Kurds in Turkey

international | rights, freedoms and repression | opinion/analysis

Tuesday August 10, 2010 12:13

by Latif Serhildan

serhildantakak at eircom dot net

Opression against the Kurds from Turkish state

The oppressive fascist Turkish regime attempted to eliminate the Kurdish population more than decades now. One has to look at the brief history of the Kurds to know what Turkish state has tried to do with the Kurds. In 1921 at Kocgiri; 1925 at Sex Sait; 1930 at Agri and Zilan by killing more than fifty thousand people. In 1938, at Dersim an estimated seventy thousand children and elderly men and women were killed. Since 1984, more than forty thousand people have lost their lives due to the Kurdish conflict in Turkey. Kurds have not only been deprived of their basic rights and freedoms,

The oppressive fascist Turkish regime attempted to eliminate the Kurdish population more than decades now. One has to look at the brief history of the Kurds to know what Turkish state has tried to do with the Kurds. In 1921 at Kocgiri; 1925 at Sex Sait; 1930 at Agri and Zilan by killing more than fifty thousand people. In 1938, at Dersim an estimated seventy thousand children and elderly men and women were killed. Since 1984, more than forty thousand people have lost their lives due to the Kurdish conflict in Turkey. Kurds have not only been deprived of their basic rights and freedoms, they have also been forced into poverty, to migrate to large cities and, the main fabric of their society has been destroyed systematically. However, in past two decades, the nature of antagonism towards the Kurds has taken a new form. Armed conflict started in 1984 between the Turkish government and the PKK. Six times unconditional ceasefires were declared by the PKK (Kurdistan Workers party) during the past eighteen years with hopes of finding a peaceful solution to the problems. Turkey’s Prime ministers, political parties in Turkey, and military’s denial and unwillingness to resolve the issue has escalated the conflict, leaving regions in poverty and deterioration . Since 1993, over four thousand Kurdish villages have been destroyed and more than seventeen thousand killings of innocent Kurds have been carried out by The Turkish Special Forces. Turkish premier once said the following “ The only good Kurd, is the death Kurd”. Following the March 29, 2010 municipal elections, fifteen hundred politicians, intellectuals, elected representatives, mayors and human rights activists have been jailed to date. As unacceptable as it is, hundreds of Kurdish children have been killed by The Turkish Security Forces since 1993 and today, about three thousand Kurdish children (aged 6 to 17) are in jail. Unjustifiably, these children are being treated as adults and charged with terrorism. Many of them have been sentenced to jail terms of up to twenty-five years for being at demonstrations with their families. Punishing juveniles with such heavy jail terms just for being at demonstrations is not acceptable in any civilized nation.

Instead of being in schools and playgrounds, these children are being kept in jails by the Turkish government because of their Kurdish identity. The Turkish Prime Minister remains silent for the crimes that his government continues to commit against Kurdish children. Sadly enough, the Turkish Prime Minister’s silence has never been challenged on the world stage. This continuing oppression, denial and systematic attempts by the Turkish government to annihilate Kurdish citizens cannot be tolerated in this information age in which the world is a global village. In spite of these harsh treatments against the Kurds in Turkey, now most of the European states have taken certain unjustifiable actions on Kurdish political representatives in EU member states. Recently member of Kurdistan National Congress Nizamettin Toxuc have been taken to custody in Italy has been kept there by the Italian state on request by Turkey that he must be handed over to Turkey. This man did nothing but worked peacefully for the freedom for the Kurdish nation. He was elected MP in Turkish parliament from the city of Batman, before he was sentenced to imprisonment, while he had flee to exile in Belgium. The global injustices against the Kurds must be stop immediately. The Kurds like many other nation deserve to exist as nation state. The world largest nation without a state of their own can not be ignored, or annihilated from the face of the earth. It is time for the other nations to stand up to Turkey and ask to have dialogue with Mr. Ocalan and PKK. Because the only way forward for Turkey or any other Kurdistan occupying powers in middle East is to realise and correct their mistakes. Kurds are here to stay, their will not ever give up for their freedom. Freedom is not free, the Kurds know this very well. They have died for their freedom and willing to die and live for their freedom.

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