The case of Paul Newey and NATO’s principles

Shakhawan Shorash | Exclusive to iKurd.net

British citizen Paul Newey was arrested for sending money to his son Dan, who is a member of The People’s Protection Units (YPG) forces fighting Turkey’s invasion of north-eastern Syria.

“Material support” for terrorism, a charge Newey’s father could face. He could be punished for providing financial support for a military force that is not identified as a terrorist organization by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), of which Turkey is a member.

The YPG defends its territory, which was recently invaded by Turkish forces and their allies. In essence, Turkey has invaded another country where several ethnic groups lived peacefully throughout the civil war in Syria.

According to several media outlets, Turkey and its allies have committed war crimes, and there is evidence to suggest ethnic cleansing. Paul Newey was questioned for 36 hours in the name of supporting terrorism. Mr. Newey was released on bail.

Dan Newey said, “On the one hand Britain supports the YPG militarily as part of the international coalition and on the other hand it is actively persecuting people that have anything to do with it. I have no idea why [the police] have arrested my father and questioned my brother or mother. My actions are mine alone. Because they can’t get to me, they are targeting my family,”.

The YPG, the main force in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), has been the effective force that defeated ISIS. Neither the US nor the EU regard the YPG as a terrorist organization. The YPG is not banned under UK terrorism legislation. Dan joined the YPG, which is not a terrorist organization.

British Dan Newey fights with Syrian Kurdish YPG forces — Dan Newey, a British national, fighted alongside the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Syrian Kurdistan against ISIS. His Kurdish-led military unit was backed by Britain and trained by the SAS, 2017. Photo: SM

Paul Newey clearly said, ”He belongs to the YPG which isn’t a terrorist unit, and he’s in Syria not Turkey… ‘He’s been defending Kurdish and Syrian communities against the Turks who have invaded, and that’s what I said when the police interviewed me.’

After all, both the United States and the European Union have condemned the Turks’ invasion of Rojava (northern Syria) and have, among other things, come up with fragile sanctions against Turkey. Therefore, there is no doubt about the Turks’ violation of international laws and human rights.

Also, regarding the principles of NATO, Turkey has violated some of those, namely Articles 1 and 2, which require Turkey to pursue a peaceful solution and maintain stability in the region. On the contrary, Turkey has rejected a peaceful settlement and has invaded a country where hundreds of civilians have been killed and hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes. Daily battles and crimes are ongoing in the invaded area called “safe zone”.

Mr. Newey was arrested on suspicion of funding/supporting terrorism, but does this move had anything to do with Article 5 because the YPG attacks a NATO member? If so, does this apply when this member attacks an allied force and violates international law and commits crimes?

The rationale behind this move is missing several answers. There are contradictions that have somehow been overlooked, and no interest is shown in trying to answer the implied questions.

If Mr. Newey becomes known guilty, then the move tells us that even if Turkey violates international law and human rights and invades an allied territory, the support of the inhabitants to fight to defend the country could be illegal and a crime.

Thus, these heinous crimes, which Turkey and its allies have committed, have no bearing on the rules regarding members’ obligations to NATO’s principles, even though the YPG is an “allied” force and even if Turkey violates NATO’s principles.

References

– Father of British YPG volunteer in Syria arrested over terrorism offences, https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/dec/27/father-of-british-ypg-volunteer-in-syria-arrested-terrorism-offences
– U.K. Arrests Man Who Sent £150 to Son Fighting With Kurds in Syria, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/27/world/europe/British-father-arrested-Kurds-terrorism.html

Shakhawan Shorash, BA and Master of political science from Southern University of Denmark and University of Copenhagen. A freelance writer concerning human right, genocide, ethnic conflicts, democratization and similar subjects. Shorash is an occasional contributing senior writer for iKurd.net, See below.

The opinions are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of iKurd.net or its editors.