ANKARA: In a move reported in the Official Gazette, Turkey has frozen the local assets of 20 organizations and 62 individuals from various European countries, Australia, and Japan, alleging connections with the Kurdish militant group PKK.
The Ministry of Treasury and Finance cited “reasonable grounds” under anti-terrorism financing laws for the decision.
The list includes organizations from Germany, Switzerland, Australia, Japan, and Italy, with a significant impact on the Kurdish diaspora. Other affected entities span across Austria, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Denmark, France, Sweden, Norway, and Iraq-Syria.
One notable inclusion is the Swedish organization, Insamlingsstiftelsen Kurdiska Roda Solen, described as a humanitarian aid organization on social media. Turkey has raised objections to Sweden’s NATO ratification, citing concerns about their protection of individuals Turkey deems terrorists and defence trade embargoes.
While Turkey endorsed Finland’s NATO bid in April, the approval for Sweden is pending. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan informed NATO counterparts of ongoing efforts for Sweden’s ratification, with a likely timeline before year-end, according to a senior State Department official.
