Kurdish youth occupying the ZDF bureau in Germany’s capital Berlin criticised the lack of coverage in the media of the massacres and arrests in Kurdistan. Members of Kurdistan Students Union (YXK), PYD and Ciwanên Azad issued a press release on the situation in Kurdistan and their demands from the German media.

The press release says “There is a war in Kurdistan. The AKP-led Turkish state has been bombing Kurdish cities for more than half a year now. Thousands of political activists and journalists are imprisoned, tortured and killed” and states that the policies of AKP affect Germany too. The case of German comedian Jan Böhnermann and the fact that German reporters aren’t allowed entry to Turkey because of their critical reporting is cited in the declaration.

The press release criticises that while restrictions imposed upon German reporters have been covered in the media, the use of chemicals against the civilian population could not find a place in the German media.

The declaration continued: “Why don’t journalists mention “Islamists” carrying out massacres in the south east of the country? Why don’t they mention the children dying and people getting arrested? Why don’t they mention the state controlled refugee camps? Again, how about the refugee camps run and sustained by the civilian people in Kurdistan?”

The declaration stated that none of these issues are covered in the German media and that the German government collaborates with Turkey in return for stopping refugees. The press release also pointed out that the German government is turning a blind eye to the massacres and arrests in line with this collaboration.

The declaration remarked that Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan and all political prisoners should be released, the curfews should be lifted, the military operations should stop and the process of democratisation should start.

The demands of the occupying Kurdish youth from the ZDF are as follows:

- Detailed and expansive meetings with the Kurdish youth

- More and detailed coverage of the current situation in Kurdistan

- More “critical” coverage and fact checking for the information in news stories from state agencies in Turkey

- More sharing of information with independent news agencies in Turkey and Kurdistan and ensuring the news are reflected correctly.