Mehmet Demir condemned Germany for deporting journalist #Serkan Demirel# without legal basis.
Mehmet Demir, a representative of Azadi e.V., responded to the detention and deportation of journalist Serkan Demirel at the German border and his expulsion to Switzerland. He strongly condemned the action, stating that what happened was not a coincidence, but a clear example of Germany’s systematic policy of repression against the Kurdish people.

Demir emphasized that Germany appears to be acting against the Kurdish community with a sense of vengeance. He explained that there is a prevailing mindset within the German state that says, “The more harm I cause to the Kurds, the more support I will receive from dominant colonial powers.” Demir highlighted Germany’s ideological hostility towards the Kurdish Freedom Movement and noted that this animosity is also connected to a historical reflex aimed at suppressing all socialist, revolutionary, and progressive movements.

Mistreatment of the journalist is deliberate and systematic

Serkan Demirel is an internationally accredited journalist, multilingual, and recognized across Europe. Yet, according to Mehmet Demir, “They are treating our friend as if he were an ordinary person who has never practiced journalism. But we are talking about someone who has worked as a journalist in many institutions, from the European Parliament to the United Nations. Germany detains and deports such a person without even issuing any legal notice.”

Demir argued that in Germany, basic rights and legal notification obligations, supposedly protected by law are suspended when it comes to Kurds. He said, “It is as if there were a secret article in the German Constitution that says, ‘These rights do not apply to Kurds.’”

Police conduct mirrors that of the Turkish state

Mehmet Demir stated that the approach seen in Serkan Demirel’s case is not limited to his experience alone but reflects broader policies targeting Kurds in general. He said, “Arbitrary rejections of asylum applications, cancellation of residence permits, obstruction of naturalization, financial penalties, imprisonment, and even criminalizing participation in democratic demonstrations have all become routine.”

Demir also drew attention to the threatening and aggressive behavior of police officers of Turkish origin during Demirel’s deportation process. He emphasized that the use of threats in Turkish by these officers indicated they were acting not only on behalf of Germany, but also in line with the political reflexes of the Turkish state.

We will never accept this injustice

Mehmet Demir underlined that even executives of officially recognized and legally registered Kurdish organizations in Germany have been arrested, and that 14 Kurdish activists are currently in prison. He continued: “Germany has adopted a clear stance that tramples on all political, legal, humanitarian, and diplomatic values when it comes to Kurds. No matter what they do, we will continue to demand our rights, both in this country and everywhere in the world. We will stand with journalist Serkan Demirel. We will never accept this injustice.”[1]