Seven Kurdish activists arrested in France under terrorism charges were released on Saturday. The arrests, part of an investigation by the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office, occurred over the past week in the Paris region and Bouches-du-Rhône.
The activists are seven of nine individuals who had been arrested. The charges against them included “terrorist criminal association”, “financing of terrorism” and “organised extortion in connection with a terrorist enterprise”.
The Kurdish Democratic Council in France (CDK-F) expressed relief at the release of the activists while emphasising the need for French authorities to drop all unfounded charges and restrictions against Kurdish activists. In a statement, the CDK-F highlighted concerns about the continuing stigmatisation of the Kurdish community in France and condemned what it perceived as foreign political influences on French judicial proceedings, suggesting the potential of Turkish pressure.
The CDK-F urged for a transparent investigation into external influences leading to the arrests, emphasising the importance of future decisions being made independently and in full respect of human rights and French sovereignty.