German politicians Glasner-Hummel and Schamberger called on people to support Die Linke in the 23 February elections to stand against the criminalization of the Kurdish freedom movement and to defend the rights of the Kurdish community.
For the past 30 years, the Kurdish freedom movement has been criminalized in Germany. Regardless of whether the government was led by the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) or the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), this policy has remained unchanged. In particular, the ban on PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) activities has been the basis for human rights violations against Kurds in Germany.
In an appeal, German politicians Alexander Glasner-Hummel and Dr. Kerem Schamberger said that during the peace process in Turkey between 2013 and 2015, discussions were held about lifting the ban on the PKK. They emphasized that a similar opportunity for dialogue could arise again. In such a case, they underlined the importance of having Die Linke (The Left) strongly represented in parliament to bring the issue of lifting the ban back onto the political agenda.
Die Linke, a pro-Kurdish party
Die Linke, which in 2014 was the only party to submit a parliamentary motion for the lifting of the ban on the PKK, positions itself as the strongest ally of the Kurdish freedom movement in Germany.
Die Linke’s primary goal is the freedom of Kurdistan
In response to Baerbock’s request in Ankara for the disarmament of the People’s Defence Units (YPG) and the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), as well as Green Party leader Habeck’s misleading claims that no arms are being sold to Turkey, it was emphasized that Die Linke is the only party advocating for an immediate halt to arms sales to Turkey. Additionally, it was stated that Die Linke’s primary goal is closely tied to the freedom of Kurdistan.
Kurdish candidates on Die Linke's electoral list
Die Linke's electoral list includes Kurdish candidates Cansu Özdemir, Gökay Akbulut, and Ferat Koçak. Party leader Jan van Aken has also openly expressed his support for the Kurdish freedom movement, announcing that one of his first visits after the election will be to Kurdistan.
Call to vote for Die Linke on 23 February
The call emphasized that the primary struggle in Germany is to ensure that the Kurdish community remains free from oppression and state persecution. It was stressed that Kurds and their supporters must vote for Die Linke to build a strong and unified movement.
