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Pro-Öcalan march in Iraqi Kurdistan,
security forces reportedly open fire on PKK
demonstration
14.2.2009
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February 14, 2009
Hewler-Erbil, Kurdistan region "Iraq", —
Dozens of supporters of the Turkey's Kurdistan
Workers Party (PKK) demonstrated on Friday in front
of the human rights ministry building in Erbil city,
, the Iraqi Kurdistan's capital,www.ekurd.net
calling for pressing the
Turkish government through the UN to release their
anti-Turkey leader Abdullah Öcalan.
“We want the human rights ministry to practice
pressures on Turkey via the humanitarian
organizations belonging to the UN in order to secure
the release of Öcalan,” one of the protesters,
Mahmoud Alti, said.
Kurdish security forces (Peshmerga)
open fire on PKK demonstration
Hawler Firat News Agency (ANF) reported that several
people were injured when the Kurdish security forces
(Peshmerge) opened fire on pro-PKK demonstrators and
intervened in both Kirkuk. The 10th anniversary of
the PKK leader’s comes up on Feb. 15. Several people
were arrested and wounded during unrest in these
Kurdish cities.
According to the pro-PKK newspaper ANF a large
number of people were severely wounded and their
arms were broken. The camera and the tape of an DIHA
journalist were confiscated.
Around 500-1000 people demonstrated for the PKK in
Hawler. The demonstrations were probable partially
organised by the daughter party of the PKK, the PCDK
(Kurdistan Democratic Solution Party), which was
forbidden in the three provinces of the Kurdish
autonomous federal region and their offices closed
since 3 November 2007.
The Turkish newspaper Taraf reported that the PCDK
will participate in the Kurdish elections in May.
Also the Kurdish newspaper Hawlati confirmed this
news. But it’s unclear yet how the PCDK can
participate,www.ekurd.net
if they are forbidden.
It’s possible that they will join a coalition of
other political parties.
Kurdish security forces
Deny firing on PKK demonstration
The Kurdish peshmerge security forces denied firing
on the PKK demonstration in Hawler (Erbil) and
confirmed the demonstration didn’t got permission
from the authorities. ““It is a big lie that our
forces fired the demonstrators. We just stopped
them, nothing more,” a Kurdish officer told Aswat
Aliraq.
“Some unidentified fire were shot at the
demonstrators but no casualties were reported,”
according to the Aswat al-Iraq news agency
correspondent in Hawler. |
Around 500-1000 people demonstrated for the PKK in
Hawler.
A PKK supporter burns himself. In the background a
confederal PKK flag can be seen. (Kamal Chomani)
A PKK supporter burns
himself. Photo (Kamal Chomani) |
A demonstration was
organised by the PKK daughter party, the Kurdistan
Democratic Solution Party (PCDK), in Qandil
mountains, Hawler and Kerkuk for the 10th
anniversary of Ocalan’s capture on 15th February
1999.
According to the Kurdish journalist Kamal Chomani
the Kurdish PKK insurgent Hevall Diyar from Iran put
himself on fire in Hawler and shouting pro-Ocalan
slogans. Afterwards he was brought to an hospital by
PKK members. It’s likely he is going to die.
Abdullah “Apo” Öcalan,www.ekurd.net
born on April 4, 1948,
is the Kurdish founding leader of the PKK, which was
founded in 1978. The PKK, or Partiya Karkeren
Kurdistan in Kurdish, which is banned in Turkey, has
been leading an armed campaign inside Turkey since
1984.
Öcalan was captured in Kenya on February 15, 1999,
while being transferred from the Greek embassy to
Nairobi international airport, in an operation by
the CIA.
The PKK is considered a 'terrorist' organization by
Ankara and 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.
Over 40,000 Turkish soldiers and Kurdish PKK
guerrillas have been killed since 1984 when the Turkey's
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) (Partiya Karkeren
Kurdistan) took up arms for self-rule in the mainly
Kurdish southeast of Turkey (Turkey-Kurdistan). 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, the party also demanded
an end to ethnic discrimination in Turkish laws and
constitution against Kurds, ranting them full
political freedoms.
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.
Additional reporting by Wladimir van Wilgenburg
Copyright, respective author or news agency,
aswataliraq info | vvanwilgenburg blogspot.com |
Firatnews org |
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 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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