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Impugning Turkey for Kurdish genocide
14.3.2010
By Baqi Barzani, a longtime contributing writer for ekurd.net |
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March
14, 2010
One of the most common traits of every individual
genocide is it is consistently negated by its
perpetrators. This is mainly rampant in societies
that do not possess democratic system of power. A
very lucid instance is the republic of Turkey,
obstinately resisting to acknowledging the Armenian
Genocide of 1915, despite the US House Foreign
Affairs Committee lately passing a resolution
labeling it as" genocide"
From Nazi holocaust to Rwanda, Armenian, Bosnia and
Darfur, all genocides have left profoundly throbbing
socio-economic, political and psychological impacts
on their victims and ensuing generations. According
to figures, genocides and other mass murders account
for more human casualties in the twentieth century
than all the wars combined.
The renowned genocide of "Halabja "is regarded as
one of the most unrivaled genocide in the history of
genocides and mankind because of the maximum number
of fatalities inflicted in the least period of time
and the method the genocide was carried out. Even
today, the residents of Halabja and their family
members continue to undergo emotional trauma and
post occurrence complications.
What is the definition of Genocide and how is it
categorized? Does the ongoing repression and
containment taking place in Turkey against the Kurd
fall under the universal definition of genocide?
What disparity is there between the Armenia Genocide
of 1915 as compared to the present Kurdish Genocide
in Turkey ? What preventive measures should be taken
in order to cease the perpetration of Genocides
overall and what is the role and responsibility of
global community in this regard? Why the Kurdish
plight does not obtain sufficient attention from the
international community?
Let me begin responding to those queries by first
referring to the implication of the term genocide
briefly. The UN general Assembly characterizes
genocide as: "the deliberate and systematic
destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic,
racial, religious, or national group". Ethnic
cleansing has been defined as "the elimination of an
unwanted group from society, as by genocide or
forced migration." It is also worth to allude to a
U.S. State Department recent report on Kosovo
concluding: �ethnic cleansing generally entails the
systematic and forced removal of members of an
ethnic group from their communities to change the
ethnic composition of a region." In consistent with
all cited definitions, the continuing forceful
resettlements, assimilations and annihilations of
Kurds by Turkey fit in this category.
As for the lack of sympathy for Kurdish cause in
Turkey compared to the Armenian Genocide, the whole
Kurdish genocidal killing is gradual, unremitting
and complex to unravel. Since the foundation of
outmoded Turkey by Atatürk, Turkish successive
fascist militaristic regimes have been ruthlessly
trying to destroy Kurds and Kurdistan,www.ekurd.nethaving
recourse to every viable excessive modus operandi.
In effect, the planned and systematic efforts by
xenophobic Turkey to wipe out Kurdish national
identity, cultural heritage and ethnic roots
outstrip the scope of hideous Armenian Genocide.
Therefore, it is not exaggeration to assert that
Turkey should also be charged with even greater,
worst abhorrent crimes against the Kurds by the
international tribunal.
The looming of a coherent strategy to hamper future
genocides from occurring is not just an ethical
imperative; it represents the confluence of many of
the most focal issues on many nations' foreign
policy agendas, and should accordingly be made a top
tier priority. States have a responsibility to
protect their own population from mass violence and
if they fail to fulfill their responsibilities, it
is the burden of the global community to dynamically
participate in alleviating the suffering of people,
including resorting to the use of force.
Art present, the world has zoomed in its focus on
the Armenia Genocide committed by Ottoman Turks.
Being impugned by EU, US, UK, sooner or later,
Turkey bears no alternative but to admit its guilt
and need to take the de rigueur measures to rectify
that horrible historical tragedy. Expectantly, The
UN should remind Turkey of its mounting, grave human
rights violations, discriminatory and biased
treatment of other non-Muslim groups, forceful
relocations and assimilations of non-Turkish groups
and greater rights and autonomy for the 25 million
victimized Kurds in that country.
Baqi Barzani is a
Kurdish citizen of Sought Kurdistan [Iraq]. He
advocates the notion of " establishing an
independent Kurdish state". He contributes to
various Kurdish media outlets, especially ekurd.net.
Copyright © 2010 ekurd.net. All rights reserved
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