Cyprus is stigmatised with a shame similar to that of Greece’s handing over of Ocalan to Turkey, AKEL stresses in a statement, commenting on the court decision in relation to the extradition of Kurdish militant Kenan Ayaz.
The Cypriot government, AKEL adds, “must not hide behind justice, because it will not be saved from the crisis of history. The decision to execute the warrant was political, as was the decision to adopt the Turkish argumentation about who is a terrorist. The government is also responsible for the conditions of Kenan Ayaz’s detention, since after he went on a hunger strike, he was punished with a ban on communication, in effect isolation. It is also responsible for today’s arrests of three other Kurds who were on hunger strike outside the Supreme Court.
It is clear, AKEL points out, that behind the warrants issued by Germany for thousands of Kurds across Europe are the demands of the Turkish state. But Turkey is pressing the fact that the EU and NATO have included the PKK – the Kurdish Workers’ Party – in their lists of so-called terrorist organisations. It is worth remembering that Mandela was also considered a terrorist when he was fighting racist apartheid. Palestinians fighting against the occupation by the State of Israel are also considered terrorists. Therefore, AKEL concludes, the Supreme Court’s decision causes us concern and fear for the fate of other Kurds living in Cyprus, who are developing political activity and fighting for their rights and freedoms.