A Dutch analyst who received death threats from the PKK found support in Türkiye, the primary target of the terrorist group. Türkiye's communications director on Monday denounced the threats, saying those who "can't tolerate the truth are now threatening her life."
In a documentary produced by Turkish public broadcaster TRT World that uncovered new details about a bomb attack by the PKK in November last year that killed six people on Istanbul's busy Istiklal Street, "Dutch researcher Rena Netjes sheds light on the terrorist group's atrocious attacks," Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said on Twitter.
"Those who can't tolerate the truth are now threatening her life. This is the terror organization that you are protecting!" Altun said.
TRT World in its documentary titled "After the Rain: Families Seeking Justice" interviewed families of the victims of the terrorist attack in Istanbul.
"In memory of our daughters Yağmur and Ecrin, who were murdered by the PKK/YPG, TRT World's 'After the Rain: Families Seeking Justice' documentary exposes the bloody face of the terrorist group for the world to see," he added.
In the documentary, Netjes pointed out that the attack on Istiklal Street was similar to the PKK's Syrian wing YPG's attacks in northern Syria. "It is a similar kind of attack. These kinds of attacks have happened in northern Syria in the YPG area on civilians many times, almost daily."
Speaking about the death threats she received from the PKK/YPG terrorist group, Netjes went public, saying: "For the past few weeks, I have been receiving death threats and other warnings from Rojava Kurdish accounts (including from Paris)."
"Tonight, I got emails that they made my profile on lesbian/gay/sex accounts. I pay a price for exposing YPG propaganda," she said on Twitter on Sunday.
The PKK/YPG has used terrorist bases across Türkiye's border in northern Iraq and northern Syria to plot and carry out attacks on Türkiye. The group has worked to create a terrorist corridor along the Syrian border, threatening both Syrian locals and nearby Turkish residents.
In its more than 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. Since 2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful counterterrorism operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018) and Peace Spring (2019). Turkish officials have suggested that another such operation is coming.
While preparing for a run near her home in Istanbul on Dec. 2, Netjes received two unexpected emails with a death threat and a warning. "Hey, I have been following your Twitter page for a while ... You are officially set on a hit list. Be aware that we are following your steps everywhere and that we will find you, no matter where you are," read the email, accusing the researcher of being a "Muslim Brotherhood supporter."
"We will deliver something soon to your door as proof of this," the email concluded.
Rena Netjes felt unsafe and did not want to leave her home after reading the message. For her, it was easy to discern why she got it. The longtime researcher and journalist has been covering the Middle East for over 25 years and is critical of the PKK/YPG terrorist group's activities in northern Syria. After Netjes received a total of 12 such emails in a single month, as well as death threats from the PKK terrorist group on social media accounts, she finally went public with the threats via Twitter on Sunday.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) on Tuesday, Netjes, 56, said she has been conducting research on the PKK/YPG's presence in Syria, as well as its oppressive policies on those living in the area it occupies like kidnapping people and driving opponents out of their homes. In recent years, she published reports highlighting the terrorist group's pressure on people.
"I interviewed people who were expelled by the PKK and crossed the border from Syria into Türkiye. I asked them in Arabic why they fled. I thought they would say the reason is Russian forces or the Assad regime. But to my surprise, women were saying the YPG have taken their homes, which was a startling point for me," she explained.
These were first-hand experiences that were different from the stories Netjes heard in most Western media, prompting her to learn more about what was really happening in Syria. She visited the country's northern areas four times in the last few years for in-depth information for her research.
The terrorist group and its supporters also vowed to target her social media accounts. One of the emails she received from an email account called "RojavaKurd" says: "We launched attacks against your Facebook, and we will target your Instagram and Twitter in the future."
"DDoS attacks will shut your website (denial-of-service) attacks. We will never let (allow) Turkish propaganda against Rojava. You have been warned. Greetings from France!"
Another email, titled "You will be dead soon," was more specific: "Did you know that your life is worth just $9,000? It is pretty easy to end your life without us doing the dirty work. There are services on the Dark Web, and we could assign a hitman to kill you and end your miserable life."
Netjes, who recently investigated the YPG/PKK's brutal activities in the region, is quite familiar with all these threats. "I had written about it in the Atlantic Council two years ago, about several Kurds who were killed by the PKK/YPG. I met relatives and colleagues of them. But I did not expect that I would receive similar threats.
"So, I know it's not a joke. It can be real, and that's why I took it seriously and went public. The story is not about me. It's about the people inside Syria who are suffering. Let me then be the voice for those people who suffered and became victims of the PKK/YPG," she said.
Netjes believes she is being targeted by the PKK/YPG because of her criticism of the terrorist group's activities as a "Western" researcher, in contrast to most of her Western colleagues, who ignore the PKK/YPG's attacks on local people. "I am one of the few Westerners who know Arabic and regularly visit opposition-controlled areas of Syria. Most Kurds are against the PKK/YPG, as they're suffering. Many young Kurds who fled don't want to be conscripted by the YPG to fight fellow Syrians. Kurds don't want to go back after leaving Syria due to the Daesh threat, but also for the YPG. They don't go back. I have met many of them."
"The U.S. military was looking for a group that they would use against Daesh. But they overlooked the context, I think. They also overlooked what the group is doing, because the U.S., for example, is very much against the Assad regime. But, the PKK has very close connections with the Assad regime and they give them oil."
Netjes has been living in Türkiye since July 2018 and contacted the Dutch authorities and shared the messages with Turkish security forces following the death threats.
Despite the threats, Netjes continues to study the region and will soon publish an article on the reasons a large number of people are leaving northeastern Syria.
