Germany: Mother seeks to rescue daughter from PKK

BERLIN

A German-Turkish mother on Wednesday continued her protest outside the German Chancellery to demand the return of her daughter who was forcibly recruited by PKK terrorists.

Maide T. was flanked by a group of sympathizers who wore t-shirts with a picture of her daughter Nilufer T. with the words "kidnapped by PKK".

The protesters held a banner saying: "Please, help me rescue my daughter from the PKK" at a time when ministers held a Cabinet meeting inside.

"I want them to reach out to me," she told reporters, saying she has been protesting for months but German authorities have not contacted her so far.

In late May, she called on Chancellor Angela Merkel to help her out.

Inviting people to stand in solidarity with her, she said her daughter was influenced by PKK propaganda after she visited a cultural center in Berlin last year. Thereafter, she was forcibly recruited and probably sent to a terror camp abroad.

“If they will come under pressure, they will release my daughter within 24 hours,” she said, urging German authorities to take action against the group.

The PKK has been banned in Germany since 1993, but it remains active, with nearly 14,500 followers among the country's Kurdish immigrant population.

The terror group uses recruitment tactics among Kurdish communities across Europe, including blackmailing with safety of family members.

Turkey has long criticized German authorities for not taking serious measures against the PKK which uses the country as a platform for their fundraising, propaganda and recruitment activities.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.