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Turkish Police break up Kurdish rally in
eastern Turkey
26.10.2008
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October
26, 2008
VAN,
Kurdish Southeastern region of Turkey,— Turkish
police broke up a violent demonstration by Kurdish
protesters in eastern Turkey,www.ekurd.net
the country's Anatolia
news agency reported Saturday.
The agency said police were firing pepper gas and
smoke bombs to disperse the crowds in the Kurdish
city of Van, near the Iranian border, and that the
clash was sparked by protesters hurling stones at
police.
Kurdish protesters have clashed with police and
torched vehicles and shops across the nation over
allegations that Kurdish PKK rebel chief Abdullah
Ocalan was mistreated in prison. The government has
denied the allegations.
Ocalan's rebel group has been fighting for autonomy
in the Kurdish-dominated southeast since 1984.
Kurdish protests
across the country sparked by allegations that
Kurdish PKK-rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan was
mistreated in prison.
Tensions have been high in the region since the DTP
claimed that Abdullah Ocalan,www.ekurd.net
the imprisoned leader of
the Turkey's Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), had
been mistreated in Imrali prison where he is serving
a life sentence.
The claim sparked mass demonstrations that turned
violent in the mainly-Kurdish southeastern region
(Turkey Kurdistan) near the Iranian border. |
Tear gas used by riot police to disperse Kurd
protestors. Kurds angry at alleged
abuses against jailed rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan
have clashed with Turkish police.
PKK flags, Ocalan's photos at the demonstrations |
One Kurdish
protestor was killed
Monday during a rally organized by the DTP after
clashes erupted between Turkish police protestors in
the Dogubeyazit district of Agri province.
Over 39,000 Turkish soldiers and Kurdish PKK
guerrillas have been killed since 1984 when the
Turkey's Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)
took up arms for self-rule in the country's mainly
Kurdish southeast of Turkey (Turkey-Kurdistan). A large Turkey's
Kurdish community openly sympathise with the Kurdish PKK rebels.
The PKK demanded Turkey's recognition of the Kurds'
identity in its constitution and of their language
as a native language along with Turkish in the
country's Kurdish areas, the party also demanded
an end to ethnic discrimination in Turkish laws and
constitution against Kurds, ranting them full
political freedoms.
The PKK is considered a 'terrorist' organization by
Ankara, U.S., the PKK continues to be on the
blacklist list in EU despite court ruling which
overturned a decision
to place the Kurdish rebel
group PKK and its political wing on
the European Union's terror list.
Turkey refuses to recognize its Kurdish population
as a distinct minority. It has allowed some cultural
rights such as limited broadcasts in the Kurdish
language and private Kurdish language courses with
the prodding of the European Union, but Kurdish politicians
say the measures fall short of their expectations.
Copyright, respective author or news agency,
AP | Agencies
** Kurds are not recognized as an official minority
in Turkey and are denied rights granted to other
minority groups. Under EU pressure, Turkey recently
granted Kurds limited rights for broadcasts and
education in the Kurdish language, but critics say
the measures do not go far enough.
The use of the term "Kurdistan" is vigorously
rejected due to its alleged political implications
by the Republic of Turkey, which does not recognize
the existence of a "Turkish Kurdistan" Southeast
Turkey.
Others estimate over 40 million Kurds live in Big
Kurdistan (Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Iran, Armenia),
which covers an area as big as France, about half of
all Kurds which estimate to 20 million live in
Turkey.
Turkey is home to 25 million ethnic Kurds, a large
Turkey's Kurdish community openly sympathise with
the Kurdish PKK for a Kurdish homeland in the
country's mainly Kurdish southeast of Turkey.
Before August 2002, the Turkish government placed
severe restrictions on the use of Kurdish language,
prohibiting the language in education and broadcast
media. The Kurdish alphabet is still not recognized
in Turkey, and use of the Kurdish letters X, W, Q
which do not exist in the Turkish alphabet has led
to judicial persecution in 2000 and 2003
The Kurdish flag flown officially in Iraqi Kurdistan
but unofficially flown by Kurds in Armenia. The flag
is banned in Iran, Syria, and Turkey where flying it
is a criminal offence"
Southeastern Turkey:
North Kurdistan (
Kurdistan-Turkey)
wikipedia
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