Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan is due to arrive in Paris tomorrow. After lashing out against Germany, Erdoðan will be pleased to know that today the court in Paris closed a case against 18 Kurdish people living in France who had been arrested and charged with being members of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) and extortion. The court has handed down prison sentences for 17 of the 18 suspects. On top of that it has also ruled in favor of the closure of a well known and established cultural center in Paris.

The 18 Kurds were originally tried on charges of extortion to finance terrorist activities in 2007, but were released as the judge ruled there was insufficient cause for their arrest. On June 9, 2011, a French court reversed the ruling and ordered the arrest of the suspects.

A prosecutor demanded last June prison terms ranging from 18 months up to six years for the suspects and the closure of Ahmet Kaya cultural center in Paris.

The court pronounced its verdict today, basically confirming the prosecutor's request and handing down sentences ranging from one year to five years for the 17 suspects.

The court only acquitted one of the 18 Kurds standing trial, Þükrü Tozludere.

Instead it sentenced Ali Rýza Altun, who was being tried in absentia, to five years, Nedim Seven to four years. The suspects' sentences were all suspended.