Conference in Brussels exposes Turkish assassination team in Belgium and connections to Ankara

While Antoine Comte, the lawyer of the families of the three Kurdish female revolutionaries murdered in Paris in 2013, and journalist Erk Acarer were connected online, Zübeyir Aydar, Remzi Kartal who were threatened with assassination attempts and journalists Hayko Bağdat living in exile in Germany were present at the meeting which was held at the Press Club Brussels.

A detailed report about the Turkish state’s assassination attempts, death threats, espionage networks and intimidation activities in Europe was presented during the press conference. The report included the information covered in the case file and how the Turkish state carried out special operations in the European territories with complete impunity.

As a result of the investigation carried out into the assassination attempt in June 2017 against KONGRA-GEL co-chair Remzi Kartal and KCK Executive Council Member Zübeyir Aydar, a court decided a rehearing on June 18, 2021 despite the prosecutor’s efforts to close the case.

The case file reveals that there is a wide network of assassinations and espionage in Europe and brings to light the role of several people involved in the Paris massacre, including Turkey’s former Ambassador to Paris, İsmail Hakkı Musa. There are serious findings in the file that those involved in the assassination attempt in Brussels were coordinated by İsmail Hakkı Musa.

The direct connection of those who took part in the assassination team with Ankara and even the Turkish Presidential Palace is identified in the case file. Technical surveillance, phone calls, photographs and confessions confirm that a wide network of assassination teams which was involved in the Paris Massacre and the assassination attempt in Brussels performs activities on behalf of Ankara in Europe.

Assassination team members took pictures in Paris and Ankara with Adnan Tanrıverdi, a former advisor to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the founder of private military company SADAT, and  Prof. Dr. Seyit Sertçelik, chief advisor to Erdoğan and a member of the Presidential Security Policy and Foreign Policy Board.

EXTENSIVE REPORT ON TURKISH ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS

The investigation shows that the headquarters of the assassination team is in France. However, French authorities refuse to share information with Belgian officials.

Zübeyir Aydar made the opening speech at the meeting. Aydar noted that the case will begin in a Brussels court on March 11 and gave information about a report they presented to the press. The report reveals that “the Turkish state has long carried out special operations and assassination attempts in European lands,” he noted.

The Kurdish politician pointed to the connection of SADAT’s head Adnan Tanrıverdi with the assassination team. He remarked that the assassination attempt in Brussels was “organized” and that Yakup Koç, the head of the assassination team, was directly linked to several official Turkish institutions, including the Turkish Embassy in Paris. Aydar underlined that the report included photos showing the assassination team members’ connections to the Turkish Embassy, ​​the Presidential Palace in Ankara, and SADAT.

AYDAR: ALL DISSIDENTS ARE IN JEOPARDY

Aydar criticized the fact that France did not conduct a serious investigation following the assassination attempt in 2013 and, despite the new information that emerged. He insisted that France should try the Turkish state based on new information obtained.

Aydar said that the Turkish government has established assassination networks to silence its critics in Europe. “We are not the only ones, since all dissidents are in jeopardy. The European countries should take serious measures against it.”

FERMON: 4 PEOPLE ARE TRIED ON TERROR CHARGES

Lawyer Jan Fermon gave some information about the case, saying that four people are being tried in the case and they are accused of membership in a criminal and terrorist organization.

Fermon noted that the team that attempted the assassination in Belgium had direct connections with the Turkish Embassy in Paris and Ankara.

Lawyer Fermon said that apart from the photos of the assassination team taken with one of Erdogan’s advisers, Seyit Sertcelik, in the Palace, there are also photos taken with the head of SADAT and Sertcelik in Paris.

The lawyer showed a photo of Adnan Tanrıverdi with İrfan Yeşilyurt, a member of the assassination team, and emphasized that SADAT is a parallel organization working on behalf of the Erdoğan regime.

Reminding of the Paris massacre, the triple murder of Sakine Cansız, Fidan Doğan and Leyla Şaylemez, Fermon said that European countries “must take precautions against the terrorist attacks of the Turkish state.”

Antoine Comte, the lawyer of the three women revolutionaries murdered in Paris, said that the judicial system in France remained ineffective, and talked about the connection of the Turkish intelligence agency MIT with the Paris massacre.

It has already been revealed that the Turkish state is organizing such activities in a wide network in Europe, said Comte who also spoke about the relation of Ömer Güney, who murdered three Kurdish women revolutionaries, with MIT and his activities in Germany.

Comte emphasized that the silence of all European countries towards the activities of a criminal state is unacceptable.

JOURNALIST ACARER TALKS ABOUT ERDOĞAN REGIME’S CRIMES

Journalist Erk Acarer attended the conference online from Berlin and spoke about the developments in Turkey and their reflections on Europe. The journalist said, “The activities of the government in Turkey are not only political, but also economic. To understand this, one should look at the crimes that the Turkish government is involved in, such as drug traffic, arms trade, seizure of properties and corruption.”

Remarking that the construction sector and drug traffic in Turkey are closely interconnected, Acarer pointed to the wave of buildings rising in the neighborhoods where drug use is becoming widespread.

According to Acarer, the arms trade is a dimension of the war in Syria where the local people are put in jails and then have their properties seized, which are later distributed among those involved in the crimes committed in the region.

Pointing to the repression against the opposition in Turkey, Acarer mentioned the “emergence of paramilitary groups to confront those raising their voices, citing SADAT and Ottoman Hearths.

HAYKO BAĞDAT: THERE IS A CRIMINAL NETWORK IN THE MIDDLE OF EUROPE

Speaking after, journalist Hayko Bağdat highlighted the threats posed by authoritarian regimes and said, “The Erdoğan regime is one of these and it has been engaged in efficient activities in Europe for a very long time.”

Speaking about the espionage activities growing in Europe, Bağdat said that the espionage network in Germany alone consisted of thousands of members. This is a serious risk for the Germans, he said, and pointed to the existence of a criminal network in the middle of Europe that acts on orders of former AKP deputy Mehmet Külünk and is financed by Ankara. Mehmet Külünk was exposed to have connections to the Osmanen Germania gang in Germany.

“The polarization in Turkey has been carried to the streets of Europe where components of society have been turned against each other. What is more dangerous is the assassination attempts by paramilitary groups.”

The journalist said that he was living under German police protection because of the death threats he has long received. He noted that many intellectuals and journalists from Turkey have been granted protection in Europe, warning that, “The Erdoğan regime will continue with even greater assassinations in Europe.”

Pointing out the risk born by the current process, Bağdat said, “Ahead of Erdoğan is the most challenging electoral process in his history, facing the risk of losing.”

Bağdat cited the Hrant Dink murder, Ankara massacre and Suruç massacre that all occurred at such times, expressing his concern that this could possibly spread to Europe.

KARTAL: CoE AND EU SILENT ON CRIMES AGAINST KURDS

The final speech was made by KONGRA-GEL Co-president Remzi Kartal who pointed out that 30 million Kurds live in Turkey but have no rights before law. According to the Turkish officials, there is no “Kurdish question” but a “terror issue”, said Kartal, and added that this was the main reason for the ongoing imprisonment of thousands of people in Turkey today.

Kartal remarked that Turkey’s repressive policy has been carried into Europe and abroad, and criticized, in this regard, Europe’s relations with the Turkish state.

The Kurdish politician remarked that Europe continues to cooperate with the Turkish state although Turkey’s repression outside of its borders got to the point of assassinations. “The Council of Europe and the European Union are silent in the face of the Turkish state’s crimes against the Kurdish people and those promoting democracy.”

Kartal remarked that this silence is not maintained when Russia is in question, calling it “a hypocritical policy”.

Kartal expressed his hope that the Brussels court will help the voice of the defenders of democracy be heard, adding that the court could put pressure on Turkey through a “very serious decision”.

The Kurdish politician lastly noted that the European press has an important role to play in order for Turkey’s crimes against the opposition, such as arrest and murder, to be brought to an end.