Germany: Court sentences PKK member to prison

A German court on Friday sentenced a man to two years and nine months in prison for his leading role in the terrorist group PKK’s activities in Germany.

Zeki E., 37, was found guilty of fundraising and propaganda activities for the terrorist PKK, which has been outlawed in Germany since 1993.

The court in the northern city of Hamburg said in a statement that the convict, who used the code name “Siyar,” was the chief PKK operative in the cities of Darmstadt, Munich, and the capital Berlin in 2013-2014.

The court underlined that the PKK was “a particularly dangerous terrorist organization” but handed down a lighter sentence, taking into account that the man had not been charged with any crime in Germany before, and had already spent several years in prison in Turkey.

The Turkish government has repeatedly urged German authorities to take a stronger stance against the activities of the PKK, which is also listed as a terrorist organization by the EU and U.S.

The PKK has more than 14,000 followers in Germany among the Kurdish immigrant population, and in 2015 raised more than €13 million ($14.3 million), according to reports by the German domestic intelligence agency, the BfV.

The terrorist group resumed its armed campaign against Turkey in July 2015 and since then has been responsible for the deaths of approximately 1,200 security personnel and civilians, including women and children.