- Phelan Chatterjee
- BBC News
4 hours
image source, Getty Images
Turkey was the only NATO member that objected to the entry of the two Nordic countries.
The North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) has formally started the process to bring Sweden and Finland on board, after both Nordic nations applied to join the military alliance after Russia launched its war in Ukraine.
Turkey was the only one of the 30 NATO member states that blocked their candidacies until the two countries accepted a series of demands, including the surrender of more than 70 people described by their president as terrorists.
In a memorandum signed at last week’s NATO summit in Madrid, Finland and Sweden agreed to address Turkey’s “pending deportation or extradition requests of terror suspects quickly and comprehensively,” with “bilateral legal frameworks to facilitate extradition.” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sweden had promised to extradite 73 “terrorists” and had already sent three or four of them. Turkish pro-government daily Hurriyat published a list of 45 people, of which 33 they are claimed to Sweden and 12 to FinlandAlthough the leaders of the two Nordic nations say they are taking the matter seriously, ultimately extradition is up to the courts and not politicians.
But who does Turkey want and who could be deported to Ankara?
The Turkish government is especially interested in handing over people it considers linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)classified as a terrorist group by the European Union (EU), the United States and the United Kingdom.
also chases to the followers of the exiled Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulenwhom he blames for a failed coup against President Erdogan in 2016.
The BBC has spoken to three of the people wanted by Turkey.
Bulent Kenes: periodista
For years, he was editor-in-chief of Today’s Zamanone of Turkey’s leading English-language daily newspapers, before its closure in 2016. He now lives in exile in Stockholm.
Turkish authorities accuse him of being part of the Gulen movement, or what they call the Fethullah (Fetus) Terrorist Organization. This organization is known for its network of schools and is not considered a terrorist group in the EU, UK or US.
image source, Bulent Kenes
Bulent says he is not affiliated with any organization.
Kenes said he became a target for his outspoken criticism of President Erdogan and faced accusations of plotting to overthrow the government: “All the accusations are false. I am an independent journalist who is not affiliated with any organization.”
In 2015, he was given a suspended prison sentence for “insult the president” in a tweet saying that Erdogan’s late mother would be ashamed of him.
Insulting President Erdogan remains a common accusation today, with 17 journalists and cartoonists on trial in the first three months of 2022, according to the independent Turkish organization Bianet.
Bulent Kenes believes that he has become a bargaining chip between Erdogan and Sweden in the NATO negotiations.
He is not particularly afraid of being extradited, since that would be, in his words, a “betrayal of Sweden’s own values” of democracy and protection of dissidents.
“This is not a test for the Erdogan regime… it is a test for the Swedish authorities“, said.
Fatih: “reformed pyromaniac”
Other members of Turkey’s list are much less prominent. Fatih, a Kurdish Finn, was part of a group of five youths who set fire to the door of the Turkish embassy in 2008.
Now a 37-year-old business owner and entrepreneur, he told the BBC he regrets what he had done: “Back then, my life was messy, I had all kinds of problems.”
He was surprised to find his name on the listas he has long since finished serving a 14-month suspended sentence and paid compensation to the embassy.
Finnish authorities granted him citizenship a few years ago and considered the embassy case closed, he said.
image source, AFP
One person was injured in the attack on the Turkish embassy in Finland in 2008.
Turkey accuses him of being a member of the PKK, which calls for greater Kurdish self-government and is involved in an armed struggle with the Turkish state.
Fatih said that he has no ties or ideological connection to the PKK, and that he believes he is being persecuted solely because of his Kurdish origin.
Kurds make up 15-20% of the Turkish population, but have suffered persecution in Turkey for generations.
The Ankara government is trying to ban the pro-Kurdish HDP party, the third largest in parliament.
Although Fatih does not believe that he will be extradited as a Finnish citizenfears harassment from the local Turkish community or possible arrest abroad at the request of Turkey.
He said he is very sad that Finland has to “fight for him”.
Aysen Furhoff: the teacher who ran away
Aysen Furhoff came to Sweden after serving a five-year life sentence in Turkey for trying to “subvert the constitutional order” when she was 17 and a member of the Turkish Communist Party. She says that she was offered protection in Sweden after being tortured in prison.
Now 45, she lives in Stockholm with her husband and daughter and works as a teacher, insisting she is no longer involved in Turkish politics.
image source, Asian Furhoff
Aysen Furhoff said she was disappointed with the Swedish decision to reach an agreement with Erdogan.
“I left Turkey 20 years ago. If they send me there, I will be of no use to them. Everyone I know is dead or in prison. That’s why I was surprised to be on the list: who am I to them?
Furhoff says she is also being prosecuted in Turkey for being a member of the PKK and acknowledges collaborating with them for three months some 25 years ago.
Although he no longer sympathizes with the PKK, he denies that it is a terrorist group and believes that it should be part of the discussions for a negotiated peace in Turkey.
Citing Swedish law, he is not worried about extradition, but finds it hard to believe that it could be an important case for Ankara.
Legal requirements in Sweden and Finland make extradition to Turkey extremely difficult:
- An independent court has the final say on extradition, not politicians.
- Citizens of Sweden and Finland cannot be extradited.
- Foreign citizens can be extradited, but only if the cases comply with the European Convention on Extradition.
- Extradition for political offenses or to countries where people are at risk of persecution is not allowed.
- The alleged crimes must be considered as such in Sweden or Finland.
According to the Swedish newspaper Today’s Newsof the 33 Swedish names appearing in the Turkish media, 19 have already been rejected for extradition by the Supreme Court in Stockholm.
“We cannot review previous cases that have already been processed“said Chief Justice Anders Eka.
Finland has extradited two people to Turkey out of more than a dozen requests in the last decade. The Ministry of Justice states that no new requests have been received and has promised the Kurdish community that there will be no changes to the law.
possible reaction
If Turkey’s demands are rejected, Turkey could withdraw its support for Nordic countries joining NATO, says Murat Yesiltas of the pro-government think tank Seta.
image source, Getty Images
Erdogan at the NATO summit last week in Madrid.
The parliaments of the 30 NATO countries will have to approve the accession of Sweden and Finland, which includes Turkish lawmakers. For this reason, Yesiltas warns that it is also about the “dignity of the Turkish parliament”.
Other commentators suggest that Ankara’s pressure for extradition may be an Erdogan re-election strategyor a tool to help secure a US arms sale.
There is little chance that Sweden or Finland will hand over anyone on the list any time soon.
A listed former PKK member, Cemil Aygan, has been the subject of an extradition request by Turkey in the past, but believes the Swedish Supreme Court will stand in his way.
“If Sweden handed me over, my life would be over,” he told public broadcaster SVT.
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