Last Thursday, May 4, a protest was held in Nicosia against the extradition of Kenan Ayas to Germany. On the same day, the Kurdish fighter detained in Cyprus started an indefinite hunger strike.
The protest march organised by an anarchist group in Nicosia was also attended by the Kurdish community, politicians from the AKEL and EDEK parties and journalist Alekos Michaelides, who has been reporting on the case since the arrest of Kenan Ayas on 15 March.
The protest march continued towards the prison where Ayas is being held pending his extradition. In front of the prison, activists chanted “Freedom for Kenan Ayas” and “Kurdistan will be the grave of fascism”. In a speech, Ayas’ long imprisonment was highlighted and it was stressed that: “The struggle of a people for freedom cannot be judged as terrorism”.
As a fighter of the Kurdish freedom movement and because of his political identity, Kenan Ayas remained in prison in Turkey for twelve years. He has been living in the Greek part of Cyprus since 2013 and is a recognized refugee. He continued his political engagement in exile, publicly and legally. He is apparently not accused of individual offences by the German judiciary either.
The final decision on his extradition to Germany will be taken on 16 May.