|
Turkey detains Kurdish peace marchers
20.10.2009
|
|
|
|
The
Kurds, including eight rebels, entered the country
from Iraq, carrying a letter to Turkish officials.
October
20, 2009
DIYARBAKIR, Kurdish Southeastern region of
Turkey, — Unarmed Kurdish rebels in combat dress
marched into Turkey
from Kurdistan in northern Iraq on Monday in a show
of support for peace with the Turkish government.
The eight rebels, along with 26 other Kurds, were
immediately detained by Turkish paramilitary police
after crossing the border gate at Habur. They were
moved to a military battalion's headquarters for
questioning by prosecutors, the state-run Anatolian
news agency reported.
Earlier, Kurds in Kurdistan region in Iraq's north
celebrated with music and drums as the group left
from a refugee camp, the news agency reported. The
eight fighters joined the convoy from a camp in
Iraq's Qandil mountains,www.ekurd.netwhere
Turkey says the leaders of the rebel Turkey's
Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, are in hiding. |
The eight PKK rebels, along with 26 other Kurds,
were immediately detained by Turkish paramilitary
police after crossing the border gate at Habur. |
The group was carrying a
letter to Turkish officials saying its members hoped
to make a "modest" contribution to peace with their
journey, and listing requests, including an end to
military operations against the rebels,www.ekurd.netaccording
to Firat, a pro-Kurdish news agency.
Other demands included allowing Kurdish-language
education and ending what they called "pressure and
oppression" by security forces in mainly Kurdish
villages and cities, the agency said.
At the border, thousands of Kurds greeted the group
on the Turkish side by waving Kurdish flags,
singing, dancing and holding up banners calling for
peace.
AFP reported that four prosecutors sent to the
border area to meet the group were to determine
whether those held had committed any crimes and
should be taken into custody.
More than 40 lawyers travelled to Habur to assist
the group during questioning at military barracks
inside the border area, one of the attorneys told
Anatolia news agency.
Turkish officials have said the group's members were
welcome if they were in Turkey to turn themselves
in, but senior PKK commander Murat Karayilan told
the pro-Kurdish Firat agency on Sunday that the
group's aim was not surrender.
Rallies in support of the group were held in several
cities. Some 5,000 people gathered in a central
square in Diyarbakir, the biggest city in the mainly
Kurdish southeast, answering a call by the Kurdish
Democratic Society Party.
"Welcome peace ambassadors! Hand in hand for an
honourable peace," chanted the protestors, along
with slogans in favour of Abdullah Ocalan, the
jailed leader of the rebel PKK.
Similer demonstrations took place in Batman and
Mardin in the southeast and the eastern cities of
Tunceli, Van and Mus, as well as Izmir in the west
and the country's biggest city Istanbul, both of
which have sizeable Kurdish communities.
A large crowd -- around 2,500 people, according to
police -- marched down Istiklal Avenue, the main
commercial street in Istanbul's European quarter,
behind a banner which read "Open the Way for Peace".
"The ambassador of peace is in Imrali," the
protestors shouted, in reference to the prison
island where Ocalan has been held since his capture
in 1999.
"Bravo PKK, the people are here," they said,
flashing the V-sign for victory.
The PKK announced last week it would send "peace
groups" from Iraq, where the rebels have rear bases,
and Europe, on a proposal from Ocalan, to help
advance Ankara's bid for peace.
The Firat news agency on Monday published pictures
of the rebels, dressed in green combat fatigues and
carrying no arms, leaving their camp for Turkey.
The group had brought with them a list of demands to
hand over to Turkish authorities, Firat said.
Riot police stood guard, while a helicopter circled
overhead. Dozens of lawyers were on hand to assist
the group during questioning, said Kurdish lawmaker
Sabahat Tuncel.
The PKK said its imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan,
had given instructions for "peace groups" to travel
to Turkey to promote reconciliation. A second group
of rebels, mainly Kurds in exile in Europe, was
expected to arrive in Turkey at a later date,
Turkish news reports said.
The Turkish government has been working on an
initiative to end the conflict, but has yet to
release any details.
Thousands of
Kurds rallied across Turkey
Monday as a Kurdish rebel "peace group" arrived from
Iraqi Kurdistan region to show support for Ankara's
plans to end the 25-year Kurdish conflict without
violence.
Since 1984 the PKK took up arms
for self-rule in the mainly Kurdish southeast of
Turkey (Turkey-Kurdistan) which has claimed around
45,000 lives of Turkish soldiers and Kurdish PKK
guerrillas. A large Turkey's Kurdish
community openly sympathise with the Kurdish PKK
rebels. Turkey refuses to recognize its Kurdish
population as a distinct minority.
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,www.ekurd.net
the party also demanded an end to ethnic
discrimination in Turkish laws and constitution
against Kurds, ranting them full political freedoms.
The PKK is considered a 'terrorist' organization by
Ankara, U.S., the PKK continues to be on the
blacklist list in EU despite court ruling which
overturned a decision
to place the Kurdish rebel group PKK and its
political wing on the European Union's terror list.
Turkey refuses to recognize its Kurdish population
as a distinct minority. It has allowed some cultural
rights such as limited broadcasts in the Kurdish
language and private Kurdish language courses with
the prodding of the European Union, but Kurdish politicians
say the measures fall short of their expectations.
Ankara is currently working on a package of fresh
reforms to expand the freedoms of the Kurdish
community, but has rejected calls to halt military
action against the PKK.
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.
Copyright, respective author or news agency,
AP | AFP | Agencies
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news
information on this page
|
®
