Germany bans 2 Kurdish PKK publishers after raids

German authorities banned two media organizations allegedly linked to the banned Kurdistan Workers party (PKK) after raids early on Tuesday, the Interior Ministry said. The party is considered a terrorist organization by the European Union and Turkey. Police searched the Mesopotamia Publishing House and MIR Multimedia in the western states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony and seized material, Reuters reports. “As the PKK is still active despite being banned in Germany, it is necessary to rein in the PKK,” Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said. Earnings from the two organizations are funneled exclusively to the PKK and strengthen its capabilities in Germany, the ministry said, adding the two organizations go “under the guise” of publishing houses.