Support Turkey’s terror fight, reporter tells EU

BRUSSELS - İhlas News Agency

Oomen-Rujiten says the outlawed PKK gives damages to European countries through drug trafficking and smuggling. AA photo

The European Parliament’s reporter for Turkey, Ria Oomen-Rujiten, said Turkey’s fight against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) should be supported by all European countries.

However, she criticized the utilization of terror laws for limiting freedom of press and expression, referring to the Kılıçdaroğlu case as an example.

Oomen-Rujiten said Jan. 12 cooperation between Turkey and the EU was necessary, especially regarding the fight against terror issue raised at European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Commission meeting for the Turkey 2011 Progress Report.

Concerns on freedom

After meeting with the commission, Oomen-Rujiten told the Turkish press the PKK had links in some European countries and the groups made profit from drug trafficking, violence and smuggling activities.
“I call on all the parties to fight against the PKK in this report,” she said. “Journalists are under judicial pressure, politicians and human rights activists are detained as part of the ongoing Kurdish Communities Union [KCK] probe.”

Raimon Obiols, a Socialist Democrat member of Parliament, told the commission the case of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) was an example of the risk of politicization of the judiciary. Obiols said Turkey must decide where to stand, “near the Arab models or the EU,” referring to Turkey’s close relations with the Arab Spring countries.