Kurdistan Workers ' Party: Strong increase in PKK investigation procedures

The Kurdish Workers ' Party is regarded as a foreign terrorist group in Germany. The federal prosecutor's office is increasingly investigating suspected members.

Kurdistan Workers ' Party: Strong increase in PKK investigation procedures

In 2017, federal prosecutor's Office in Karlsruhe initiated a total of 136 proceedings against suspected members of Kurdistan (PKK) banned Workers Party. That's what Mirror says. In year before, Germany's supreme prosecution authority, according to its own data, led more than 40 procedures, 2015 being only 24. Thus, within a year, figure has more than tripled.

Among or things, strong increase is explained by security experts by fact that Kurds in Turkey are increasingly being persecuted. Numerous PKK activists fled to Germany before repression in 2017 and had applied for asylum here. The background is also government's response to unsuccessful coup attempt, in which government dismissed tens of thousands of officials and teachers and detained journalists. Turkey also fights Kurds with military force, for example in war against Kurdish militia YPG, a PKK offshoot, in norrn Syria.

The PKK has been banned in Germany since 1993. The Federal Supreme Court found in its case law in 2010 that PKK is a terrorist group abroad. Since n, high-ranking officials in Germany have been sentenced to prison sentences – rarely for more than four years. Membership in a terrorist group can be punished by one to ten years in prison.

Since ban, about 100 high-ranking officials have been convicted by German courts. Minor offences, such as showing of PKK flags or symbols, also fell under offenses. In addition, re have been about 4,400 investigative proceedings against members, activists or supporters of PKK for such individual offences.

According to Spiegel, investigators in Karlsruhe also responded to recent attacks on Turkish institutions and mosques. The federal prosecutor's office initiated Pretrials and investigated eight cases, including arsons in Meschede, Germany, Berlin and Lauffen, and attack on an imam's apartment in Itzehoe. It is not excluded that attacks in connection with attack of Turkish troops could stand on Kurdish Afrin in Syria. Since 20 January, Turkish army has been YPG with an offensive against Kurdish militia.

Date Of Update: 17 March 2018, 12:02
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