Bahar KimyongürBahar Kimyongür (born 28 April 1974 in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Belgium), is a Belgian political writer of Turkish extraction.[1] He is perhaps most well known for his repeated arrests and releases on terrorism-related offences in the early twenty-first century. Legal tribulationsIn 2006 he was convicted, as part of a group, by the tribunal of first instance for terrorist offences (specifically membership of the DHKP-C), and imprisoned. The conditions of their imprisonment in Bruges prison have been called a 'white torture' by Human rights groups. Although on release whilst appealing against his sentence,[2] in November the same year the Ghent Court of Appeal upheld his conviction. Imprisoned in Ghent, Kimyongür appealed to the Supreme Court,[3] and again, to the Antwerp appellate court a year later.[4] Although delaying its verdict a number of times, the Antwerp court eventually announced the acquittal of all the accused on 7 February 2008.[5] A year later, the Brussels appeals' court also acquitted him of further charges relating to membership of a proscribed organisation.[6] However, it was not until early in 2010 that the Prosecution of Belgium announced it would not appeal Kimyongür's (and others) release.[7] The television channel RTBF has claimed that his arrest in the Netherlands was at the instigation of the Belgian security services.[8] He was subsequently arrested in Córdoba, Spain on 18 June 2013, and released under caution;[9] he was then arrested in Bergamo, Italy, on 21 November the same year. He was released in March 2014 by the Brescia court of appeal.[10][11] References
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