Last week, nine Kurdish activists were arrested in the Paris region and in Bouches du Rhône as part of an investigation by the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office (PNAT). The defendants are accused of "terrorist criminal conspiracy", "financing of terrorism" and "extortion by an organized gang in relation to a terrorist enterprise". Seven of the nine men indicted were released.

The Kurdish Democratic Council in France (CDK-F), welcomed the release of Kurdish activists, while urging the French authorities to abandon "all unfounded charges and restrictions imposed on Kurdish activists, and (...) to abandon the prosecutions against them.

The CDK-F said in a statement: "We welcome with relief the news of the release of the seven Kurds arrested on false terrorism charges, although their indictment continues to reflect unjustified stigmatization of the Kurdish community in France.

We strongly condemn the persistence of this desire for criminalization, which reveals a worrying influence of foreign political agendas on French legal procedures.

These events once again demonstrate the maneuvers of certain segments of the French authorities, influenced by the Turkish intelligence services, aimed at satisfying the repressive demands of the Erdoğan regime. This strategy, which uses justice as a foreign policy tool, threatens the very principles of our democratic republic.

The indictment and placement under judicial supervision of the persons concerned, without substantial proof of the facts of which they are accused, highlights the absence of real justice and the manifest abuse of power. We demand the immediate lifting of all unfounded charges and restrictions imposed on Kurdish activists, and call for charges against them to be dropped."

The statement added: "We also demand a transparent investigation into the external influences that led to these arrests, to ensure that future decisions are made freely, free from any foreign manipulation and with full respect for human rights and French sovereignty. We remain united in the defense of the rights of the Kurdish community in France and the protection of our democratic values."

The Kurdish Democratic Council in France said it "will continue to closely monitor this situation, pledging to support its affected members and to fight for justice and an end to the political criminalization of Kurds in France. We call on all democratic forces and human rights defenders to join us in this crucial cause."