Kurdish activist Kenan Ayaz was transferred to Nicosia's central prison on Monday to serve the remainder of his prison sentence.
In a press release issued by the Observatory for the Trial of Kenan Ayaz, it said Ayaz arrived to Cyprus on Monday after spending more than two years in German detention facilities under "harsh conditions"
“His return is an important day for the Kurdish community in Cyprus, and for all who stood in solidarity with his cause,” the statement reads.
Ayaz, 49, was sentenced to four years and three months in prison by Hamburg’s Higher Regional Court in September 2024 for alleged membership in the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is classified as a terrorist organisation by the European Union.
The Observatory further describes the prosecution of Ayaz in Germany as “a blow to human rights,” arguing that it exposed the political motivations behind the criminalisation of the Kurdish movement in Europe. “From the beginning, this was never a personal matter—it concerned the broader struggle against Turkey’s genocidal policies and the silent complicity of European states.”
The statement underlines that Ayaz’s return to Cyprus “signals the continuation of the collective struggle for freedom, dignity, and justice.” It also stresses that Ayaz has consistently linked the Kurdish cause to the Cypriot people's ongoing resistance against Turkish occupation, expressing hope that “the rule of law in Cyprus will prevail over political hypocrisy.”
The Observatory concludes by calling on all democratic citizens, collectives, and individuals opposed to injustice to stand in solidarity with Kenan Ayaz and the Kurdish people. A support gathering is scheduled for Wednesday, 10 September 2025 at 18:00, outside the Central Prisons in Nicosia.
Ayaz had initially been jailed in Turkey in 1993, before later being acquitted. He was then indicted again in Turkey in 2010, before travelling to Cyprus, where he was granted refugee status.
German authorities then issued a European arrest warrant in his name and he was extradited in 2023, where he was convicted of being a member of a “foreign terrorist organisation”, namely the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK).
