taz: A German delegation that was in southeastern Turkey is said to have been detained there by the police. Members of the Left Party are also there. Are you in contact with them and do you know how you are currently doing?
Jan van Aken: We are in contact with the lawyer and also with people who have contact with the group. But our information situation is still very thin. We now have to make contact with the prisoners to find out more about their situation. There is information that the group is currently being taken to Istanbul and then possibly deported to Germany. But this has not yet been confirmed anywhere.
taz: 16 people are said to have belonged to the delegation. Who is this about?
From Aachen: It is a solidarity delegation. I know that a member of the Left Youth Solid is there and a member of the Left from Lower Saxony. Otherwise I don’t know the other participants.
taz: What was the exact goal of the delegation?
From Aachen: She wanted to accompany the protests in the Kurdish areas against the Turkish attacks on Rojava. It was also about documenting possible human rights violations by the Turkish authorities. It is always the task of such delegations to protect participants in protests through international observation.
taz: Do you know what the Turkish authorities are accusing you of?
From Aachen: No, we don’t know that. We also have contact with the Foreign Office, which is trying to provide consular support to those arrested. But that doesn’t seem to know anything more precise either.
taz: What do you expect from the federal government?
From Aachen: That she is putting pressure on the Turkish government to release the delegation members immediately. I have often taken part in such delegations myself. It is very, very rare for such a delegation to be completely arrested and then have to remain in custody overnight. This is a new level of escalation and I think the federal government must act accordingly.
taz: Another solidarity group has now been formed on the Turkish-Syrian border, die People’s Caravanstopped. The Turkish border police are said to have retained the participants’ passports. What do you know about it?
From Aachen: It is quite obvious that the Turkish government has an international observation of what what is happening in Kurdistanwants to prevent. I would like the federal government to be politically clear here. She should summon the Turkish ambassador in Berlin and tell him very clearly that it doesn’t work that way. Human rights and freedom of expression are very valuable assets.
taz: What is your assessment of the situation in northern and eastern Syria?
From Aachen: First of all, it’s good that The ceasefire between the Syrian central government and the Kurdish self-government extended became. But the situation still appears further threatening. There is a threat of an end to autonomous self-government in northeast Syria. What scares me most is that there is still a risk of a real escalation into a Kurdish-Arab war, which could also involve the Kurdish organizations in northern Iraq. That’s why I hope that the ceasefire negotiations will find a solution that can avoid this.
taz: Do you think there is anything left of Kurdish self-government in Rojava?
From Aachen: The question is how much concessions the Kurds have to make. So far, little has been offered to them by the Syrian central government. But there has to be some kind of autonomous status. This is a unique form of democratic self-government, and at least parts of these structures should definitely be preserved. This is particularly true for the role of women in self-government. The Syrian ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa is an Islamist who believes that women have no place in politics or the military. But the participation of women is very important for Kurdish self-government. A lot more needs to come from the Syrian central government to reach an understanding.
taz: Could Germany play a role in this?
From Aachen: In any case, the Federal Republic can now not simply normalize their relationship with those in power in Syria. I think it’s an absurdity that the invitation to al-Sharaa still remains, while at the same time Druze, Christians and Alevis and Kurds attacked. I’m always in favor of talking to the villains of this world. But if this only serves to make it easier to deport people and you otherwise simply accept all human rights crimes, I think that is wrong. That’s why I’m in favor of al-Sharaa being disinvited immediately to make it clear to him: this far and no further.
taz: What can the Left Party do?
From Aachen: What I can and must do as a leftist in Germany: Show solidarity. Rojava has so far been a blueprint for the possibility of democratic development in the Middle East. This is what we need to defend now. It can also encourage the beleaguered people of Kurdistan if we show them that they are not alone. This is important. And we have to put pressure on the federal government to finally behave clearly towards the Syrian rulers and also towards the Turkish government.