Goekay Akbulut, a Bundestag member for far-left Die Linke party, was detained in Antalya airport on August 3 after an arrest warrant was issued by the Turkish public prosecutor. (X)
Reuters
Published: 14 August ,2023
A German lawmaker said on Sunday she was detained for several hours when entering Turkey earlier this month based on social media posts she made in 2019, adding that she would still travel to Turkey and speak her mind about its government.
Goekay Akbulut, a Bundestag member for far-left Die Linke party, was detained in Antalya airport on August 3 after an arrest warrant was issued by the Turkish public prosecutor for alleged “terror propaganda,” she said.
Germany is home to the world’s largest Turkish diaspora community, but relations between Berlin and Ankara have been strained in recent years by German criticism of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s crackdown on suspected opponents after a failed coup in 2016 and Turkey’s military offensive against Kurdish militia in Syria in 2019.
Akbulut, a Turkey-born German citizen of Kurdish heritage, was released after making contact with the German foreign ministry, she said. Turkish authorities were not immediately available to comment.
Akbulut has criticized the Turkish government for “waging a brutal war against the Kurdish population inside and outside its borders,” according to her official website.
“I will travel to #Tuerkei in October again as part of the delegation trip of the German-Turkish Parliamentary Group and, as always, will not mince my words: #FreeThemAll,” she said in a post on social media platform X on Sunday.
It was not clear exactly what she was referring to, nor which social media posts she believed triggered the Turkish arrest warrant.
The German embassy in Ankara and the consulate in Antalya were in contact with lawmaker, a source at the German foreign ministry told Reuters.
Akbulut, 40, has called for the lifting of a German ban on the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is considered a terrorist group by the European Union and the United States.
Saleh Muslim: “Damascus Government Does not Have Strength to Take Decision to Remove Turkey from Syrian Territory”
The co-chairman of the PYD highlighted the ongoing conflict among major powers in Syria, according to Damas Post.
Saleh Muslim, the co-chairman of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), a prominent party within Syria’s Autonomous Administration, emphasized that the current Damascus government lacks the strength and capacity to expel Turkey from Syrian territory unilaterally.
Muslim highlighted the ongoing conflict among major powers in Syria, noting their lack of consensus on Turkey’s withdrawal from the region. He elaborated that Tehran maintains certain interests with Ankara, hindering its support for Turkey’s departure, whereas Russia aims to advance its strategic plans in collaboration with Turkey.
Iranian Officials Seek to Enhance Economic and Trade Ties with Damascus
Muslim further pointed out that the international coalition is cautious not to antagonize Turkey, a NATO ally, even though their objectives are not aligned with Turkey’s stance. He previously reported that despite being led by the United States, the international coalition has been unable to prevent Turkey’s incursions into areas controlled by the Autonomous Administration in northeastern Syria.
Saleh Muslim emphasized that the reticence of concerned parties is a recurring issue. He underlined their lack of insight into closed-door discussions and denied any engagement with Damascus or Moscow on this matter.
Megan Bodette, the director of research at the Kurdish Peace Institute, shared her perspective that the United States tends to focus on northern and eastern Syria and the Kurdish question solely during crises. She emphasized the necessity for a proactive approach from Washington to foster peace between Turkey and the regions of northern and eastern Syria.
The Autonomous Administration of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) expressed discontent with the silence exhibited by its allies in the international coalition, as well as the guarantor states (Russia and the United States), regarding the persistent Turkish assaults on northeastern Syria. They viewed these attacks as contradictory to efforts aimed at stability promotion and counter-terrorism endeavours.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
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