Mr.A. H. Korthals (Minister of Justice) 
PostOffice Box 20 301 
NL- 2500 EH Den Haag 
Fax: 0031 – 70 – 370 79 37 

Dear Mr.A. H. Korthals

I am shocked to hear that the Netherlands are minded to agree to the Republic of Turkey’s request to extradite Ms Nuriye Kesbir, who applied for political asylum on her arrival in the Netherlands last year and who was then detained on charges of separatism. 

I am very aware, as I am sure you are yourself, of the 70 year record of merciless and brutal treatment which, since its founding in 1925, the Republic of Turkey has meted out to Kurdish people. It is particularly incomprehensible that your government is thinking of sending Ms Kesbir back to Turkey.

Your government surely knows that Ms Kesbir will almost certainly be severely tortured if she is returned to Turkey, and that it is against all the rules, particularly Article 3 of the ECHR, governing the treatment of refugees, to send people back to countries where they are likely to suffer torture or inhuman or degrading treatment.

I am well aware of how important to their communities is the work of women activists who support and encourage other woman to survive the traumas of war and political persecution and the hardships of exile.

I ask you to use your power to ensure that Ms Kesbir will be recognised as a political refugee and will be allowed to stay in the Netherlands as long as she has occasion to.

I would further appreciate it if you could forward my concerns to your Minister for Internal Affairs Mr. K.G. De Vries and the Foreign Minister Mr. J.J. van Aartsen.

Yours Sincerely,