James Matthews: A former British soldier who fought against Isis attacks the terrorist incoherence leader

A former British army soldier accused of terrorism after fighting Isis in Syria attacked the authorities' "incoherent" approach to volunteers who risked their lives.

Jim Matthews was the first person to be prosecuted for fighting with the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) after dozens of British supporters joined their cause.

He said L & # 39; Independent his shock after being accused of terrorist acts, two years after his arrest while he was returning to the UK.

"We [British YPG volunteers] We went there because our government was doing enough, "said Mr. Matthews." It was a job we had to do, we had to get Isis out of this territory. "

The 44-year-old, who left the army in 1999 and became a teacher thereafter, it is a "strange contradiction" to be charged with terrorism after being beaten against them. jihadists.

According to him, Isis, who perpetrated a genocide against the Yezidi people in Iraq and invaded Syria when he joined the fighting, was "the most legitimate case of foreign intervention since long time".

"I would have had little chance of going out if the British army was also fighting there," Matthews added.

"I will always think about the battles I have engaged in, but I am finally convinced that it was the right thing to do."

The YPG is not a banned terrorist group in the UK and its forces have been supported by British military and international airstrikes to drive Isis out of its Syrian territories.

But Matthews was accused of "attending a place used for terrorist training".

The news of his prosecution had caused outrage last February. Supporters wondered how a person who risked his life fighting Isis could be considered a terrorist.

A second British YPG fighter, Aidan James, was then charged with terrorist offenses and awaiting trial, while his fellow volunteer, Ozkan Ozdil, was arrested by the anti-terrorist police in December but did not make him a member of the police. object of no other action.

Mr. Matthews said that nothing distinguished his actions from those of others who had never been prosecuted, adding, "There is no consistent approach … I was considered a terrorist then that the YPGs are not. "

Matthews, from Stoke-on-Trent, thinks his appearance in a 2015 documentary denounced his role with the authorities, but he did not fear prosecution after his fellow volunteers entered and exited the UK unhindered. .

He decided to fight Isis after seeing the picture of a jihadist holding the severed head of a woman on Facebook, contacting the YPG on Facebook and joining the group in January 2015.

Mr. Matthews wrote a book, Fight monsters, which describes the brutal reality of sometimes chaotic battles in Iraq and Syria.

He describes his friendship with other British volunteers Konstandinos Erik Scurfield and Jac Holmes, who were among the eight British YPG fighters killed so far in Syria.

Mr. Matthews considers himself lucky to have survived a year of bloody advances against Isis and decided to return home in February 2016.

He was arrested at the Portsmouth Ferry Terminal, interrogated, strip searched, and his pbadport, laptop, phone and belongings seized.

When asked about his purpose, he recalls a policeman who said, "Well, the YPGs are not on the list of proscribed people, but Turkey, which is a NATO ally, says they are terrorists, so … "

It took another two years on bail for the Attorney General to authorize a terrorism charge and he lost a teaching position.

But on July 31, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced that it would not offer any evidence against Mr. Matthews at Old Bailey, and the case was closed.

A CPA spokesperson said: "As a result of new evidence specific to this case, we concluded that there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction. As such, the prosecution has not provided any evidence against Mr. Matthews. "

In court, his lawyers wondered whether "pressure from an oppressive foreign government had begun to influence the decisions of the British judicial authorities."

They stated that Mr. Matthews had not joined YPG to advance a "religious, political, racial or ideological" case, which is the definition of terrorism in British law.

"The defendant understood that his actions were in line with the objections of the HM government in terms of foreign policy," said a statement from the defense read by L & # 39; s independent.

Although the government believes that YPGs have "ideological and organizational ties" with the proscribed Kurdish terrorist group, the PKK, it regards them as separate organizations.

Alastair Lyon, a lawyer representing Matthews, said L & # 39; Independent The case was "bonkers" and accused the authorities of treating YPG volunteers "in a totally random manner".

"There remains no response from the authorities as to why this case was introduced or abandoned," said Birnberg Peirce's lawyer.

"This case is obviously a clear example of how anti-terrorism laws of such magnitude and such legal uncertainty can be used to target individuals without reproach for political ends." "

A spokesman for the Attorney General's Office said: "SPC is operationally independent and decides to sue independently of the government."

Mr Matthews currently lives in Britain and teaches English at a private language school in London, but fears that the legal test will haunt him.

He was "interrogated diligently" before being allowed to fly to Russia for an unconditional period of bail and he thinks he is on a watch list.

"If I had this experience again, I would not be surprised at all," he added. "It's hard, I'd be lying if I said that's not the case. I came back from a year of war and was arrested, so it's a test. "

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: "The police are actively seeking to investigate all those who return to the conflict in Syria or Iraq, to ​​determine whether they have committed criminal offenses and s & # 39; ensure that they do not pose a threat. "Any decision as to the desirability of prosecution is made by the CPS on a case-by-case basis."

A spokesman for the Home Office said the government warned against any trip to Syria and parts of Iraq.

"Anyone who goes to these areas, for whatever reason, exposes them to considerable danger," a statement added.

"Everyone who returns after taking part in the conflict should expect to be investigated by the police."