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Germany Arrests Kurdish Leader Yüksel Koç on Terror Charges

Koç’s detention under Paragraph 129b sparks criticism from Kurdish advocates amid PKK’s peace initiative and self-dissolution.

Yüksel Koç zeigt das Peace-Zeichen, er trägt ein T-Shirt mit dem Gesicht von PKK-Gründer Abdullah Öcalan

Overview

  • Yüksel Koç, a prominent Kurdish politician and former co-chair of the KCDK-E, was arrested in Bremen by the BKA on charges of coordinating PKK propaganda between 2016 and 2023.
  • The charges are based on Paragraph 129b of the German Criminal Code, which criminalizes membership in foreign terrorist organizations.
  • Koç’s lawyer argues his activities were legal and political within the framework of the KCDK-E, a PKK-affiliated but legally recognized organization in Europe.
  • The arrest comes shortly after the PKK declared its intention to self-dissolve and pursue peaceful solutions, following Abdullah Öcalan’s February 2025 peace initiative.
  • Critics, including Kurdish community leaders, view the arrest as undermining peace efforts, while Germany maintains its PKK ban citing diplomatic ties with Turkey.