Kurdish activist released from deportation custody in Germany

Kurdish activist Kavan Heidari has been released from deportation custody in Hamburg. He can now carry out his asylum procedure in Germany.

After the left-wing parliamentary group brought the case of the hunger-striking Kurdish activist Kavan Heidari to the Hamburg parliament in a topical hour, his deportation was stopped. He was released from custody pending deportation. His asylum procedure will now be carried out in Germany, reported the refugee policy spokeswoman of the Hamburg parliamentary group DIE LINKE, Carola Ensslen, on Twitter.

Kavan Heidari had been in deportation custody in Hamburg since March 23. A day later, he went on a hunger strike. Heidari had come to Germany in 2017 as a political refugee, as a member of the KDP-Iran, via Romania. Due to the Dublin Agreement, his asylum application was not accepted in Germany. He had already been deported twice before, the last time in 2019 from Munich to Romania. At that time, he had been taken to the plane with rough force, two ribs were broken.

Heidari had to fear that he would be deported from Romania to Iran, where he had been severely tortured due to his political commitment, including being administered poison. As a result, he also has a tumor in his throat and damage to his vocal cords.

Heidari's release was due to his determined resistance. It was supported by the "Glasmoorgruppe", which had made his case known in Hamburg and organized a rally in front of the deportation prison last week.