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Turkish Islamic preachers jailed for PKK
'propaganda'
24.9.2007 |
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September
24, 2007
DIYARBAKIR, Kurdish Southeastern region of
Turkey, -- Two retired Islamic preachers, who called
on the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) to declare a
ceasefire, were on Monday sentenced to 10 months
imprisonment, Anadolu news agency reported.
The Diyarbakir Serious Crimes Court on Monday ruled
that Mehmet Gonden and Abdulbari Tiryaki had "made
propaganda for a terrorist organization" for their
"poetic" call, just over a year ago, for the PKK to
lay down their arms.
"Hey people, hey brother PKK, act like lions and
make a new ceasefire," was one of the lines read out
by the two men last year in the run-up to the
Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Turkish courts normally take a dim view of any
public references to the PKK that describe them in
any sort of positive light or which does not
describe them as a terrorist group.
Hayrettin Guzel, a lawyer for the two men, said he
would appeal the court's decision.
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. Turkey is home to over
25 million ethnic Kurds.
The PKK is considered a terrorist group by Turkey,
United States and the European Union.
DPA
**
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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