Kurdish politician Kenan Ayaz (officially Ayas), who is currently imprisoned in Hamburg, is about to return to Cyprus. The German and Cypriot authorities have agreed on a date for his transfer, his legal counsel told ANF today. According to this information, he is expected to arrive in Larnaca on September 8.
“Kenan Ayaz is very much looking forward to returning to his adopted home of Cyprus and seeing the people who have supported him and shown their solidarity over the past two and a half years,” said lawyer Antonia von der Behrens from Berlin and Cypriot lawyer Efstathios C. Efstathiou from Nicosia in a statement:
“Unfortunately, the Cypriot authorities must now enforce the judgment of the Hamburg court. As we have repeatedly emphasized, Kenan Ayaz’s defense considers this judgment to be legally flawed and a violation of his rights under the European Convention on Human Rights. Despite these circumstances, the defense had no other legal choice but to request that this flawed ruling be enforced in Cyprus in order to bring Kenan Ayaz back to Cyprus as soon as possible. However, Kenan Ayaz will continue to fight the Hamburg ruling and appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.
However, once Kenan Ayaz is in Cyprus, it will be up to the Cypriot authorities to decide, in accordance with Cypriot law, how long he must remain in custody. Kenan Ayaz has never been charged or convicted of a violent crime, yet he has been held in Germany for over two years under harsh anti-terrorism conditions. Due to Germany’s relentless persecution of the Kurdish movement, Kenan has therefore served far too long a prison sentence. We are confident that the competent Cypriot authorities will take this into account and release him as soon as possible in accordance with Cypriot law.”
Sentenced to over four years in prison in Germany
Kenan Ayaz was sentenced to four years and three months in prison by the Hamburg Higher Regional Court in September 2024 for alleged membership in the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). He had been living in Cyprus as a recognized political refugee since 2013 until he was arrested in Larnaca in March 2023 at the instigation of the German authorities and extradited to Germany in June of the same year.
The verdict against Ayaz was based solely on the accusation of membership in the PKK. He was not charged with any individual crimes. His defense criticized the proceedings as politically motivated and accused the German authorities of criminalizing political activity and civil society engagement with sweeping interpretations of criminal law.