Justice minister pledges Ayaz’s transfer to Cyprus

All necessary measures will be taken to transfer Kenan Ayaz to Cyprus, Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis assured on Thursday, amid growing political pressure on the government to prevent Ayaz’s extradition to Turkey.

Hartsiotis told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) that the ministry is in constant communication with German authorities to ensure Ayaz’s transfer to Cyprus once the case is finalised.

Earlier this week, Ayaz was sentenced to four years and three months in prison for being a ‘member of a terrorist organisation’.

The justice ministry sent an email to its German counterpart confirming the decision, but Hartsiotis underlined that the verdict is not yet final. There is still the possibility of an appeal.

“In order for any action to be taken, the decision must be final and irrevocable,” Hartsiotis said.

He also noted that the original ruling by the Cypriot court in Larnaca stipulated that if a sentence were imposed by the German court, Ayaz would serve it in Cyprus. In a written message sent by German authorities in 2023, they confirmed that, should Ayaz be convicted, he would indeed serve his sentence in Cyprus.

“So based on the decision of our court and this written confirmation of the Germans, we are in constant contact so that with the final judgment all those measures can be taken so that Ayaz can be transferred to Cyprus.”

His statements come amid growing calls on the government to ensure Ayaz does not fall victim to the close ties between Germany and Turkey where he might be extradited.

“We cannot know when we will have final judgment, we are monitoring the situation,” he said.

Akel was vociferous in its criticism of Cyprus’ handling of the case. “The Republic ofCyprus itself does not consider the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) a terrorist organisation, yet it handed over a man it recognised as a political refugee to a country that counts the PKK as a terrorist organisation and cooperates closely with the Turkish state in the persecution of the Kurdish movement.”

Hartsiotis clarified that if no appeal is filed, the decision will be considered final, “in which case we can proceed much sooner with the necessary steps for Ayaz’s transfer.”

A Ayaz, a Kurdish national, was sentenced on September 2, 2024, by the Higher Regional Court of Hamburg to four years and three months in prison.

He was charged with being a member of the PKK and thus prosecuted as a member of a “foreign terrorist organisation” under Article 129b of the German Criminal Code.

The Republic of Cyprus extradited Ayaz to Germany in June 2023, following a unanimous decision by the Cypriot Supreme Court in May, which upheld the initial ruling by the Larnaca District Court in April 2023. Ayaz had been arrested in Cyprus in March 2023 under a European arrest warrant issued by Germany.