Belgian council chamber decided not to prosecute Kurdish associations, media and politicians for terrorism
The Brussels council chamber decided on 3 November 2016 not to prosecute 36 people, including Kurdish politicians, organizations and journalists of Kurdish television stations, for terrorism.
The federal prosecutor had asked to refer the 36 individuals and organizations to the Belgian criminal court for participation in the activities of “a terrorist group”. According to the indictment the defendants were part of a “cloud” around the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been embroiled in a guerrilla war for more than 30 years with the Turkish state.
The council chamber ruled that the Turkish-Kurdish conflict should be considered an armed conflict and that the terrorism law therefore does not apply. The court also ruled that Kurdish television stations should not be prosecuted, as this this would compromise the right to freedom of expression.
The federal prosecutor could still file an appeal against this decision before the indictment chamber.
We would like to thank you all for your support in this campaign. Your help was crucial in coming to this historic decision.
Kurdish Institute of Brussels, Belgian Solidarity Committee with Rojava, Belgian Council of Communities from Kurdistan (NavBel)
Would you like to stay up-to-date about any developments? Contact us via [email protected].
We would like to invite you to a conference about the future of a democratic Syria and the role of Rojava as an autonomous region on Monday the 14th of November 2016 in Brussels. Several members of the Kurdish community in Belgium will be present at this conference. Please find more information here.
