Germany has sentenced to four years and three months in prison Kenan Ayas, a high-ranking member of the PKK terrorist group.

Hamburg's Hanseatic Higher Regional Court announced on Monday it considered it proven that the man was a member of a terrorist organization abroad.

The 50-year-old Turkish citizen was found to have served the PKK in Germany for more than one and a half years.

According to the court, he held the highest-ranking position within the group in Germany’s North Rhine-Westphalia state.

He coordinated personnel and propaganda for the group, issued instructions to "regional managers" under his command and monitored their activities.

Ayas also raised donations and extortion for the PKK, reported to its so-called European leadership and carried out their instructions.

The accused was arrested in the Greek Cypriot administration in March 2023 on the basis of a European arrest warrant issued by Germany, and legal proceedings against him began in November last year.

The federal public prosecutor's office demanded four and a half years in prison; the defense wanted an acquittal. Monday's judgment is not final.

Germany categorizes the PKK as a foreign terrorist organization responsible for attacks and assassinations in Türkiye. The terrorist group has been prohibited from operating in Germany since 1993.

Despite the ban, the group remains active in Germany with nearly 15,000 followers among the Kurdish immigrant population, according to the country's domestic intelligence agency BfV.

Türkiye has long urged its NATO ally Germany to take stronger action against the PKK, stressing that the terrorist group uses the country as a platform for its illegal activities.