THE Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office charged four people for raising funds on behalf of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party or PKK.
The suspects allegedly sell newspapers and magazines as well as collect donations for religious holidays from its supporters through an umbrella body that organizes and coordinates with PKK affiliates in Türkiye.
Police operations in three districts in Istanbul led to the seizure of 10,000 euros ($10,840.35) and $30,000 in cash, unlicensed pump-action rifles, handguns, 181 bullets, and digital materials.
Prosecutors found the funds were transferred to jailed PKK members, their relatives and supporters, as well as the families of terrorists killed during operations by the militant group.
Turkiye, the United States, and the European Union have designated PKK as a terrorist organization.
Founded in 1984, the militant Marxist-Leninist Kurdish separatist group operates in northern Syria, northern Iraq, western Iran, and southeastern Turkey.
It has engaged in an armed struggle with Turkiye since the 1980s and was responsible for numerous attacks after starting a rebellion against the government of Turkiye and attacking the Turkish military.
With thousands of members, the guerrilla movement aims to create an independent Kurdistan state by gaining control of Kurdish areas of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkiye.
