Sweden convicts PKK sympathizer of terror financing, firearms offense for 1st time

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) - For the first time, Sweden has convicted a sympathizer of the PKK of firearms offense and attempted terror financing, media reports said Thursday.

"What particularly affects the length of the prison sentence, four- and half-year prison time, is the convicted man's use of weapons and allusions to belonging to the terrorist organization PKK, which is judged to have a large capital of violence,” the court said in its ruling, according to public broadcaster SVT.

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Hans Ihrman underscored that detectives had been able to verify 11 occasions when the man moved with a high-ranking PKK member in Stockholm to extort money from restaurants and wholesalers.

Furthermore, Mans Wigen, chief councilor of the Stockholm district court, said the investigation shows a clear connection between the PKK terror group and the convict.

“I want to emphasize that Sweden's application to NATO has had no impact on the district court's review,” he said.

In its almost 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK -- listed as a terror organization by Türkiye, the US, the UK and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.

Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership soon after Russia launched a war in Ukraine in February 2022.

Although Türkiye approved Finland's membership, it is waiting for Sweden to abide by a trilateral memorandum signed in June 2022 in Madrid to address Ankara's security concerns.

Sweden passed an anti-terror law in November, hoping that Ankara would approve Stockholm's bid to join NATO. The law, effective June 1, allows authorities to prosecute individuals who support terrorist groups.​​​​​​​