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Trial for Turkish soldiers captured by
Kurdish PKK rebels
2.2.2008
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February 2, 2008
ANKARA, -- Eight Turkish soldiers captured
and held hostage by Kurdish rebels for two weeks
appeared before a military court Friday on charges
of insubordination, the Anatolia news agency
reported.
The soldiers were
captured by
rebels from the Turkey's outlawed Kurdistan Workers'
Party (PKK) during a bloody ambush on October 21 on
a military unit in Turkey's southeast, near the
border with Iraqi Kurdistan region, which also left
12 troops dead and 17 injured.
After personal attempts by Kurdistan regional
president Massoud Barzani, Iraqi President Jalal
Talabani and Kurdistan regional prime minister
Nechirvan Barzani,www.ekurd.net
the Turkish soldiers who
were detained by the PKK were
released on
November 4 after being held captive for two weeks in
Kurdistan 'northern Iraq'. They were
arrested by Turkish military
court a week later. |
Eight Turkish soldiers freed by Turkey's
Kurdish PKK rebels have been charged by the Turkish
military court |
The prosecution is demanding a life sentence against
one of the soldiers on several charges including
"collusion in a crime against the state's unity and
territorial integrity" and "persistent
insubordination resulting in great loss".
The soldier, a Kurd, has reportedly been accused by
his commanders of being the first to surrender to
PKK rebels and encouraging his friends to follow his
example and lay down arms.
The remaining seven troops risk a jail term of up to
five years for disobeying orders.
The October 21 ambush shocked Turkey and put
pressure on the Ankara government to take military
action in Kurdistan 'northern Iraq' to root out PKK
rebels using the region as a sprinGboard for attacks
across the border in 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. A large Turkey's
Kurdish community openly sympathise with the Kurdish
PKK for a Kurdish homeland in the country's mainly
Kurdish southeast of Turkey.
Turkey has carried out four air strikes against PKK
positions in Kurdistan region of northern Iraq since
December 16 as well as a ground cross-border
operation to stop a group of rebels trying to
infiltrate Turkey.
Iraqi Kurdistan 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',www.ekurd.net
Turkey fears this could
fan separatism among its own large Kurdish
population in southeast Turkey. Turkey is home to
over 25 million ethnic Kurds
The PKK demanded Turkey's recognition of the Kurds'
identity in its constitution and of their language
as a native language along with Turkish in the
country's Kurdish areas, the party also demanded an
end to ethnic discrimination in Turkish laws and
constitution against Kurds, granting them full
political freedoms.
The group is listed as a "terrorist" organisation by
Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
AFP | Agencies
**
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, a
large Turkey's Kurdish community 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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