| Britain |
| Briton appealing Turkey terror sentence flees to UK: report |
| 2018-12-16 |
| [Rudaw] LONDON, England, A former British soldier sentenced in ...Qatar's colony in Asia Minor.... for alleged links to a Kurdish militia in Syria has fled to Britannia, the BBC quoted him as saying on Friday. Joe Robinson, 25, said he had "made the hard decision to take the matter into my own hands", according to the broadcaster. Robinson was placed in durance vile ... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not... last year while holidaying in Turkey after he posted photos of himself in camouflage next to fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG) in Syria. A court in the western city of Aydin in September sentenced him to seven-and-a-half years in prison for "membership of a terrorist organization," the private DHA news agency said. Robinson did not attend the trial for health reasons, DHA said. He was held in jug in Turkey for four months but was on bail pending an appeal. He has previously said he provided medical assistance in Syria. "In Syria I managed to help civilians, and save lives. That, I believe, is no act of terrorism," he said. The YPG is an ally of the United States in the fight against the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not reallyMoslems.... group in Syria. But Ankara is hostile to the YPG, viewing it as a "terrorist offshoot" of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, which has been waging an insurgency in Turkey since 1984. Robinson's Bulgarian fiancee, arrested along with him, was also sentenced to nearly two years in jail in September for "terrorist propaganda," but she is currently in Britannia, DHA said. According to UK press reports, Robinson served with British armed forces in Afghanistan in 2012 and went to Syria in 2015 to work in the YPG's health unit. |
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| The Grand Turk | ||
| Turkey sentences ex-British soldier to 8 years in prison for joining YPG in Syria | ||
| 2018-09-16 | ||
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... has sentenced an ex-British soldier to eight years in prison for joining the Kurdish-led People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Syria. According to a report from the AFP News Agency, Joe Robinson, 25, was placed in durance vile Book 'im, Mahmoud! by the Robinson was accused of fighting with the YPG in Syria before he took a brief holiday in Turkey. The British national reportedly aided the YPG in their fight against the so-called Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not reallyMoslems.... (ISIS) in Syria. The YPG is considered an offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and an enemy of the
His Bulgarian fiancée, arrested along with him, was also sentenced to nearly two years in jail for “terrorist propaganda,” but she is currently in Britain, DHA said. According to British press reports, the 25-year-old Robinson is a former soldier who served in Afghanistan in 2012 and went to Syria in 2015 to work in the YPG's health unit. | ||
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| The Grand Turk | |
| Turkey Arrests Holidaying Briton over Kurd Militia Work | |
| 2017-07-30 | |
[AnNahar] Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please! a British citizen while he was holidaying on the country's western coast on charges of working with a Kurdish militia Ankara classified as a terror group, state media said. The man, named as Joseph A.R., was detained in the Aegean holiday resort town of Didim in Aydin province and then remanded in jug by a court ahead of trial, the state-run Anadolu news agency said late Friday. A Bulgarian citizen was detained with him but she was later allowed by the court to go free under judicial control. Her mother was also detained but freed without charge. Anadolu said Joseph A.R. was arrested after posting pictures on social media allegedly showing himself in camouflage gear taking part in Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) operations in Syria. Ankara considers the YPG a terrorist group and the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged an insurgency inside ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... since 1984. But Washington considers the YPG as the main fighting force on the ground in Syria against the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not reallyMoslems.... group. The United States is now openly arming the YPG and the group is heavily involved in the US-backed operation to oust IS jihadists from their stronghold of Raqa. The YPG has also attracted the services of foreigners -- many with no Kurdish family origin -- to fight against IS in Syria and Iraq. Several have bit the dust. According to the Hurriyet daily, the Briton said in his statement to police Sherlocks that he spent three months in Syria providing medical assistance to the YPG. He said was trained on the use of weapons by the YPG but never took part in any festivities, Hurriyet reported. The BBC said the man is ex-soldier Joe Robinson, 24, from the northern English city of Leeds and the Bulgarian his fiancee Mira Rojkan. Robinson had previously described his experiences with the YPG in media interviews, including with the Guardian. Anadolu said that "They arrested us on the beach while we were vacationing with my mother," Rojkan told the Guardian in a message. The British newspaper said Robinson served with British forces in Afghanistan in 2012 and travelled to Syria in 2015 to work as as a combat medic in the YPG. It said he had been arrested on suspicion of terror offences after arriving back in Britannia but the charges were dropped after 10 months.
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