20 January marks the fourth anniversary of Turkey's attack against the predominantly Kurdish-inhabited canton of Afrin in northern Syria, in violation of international law. KON-MED, the largest Kurdish umbrella organisation in Germany, demands an end to the occupation of Afrin by the Turkish army and its jihadist mercenaries. The umbrella organisation calls on the German government to fully investigate its own role in this war, which is contrary to international law. German tanks were demonstrably used in the siege of Afrin.

"In the meantime, the images of German tanks used by Turkey in the siege in 2018 have been largely forgotten in this country. The human rights crimes of the Turkish state and its jihadist mercenaries in Afrin are no longer perceived by the public here, as civilians are still being abducted, tortured, raped and murdered there every day. Women are forced to wear veils, people of other faiths have been forcibly Islamized or forced to flee. Tens of thousands have been displaced, and the Turkish state has largely implemented its intended ethnic cleansing in the canton, installed a Turkish administration, used Turkish as the official language, banned the Kurdish language, destroyed numerous testimonies of Kurdish history and culture," KON-MED said and appealed to the German government: "We demand that the German government end its silence on attacks and war crimes committed by Turkey in violation of international law! We demand a complete reappraisal! We demand an immediate stop of all arms deliveries to Turkey!"