Kurdish national released after friends raise money for bail
Authorities on Friday released Turkish Kurdish national Cerkez Korkmaz who was arrested last March on a European arrest warrant issued by Germany after his friends collected the bail money requested for his release pending the court procedures for his extradition.
According to the Cyprus News Agency, Korkmaz was released on Friday morning after his friends paid the €30,000 set by the Larnaca district court as bail while two businessmen posted €80,000 as guarantee.
The bail money was collected through a fundraiser Korkmaz’s friends organised.
Korkmaz went to his home pending the next court hearing for his extradition to Germany on June 10. Until then, he must present daily to the Limassol police. He has also handed over his travel documents.
Korkmaz, 60, who is wanted in Germany on terrorism charges relating to the activity of the PKK, the Kurdish Workers’ Party, was released and then rearrested last Monday as his extradition procedure started anew in Larnaca.
He was released on Monday after the Hamburg public prosecutor’s office, which issued the arrest warrant was not judicially authorised to do so. German authorities conveyed a fresh warrant from a court and Korkmaz was arrested again.
Korkmaz, who has been living in Cyprus for a number of years after being recognised as a political refugee and who possesses Cypriot travel documents, was arrested at Larnaca airport from where he was to travel to Athens, after it emerged during passport control that the German authorities had issued a European arrest warrant and extradition against him on March 19.
He was wanted in connection with terrorism offences allegedly committed between 2013 and 2015 in Germany, reportedly concerning links to the PKK.
Korkmaz reportedly stayed in Germany between 2013 and 2014 and last visited the country in 2015.
His arrest caused a reaction in the Kurdish community living in Cyprus that demand his release arguing that Turkey is behind the arrest warrant.
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