A recent racist attack on Kurdish families during Newroz celebrations in Leuven, Belgium, blamed on the Turkish far-right Grey Wolves paramilitary organisation, has reignited debates about the activities of Turkish intelligence abroad and the legal status of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) within European jurisdictions.
Zübeyir Aydar, a member of the executive committee of the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), has pointed to an alleged deliberate operation by the Turkish state as the cause of the recent violence in Belgium. Aydar’s comments underline a call for European vigilance and legal action in response to the situation.
Medya News delves into the complexities of this debate, highlighting the broader implications of such incidents on European and international policies regarding Turkey and the Kurdish community.
June 2017
Belgian police detained three members of a Turkish hit team, including Zekeriya Çelikbilek, for planning assassinations of Kurdish politicians Remzi Kartal and Zübeyir Aydar in Brussels. This operation uncovered the first official investigation into Turkish spy cells’ role in black operations abroad, particularly against Kurdish individuals.
January 2020
The Belgian Court of Cassation upheld a decision that the PKK cannot be classified as a ‘terrorist organisation’, challenging efforts by Turkey and the US to label it as such. The decision highlighted a significant disconnect between Belgian judiciary rulings and political pressures regarding the classification of the PKK.
Wikileaks revelations expose political manoeuvrings
The case brought to light through Wikileaks revealed attempts by senior US diplomats to influence European governments against engaging with the PKK, demonstrating a concerted effort to support Turkey’s stance against the Kurdish political movement.
Revelations from Wikileaks shed light on clandestine political manoeuvres between Turkey, the US, and Belgium regarding efforts to criminalize the PKK. Leaked official memos detailed concerted efforts by US diplomats to dissuade European governments from engaging with the PKK and to press them to take action against suspected PKK members.
June 2021
A lawsuit is filed concerning alleged attempts to assassinate prominent Kurdish political figures in Europe, related to the 2017 police operation. The lawsuit included allegations against four individuals and suggests a vast network of espionage and hit operations coordinated by Turkey in Europe.
October 2021
The trial against the Turkish hit team involved in the plan to assassinate Kurdish politicians started. Marking a first for the Kurdish diaspora in Europe and Turkey, the case file spanned over 1,000 pages, indicating deep involvement of Turkish officials in assassinations and spying activities in Europe.
April 2022
Desecration of Armenian Genocide memorial monument
A group of Turkish nationalists vandalised an Armenian khachkar (carved stone cross) with racist graffiti and insults. The monument was erected in memory of the 1.5 million Ottoman Armenians and other Anatolian Christians killed during the 1915 Armenian Genocide. The vandalism included painting three crescents (symbolizing Turkey’s extreme far-right Nationalist Movement Party, MHP), and directing insults towards Garo Paylan, an ethnic Armenian MP of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in the Turkish parliament.
May 2022
A Belgium court acquitted alleged members of a Turkish assassination squad due to insufficient evidence. The court also dismissed claims that Turkish state institutions, including the Turkish National Intelligence Agency (MİT), were involved in a plot to assassinate Kurdish political figures in 2017, specifically naming Remzi Kartal and Zübeyir Aydar, both former MPs in the Turkish parliament.
Jan Fermon, representing Kartal and Aydar, criticised the verdict as politically motivated, emphasising the court’s initial acknowledgment of some evidence’s significance. However, the court questioned the entirety of the evidence later on. Fermon highlighted a specific detail where defendants were noted to use terms like ‘bloodbath’ in conversations, and he also commented on the court’s perspective on MİT’s involvement, suggesting a legal state service’s employees could not be considered members of a terrorist group.
Zübeyir Aydar viewed the court’s decision as influenced by ‘interstate relations’, suggesting a reluctance to file a lawsuit from the beginning due to political reasons, including the backdrop of the Ukraine war and Franco-Turkish relations, aiming to avoid an interstate crisis.
The lawsuit, filed on 18 June 2021, concerned alleged assassination attempts on prominent Kurdish political figures in Europe. It involved four individuals: Zekeriya Çelikbilek, Yakup Koç, Necati Demiroğulları and Hacı Akkulak. The lawsuit included accusations of a vast espionage and hit operation network across Europe, coordinated by Turkey’s former ambassador to Paris, İsmail Hakkı Musa.
Events following 24 March 2024
The Kurdish community in Belgium was targeted in a series of attacks by Turkish extremist groups. The violence, linked to the Grey Wolves, includes beatings, stabbings and arson attempts against Kurdish families after Newroz celebrations in Leuven. Yasin Gül, Heusden Zolder Deputy Mayor linked to the Grey Wolves, publicly supported the attacks on Kurdish families in Leuven, Belgium, on Turkish TV channel CNN Turk, blaming the Kurdish community for the violence.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry released a statement backing the perpetrators of attacks on Belgium’s Kurdish community, labelling the Kurds as “PKK militants”. This follows reports of the Turkish Foreign Minister meeting with Turkish right-wing extremist groups before the attacks, suggesting premeditation.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo was criticised for his comments following the Limburg unrest, where he fails to address the provocations by Turkish extremists and equates Kurdish political expressions with acts of violence. De Croo’s statements overlook the Belgian judiciary’s stance on the PKK, further inflaming tensions between the Kurdish and Turkish communities in Belgium.
Background: The PKK’s De-listing Efforts and Turkish Intelligence’s Response
The events in Belgium occur against a backdrop of increasing legal and political manoeuvres related to the status of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Over the years, the PKK has been listed as a ‘terrorist’ organisation by various international entities, including the European Union, a designation that has significant implications for Kurdish political activities and the broader Kurdish struggle for rights and recognition. However, a landmark shift has been underway, particularly highlighted by a series of legal challenges and rulings within Belgium’s judicial system.
A pivotal moment in this shift occurred in January 2020, when the Belgian Court of Cassation upheld a ruling that the PKK could not be classified as a ‘terrorist’ organisation under EU anti-terrorism legislation. The court recognised the PKK’s engagement in an armed conflict with the Turkish state, thus positioning its activities within the realm of legitimate military force allowed under international laws and conventions. This ruling not only challenged the existing narrative promoted by Turkey but also showcased the potential for successfully challenging the criminalisation of the PKK.
This legal backdrop sets the stage for a broader confrontation between Kurdish political movements seeking to de-list the PKK from ‘terrorist’ lists and Turkish intelligence efforts aimed at countering these movements. Reports and investigations have revealed a concerted effort by Turkish state officials and intelligence agencies to conduct operations abroad, particularly in countries like Belgium, which have become key battlegrounds in this legal and political struggle. These operations have included alleged assassination plots against Kurdish politicians, espionage activities and fostering ultra-nationalist violence—efforts seen as attempts by Turkish intelligence to undermine the PKK’s de-listing efforts and to maintain the narrative of the PKK as a terrorist organisation.
