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Syrian police nab 35 Kurds after riots,
activist says
17.8.2005
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DAMASCUS, 17
August 2005 - Syrian police arrested about 35 Syrian
Kurds in a northern town near Aleppo after they
assaulted policemen dispersing members of a banned
separatist faction, a rights activist said
yesterday. Ammar Qurabi of the Arab Organization of
Human Rights in Syria (AOHRS) said a crowd rioted on
Monday after police prevented them from holding a
celebration to mark the 25th anniversary of the
Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
“About 35 people were arrested after hurling stones
at the police and damaging property and vehicles in
Ain Al-Arab,” Qurabi told Reuters. “The police did
not use firearms, but they used tear gas after the
violence started.” Qurabi said the violence subsided
after the arrests. “AOHRS condemns the use of
violence by any entity ... emphasizes the importance
of national unity and urges self-restraint,” his
rights group said in a statement.
In June, Syria sentenced three members of the PKK to
jail after convicting them of seeking secession.
Damascus banned the PKK after a standoff with Turkey
over the group's activities in 1998. Syria and
Turkey came to 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 southeast Turkey.
The two neighbors 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 and citizenship for about 200,000 stateless
Kurds.
Reuters
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