On Friday 17 March, he is brought before the Larnaca District Court, which ordered his detention until Tuesday 21 March 2023. It is reported that the 48-year-old Kurdish man has served a 13-year prison sentence in Turkey and is on a long list of wanted persons for involvement in Kurdish organisations. His defence lawyer, Efstathios Efstathiou, is asking for the Turkish and German warrants to be translated so that the case can be examined.
According to the German documents, Kenan Ayas is the head of local delegations of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Germany and was responsible for holding events to obtain sponsorship for the Kurdish cause. The documents of the German prosecution authorities do not mention any clear criminal acts. It is the position of the defence that the German authorities do not guarantee a fair trial for the arrested man and there is a risk of his successive extradition to Turkey if the Larnaca District Court orders his deportation.