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JİTEM confessor in Sweden unlikely to be extradited to Turkey
Guaranteeing him a fair trial in accordance with human rights, the Diyarbakır Public Prosecutor's Office demanded Abdülkadir Aygan's extradition to Turkey, accusing Aygan of crimes against the integrity of the state and playing a role in the killing of Kurdish writer Musa Anter as well as an attack that wounded Orhan Miroğlu, a Kurdish intellectual.
The Cihan news agency reported yesterday that according to a report on the case prepared by Sara Myredal, a senior prosecutor with the Swedish Court of Appeals, there are no legal obstacles to extraditing Aygan under European regulations, but Turkey has sent insufficient evidence implicating Aygan in the alleged crimes.
The prosecutor's report also notes that Aygan had come to Sweden on Nov. 21, 2003, applying for asylum on the same day along with his wife and four children. He was granted a residence permit on Nov. 1, 2005, with the department of immigration saying at the time that Aygan needed protection.
According to the department of immigration, Turkey can protect Aygan against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK); however, there are other risks according to the department, such as his name being known to many people who might seek revenge because of his confessions and the possibility of his family facing inhumane treatment. The prosecutor's report also notes that Aygan stated that he would be killed if he returned to Turkey.
The prosecutor's report stated that evidence put forth by Turkey did not support claims that were being made. Aygan's outspokenness about the PKK and JİTEM were also noted as obstacles to his extradition.
Aygan himself said no state under the rule of law would ever return him with such weak evidence against him. He also said he was contributing to the solution of the Kurdish problem more than military operations do. “The jets they send to bomb provide more partisans to the PKK, and the nation's money is wasted and nothing happens. My research here with logic and proof deals a greater blow to terrorism then theirs and contributes more greatly to peace. This is what I believe,” he said.
He also said he would be happy to share everything he knows with prosecutors conducting the trial of Ergenekon, a gang charged with plotting to overthrow the government among whose suspects are alleged founders and generals of the notorious JİTEM, but the prosecutors have yet to make any queries.
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