ISTANBUL, Turkey: An Australian woman, Cigdem Aslan, has been arrested in Turkey for alleged involvement in the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a group fighting for an autonomous Kurdish state. Turkish media report that Aslan was apprehended by the National Intelligence Organisation and Istanbul police’s counterterrorism unit on Saturday. Authorities had been tracking her and acted when she planned to return to Australia.
Aslan has been formally charged with participating in the PKK’s Australian arm. The PKK has been involved in a long-standing insurgency in Turkey, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives since the 1980s. Both Turkey and Australia, along with other Western nations, classify the PKK as a terrorist organization.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed they are providing consular assistance but withheld further details due to privacy concerns.
