Wife of arrested former PYD leader says Muslim’s detention was ‘unjust’

The detention of former co-leader of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), Salih Muslim, was unjust and violates his rights, Muslim’s wife said on Monday.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – The detention of former co-leader of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), Salih Muslim, was unjust and violates his rights, Muslims wife said on Monday.

“His arrest was unjust and a violation of his rights. Erdogan knows no law when it comes to war. There is no sense of humanity in his actions,” Ayisha Afandi, wife of former PYD co-leader, told Kurdistan 24 in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), referring to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan while expressing her concerns.

Muslim was arrested by Czech police on Sunday in the Marriott Hotel where he was staying. It is widely believed the arrest was made at the request of the Turkish government.

“Just like how he crosses the international borders and violates laws with his military operations, other political and international laws hold no weight against him. There are no borders for Erdogan. When allies do not prevent the Turkish government from doing certain actions, moves like this should be expected,” Afandi added.

Afandi said she was aware Muslim had been added to the Turkish ‘Red List,’ but that it was unclear to her why and how her husband had been arrested after traveling to Czech to participate in a conference in the country.

Muslim was the co-leader of the PYD from 2010 until 2017.

Turkey had also previously advertised a $1 million bounty for Muslim's arrest.

Ankara views the PYD, and its military wing, the People's Protection Unit (YPG), and Women's Protection Units (YPJ), as a ‘terrorist’ group and an extension of the outlawed PKK, a group fighting a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish government in Turkey.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag on Sunday told reporters that Turkey’s Foreign, Interior, and Justice Ministries had initiated the extradition process for the former co-leader.

(Akram Salih contributed to this report)

Editing by Nadia Riva