Statement No 17 by Free DR Kamal Qadir Campaign
In spite of tens of thousands of diverse voices from
all parts of Kurdistan and from the Diaspora calling
for the release of Dr Kamal Sayid Qadir, Kurdistan
Democratic Party (KDP) is still maintaining an
official silence. This sort of action by KDP reminds
us of the classical method of the previous Soviet
system and similar totalitarian regimes in the world
who think that with the passing of time, this sort
of protests will die down and eventually the people
in power will taste their revenge from their
opponents.
We as Campaign for Freedom of Dr Kamal Sayid Qadir,
repeat our appeal to all freedom-loving writers,
intellectuals, and students of Kurdistan
universities and ask them not to allow these trivial
games by authorities mislead us and slow down our
will. The case of Dr Kamal Sayid Qadir is the case
of violation of human rights and suppression of
difference of opinion and freedom of expression and
the imposition of the absolute authority of tribal
codes of behaviour. The case of Dr Kamal Sayid Qadir
is the case of struggle between victim and
slaughterer, between the power of pen and the
despotism of militia which aims to revive, impose
and enact classical tribal relationships of
centuries ago in Arbil. |
Dr Kamal Said Qadir, Austrian citizen, an
international legal expert, writer and human rights
activist |
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In addition to our thanks and appreciation for the
biggest waves of protest and support by the most
distinguished and active writers and intellectuals
in Kurdistan and abroad, we find it appropriate to
extend special thanks to a number of them who have
been actively promoting the case of Dr Kamal Qadir
for four months without interruption. The Internet
chatroom of Kurdistanunited and its administrators
and in particular Mr Botin have made a tireless
campaign and they have been continuously harassed
and threatened to give up their campaign but this
has only increased their passion and determination;
the independent Kurdish website www.dengekan.com has
published the majority of the articles supporting Dr
Qadir and thus have greatly contributed to this
campaign and we greatly appreciate their efforts.
Also the independent website www.kurdistanpost.com
which is visited by greatest number of people from
both supporters and opponents of Dr Qadir, have
given a great impetus to the campaign and we thank
them for this. The [new] Kurdish independent weekly
Awene [in Sulaymaniya, Kurdistan] has in its five
issues published more news about this case than all
other Kurdish newspapers together.
At the same time we extend our thanks and
appreciation to all other websites which have become
a refuge for free ideas and protests by Kurdistan
intellectuals, academics and writers such as the
websites of Kurdistanian, Helwest, Rojhalat, Bo
Peshewe, the organisation of CHAK and all others.
Also www.kurdmedia.com and
www.kurdistanreferendum.org in English have paid a
great attention to Dr Kamal’s case and we thank them
too. Among other media, the radio Hawpishti in
Sweden and Roj TV are prominent in their role.
We express our love, respect and appreciation to all
those academics, writers, lawyers, poets and
freedom-loving intellectuals inside and outside
Kurdistan who have challenged power and authority in
their writings and condemned this brutal power which
sentenced Dr Qadir to prison. They have proved that
Dr Qadir is not alone and KDP cannot get away with
its unjust sentence. We also thank all those
cultural organisations and institutions which have
formally joined the campaign and all those who
protested against this sentence in any way possible.
We must maintain our campaign until Dr Qadir is free
and back in Austria
Again after various theatricals of releasing Dr
Qadir from prison, Dr Qadir is still in jail.
Therefore we appeal to you to continue to write,
protest and condemn this power which frightens you
with Ba’athist laws. Protest in any peaceful and
civilised way you can. They tell us that any one who
exposes their dark secrets, political scandals and
administrative corruption, will receive thirty years
in prison. We find it necessary to directly address
the city of [the martyr of free thought [Abd-al-Khaliq
Ma’ruf, the city of Hewler [Arbil}: This city has
always boiled with anger against despots and
tyrants: how come that its writers and intellectuals
are now cowered and we do not hear even a murmur
from them? We appeal to you to join the protest and
anger of the writers of Sulaymaniya, Kirkuk,
Germiyan, the other parts of Kurdistan and the
Diaspora. Don’t allow this theatrical which is
played in the name of law and justice to go on any
longer.
While we thank those writers and intellectuals who
have supported freedom for Dr Qadir, we ask them:
Please don’t lose your interest. Strengthen your No
voice and your campaign. Let your pens be sharp and
active. Condemn this shame which KDP alone is
responsible for.
In fact without your support we would never have
been able to achieve so much for Dr Qadir especially
in the face of a party such as KDP which has
thousands of dervishes, billions of dollars, ample
weapons and tens of regional and international
intelligence links. We depend on the support of tens
of thousands of liberal-minded and freedom-loving
people in all parts of Kurdistan, free thinkers in
the world and international human rights
organisations.
To give up now is to give in to power and a green
light to them to continue in their violation of
human rights of the people of Kurdistan, to continue
in their stinking corruption, monopolization of
power and wealth and suppression of the will and
choice of the people of Kurdistan.
We appeal to those writers who have so far , for
whatever reason, remained silent, to raise their
voices and join the protest.
Let us not allow the political power to assassinate
the character, personality and will of Dr Kamal
Qadir.
We reject any conditional freedom for Dr Kamal Sayid
Qadir and condemn it internationally.
We appeal to the world public opinion to support our
campaign until Dr Kamal Qadir is free without any
conditions and restrictions and return to Austria as
a free man.
Free Dr Kamal Sayid Qadir Campaign, The Management
Committee, 12 February 2006
First published in Kurdish on
www.dengekan.com
www.kurdistanreferendum.org
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