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US condemns Syria over deaths of Syrian
Kurds
29.3.2008
By staff |
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March 29, 2008
WASHINGTON, -- The United States on Friday
condemned Syria over the
deaths of three Syrian Kurds
a week ago and urged the government in Damascus to
open a full independent probe of the incident.
"The United States condemns the attack on the
Kurdish Syrian population by Syrian security forces
that left three civilians dead and others severely
injured," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack
said in a statement.
The incidents occurred in the northeastern Kurdish
city of Qameshli (Syrian Kurdistan), near the border
with Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan region, following
the March 20 celebrations for Newroz, the Kurdish
New Year.
"We call upon the Syrian government to refrain from
using violent measures to repress Kurdish civilians
and to open a full, independent investigation of the
incident," the statement said.
An official of the Kurdish Yakiti party told AFP
last week that Syrian police killed three Kurds in
clashes which broke out as the Kurds celebrated
their New Year at Qameshli.
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.
Sherko 'Abbas, president of the United States-based
Kurdistan National Assembly of Syria
told The Media
Line,
"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."
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.
Information for this report was provided by AFP |
Agencies
** 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)
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