Kenan Ayaz, a long-time Kurdish activist, 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 for a family visit. Since then, the 49-year-old activist has been in custody. While a Cypriot court submitted the extradition request on 19 April, Ayaz appealed against this decision and the proceedings are ongoing. Ayaz spent twelve years in prison in Turkey because of his political identity.

In a statement through his lawyers, Ayaz told the Cypriot press that Germany’s extradition request was not legal but political and the court conformed to this unlawfulness.

“With its decision, the court took sides with the fascist, colonialist, invading Turkish state, which has become a genocidal machine. The court thus became a party to the genocidal attacks directed against our people, and approved the great invasion and massacre against the people of Cyprus in 1974,” Ayaz stated.

The Kurdish activist pointed out that the action taken by Germany was in association with the Turkish state, saying that the court had a “historic responsibility” to end this lawlessness.

“I cannot remain silent on my deprivation of liberty through unfair and inhuman treatment. As the threat remains serious and concrete, I announce starting an indefinite hunger strike as of May 4th, 2023, which will continue until I see my demand answered. I denounce the unlawfulness of the extradition request and express my rejection of it.”