Protests in Hamburg: Deportation of activist Mehmet çakas is imminent!

Protests in Hamburg: Deportation of activist Mehmet çakas is imminent!

Uelzen, Deutschland - Current protests against deportation in Hamburg

In the Hanseatic City of Hamburg, activists are currently going on the streets regularly to protest against the impending deportation of Mehmet çakas. According to a report from ANF, the action pursues the goal of drawing attention to the dangers with which the Kurdish activist must expect when returning to Turkey. Çakas, who was convicted of membership in the PKK in Germany, is currently sitting in the Uelzen correctional facility and fighting against the impending return to a country where he threatens political persecution.

The Lower Saxony Refugee Council, supported by organizations such as RAV, Red Hilfe and Kon-Med, appeals to the state government to stop deportation. Cansu Özdemir, spokeswoman for the left, has already made a written request to the BAMF in order to shed light on the circumstances of Çakas ’asylum procedure and to check its adequacy. The protest event on Mönckebergstraße was not only a sign of the dismissal, but also a platform to inform the public about the dangers of criminalization of Kurdish interests.

political persecution and legal hurdles

But the situation of Mehmet çakas reflects a larger topic. In April 2024, he was sentenced to two years and ten months in prison because, according to the Celle Higher Regional Court, he is said to have organized activities for the PKK. While the BAMF does not consider the conviction as a reason for a re -evaluation of the risk of persecution, the Lower Saxony refugee council criticizes the assumption that Turkey can guarantee a fair asylum procedure. The concerns are not unfounded: After the coup attempt in Turkey in 2016, more than 500,000 investigations against opposition figures were initiated, and many people were detained or convicted.

Lawyer Dündar Kelloglu expresses himself that deportation to Türkiye would mean a specific danger for Çakas because he has to expect political persecution. Pro asylum legal reports support this view and prove that criminal proceedings are often used in Turkey to suppress political opinions, which further increases the uncertainty of fair treatment.

right of staying for persecuted Kurds

The debate about the deportation of Çakas also raises the question of how in Germany by Kurdish refugees. An example of this is the case of Aras, another Kurdish activist, whose asylum application was also rejected in Germany, even though he is threatened in Turkey. The similarity in their fates are questionable: both activists are the focus of the Turkish judiciary, and there is a fear that a return to Turkey could have far -reaching consequences for their security and human rights.

to the background: The BAMF has repeatedly rated the risk of persecution for Kurdish refugees in Turkey as not sufficient, which many leads to the question of whether this assessment corresponds to reality. One could say that the system lets them down, while the danger that threatens to them is real and specific. The protests in Hamburg and the demands for a fair asylum procedure for Mehmet Çakas are therefore more than just calls for immediate protection; They are a strong sign of the support and solidarity that these activist efforts need.

With the next protest in Hanover on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the main train station, the activist continued: Inside their struggle for the right to asylum and against unjustified deportations.

The situation remains tense and it remains to be seen which steps the judiciary and politics will be next to counteract this questionable development.