"The Proposal to Punish Kurdish Activities is Absolute Nonsense"

In a significant development, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) announced its dissolution at the beginning of the year, a move that has sparked debate and calls for change within Germany's political landscape.

Lukas Theune, the managing director of the Republican Lawyers' Association, has been vocal about the need for an end to the criminalization of the Kurdish minority in Germany. In an interview, Mr. Theune spoke about political influence, questionable detention conditions, and his demand for the lifting of the PKK ban.

The focus of his demands is not merely a response to the recent dissolution of the PKK, but a long-standing belief that the criminalization of the Kurdish movement in Germany is absurd.

Mehmet Karaca, a Kurdish activist, finds himself at the heart of this discussion. Accused of membership in the PKK, which is considered a foreign terrorist organization by the Federal Prosecutor General (GBA), Mr. Karaca has been in investigative custody since November 2024. This is unusual, as a trial should begin within six months at the latest if someone is in investigative custody.

The trial against Mr. Karaca begins on September 8th at the Berlin Higher Regional Court. However, there is a gap in the evidence presented by the GBA regarding his alleged activities from 2016 to mid-2024.

The arrest of Mr. Karaca is one of four simultaneous arrests of Kurds that occurred in November. The detention conditions for Mr. Karaca have been drastic, with showers only every 14 days, one hour of sports per week, and strongly restricted visiting hours.

These harsh conditions have been criticized not only by Mr. Theune but also by prison staff as absurd. The detention of unconvicted individuals under Section 129b of the Criminal Code has been a topic of contention, with many arguing that it is disproportionate and inhumane.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Ankara in October, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reportedly mentioned a joint approach against "terrorist organizations" and the expectation of "concrete steps" during their meeting. However, the future of the PKK ban and the treatment of Kurds in Germany remains uncertain.

As the trial against Mehmet Karaca unfolds, the debate about the criminalization of the Kurdish movement in Germany and the PKK ban continues to gain momentum. With calls for change coming from various quarters, it remains to be seen how the German government will respond to these demands.