Support for Kurdish political prisoner Mehmet Çakas is growing as his extradition to Turkey is scheduled for Thursday, 28 August. Members of the European Parliament from the Green and Left Alliance, Ilaria Salis and Domenico Lucano, urged the Italian government to intervene.
In a joint statement, they noted that Çakas had already received a life sentence in Turkey on charges of “PKK membership” without any concrete evidence, warning that he risked serious human rights violations if extradited. “Mehmet Çakas would face the same repression and political revenge suffered by thousands of Kurdish political prisoners under Erdoğan’s anti-Kurdish regime,” they said.
The statement recalled that Germany had issued a Red Notice in 2023 requesting Çakas’ extradition, while Italy had approved the handover only on the condition that he would be returned to Italy after trial. However, recent developments show this agreement is being violated.
The MEPs wrote: “German authorities now intend to extradite Mehmet to Turkey on August 28, 2025, openly breaching this agreement. We call on the Italian government to apply diplomatic pressure to ensure Germany honors its commitment. This call is especially important today, as the PKK has declared its readiness to lay down arms and begin a peace process.”
Ilaria Salis herself was imprisoned in Hungary before being elected to the European Parliament. She was detained during a protest against neo-Nazis and spent 15 months in prison before being elected in June 2024 as an MEP on the Green and Left Alliance list.
Letter from Mehmet Çakas
Mehmet Çakas is held in Uelzen Prison in Germany. He responded to the growing solidarity across Europe against his extradition with a written statement. He said that if sent to Turkey, he would face aggravated life imprisonment and the risk of torture, given the absence of fair trial conditions.
Çakas wrote: “Since the decision to extradite me to Turkey, I extend my respect and love to all those in Germany and Italy who have stood in solidarity with me. Their strong support has given me great morale and strength inside Uelzen Prison.”
He emphasized that democratic political participation in Turkey is impossible under current conditions: “Thousands of Kurdish politicians have been held hostage under the law of enmity for years. The fact that I am charged under Article 302 of the Turkish Penal Code provides concrete evidence of what awaits me if extradited.”
Çakas stressed that his case was not an individual matter but inherently political: “The extradition ruling is not a legal decision but a political one. Both German and European law contain clear provisions preventing people in my situation from being extradited to Turkey. Despite this, my extradition would constitute a scandal under German and European law.”
He added: “Despite all the injustices, I believe the determined stance and strong support emerging against this blatant illegality will lead to a positive outcome. I extend my gratitude to all who have shown solidarity, and I say: justice will prevail.”