taz: Mr. Genow, as the national spokesman for the Berlin Left Youth, you were part of a delegation that accompanied protests in the Kurdish areas of Turkey and wanted to document possible human rights violations by the Turkish authorities. The police arrested you. You have been back in Germany since Friday. How are you doing?
Angel Genow: We are relieved to be back home – back in relative safety and freedom, with our families and friends. Some of us have been to the hospital for the last few days to get checked out.
taz: You too?
Genow: Yes, I have various bruises, injuries and a splint on my wrist. I suffered a concussion in prison, but other than that, no long-term damage. At least physically.
taz: Members of your delegation reported sexual violence and physical intimidation. What have you experienced?
Genow: We were already on the plane to Germany when the police forcibly dragged us out and put us on a shuttle. There they tried to humiliate us; we were beaten and kicked. I had a nosebleed and briefly lost consciousness. Afterwards we were locked in cells in the deportation prison in Istanbul for ten hours. There the police tried to get the passwords to our cell phones from us. We were not allowed to sleep and many were not given food or drink. They repeatedly visited us in our cell and committed violence against us. Women in the group experienced sexual violence. They were repeatedly harassed and even physically assaulted.
taz: How did you cope with this violence in prison?
Genow: We showed solidarity with each other, we sang together. Songs about freedom, peace and Kurdistan.
taz: Did you have contact with the outside world?
Genow: Before we were arrested a second time in Istanbul, we were able to film the arrest on the plane. They then took our cell phones away again and we no longer had any contact with the outside world. We were also never allowed to contact our lawyers. In prison, the officers showed us the video that we had taken on the plane.
taz: On the video you can see your delegation on the plane that was supposed to deport you to Germany. Two people report that they were asked to get out again.
Genow: When the police showed us the video, they threatened us that we would be even worse off. But the video gave us hope that people outside now know and are working to get us home.
taz: Cameras and cell phones with which you had documented in the Kurdish areas were confiscated from you. Did this jeopardize your work?
Genow: We no longer have some records. For example, they took a camera and a microphone from me and kept them. Most of the delegation have their phones back. The fact that Turkey used so much capacity to arrest us and have us flown out again showed us that we have achieved our goal.
taz: What did you observe in the Kurdish areas?
Genow: We were in Northern Kurdistan and also accompanied several protests. The police used great force during a protest. We also accompanied protests on the border with Rojava, which the police surrounded and intimidated with water cannons, rifles and prison buses. The Kurdish people have been campaigning for humanity, women’s rights and cohesion for many years. What we experienced is just a small contribution to the fight they are waging for all of us.