Turkey in efforts to extradite 350 PKK members in Europe

Now that Turkey and the European Union have come to an agreement on a refugee deal, Turkish security authorities have also taken initiatives for the extradition of the PKK's top leaders in Europe. Turkish security units recently updated their list and files on terrorists and criminals for whom Ankara is requesting extradition. Following the recent Ankara bombings conducted by the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK), the PKK splinter group, as well as the DAESH suicide bombing on Saturday near Istanbul's Taksim Square, sources have said that authorities have updated the files on PKK terrorists in accordance with them targeting civilians. Officials will demand the extradition of those PKK leaders in Europe in accordance with a recent decision from a federal court in Switzerland on a request from Germany.

German police forces had begun an operation in 2015 against the central committee members and senior leaders of the Communist Party of Turkey-Marxist Leninist movement (TKP-ML). In the operation 13 TKP-ML terrorist organization members were arrested, seven in Germany and the rest in France, Greece and Switzerland. As part of the operations, a federal court in Switzerland approved Germany's requested extradition of TKP-ML member Mehmet Yeşilçalı and he was extradited to Germany on March 8 2016.

The Swiss federal court's decision underlined the difference of methods between a freedom fighter and a terrorist.

According to the court decision: "The TKP-ML and its members had not acted with reasonably appropriate means within the framework of a conflict comparable to a civil war or legitimate resistance to state oppression." The Swiss federal court decision will be used as an example by Turkish authorities for PKK and Revolutionary People's Liberation Party Front (DHKP-C) members' extradition from Europe.

The files complied by Ankara against these PKK officials and members include the organization's propaganda in the country they live, racketeering under cover of donations and drug trafficking that goes throughout Europe as well as financing the terrorist organization through the money collected from activities conducted in Europe.