In Nicosia, Cyprus, numerous people protested against the threatened extradition of Kurdish activist Kenan Ayaz to Germany. Ayaz was arrested on 15 March at the airport in the port city of Larnaca, Cyprus, on the basis of a German extradition request for alleged PKK membership, as he was about to fly to Sweden to visit his family. Since then, the 49-year-old has been in custody. A Cypriot court granted the extradition request on 19 April. Ayaz has appealed against this decision and the proceedings are ongoing.

The arrest of Ayaz has triggered widespread protest in Cyprus. The Kurdistan Solidarity Committee organized a rally in Nicosia on Saturday. The participants carried banners and signs reading "Freedom for Kenan Ayaz" and photos of the Kurdish activist, who has been living in the Greek part of Cyprus since 2013 and is a recognised refugee from Turkey. There were also photos of Teofilos Georgiadis. The former chair of the Kurdistan Solidarity Committee was shot dead by a Turkish contract killer in front of his flat on 20 March 1994.

In addition to Kurds, numerous Cypriot politicians from various parties and activists took part in the rally. In one of the speeches, it was emphasised that Ayaz's political commitment cannot be considered terrorism. "We strongly oppose the extradition of a Kurdish politician who has dedicated his entire life to the freedom of the people. The people of Cyprus stand with Kenan Ayaz. His struggle is our struggle too," said a statement.

Kenan Ayaz is a long-time activist of the Kurdish movement and was imprisoned in Turkey for twelve years because of his political identity. After his release, he continued his activism and made frequent public appearances. In 2015, Ayaz was an invited speaker at the conference "Challenging Capitalist Modernity" in Hamburg.