Turkish intelligence agency arrests Finnish citizen accused of leading PKK branch in Finland

According to Turkish media, the Turkish intelligence agency has arrested a Finnish citizen believed to be leading a branch of the Kurdish PKK organization in Finland. The woman’s adult daughter, living in Finland, expressed her shock over the situation.

“I am very worried about my mother,” the daughter stated. Her mother had traveled to Turkey at the beginning of August and was scheduled to return last week. When the mother did not arrive on her return flight, the daughter became concerned. Attempts to contact her mother were unsuccessful because the Turkish intelligence agency, MIT, had detained her at Istanbul Airport.

On Wednesday, the daughter saw headlines in Turkish media claiming that authorities had captured the “Finnish leader of the terrorist organization PKK” at the airport, alleging the woman was involved in the organization’s fundraising activities.

The PKK, or Kurdistan Workers’ Party, seeks to establish Kurdish autonomy and has been in armed conflict with the Turkish government since the 1980s. Turkey, the European Union, and the United States classify the PKK as a terrorist organization.

The daughter dismissed the allegations against her mother as absurd, stating, “There is no evidence, and no trial has taken place, yet my mother is labeled a terrorist. It is particularly upsetting that Finnish media are now repeating these claims uncritically.” She questioned why a supposed PKK leader would travel to Turkey, noting the known treatment of dissidents there.

According to her, her mother’s trip was simply a normal vacation, as she has traveled to Turkey before. The Finnish Foreign Ministry is aware of the incident, and the Finnish embassy is handling the situation. The daughter expressed her hope that Finnish authorities would ensure her mother’s safe return, fearing she would not receive fair treatment in Turkey.