|
Kurds Allege Ethnic Cleansing in Syria
27.3.2008 |
|
|
|
March 27, 2008
Qameshli, Syrian Kurdistan,-- The Syrian
regime is torturing the country's Kurdish minority
and is planning an ethnic cleansing in the Syrian
Kurdish region (Syrian Kurdistan), a Kurdish
opposition group says.
Syria's plan to move 10,000 troops into the
country's Kurdish region could mark a dangerous turn
in the attitude towards this ethnic minority, Sherko
'Abbas, president of the United States-based
Kurdistan National Assembly of Syria told The Media
Line.
Celebrations of the Kurdish Newroz spring festival
were marred this week in Syria when clashes broke
out between security forces and Kurds.
Three Kurds were killed
and dozens were wounded. |
Three Kurds were killed and dozens were wounded in
Qameshli, |
In addition, at least two people were killed in
Turkey in Newroz clashes between Kurds and riot
police.
For some time the Syrians have been accusing the
Kurds of treason and alliances with the Americans
and with the Israelis, 'Abbas said.
"This is an excuse for them to move troops into the
Kurdish region and try to quell any rebellion or
uprising there. They're trying to bring in the fear
factor that they lost in the Kurdish region."
Reports suggest Damascus has deployed some 10,000
Syrian troops into five cities in the country's
northern Kurdish-dominated region (Syrian
Kurdistan).
Syria has around 300,000 Kurds who are considered
stateless foreigners, 'Abbas said, and are being
oppressed in the framework of what he called Syria's
"Arabization policy."
Both Syria and Turkey are concerned that the
relative success of the autonomous Kurdish region in
Iraq is emboldening their own Kurdish minorities and
pushing them to seek independence.
"We're not asking to separate from Syria. We want a
democracy in Syria where peace,www.ekurd.net
prosperity and democracy will be the point in the
Middle East," 'Abbas said. "It's time to declare the
Kurdish region as a protected zone or a no-fly zone,
where the regime cannot kill innocent people. That
region can try to spread democracy into Syria."
Kurds are a non-Arab ethnic group numbering between
25 and 30 million people,www.ekurd.net
although some put it closer to 40 million. They
inhabit a mountainous region known as Kurdistan,
spanning northwest Iran, northeast Iraq, east
Turkey, northeast Syria and a small community in
Armenia.
They are predominantly, but not all, Sunni Muslims.
The Kurds constitute a minority in all these
countries and have been oppressed, to varying
degrees, in all areas.
Between eight and 10 percent of the Syrian
population is Kurdish.
Ahmad Muhammad Munir, a member of Syria's
parliamentary National Security Committee,
vociferously denied accusations of ethnic cleansing.
"I call on all the international news agencies and
human rights organizations to visit any region in
Syria and to see the reality on the ground. There is
no ethnic cleansing. There were some disturbances
caused by groups that infiltrated from outside to
cause chaos in this area," he told The Media Line.
Munir said the reports of 10,000 security personnel
being sent into the area were unfounded. He said no
more than 150 policemen were routinely deployed into
the area to quell riots that began when tires were
set alight during the Newroz festivities.
"The Kurds are part of the Syrian-Arab fabric," he
said, but added that there were "collaborators" from
outside who wanted to carry out hawkish policies.
In 2004, clashes in Qameshli and other towns between
Kurds and Arabs backed by security forces left
scores dead and injured. At least 300 Kurds were
reportedly arrested.
Syria has about two million Kurds among its 17
million population, mainly living in the mainly
Kurdish north-east of the country (Syrian
Kurdistan).
Syrian Kurds have become vociferous about their
human rights since the 2003 Iraq war, which has
resulted in their fellow Iraqi Kurds establishing an
autonomous region in northern Iraq.
Qameshli lies some 680 kilometres (420 miles) north
of Damascus.
Copyright, respective author or news agency, The
Media Line, themedialine org
** Kurds are the largest ethnic minority in Syria
making up 10% of the country's population i.e. about
two million.
Kurds in Syria often speak Kurdish in public,
unless all those present do not. Kurdish human
rights activists are mistreated and persecuted. No
political parties are allowed for any group, Kurdish
or otherwise.
Suppression of ethnic identity of
Kurds in Syria include: various bans on the use of
the Kurdish language; refusal to register children
with Kurdish names; replacement of Kurdish place
names with new names in Arabic; prohibition of
businesses that do not have Arabic names; not
permitting Kurdish private schools; and the
prohibition of books and other materials written in
Kurdish.
More about Kurds in Syria - (Kurdistan-Syria)
From Wikipedia
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news
information on this page
|
® 