Kongra-Gel Defendants Released in Belgium

The Brussels Court of Appeals decided to release seven people pending trial, Kongra-Gel leader Remzi Kartal and organization executive Zübedir Aydar among them.

Kongra-Gel is an alternative term for the terrorist organization of the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Fırat News Agency (ANF) reported the names of the other five defendants as follows: Orhan Nuri Amil, Abdulselam Mustafa, Bezari Adıgüzel, Sezai Uçar and Ali Hakim. According to ANF, the hearing regarding defendant Naim Acar will be held in the coming days. Acar had been arrested in the city of Charleroi and is still in detention.

The Belgium police arrested more than 30 people in raids on the Kurdish television channel Roj TV, the Kurdish National Congress (KNK), the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), associations, institutions and private homes on 4 March. Most of the people taken into custody were released in the meantime; Kartal, Aydar and another six people were detained. (TK/VK)