|
Syria court jails three Kurds for separatism
19.6.2005
|
|
|
|
DAMASCUS, June 19
(Reuters) - Syria's Supreme State Security Court on
Sunday sentenced three Kurds convicted of seeking
secession to 30 months in jail, their lawyer said.
Human rights activist and lawyer Anwar al-Bunni told
Reuters the convictions bring to 15 Kurdish rebels
sentenced since April when the authorities began the
trial of activists who belong to the Kurdistan
Workers Party (PKK).
They have all had reduced prison terms for the
charge of belonging "to an illegal group that seeks
to split territory off Syria and annex it to a
foreign country" that carries a maximum of five
years in jail.
The three -- Fouad Hanif Kldado, Ismael Rasi and
Khalil Yousef -- were among 100 rebels arrested last
year who confessed to belonging to the group that
has been banned in Syria since ending a standoff
with Turkey over their activities.
In 1998, Syria and Turkey reached the brink of
military confrontation before Damascus met a Turkish
request to expel PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. Ankara
had repeatedly complained that Syria was backing PKK
rebels fighting in south east Turkey.
The two neighbours have improved ties in recent
years. Both worry that Kurdish autonomy in northern
Iraq could strengthen separatist aspirations among
their own Kurdish minorities.
Several banned Kurdish political groups in Syria,
which has an estimated two million Kurds, demand the
right to teach their language.
Reuters
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news
information on this page
|
® 