The CDK-F (Kurdish Democratic Council – France) said in a statement that it is “deeply shocked by the very heavy sentences inflicted on the 11 Kurdish activists who are nothing but defenders of human rights and democracy.”

On 14 April 2023, the Paris Criminal Court delivered its verdict in the case of 11 Kurdish activists accused of belonging to the PKK, sentencing them from three to five years of imprisonment.

The statement added: "We strongly condemn this decision motivated by political and not legal considerations. The Kurds are peaceful people who seek to exercise their democratic rights and fight against all forms of discrimination and oppression.

It is clear that the terrorist character is used only when it comes to repressing the Kurds. Because when it comes to prosecuting crimes committed against the Kurds, French justice does not use the terrorist qualification, as evidenced by the refusal of the anti-terrorist prosecutor's office to take up the case of the attack against our premises who killed three Kurdish militants on 23 December 2022."

The statement continued: "We are appalled by these decisions which clearly show that the Kurds face blatant political discrimination in France. We demand the immediate release of all Kurdish activists imprisoned in France and other European countries.

We urge the French authorities to respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the Kurds and not to allow themselves to be influenced by political pressure. We also call on the authorities to shed full light on the attack on our cultural centre and to prosecute those responsible, in order to ensure that such horrific acts never happen again."

The CDK-F called "on the international community, human rights organizations and the media to put pressure on the French authorities to respect the rights of Kurds in France and around the world, and to do all that is in their power to protect the Kurds against violence and persecution."