Questions raised over Turkish suspect
Celal Kildag
(CNS): Celal Kildag (58), the man who Turkish authorities claim is wanted for murder and arson in relation to alleged terrorist acts in 1988 by the Kurdish separatist group the PKK, was remanded in custody again by the courts following his second appearance Wednesday. But since his arrest on an Interpol warrant by local police on a cruise ship last Friday, more information has emerged about the claims from the Turkish government, raising questions over the legitimacy of the accusations.
Although the act Kildag is accused of being involved with allegedly took place in 1988, the Interpol warrant was issued just over a year ago, in November 2015. Turkey has sent no information yet to the director of public prosecutions here about the alleged crimes and his part in them.
Kildag is originally from eastern Turkey but is now a German citizen, having lived in Germany for almost 34 years.
He claims that he can prove he was in Germany at the time of the alleged offences because he never returned to Turkey after he left around 1983. It is understood that the German authorities are already aware of the allegations but the government there has not extradited him.
Dressed in a polo shirt and jeans, Kildag remained silent as a German interpreter explained the proceedings to him on Wednesday when he appeared before magistrate Grace Donalds. Laurence Aiolfi, from Samson McGrath, confirmed that he was formally on record representing Kildag.
Director of Public Prosecutions Cheryl Richards said a notice had been sent to the Turkish authorities giving them 45 days from the date of Kildag’s arrest to send the required information. She also said that her office had asked the authorities in Istanbul to answer the points made by Kildag that he was not in Turkey at the time of the offence before they send the formal extradition information.
The Turkish government has an extradition agreement with the UK that does not obligate the authorities there to send supporting evidence, only basic information regarding the alleged offences.
Concerns are growing regarding the current leadership in Turkey, which has had a major clampdown in the last few months, locking up thousands of people the regime sees as its enemies following the military coup there just a few months ago.
While President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has his sights on the people he believes are connected to the exiled Fethullah Gulen, the man he claims was behind the failed and short-lived coup, the PKK is also a firm target. Considered a terrorist organisation in Turkey, the PKK is a left-wing group that has no connections to Islamic terrorism but is a Kurdish separatist movement fighting for an independent Kurdistan.
While the group was active in the 1980’s and is accused of committing terrorist acts, despite numerous searches no information has emerged of primary schools being burned or victims being shot by the PKK in eastern Turkey on the day, or even in the year, alleged on the Interpol warrant.
Calel Kildag was remanded in custody and he will remain in HMP Northward over the Christmas period until his next appearance on 29 December.
Category: Courts, Crime, Europe, World News
i work with this man for many years and he is a caring, helpfull, always smiling no matter what, he said he can prove he was never there let him prove it and send him home too his Family and friends where he belongs
#Free Celal
Why Germany never send him to Turkey? Or the U.S. never arrest him. Now this man is being treated like a criminal before getting the facts straight. My question now is why is taking so long to ge this matter sort it out.
12:20 So he could blow up something here I guess. You people always know what is right.
It’s difficult to see how remanding in custody was justified in this case. He should have been released on bail with his passport surrendered.
If the gentleman boarded a cruise ship in the U.S., he must have been granted entry to that country by U.S. Immigration. If that very strict organisation had no problem with him why on earth would Cayman authorities want to stir things up?
Who says the Great United States is incapable of mistakes?
O please … you better get your new wall fast!
Do you not have to show a passport to get on a cruise ship ? idk , never been on one , but common sense tells me that this man should have been flagged while getting on the ship , wherever that happened to be , so send him back to that point of entry , or put him back on the next ship that’s going that way , let them handle this .
The charges, as I said when this first broke, are impossible to prove. Even more so now that Mr. Kildag has proof he was not in Turkey during the alleged crimes. This man should be sent to London and then to Germany once this is settled. Either that, or London should pony up the money this is costing the Government.
We always suffer Cayman to be set up for lawsuits
“Considered a terrorist organisation in Turkey, the PKK is a left-wing group ”
This in not accurate. 1) It is not only a “consideration”, they ARE a terrorist organization. 2) Not only Turkey, but the EU and USA labels these terrorists as terrorist organization. 3) they are not “left-wing”, they are hardcore communist / Marxist terrorist organization.
How can one get things wrong in only one sentence….
Many so called terrorist organisations end up becoming legitimate as the rights they are fighting for are just. The leadership of the IRA plays a large part in Irish Government for example- former FARC Guerillas will soon play a part in Colombian Government. Kurds have long been looked upon as second class citizens and badly treated by Turkey when they probably have a legitimate claim…however Erdogan’s ego will not see that…the Kurds are vital in the fight against real terrorists in Syria, armed by the US and Erdogan wants to kill them all…not the smartest man on the planet…and Erdogans crack down on any opposition shows what he is…if there is no proof, or a lot of doubt-set this man free and send the bill to Turkey.
One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.
Holy eyebrows batman. If he could get those things to flap enough he could fly himself back to Germany.
I wouldn’t put much trust in anything “official” coming out of Turkey these days. Send him home…through the U.K.
I wonder if the CIG isn’t tired of having to use taxpayers money to settle lawsuits?? The DPP needs to be replaced as she has no idea what she is doing as evidenced by several cases in recent times. Send this man on his merry way and stop wasting Court time and funds.
Boy is that ever true. Frankly if they didn’t check with the FCO first, this was a mistake.
Read the article. We are following the UK’s extradition treaty with Turkey, rather than the international norm of having to establish a prima facie case. There is a reason the Germans didn’t extradite the guy, and why the US isn’t extraditing Gulen. Why in the absence of any evidence he was in the country at the time of the offence this guy is forced to remain in custody rather than simply having his passport removed is beyond me though. Especially when we are more than happy to allow those accused of firearm offences and violence to roam the streets whilst awaiting trial, even though the chances of them getting on a canoe to Kingston are way higher than a 54 year old German man fleeing the jurisdiction.
Wow! CIG should be directed by the UK’s instructions and processes in this matter before it exposes itself to another costly lawsuit.
Our DPP is known to screw things up!
Send him to London. There is no reason to hold him in custody given the Turkish stance and Germany and the UK’s obvious lack of concern. If we are in a position where we have to choose sides between Turkey and Germany, the answer must be obvious.