Kurdish activist Kenan Ayaz, imprisoned in Cyprus at the instigation of Germany, stated that none of his activities could be construed as terrorist and that his extradition would be an electoral gift for Erdogan.
The long-time Kurdish activist Kenan Ayaz was arrested on 15 March at the airport in the port city of Larnaca in Cyprus on the basis of a German extradition request for alleged PKK membership, as he was about to fly to Sweden to visit family. Since then, the 49-year-old has been in custody. A Cypriot court granted the extradition request on 19 April. While Ayaz appealed against this decision, the proceedings are ongoing. Ayaz has already spent twelve years in prison in Turkey because of his political identity.
The arrest of Kenan Ayaz has led to widespread protests among the Cypriot public. The case is also being reported in the media. The newspaper Simerini published a report in which Ayaz answered questions while in extradition custody in Nicosia. In the article, Kenan Ayaz emphasized the "common destiny" of the people of Cyprus and Kurdistan, establishing a connection between his extradition and the upcoming elections in Turkey.
"Great efforts are taking place for dictator Erdogan to win the elections via my extradition from here via Germany to the fascist Turkish state. If the Cyprus High Court were to agree to this decision, it would be a gift to the fascist Erdogan," Ayaz said.
Remarking that there is not a single piece of evidence that he has committed any criminal offences anywhere, Ayaz said that the arrest warrant issued by Germany is clearly related to Turkey: "I am fighting for the freedom of the Kurdish people and the peoples of Cyprus and the Middle East. All my activities are legal and take place in public. I participate in conferences, seminars, events and TV programmes and do not engage in conspiratorial activities. There is no act of violence that could be construed as a terrorist action. All my work is done within the framework of European legislation.”
Ayaz pointed out that: “The accusations made against me in Germany do not contain any allegations of violence either. There are only allegations of assemblies, propaganda and the like. None of this can be classified as an act of terrorism. In Turkey, I was tried in the KCK case and faced the same accusations. My participation in meetings and conferences is interpreted as a criminal offence and the price is years in prison.”
“Turkey is demanding that Europe extradite me on the basis of my indictment in the KCK trial. Germany is supposed to put this demand into practice because the Turkish state cannot legally demand this from Cyprus. Germany demands me from Cyprus and will extradite me to Turkey. In this way, the authored scenario will end, and the game will be completed,” Ayaz concluded.
