Yiğit Bulut, a chief advisor to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said on public TV that a decision to release former co-chairperson of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) Salih Muslim was taken by not the Czech Republic but by Germany, Turkish media reported.
“It is not possible that this country [Czech Republic] made this decision. It is owned by Germany,” Bulut said, adding that “Slovaks are real men” while “Czechs are not.”
Muslim was arrested on Feb. 25 in Prague on an Interpol Red Notice issued at Turkey’s request. Turkish security officials and the Ministry of Justice had begun the administrative process for Muslim’s extradition.
But a Czech court on Feb. 27 released Muslim. Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ on the same day slammed the court’s ruling.
“This decision is in clear support of terrorism. This is a political decision that cannot be explained in terms of law. … This decision supports terrorist acts against Turkey,” he said.