Kurdish refugee sought by Turkey released after year in Croatian jail

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdish refugee Nurettin Oral can finally return home after being detained for just over a year in Croatia as a result of a Turkish arrest warrant, Der Bund reported. 

Oral was arrested in Croatia in 2017 based on an Interpol warrant for "separatism" and "membership in a terrorist organization" issued by Turkey, who accuses him of having fought for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in 1999.

Switzerland granted him asylum for fear of political persecution by Turkey 13 years ago, and he has been living there with his family ever since. 

He was arrested on the Croatian border after briefly visiting Macedonia for a wedding. In December, a Croatian Supreme Court approved his extradition to Turkey, but the decision was postponed. Finally, on Wednesday, the court decided to repeal the extradition order and he was released on Thursday. 

Oral is expecting to return to Switzerland on Friday to be reunited with his family. 

Turkey has increased its number of Interpol extradition requests following the 2015 breakdown of peace talks between the PKK and the Turkish state.

In February, senior Syrian Kurdish leader Salih Muslim was arrested in the Czech Republic, also based on a Turkish extradition request. As with Oral in Croatia, a Czech court later released Muslim.

Turkish forces have fought the PKK since the early 1980s in a conflict that has resulted in the death of over 40,000 people on both sides. The group is designated as a ‘terrorist’ organization by Turkey, the European Union (EU), and the US.

Editing by John J. Catherine