Kurd Rebel Chief’s Legal Aides Acquitted in Turkey

A lawyer for Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan and an interpreter for the rebel’s European legal team were acquitted Friday of charges of aiding and abetting the rebel group, the lawyer’s office said.

Sibel Ceylan, who holds both Belgian and Turkish citizenship, was detained at Istanbul airport May 7 as she prepared to leave Turkey with several documents, including a copy of the indictment against Ocalan. The papers were given to the interpreter by one of Ocalan’s lawyers, Niyazi Bulgan.

Bulgan was charged but not arrested.

Ocalan is on trial in a Turkish court on charges of leading the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, in its 15-year war for autonomy in southeast Turkey.

Prosecutors accused the two of aiding and abetting the PKK by attempting to bring documents to PKK representatives in Europe. The charge carries up to 7 1/2 years in prison.

Ceylan told the court in its first hearing Friday that she was taking the document to Britta Breugler, a lawyer who represents Ocalan in the Netherlands.

The court acquitted both Ceylan and Bulgan of all charges, the office of Ocalan’s legal team said. Ceylan was expected to be released later Friday after spending more than a month in an Istanbul prison.