German police raid PKK’s publishing house

BERLIN (AA) - German police raided Thursday a publishing house and a multimedia company on suspicions that they had been spreading propaganda of the PKK terrorist organization.

Police searched the offices of Mezopotamya publishing house and MIR multimedia company in the northwestern city of Neuss, as part of a counterterrorism investigation, the Interior Ministry said in a press release.

“According to the latest findings, there is strong suspicion that the purpose and activities of both companies violate the criminal law,” the ministry said, adding that the products distributed by these companies were enabling support for the PKK organization.

Germany’s Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere vowed to continue taking actions against all "extremist" groups threatening democracy, including the PKK.

"Searches by police today targeted the companies under the influence of PKK," he said, adding that the terrorist group has been banned in Germany since 1993.

"We would not allow anyone to avoid or violate the bans, and provide support to terrorist organizations," he stressed.

Mezopotamya has been a major propaganda outlet of the terrorist organization. It has published books of the PKK’s jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan and other propaganda materials of the terrorist group.

The PKK has been banned in Germany since 1993 but is still active with nearly 14,000 followers, according to the country's domestic intelligence agency BfV.

Turkey has long criticized German authorities for tolerating PKK activities in the country and pressured Berlin to take stricter measures against the propaganda, recruitment and fundraising activities of the group.

The PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU, waged a terror campaign against Turkey for more than 30 years and has been responsible for the death of nearly 40,000 people.