Due to the repression of the Turkish state, Kurdish patriot Osman Aslan moved to Germany and had his application for asylum accepted in 1994. Last June, he was arrested while on a holiday in Slovenia on the grounds of a red notice issued by Interpol. Despite him having a political refugee status in Germany, he appeared before judge on July 30.

In the face of Turkey’s request for extradition, the Slovenian court did not release the Kurdish man arguing that the required documents were not submitted from Germany. Aslan is still under arrest and faces extradition to Turkey on the grounds of the Interpol notice.

Aslan’s situation remains uncertain despite the appeals made by non-governmental organizations, refugee associations and the Left Party branch of the North-Rhine Westphalia state where he lives.

This is not the first time Slovenia is collaborating with the Turkish state through Interpol against Kurdish patriots and those critical of the Erdoğan regime. Last year, İsmet Kılıç residing in Duisburg was jailed in Slovenia at Turkey’s request and was released after three months only thanks to the efforts of NGOs and opposition parties in Germany.

The AKP-MHP government continues to use Interpol as a means of silencing the opposition and Kurdish citizens living in Europe. Many persons from Turkey and Kurdistan were unlawfully arrested through Interpol in European cities despite being under protection with refugee status, and ended up behind bars where they had to spend months.