EXCLUSIVE
An Australian woman has been arrested on terrorism charges and jailed by Turkish authorities. security forces as she prepared to board a flight home to Melbourne.
Daily Mail Australia can reveal that the country’s elite intelligence service targeted Çiğdem Aslan at Istanbul airport on Saturday in a joint operation with local police.
The 40-year-old was being monitored by Turkey’s National Intelligence Agency (MIT) over alleged ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
The PKK has been fighting for Kurdish sovereignty within Turkiye, formerly Turkey, since the 1970s and was founded with the aim of creating an independent Kurdish state.
The group has been designated as a proscribed terrorist organisation in countries around the world, including the US, UK, EU and Australia.
It is said that Madame Aslan is one of the leaders of an Australian terrorist cell with ties to the PKK and its activities in the country.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed to Daily Mail Australia on Monday that Australian consular officials were aware of Ms Aslan’s arrest.
Çiğdem Aslan was arrested by Turkish forces at Istanbul airport on Saturday, local media reported. She was recently quoted as co-chair of the Federation of Kurdish Democratic Society
Ms Aslan was preparing to board her flight from Istanbul to Melbourne when she was arrested
‘The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to an Australian woman held in Turkey, a spokesperson said.
‘Due to our privacy obligations, we are unable to comment further.’
Consular assistance may include visits to prisons to monitor welfare, liaising with local authorities regarding the Australian’s welfare, providing lists of local lawyers and assisting with communications with family members or designated contacts.
Ms Aslan’s arrest came amid a large-scale raid in the Mediterranean capital, carried out by MIT, Istanbul Police and the Istanbul Police Counter-Terrorism Department.
It was alleged that she had actively participated in actions and events carried out on behalf of the PKK in Australia and that she had been under surveillance by MIT for some time.
She is now in prison in Turkey awaiting her trial date.
Ms Aslan was believed to be waiting for her flight back to Australia when she was arrested at the airport by Istanbul police.
Her LinkedIn profile states that she currently works part-time as a community health educator at the Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health in Melbourne.
She was recently quoted in a 2022 article on the Australian GreenLeft activist website as co-chair of the Federation of Kurdish Democratic Society, praising a Senate candidate for his support of “the Kurdish people’s struggle for self-determination.”
Earlier, she also spoke on behalf of the Kurdish Women’s League of Victoria.
In December, she organised a seminar entitled Kurdistan: Past, Present and Future at Pascoe Vale in Melbourne, where a range of speakers discussed human rights in Kurdistan.
The PKK has been active for 40 years and its activities are blamed by Turkish authorities for the deaths of 40,000 people. local media reports.
According to a 2012 report by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, Australia officially considers the PKK an “ideologically motivated, violent, extremist organisation”.
“The PKK was founded in 1978 and is based on a combination of Kurdish nationalism and Marxist-Leninist ideals,” the report said.
‘Most of the attacks appear to be very specifically targeted, for example armed attacks on Turkish forces using small-caliber firearms.
‘However, there have also been several indiscriminate attacks with high casualties, using both suicide bombers and improvised explosive devices in vehicles.’
Before Ms Aslan’s arrest, only one other Australian had been charged for his links to the terrorist group.
Renas Lelikan pleaded guilty to PKK membership and was sentenced to three years in prison by the New South Wales Supreme Court in 2019.
It is alleged that Ms Aslan was one of the leaders of an associated Australian terrorist cell linked to the PKK and its work in the country.
Ms Aslan was reportedly waiting for her flight back to Australia when members of Istanbul police arrested her at the airport
Her arrest was part of a large-scale raid carried out by MIT, Istanbul Police and the Istanbul Police Counter-Terrorism Department.
In its own founding documents, the PKK has explicitly stated that it aims to gain political power by carrying out attacks on the government, the security forces and its rivals.
“The Kurdistan Workers’ Party aims to monopolize Kurdish political power, including by attacking the interests of rival political parties,” the statement said.
‘However, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party mainly attacks the Turkish government and security forces.’
Daily Mail Australia has asked Kurdish groups in Australia for comment.