Turkey slams Belgian ruling protecting PKK terrorists

Turkey on Wednesday slammed a court ruling in Belgium blocking the prosecution of 36 suspects linked to the PKK/YPG terrorist group.

The Belgian Supreme Court ruling, which upholds a 2010 decision not to prosecute PKK/YPG-linked suspects, is an explicit attempt to undermine the law, said a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement.

The ruling "exonerates a terrorist organisation with ideological motives" and is especially egregious "as it comes from a country that presumes to lecture Turkey on the rule of law", said the statement.

The ruling amounts to clear support for the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist group by Turkey and the EU and is responsible for the death of over 40,000 Turkish citizens, including civilians, children and even infants, said the ministry.

The court decision is based on the misunderstanding that even if a terror group massacres people in other countries, there is no problem if it launches no attacks in my country, said the statement.

"It is an example of hypocrisy; it ignores the fact that terrorism poses threats to all nations and encourages other terrorist organisations," the ministry added.

The ministry said the ruling is based on political rather than legal criteria and contains grave contradictions.

The Belgian decision "is inconsistent with the acquis communautaire of the EU which Belgium hosts as a founding member" and poses an obstacle for Belgium fulfilling its international counter-terrorism obligations in relation, it added.

The ministry urged the Belgian government to take steps to correct this contradictory ruling and to properly counter the terrorist PKK/YPG.

Not only will PKK/YPG exploit this irresponsible ruling, but also other terrorist groups such as Daesh/ISIS, warned the ministry.

Turkey expects all responsible stakeholders to condemn such attempts to weaken international counter-terrorism efforts.

"Standing on the right side of the history under all circumstances, Turkey will continue its fight against all forms of terrorism, which is one of biggest threats to humanity, both legally and through effective measures on the ground until the eradication of terrorist organisations," it said.

Separately, Turkey’s foreign minister also condemned the Belgian ruling, saying it has nothing to do with the law.

"This decision is ideological and political. It is a hypocritical decision made by those who try to teach us law with fear," Mevlut Cavusoglu wrote on Twitter.

In its more than 30-year armed campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.