Kurdish journalist Serdar Karakoç was detained and arrested in the Netherlands on 23 May on Germany’s request. On 14 June, he was conditionally released on bail of €5,000, but had his passport confiscated and was required to sign on with the authorities once a week.
Today, on 24 July, a decision will be made on Karakoç’s extradition to Germany at a court hearing in the Dutch capital Amsterdam.
Karakoç has been recognised as a political refugee in the Netherlands where he has been living for the past 23 years. He has worked for many Kurdish newspapers and television stations, including the groundbreaking Özgür Gündem newspaper, while being subjected to pressure and intimidation by the Turkish authorities for decades.
Karakoç was present in the building when the Istanbul office of Turkey’s Özgür Ülke newspaper was bombed on 3 December 1994 on the orders of then Turkish Prime Minister Tansu Çiller. In the aftermath of the attack, rather than pursuing those responsible, the Turkish authorities arrested injured employees as they lay recovering in their hospital beds.
An extradition to Germany would mean years of prison for Karakoç, as the German state is accusing him under Article 129b of the German Criminal Code which covers foreign criminal and terrorist organisations. There are currently 12 Kurdish political activists imprisoned in Germany under this article.
Following his initial arrest, 122 media workers said that his extradition to Germany would pose ‘a threat to his fundamental rights and wellbeing, and called on the Dutch government to halt the extradition proceedings.
