The appeal proceedings at the Hamburg Regional Court against the co-chair of the DIE LINKE parliamentary group in the Hamburg State Parliament, Cansu Özdemir, because of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) flag published on Twitter has been discontinued for a payment of 2,250 euros. The trial scheduled for Tuesday was thus cancelled, the Higher Regional Court announced on Monday.

In November 2017, Cansu Özdemir had shared a picture of the DPA news agency with a PKK flag on her account as part of a Twitter campaign against the PKK ban. The image was published with the slogan "Away with the PKK ban" and the addition "Forbidden in Germany". In April 2019, the public prosecutor's office had brought charges in accordance with the Associations Act (sharing of forbidden symbols). The parliamentary party leader of the Left Party had previously appealed against a penalty order.

In late October, Özdemir was convicted of violating the law on associations. However, the judge suspended a fine of 4,500 euros (30 daily rates of 150 euros each) for two years on probation as part of a so-called warning with a reservation of sentence. At the same time, it imposed on Özdemir the condition that she donate 1000 euros to a charitable organization.

The judge was obviously in serious conflict when she read the verdict on October 28, 2019. She declared that it was a "difficult decision" for her, since it was not her, but the legislature, who had to decide on the PKK ban. Showing forbidden symbols was allowed in certain contexts, for example in scientific papers, schoolbooks etc. for "civic education", but not in the "political day fight", which she believed was the issue.

Speaking to ANF, the Kurdish politician said that she would continue to voice her criticism against the unlawful acts of the German government.

Özdemir noted that she had tried to explain in political and legal aspects why the PKK flag couldn’t be considered a crime during her trial. She said: “Under no circumstances should it be a crime to demand the lifting of the PKK ban. This demand is a completely legitimate and legal right which I used in sharing that post. As a member of the parliament, I will continue to express the demand for an end to the PKK ban and the crimes of the Turkish state.”