The Guardia Civil has arrested in Palma a leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an organisation considered a terrorist group by the European Union, who was the subject of a search and arrest warrant issued by Germany. The operation was carried out by the Information Service of the Guardia Civil, under the direction of the Central Court of Instruction No. 4 and the Prosecutor’s Office of the Audiencia Nacional.
The detainee is attributed with responsibilities within the PKK as head of area, coordinator of organisational, financial and personnel matters and fundraising for the organisation. The money raised by the alleged terrorist arrested in the Balearic capital was used to finance violent actions both in Turkey and in neighbouring areas. The PKK leader was placed at the disposal of the Audiencia Nacional last week, which ordered him to be remanded in custody.
“The transnational nature of this type of structure makes international cooperation between anti-terrorist services essential for the detection of people who could become a serious security risk,” the Guardia Civil said in its statement. In addition to the European Union, the PKK, which is fighting for the independence of Kurdistan and claims territories that currently belong to Iraq, Syria, Iran and Turkey, is also considered a terrorist organisation by the Turkish state and the United States.
Its leader is Abdullah Öcalan, sentenced to life imprisonment for terrorism and separatism by the Turkish justice system, who has been imprisoned since 1999. The PKK has faced condemnation by some countries and human rights organizations for the killing of teachers and civil servants, using suicide bombers, and recruiting child soldiers.
According to the TEPAV, an Ankara-based think tank, a survey conducted using data from 1,362 PKK fighters who lost their lives between 2001 and 2011 estimated that 42% of the militants were recruited under 18, with roughly 9% under 15 at the time of recruitment. In 2013 the PKK stated it would prohibit the recruitment of children under the age of 16 as well as keep 16-18 year olds away from combat. Human Rights Watch has documented 29 cases of children being recruited into the HPG (the PKK’s armed wing) and the YBŞ since 2013. Some children were recruited under the age of 15, constituting a war crime according to international law.