In the PKK trial against Kenan Ayaz in Hamburg, expert witness Günter Seufert has been heard for the fourth time. The defence sees no reliable evidence and has requested that a further officer from the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution be called as a witness.
On 17 January, expert witness Dr Günter Seufert was heard for the fourth time in the trial against Kenan Ayaz for membership of the PKK at Hamburg Higher Regional Court. The subject matter was the fighting since 2019 between the PKK guerrillas and soldiers of the Turkish army in the Medya defence areas in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq). As the Turkish army has suffered heavy losses in recent weeks, Erdoğan is once again bombing the civilian infrastructure in Rojava (northern Syria). The expert said that due to these losses, the Turkish military’s operations in northern Iraq – especially in the winter months, when the guerrillas outnumber the military – were being discussed critically by the Turkish public for the first time.
When asked by the defence how the central government in Baghdad felt about the Turkish army’s bases on Iraqi territory, the expert reported that it was against it and had often protested against it. The Iraqi government is rhetorically opposed to the Turkish army positions and their attacks, but tolerates them. Not least because the region is dependent on the water of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. Turkey regularly throttles the water supply in order to put pressure on the government. It had already done this with Rojava. During the course of the trial, Seufert pointed out that Turkey currently has 5,000 soldiers stationed in Iraq and 10,000 soldiers in Syria.
The defence asked the expert witness how large the Kurdish areas in Iraq were. These are roughly the same size ‘as the YPG area in north-east Syria’, i.e. the size of Saarland in terms of area. When asked, he went on to explain that there had been an increase in air strikes by the Turkish air force in the summer of last year. While the fighter bombers would come from Turkish territory, some of the drones would be launched from bases on Iraqi territory. According to the HPG, chemical weapons and cluster bombs were also used by the Turkish army and Turkey refused to investigate these allegations. After the President of the Turkish Medical Association, Şebnem Korur Fincancı, called for such an investigation into the possible Turkish use of chemical weapons against the Kurdish population in Iraq in autumn 2022, she was imprisoned. The German medical profession protested against this – without success. Just under a year ago, Fincancı was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison for ‘terrorist propaganda’ in this context. An investigation into the use of chemical weapons has never been an issue in the Turkish parliament. It is clear that the Turkish government does not care about international law and related conventions. This is an example of how Turkey deals with people who question the actions of individual institutions – they are simply locked away.
When asked by the defence, Seufert explained that many civilians in northern Iraq and Rojava were also being attacked and killed by the Turkish military or their allies. The war against the PKK is being exploited and utilised for domestic political purposes in Turkey, said the expert witness. The PKK could be described as a guerrilla organisation due to its structure, its way of fighting and its propaganda. According to his research, more guerrilla fighters and YPG members have died in recent years than Turkish soldiers.
Defence requests summons of a VS official
At the end of the trial day, the defence requested that further witnesses be summoned, including an official from the North Rhine-Westphalia Office for the Protection of the Constitution, who had written an official report on a person with whom Kenan Ayaz is alleged to have worked. This was justified by the fact that the previous information on Kenan Ayaz’s activities was unclear or ambiguous. The examination of the other witnesses would show that there was no reliable evidence against the accused.
Further trial dates
Wednesday, 31 January 2024
Monday, 5 February 2024
Tuesday, 6 February 2024
Thursday, 8 February 2024
Monday, 12 February 2024
Wednesday, 14 February 2024
Friday, 16 February 2024
Monday, 26 February 2024
Postal address and donation account
The website kenanwatch.org provides information in Greek, English and German about the trial and the protests in Cyprus and Germany. The initiative says: ‘Kenan Ayaz is happy to receive mail. Even if you don’t speak Kurdish or Turkish, write to him, as the mail can also be translated. It is important that his official name Ayas is stated.’
Kenan Ayaz
Hamburg remand centre
Holstenglacis 3
20355 Hamburg
Donation account
Rote Hilfe e.V. OG Hamburg
Keyword: Free Kenan
IBAN: DE06200100200084610203