Sweden’s High Court has rejected Turkey’s request for the extradition of journalist and publisher Ragip Zarakolu, who has been trialed in the country since 2011 over terror charges based on a speech, Gazete Duvar reported on Saturday.
The ruling, which was released on Wednesday, is expected to be approved by Sweden’s government as well.
In September last year, six years after his release, a high criminal court in Istanbul issued an Interpol Red Notice and extradition request for Zarakolu, who has been living in exile in Sweden since 2013.
Following the Turkish move, the publisher told the Dokuz8Haber news portal that the issuance of the Red Notice on his name through Interpol was serving “no other purpose than harassment and disrespect.”
“I would like to, unfortunately, notify you that we are back where we have started. Or even worse, raising the bar from unjust arrest to the level of international harassment. My articles on human rights, minority rights, free expression, and defending peace are disturbing certain circles. Let them be disturbed, though my path continues,” Zarakolu said at the time.
The journalist was first arrested in October 2011 and accused of aiding and abetting a terrorist organization.
This was based on a speech he made at the Politics Academy of the now-defunct pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP). He was later released pending trial in April 2012.
Despite living abroad for six years, the Turkish State has maintained its pressure on the editor.
Following a shut-down of many critical media outlets through emergency decrees in the aftermath of a failed coup attempt in July 2016, the Turkish authorities raided the author’s house on August 17 that year and confiscated thousands of his books.
Zarakolu is known for his publishing works on minority rights in Turkey, such as Armenian, Pontus, and Assyrian genocides.
According to many international independent human rights reports, media freedom in Turkey is under attack by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government, with 136 journalists currently behind bars.
The post Swedish top court quashes Turkey’s extradition demand for journalist appeared first on IPA NEWS.
from IPA NEWS https://ipa.news/2019/12/22/swedish-top-court-quashes-turkeys-extradition-demand-for-journalist/
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