Next Wednesday, the Court of Appeal in Belgrade will decide on the extradition of Kurdish internationalist Ecevit Piroğlu from Serbia to Turkey. A campaign is underway to try to prevent the deportation.
In the extradition proceedings against Ecevit Piroğlu from Serbia to Turkey, the final decision is to be made on 18 January. Piroğlu has been politically active since 1992 and worked, among other things, in the Human Rights Association (IHD). Over the years, he has been imprisoned several times in Turkey for his political work. In 2021, he applied for political asylum in Serbia after being accused of terrorism in connection with the Gezi uprising of 2013. Before leaving for Serbia, Piroğlu fought against ISIS in northern Syria. When he landed in Belgrade, he was arrested and went on hunger strike last June. In October, the Court of Appeal in Belgrade overturned a lower court's decision to extradite Ecevit Piroğlu to Turkey. The activist remains in custody, facing at least thirty years in prison in Turkey.
The Freedom for Ecevit Piroğlu campaign demands his immediate release and the recognition of his asylum application. Numerous organisations and individuals are participating in the campaign to stop the extradition. The European Committee of the United Peoples' Revolutionary Movement (HBDH) calls for support for the campaign through high-profile actions, stating:
"Ecevit Piroğlu is a revolutionary from Turkey and has been in extradition custody in Serbia for a long time. He has been involved in the struggle for democracy and socialism in Turkey since 1992 and has been arrested and detained several times for his political work. As an internationalist revolutionary from Turkey, he has fought in the Gezi resistance and in Rojava. On 24 June 2021, he was arrested at the airport in Serbia. This marked the beginning of an unlawful process that has been going on for 18 months. The asylum application was not answered positively. Ecevit Piroğlu was on hunger strike for 136 days against the illegal procedure and the dragging out of his asylum application.
On 18 January 2023, the Court of Appeal will hear the extradition case again and announce the final decision. In order to stop the extradition of Ecevit Piroğlu and to enforce his release, we call for action against the Serbian government and support for corresponding activities."
