The Paris Criminal Court sentenced 11 members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to prison terms ranging from three years, suspended, to five years, one of which was suspended, after convicting them, especially on charges of "extortion" and "financing terrorism."

These Kurds of Turkish origin have been on trial since last week on charges of belonging to a "network" charged with collecting "revolutionary brothers" to finance the PKK, among the Kurdish diaspora in southeastern France.

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is engaged in an insurgency that has been going on for decades in Turkey, and Ankara classifies it as the European Union and the United States as a "terrorist" organization.

And the court in Paris considered that these "collected large sums of money" by exerting "pressure" and "threats of ostracism from the community" in the event of non-payment.

And like four of them while they are arrested and four while they are at large, while two of them did not attend. Two men will remain in prison, while two others will soon be summoned to serve their sentences.

Throughout the trial, defense attorneys sought to refute the term "terrorism".

In particular, they denounced the "complete ambiguity" of the French state in its relationship with the Kurds, who are considered "allies" in the fight against the Islamic State and "terrorists" when they are fighting in Turkey.

"There is no doubt that elements and supporters of the PKK participated on the Iraqi-Syrian front and fought jihadist groups," said the president of the court, Muriel Deseraux.

She added, "A number of violent attacks and movements were attributed to the Kurdistan Workers' Party in Turkey," also referring to "violent acts" in France (such as vandalizing buildings or cars belonging to representatives of the Turkish state).

However, in an indication of the complexities of the matter, the court supported the Public Prosecution's request and did not decide to prevent them from being on French soil, a decision usually taken in terrorism cases, based on the "refugee status" enjoyed by the majority of the defendants.
Prosecutor Xavier Laurent confirmed that "the danger they faced in Turkey is proven."

Rafael Kempf, one of the defense attorneys, regretted maintaining the "terrorist" designation, which will have repercussions for one of his clients, "who may lose refugee status and be returned to Turkey," where an eight-year prison sentence awaits him on charges of terrorism.

Defense lawyer Martin Michan also confirmed, "It is difficult to understand that the French judiciary continues to classify the PKK as a terrorist organization. This is a decision based on political considerations, not legal ones."