A leaked document compiled by Facebook has revealed that the company considers mentions of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and 15 other affiliated individuals and organizations in posts as “dangerous” and warranting possible removal.
The hundred-page internal document published by the Intercept contains the names of over 4,000 organizations, political parties, and individuals that are flagged by the social media company as “dangerous.”
The mentions surrounding PKK, PJAK and its affiliates are noted in the category “terrorism”.
There are 16 mentions of groups and individuals affiliated with the PKK in the document, most notably the armed group itself and the Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK).
Established in 2003, PJAK is the Iranian wing of the PKK, but the group itself claims they are linked only by a shared ideology.
PJAK is considered a terrorist organization by Iran, and the PKK one by Turkey, European Union and the United States.
The list also contains a media outlet affiliated with the PKK that shows footage of military action (Gerila TV), and several deceased individuals, including PKK founding members Sakine Cansiz and Mezlum Dogan, and its first commander Mahsum Korkmaz who passed away 35 years ago.
Also on the list, are leaders of the the group including the imprisoned Abdullah Ocalan, Cemil Bayik, Duran Kalkan and Murat Karayilan, all members of the executive body.
Apart from PKK affiliates, the list also includes other Kurdish organizations and individuals, such as the al-Qaida Kurdish Battalions and most notably Erbil-based religious cleric Ismail Susaiy, who was arrested in 2018 and charged with ties to the Islamic State (ISIS) group.
