The release of Kurdish activist Kenan Ayaz is a victory for the solidarity movement

Statement by AKEL C.C. Spokesperson Giorgos Koukoumas

16 February 2026, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

The release of Kurdish activist Kenan Ayaz from the Central Prison ends his three-year detention ordeal and constitutes a victory for the solidarity movement that has unfolded over the years. AKEL, which was at the forefront of this movement, congratulates all those who participated in this struggle, especially the Kurdish community in Cyprus.

The approval of Ayaz’s release by President Christodoulides—five months late—does not negate the fact that it was his own government that took the political decision to extradite him to Germany to be tried as a terrorist, something that was demanded by Erdogan himself and implemented through Berlin and Nicosia. The stain that this decision has left on our country will be indelible, since Kenan Ayaz was a recognized political refugee in Cyprus given that his life and freedom were threatened by the Turkish state, which had previously imprisoned him for 17 years without any trial. Furthermore, all this persecution was launched even though Ayaz had not been charged with any violent or terrorist acts, and the Republic of Cyprus—and the Cypriot people—do not legally or politically characterize the PKK as a terrorist organization.

AKEL salutes the release of the Kurdish activist, without forgetting that Kenan Ayaz should never have been arrested, extradited, tried, and imprisoned. It also reiterates its unconditional solidarity with the Kurdish movement fighting for the dignity and democratic freedoms of the Kurds.

16.02.2026