Eleven members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) were sentenced by a Paris court on Friday to terms ranging from three years’ suspended imprisonment to five years’ imprisonment, one of which was suspended, after being found guilty of extortion and financing. terrorism.

Eleven Kurds of Turkish origin who speak little or no French have been put on trial since last week on charges of being part of a “network” tasked with, among other things, collecting from the Kurdish diaspora in the south -east of France “campaign” – a tax separatist movement – to finance the PKK.

These were “large sums” obtained through “pressure” and “threats of ostracism from society,” the verdict says.

Four defendants were tried in custody, five at large, two in absentia. Two men will remain in prison, two more will be called to serve their sentences in the near future.

The PKK, which has been waging armed struggle since 1984, is a sworn enemy of the Turkish state, which calls the movement a “terrorist” organization, just like the European Union.

This characterization of “terrorist” itself was challenged by defense lawyers, who consistently placed her at the center of the hearing throughout the hearing.

They never stopped emphasizing the French state’s “totally ambivalent” attitude towards its relationship with the Kurds: they are “allies” when they fight against the jihadist organization “Islamic State” (ISIS) in Syria, and “terrorists” when they fight against Turkey.

“While members or supporters of the PKK have undoubtedly participated in the Iraqi-Syrian front and fought against jihadist organizations,” the PKK “is not defined by this action alone,” and its “terrorist character” is unmistakable, its president countered in a speech. Verdict of the court, Miriel Desero.

Many “attacks and acts of violence can be attributed to the PKK in Turkey,” he continued, also referring to “acts of violence” in France – damage to buildings or vehicles belonging to the diplomatic missions of the Turkish state.

However, if any presumption was required as to the complexity of the case, the court, on the recommendation of the prosecution, did not order the deportation of the defendant, which is a common measure in terrorism cases, due to the “refugee status” of many of them. their.

The “danger they face” in Turkey is undeniable, prosecutor Xavier Lorraine acknowledged.

Defense lawyer Rafael Kempf criticized the retention of the definition of a “terrorist” act with “immediate consequences” for its leader, who “risks losing the refugee status” he enjoys and being “sent back to Turkey”, where he was serving an eight-year prison sentence for “terrorism”. “.

“Today it is difficult to understand that French justice insists on characterizing the PKK as a terrorist organization,” lawyer Martin Messen said. “This is a politically motivated decision, not a legal one.”

Source: AFP, APE-MPE.