Friday’s deadly attack against a Kurdish cultural centre in Paris was politically motivated and should be tried as such, a family of one of the victims and the Kurdish Democratic Council of France (CDK-F) believe.
The family of Mîr Perwer has pressed charges against the prosecutor handling the case for assuming racial motivation instead of a political one, Medya Haber TV reported on Tuesday. The family and CDK-F are also preparing to appeal to the court to consider the case as a political assassination.
William M., 69, was arrested within hours of the incident. While he was initially released on mental health grounds, he has since been re-arrested and sent to prison for the deaths of Emine Kara (Evîn Goyî), Mîr Perwer and Abdurrahman Kızıl.
The shooting appears to be premeditated, CDK-F lawyer Delil David Andic told Medya Haber.
“The charge is filed as racist attack. For now, there hasn’t been an accusation of a (politically-motivated) terrorist attack, which we condemn,” Andic said. “The charge could change during the investigation process. We will do all our best to access truth and justice.”
The lawyer called for a more extensive investigation.
The gunman served time behind bars over a previous racially-motivated attack, and the Kurdish community in France suspect he may have had contact with persons who could have directed him towards Kurdish targets. The community also suspects involvement by Turkish authorities, as the incident nearly perfectly coincided with the 10th anniversary of another attack against politically active Kurds in the country, where a founding member of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) was shot to death alongside two activists on 9 January 2013, by a man connected to Turkey’s National Intelligence Service (MİT)
