Danish court frees 10 over PKK funding charges

COPENHAGEN - Agence France-Presse

A Danish court freed 10 men charged with 'terror funding' after raising up to 18.8 million euros for Kurdish militants, Oct. 23. AA Photo

A Danish court on Oct. 23 freed 10 men charged with "terror funding" after raising up to 140 million kroner (18.8 million euros, $23.8 million) for PKK militants.

The money was channeled to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), through Roj TV, a Denmark-based Kurdish television channel that had its license revoked last year for "glorifying terrorism."

"The reason for the acquittal is that the prosecution has not established sufficient evidence that the defendants knew or should have known that a contribution to Roj TV was indirect support to the PKK," the Copenhagen District Court wrote in its ruling.

The money was raised from 2009 until 2012, when a Danish court first found Roj TV guilty of promoting terrorism.

Turkish security forces have waged a 30-year conflict with the PKK, whose battle for self-rule in the southeast of the country has left 40,000 dead.

The ruling risks further straining relations between Ankara and Copenhagen, which earlier this week slammed a decision by Turkish authorities to release from prison a man suspected of trying to murder an outspoken Danish critic of Islam, Lars Hedegaard.