The Federal Prosecutor's Office in Karlsruhe opened 136 preparatory investigations in 2017, in connection with the PKK.

It is to be noted that similar investigations were 37 in 2016 and only 24 in 2015, while in 2017 the number was 4 times higher to coincide with an increase in tension with Turkey President Erdogan’s regime.

A similar increase was observed in the first two months of 2018. In January and February, 50 new investigations were opened. Among the main opposition parties in the Bundestag, the Left Party asked why all these investigations, why such police violence against Kurds and why the intolerance towards their symbols.

The question prepared by Left Party deputy Ulla Jelpke has been presented to the Federal Interior Ministry and so to Angela Merkel’s government.

The federal government answer obtained by ANF and dated 5 April said: 

"The increase in the number of investigations linked to the PKK under Articles 129a and 129b of the Constitution, related to supporters of a foreign terrorist organization, is due to the fact that these people are either members of the PKK or supporters who fled to Germany and apply for asylum in the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees”.

In this response, the Interior Ministry revealed that the reasons for the migration of Kurdish political refugees fleeing the Erdogan regime were automatically investigated. It turned out that the Office of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees immediately transferred the information about Kurds seeking asylum to the Federal Office of Karlsruhe, even though they had reasons to claim asylum.

German security bodies had shown a similar attitude after the Afghanistan war. At that time, the Afghan political refugees who sought asylum in Germany were tagged as "Taliban members" by Germany in order to justify the war against Afghanistan by the US and Western allies.

The Interior Ministry also insists since 1993, that all posters and photographs of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan should be withdrawn, suggesting the more strict implementation of the prohibitions on PKK activities that were banned in Germany and prohibiting the exhibition of many symbols.

The Interior Ministry, which refrains from responding to the many questions contained in the motion by the Left Party giving general answers, denied having sent information on the German Kurdish Democratic Society Center (NAV-DEM). Despite this denial, however, many activities and demonstrations promoted by NAV-DEM, especially after the invasion of Afrin, have been banned in many places. This may mean that intelligence passed on information to  provinces, perhaps without the knowledge of the Federal Ministry of the Interior.

The actions considered as "crime" and linked to the PKK are also increasing. These were 27 in 2013, 94 in 2014, 165 in 2015, 319 in 2016 and 152 in 2017. In addition, the other crimes from 2013 until 2017 were: 551 property damage, 67 threats, 74 propaganda.

It has to be noted that a significant portion of the “crimes” listed as PKK-related by the Interior Ministry were not committed by Kurds but by AKP gangs who indeed attacked Kurds. In 2104, for example, the attack by knife carried out by gangs in Hanover against refugees from Rojava were listed as "crime linked to the PKK".

As to the “illegal symbols" the sentences were as follow: 2 in 2013, 18 in 2014, 12 in 2015, 23 in 2016 and 18 in 2017.

This means that the German state continues to insist on the criminalization policy of Kurds living in the country.