Convicted of being a member of a proscribed terrorist organisation, Kenan Ayaz was returned from Germany to Cyprus on Monday to serve his remaining prison sentence on the island.

He has been detained in Germany for over two years.

The Kurd “returned today to continue his struggle with all of us, for a world without oppression, occupation and genocide,” the Observatory for the Trial of Kenan Ayaz advocacy group said, calling it a “great day” for the Kurdish community in Cyprus

Ayaz’ prosecution in Germany, the group said, was a “blow to human rights”, adding that it demonstrated the political targeting behind the criminalisation of the Kurdish movement in Europe.

It added that, during his two years in German prison, the Kurdish politician had faced “harsh conditions”.

The group stressed that Ayaz had always viewed the “struggle of the Cypriot people against the Turkish occupation” in the same way as the freedom of Kurdistan, expressing hope that in Cyprus, the rule of law would prevail over “political hypocrisy.”

Ayaz was arrested at Larnaca airport in March 2023 after a European arrest warrant was issued by Germany.

A German court in September 2024 sentenced Ayaz to four years and three months in prison for his alleged membership of the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK).

The 50-year-old was accused of acting as a “regional leader” in the party and of being involved in the organisation of events and gatherings intended for the dissemination of propaganda.

The PKK has been listed as a terrorist organisation in the European Union since 2002, when the EU General Court rejected the group’s attempt for removal from the terrorist list and the lifting of financial restrictions.

Turkey has for decades declared the group to be one of the country’s greatest security threats.

In 2025, however, the situation took a drastic turn when the PKK announced it would lay down its arms and end its 41-year-long armed struggle against Turkey.