An official with the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has been sentenced to four years and three months in prison in Germany.
Hamburg’s Hanseatic Higher Regional Court announced on Monday it considered it proven that the man was a member of a terrorist organization abroad.
The 50-year-old Turkish citizen was found to have served the PKK in Germany for more than one and a half years. According to the court, he held the highest-ranking position within the group in Germany.
The accused was arrested in Cyprus in March 2023 on the basis of a European arrest warrant issued by Germany, and legal proceedings against him began in November last year.
The federal public prosecutor’s office demanded four and a half years in prison; the defence wanted an acquittal. Monday’s judgment is not final.
Germany categorizes the PKK as a foreign terrorist organization responsible for attacks and assassinations in Turkey. It has been prohibited from operating in Germany since 1993.
