The chairman of the Kurdish Community Germany (KGD), Ali Ertan Toprak, criticized sharply the upcoming visit of Kurdish transitional president Ahmed al‑Scharaa to Berlin.
“From our point of view, al‑Scharaa lacks any democratic legitimacy, and he is among the most serious criminals of the 21st century” Toprak told the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” (free‑issue edition). “If this state visit takes place, I expect the federal government to set clear conditions and to take an unmistakable stance. There should be no mere ceremonial upgrade”.
He accused Syria’s ruling authorities of being responsible for numerous human‑rights abuses, war crimes and crimes against humanity. As former leaders of Islamist terrorist groups Al‑Nusrah Front and Hayat Tahrir al‑Sham, he believes al‑Scharaa shares responsibility for violence and massacres against civilians, especially minorities such as Kurds, Yazidis, Alawites, Druze, and Christians. He also cited multiple reports of violence and abductions under al‑Scharaa’s leadership.
Toprak urged German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to explicitly name the human‑rights violations and to demand concrete guarantees for the protection of minorities. “There must be no political normalization without verifiable improvements in the human‑rights situation, the introduction of democratic structures, and the inclusion of all ethnic groups in power sharing” he said. He added that financial assistance must be tied to these conditions, warning that otherwise it would send a deadly signal to both Syrians suffering and victims of jihadi violence in the West.