK
ANKARA: A senior Syrian Kurdish leader wanted by Turkey has been arrested in Prague.
Salih Muslim, the former co-chairman of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), was added to the Turkish Interior Ministry’s “Red List” of wanted “terrorists” earlier this month. Turkey offered a $1 million reward for his arrest.
He was detained in the Czech capital on Saturday after a request from Ankara, the Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
He is accused of having links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has fought a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state and is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the EU.
Turkey says the PYD, which is the most powerful Kurdish group in northern Syria, is also a terrorist organization directly linked to the PKK. Ankara said it would make an extradition request for Muslim.
The PYD said Muslim has “full citizenship rights” as a Syrian national and was visiting Europe in an official capacity, Reuters reported.
The party accused the Turkish state of “demanding the arrest of individuals who are not its citizens ... without any legal justifications.”
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he hoped the Czech Republic would extradite Muslim to Turkey, adding Turkey did not have problems with Kurdish people, but rather “terrorists.”
“When he is extradited, they will see how justice is implemented,” Erdogan said.
Muslim recently criticized the Turkish offensive against the armed wing of the PYD in Kurdish-held Afrin in Syria.
Turkey also made a request through Interpol in 2016 for Muslim’s arrest on alleged connections to a bombing in Ankara that killed 28 people. The PKK splinter group the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK) admitted carrying out the attack and the PYD denied any involvement.
Czech police said a 67-year-old man had been arrested in Prague at the request of the Turkish Interpol.
Turkey’s Justice Ministry said it had started efforts for Muslim to be extradited to Ankara.
“Upon finding the person in question was in the Czech Republic, the necessary contacts were made and it was demanded that he be captured and arrested to be extradited back to our country,” the ministry said in a statement.
Turkey’s justice, interior and foreign ministries are working to secure the extradition of Muslim, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bakir Bozdag said.
In 2016, the PYD opened several offices in Europe, including Stockholm, Paris and Prague, to establish cooperation with European politicians and gain political support.
Many PYD officials have visited Europe, especially to France, Italy, and Sweden.
The office in Prague closed after just a few months due to the lack of support in the country.
Oytun Orhan, a Syria analyst at ORSAM, a think-tank in Ankara, said the arrest is important in showing that Turkey’s approach to the PYD is recognized by European countries.
“PYD was conducting many political activities in Europe and Prague was one of the first capital cities where it opened an office,” he said. “If these arrests continue and cover other senior officials of PYD, the joint counter-terrorism efforts between Turkey and European countries will take a new momentum.”