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Suspected Kurdish PKK leader goes on trial
in Germany
31.10.2007
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October
31, 2007
BERLIN, Germany, -- A 58-year-old Kurdish man
went on trial on Wednesday in Berlin, accused of
belonging to a 'terrorist' organization and ordering
arson attacks in southern Germany in the mid-1990s.
German authorities believe the man, identified only
as Muharrem A., led an arm of the banned Kurdistan
Workers Party (PKK) in southwest Germany between
1994 and 1995.
Federal prosecutors say he ordered Molotov cocktail
attacks on three police stations, a post office and
a bank in September 1994 after authorities
prohibited a PKK demonstration. Prosecutors have not
said what punishment they are seeking.
The suspect went into hiding for 12 years before
surrendering to authorities in Berlin in March.
The European Union and the United States consider
the PKK a terrorist group, and Turkey.
More than 37,000 Turkish soldiers and Kurdish PKK
guerrillas have been killed since 1984 when the PKK
took up arms for self-rule in the country's mainly
Kurdish southeast of Turkey.
The trial comes as Turkey has massed up to 100,000
troops along the Iraqi Kurdistan border in readiness
for a possible large-scale incursion to hunt down
some 3,000 Turkey's suspected Kurdish PKK fighters
who are using Kurdistan 'northern Iraq' as a base.
Iraqi Kurdish politician says, Turkey is using
Turkey's Kurdish separatist PKK rebel group as an
excuse to invade Kurdistan region 'Iraq' to prevent
the establishment of Kurdistan state in the Kurdish
autonomous region in 'northern Iraq', Turkey fears
this could fan separatism among its own large
Kurdish population in southeast Turkey. Turkey is
home to over 25 million ethnic Kurds.
Reuters
**
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 over 25 million ethnic Kurds, some
of whom 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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