Peter Caldwell secures acquittal of Peace Envoy on terrorism charges

A diplomatic envoy of the Kurdistan National Congress (KNK) was today cleared of terrorism charges following submissions on disclosure.

The envoy had been accused of membership of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), an organisation proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000. The allegations centred on the envoy’s visit to a PKK camp in Iraq, which he had attended for as part of a peace-building initiative prior to Turkey’s invasion of the Kurdish Rojava region in Northern Syria. The prosecution had alleged that while at the camp he had received training in terrorist related activities, but in response to defence expert evidence and submissions on the defence case, this was accepted to be unfounded. The envoy was also cleared of a further charge brought under RIPA concerning his refusal to allow access to confidential information on his telephone.

The Recorder of London entered not guilty verdicts to all charges upon the prosecution offering no evidence.

Peter Caldwell, working with Tayyiba Bajwa in related RIPA proceedings were instructed by Ali Has and Bilal Tanveer of Morgan Has Solicitors.