The Council of Appeal of Thessaloniki has rejected the request of the Turkish prosecution authorities for the extradition of a 27-year-old man of Kurdish origin from Turkey, who was arrested last October in Thessaloniki, in execution of an international warrant, in order to serve the remainder of a multi-year sentence imposed on him by a court in the neighbouring country for a drug trafficking and supply case.
He was sentenced in 2015 to a total of 12.5 years in prison for selling 3.6 lines of hashish and six tablets of ecstasy, but in January 2020 and having served almost five years, he «escaped» by violating a short-term licence. He then fled to Greece and settled in Thessaloniki, where he sought asylum.
From the very first moment he states that his prosecution and conviction were based on false and fabricated evidence, claiming that he was targeted because of his Kurdish origin and his political beliefs, since both he and his family appear as supporters of the persecuted by the Turkish government organization of Fethullah Gulen.
After a public hearing, the Judicial Council issued an opinion that the wanted man should not be extradited because in Turkey he «will be persecuted or detained for his racial, religious, political or national beliefs». In particular, as stated in decision No 726/2021 of the Council of Appeal of Thessaloniki, the Turkish request to serve the sentence was forwarded ’with the aim of prosecuting him for political crimes or acts related to them«, while it is stressed - in addition - that in the event of his extradition »both his mental and physical integrity are at risk«.
In his statement before the judges, the wanted man said that the request for his extradition is a sham, reiterating that the essential reason for his prosecution is his origin and his political beliefs. He described the conditions of torture which he said he had suffered at the hands of his fellow prisoners during his detention in Turkish prisons, stressing that his life would be in danger if he returned.
«The Council, faithfully applying the Principle of Specificity of the European Convention on Extradition and the International Treaties for the Protection of Human Rights, decided not to extradite the 27-year-old,» his lawyer Vassilios Kottas told APE-MPA, adding that the decision has already become irrevocable and the wanted man was released.
St.T.
