Turkey will not swap two Czech suspects for former PYD leader: Minister

ANKARA - Reuters

Ankara will not swap two Czech suspects held in custody for former Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) leader Salih Muslim, who was detained in Prague over the weekend, Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gül said on Feb. 27.

Speaking to reporters at parliament, Gül said Turkey expected the Czech court, due to discuss the case, to rule for the temporary detention of Muslim for 16 to 40 days, during which time Ankara can formally deliver its extradition request.

Muslim was detained by Czech police late on Feb. 24 at the request of the Turkish authorities.

Turkey accuses the former PYD leader of “attempting to disrupt the unity and territorial integrity of the state” through a series of terror attacks on Turkish soil that claimed the lives of scores of civilians.

In previous years Muslim liaised with Ankara on a number of diplomatic issues related to Syria, but has since been put on the Turkish Interior Ministry’s “most wanted terrorists” list, with a $1 million bounty on his head.