Minister Gürlek requests extradition of Musa Aşoğlu, instigator of Prosecutor Kiraz's murder, from the Netherlands

Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek met with Dutch Minister of Justice and Security David Van Weel at the Ministry of Justice. During the meeting, Minister Gürlek expressed his belief that the visit would contribute to further developing the existing cooperation between Turkey and the Netherlands, and would specifically benefit the strengthening of mutual cooperation and dialogue in areas falling under their jurisdiction. Stating that relations between Turkey and the Netherlands date back many years, Minister Gürlek said that the approximately 500,000-strong Dutch-Turkish community plays a very important role in strengthening and developing these relations.

Reminding that the Netherlands is a NATO ally of Turkey, Minister Gürlek said, "In an environment where global and regional risks are increasing, we attach importance to developing dialogue and cooperation with our ally, the Netherlands."

Recalling that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and former Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof met within the scope of the NATO Summit held in The Hague last year, Minister Gürlek stated, "This year, the NATO summit will be hosted by Turkey. We hope that important decisions that will shape NATO will be taken at this summit as well."

Noting that cooperation in the field of justice and bilateral relations constitute an important dimension, Minister Gürlek assessed, "We attach importance to the mutual cooperation between the two countries, especially in judicial terms, regarding issues such as organized crime, the fight against organized crime, drug trafficking, migrant smuggling, and money laundering. Cooperation between judicial authorities will simultaneously strengthen cooperation between our countries and will also undertake an important task in terms of the effectiveness of international justice."

"Our country's determined fight against the FETÖ terrorist organization continues"

Reminding that 251 people were martyred during the treacherous July 15 coup attempt by FETÖ, Minister Gürlek noted the following:

"Due to the judicial processes carried out in this context, our requests for mutual legal assistance have been conveyed by our Ministry to your Ministry and your competent authorities. However, unfortunately, some problems have arisen regarding the fulfillment of these requests. Our country's determined fight against the FETÖ terrorist organization, which targets the constitutional order and usurps the national will, continues. In this context, we hope that the authorities of the Netherlands, which we see as a friendly and allied country, will assist us and show cooperation, especially in terms of mutual legal assistance and the extradition of criminals," he said.

"We have 217 extradition requests for the FETÖ terrorist organization and 8 for the PKK terrorist organization"

Noting that Turkey has been fighting the PKK terrorist organization for over 40 years, Gürlek reminded that the PKK is also recognized as a terrorist organization by the European Union. Stating, "We see that our extradition requests, particularly regarding the PKK terrorist organization, just as with FETÖ, unfortunately do not yield positive results," Minister Gürlek said the following:

"We currently have 217 extradition requests for the FETÖ terrorist organization and 8 for the PKK terrorist organization. Since we view the Netherlands as an allied country, we are requesting the extradition of these criminals within the scope of judicial cooperation. Furthermore, we request that this matter be reconsidered, specifically that refugee status or residency rights not be granted to members of either terrorist organization in the Netherlands, and that those already granted such rights be re-evaluated."

Stating that yesterday marked the anniversary of the martyrdom of Public Prosecutor Mehmet Selim Kiraz, Minister Gürlek said, "As you know, I was appointed Minister of Justice after serving as a prosecutor. Our colleague, the Public Prosecutor, who was also a coworker, was first taken hostage and then brutally murdered by a member of the DHKP-C terrorist organization."

"We request the extradition of Musa Aşoğlu from the Netherlands to our country"

Stating that the trial of DHKP-C terrorist organization leader Musa Aşoğlu, who gave the order for this heinous attack, is ongoing at the Istanbul 26th High Criminal Court, Minister Gürlek said, "We are requesting the extradition of this terrorist organization leader, Musa Aşoğlu, from the Netherlands to our country following the conclusion of the ongoing trial. Unfortunately, no positive steps have been taken on this matter so far. We sincerely believe that our requests and important concerns will find a response from the Dutch authorities."

Explaining that in addition to the fight against terrorism, there are extradition agreements with many countries within the scope of judicial assistance for combating other international crimes, primarily drug trafficking, money laundering, and human trafficking, Minister Gürlek said, "As a result of the simultaneous operation conducted between the Netherlands and Turkey in April last year, drug traffickers were captured thanks to the 'Cloud Operation' (Bulut Operasyonu), and their criminal proceeds along with evidence were seized. In this context, we expect the extradition requests for those identified as being in the Netherlands and for whom arrest warrants have been issued for drug trafficking crimes to be fulfilled in the same manner."

Noting that the presence of the Turkish community in the Netherlands and the safety and peace of its citizens are of particular importance, Gürlek said that they are following the rising trends of racism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia, especially in Western Europe, with concern.

Stating that they have observed that such threats have been increasing recently, Minister Gürlek said they were saddened to learn that two Muslim women were subjected to police violence in the Netherlands at the end of January. Minister Gürlek expressed their belief that necessary measures must be taken against such incidents.

Stating his belief that the meeting would further advance cooperation, Minister Gürlek said, "We hope that the sincerity and the law of brotherhood between us and our ally, the Netherlands, will progress even further."

News Source: 12punto