In the city of Hanover, Germany, and its surrounding areas, a police operation targeted the Kurdish community, resulting in searches of several homes on Wednesday. Amongst the residences raided was that of Kurdish artist Ciwan Çewliq.

This operation follows continued scrutiny of Kurdish activists in the region, with a similar police action having occurred in June 2019, which also included a search of Çewliq’s home.

These raids have raised concerns within the Kurdish community about the nature of police actions and their implications for the rights and freedoms of Kurdish residents in Germany.

The incident in Hanover follows a pattern of increased police activity in areas with significant Kurdish populations in Europe.