June 2, 2023, has been marked as a day of shame for the Republic of Cyprus, both politically and judicially.
On this day, heavily armed police officers of a Turkish-occupied Republic handed over Kurdish activist Kenan Ayaz to his executioners, the organs of the German state, which, at the behest of Turkey of course, sought him eagerly, to put him on trial.
This followed two and a half months of an unbearable and inhumane process, starting on March 15, when he was arrested at Larnaca Airport, as a European arrest warrant had been issued against him with the sole and vague charge of participating in a terrorist organization.
This was followed by an intense process at the Larnaca District Court, with the newly-formed Christodoulides government washing its hands of the matter, opportunistically recognizing the independence of the Cypriot justice system, and projecting – often through the then Minister of Justice – a false sense of legality that certainly served the interests of occupying Turkey.
This was clearly a case that originated in the darkest government offices of Turkey and reached Europe through its most loyal ally, Germany.
Kenan was on a long list of persecuted Kurdish politicians, activists, journalists, and lawyers whom Turkey associates with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), without, of course, any criminal evidence.
While this was obvious, and the German documents mentioned nothing incriminating against the Kurdish activist, who was recognized as a political refugee by the Republic of Cyprus, the Larnaca District Court decided to approve his extradition to Germany, with the unacceptable decision of April 19.
The Court approved the German request, setting two conditions: First, in case of conviction in Germany, he should be transferred to Cyprus to serve his sentence here, and second, he should not be returned or subsequently extradited to Turkey.
Of course, an appeal was filed against the decision by Kenan’s defence lawyer, Efstathios Efstathiou, who put up a historic legal fight both in Larnaca and the Supreme Court.
Alongside the Kurdish activist, they presented the evolution of Kurdish history, the need for Kurds to confront and challenge their fate, and highlighted the shared journey of the Cypriot and Kurdish people.
With references to Theophilos Georgiades, EOKA, and the Kurdish national liberation movement, they provided the judges with every opportunity to understand that Kenan Ayaz is being persecuted for his origin, identity, and political beliefs and that it was Cyprus’s duty to protect him from the Turkish-inspired witch-hunt that is also prevalent in Europe.
However, just as the Larnaca District Judge did, the three-member panel of the Supreme Court also failed to rise to the occasion and approved his extradition to Germany.
They refused to let him finish his statement and accepted that there were reasonable grounds to suspect his participation in a terrorist organization.
They were not interested in the fact that, for the Republic of Cyprus, the Kurdish PKK is not a terrorist organization, nor did they consider the testimony of an expert from Belgium, who made it clear that the conflict between Turkey and Kurdistan cannot be approached in counter-terrorism terms.
No one “helped” them understand, either.
President Christodoulides turned a blind eye, awaiting Germany’s help in restarting negotiations -waiting, day and night- while the Minister of Justice wagged her finger at those calling for her to intervene, even spreading the notion that Kenan would be tried for dubious dealings.
Meanwhile, the vast majority of political parties (except for AKEL, EDEK, and the Movement of Ecologists, to be fair) did not lift a finger to prevent this shameful event.
And now, Kenan Ayaz is being tried by a hostile three-member presidency at the Hanseatic Supreme Regional Court in Hamburg and is being held in deplorable conditions to break him.
But this fighter, who draws strength from Theophilos, is determined to continue his struggle for Kurdistan and Cyprus, his second homeland.
Even though this homeland betrayed him so comfortably.
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