|
Justice for Kurds in Turkey 17.3.2010
By Nora Kayserian, Los Angeles
|
|
|
|
March
17, 2010
A recent demonstration in Turkey led to the arrest
of and an 8-year prison sentence for a 15-year old
Kurdish girl named Berivan. Convicted of "terrorist"
offenses, Berivan allegedly had thrown stones at
police during a rally of the banned Turkey Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK).
With over 2,600 minors serving time in Turkish
prisons, the recent arrest of Berivan comes as no
surprise. Kurdish children are being systematically
imprisoned for merely singing their native songs,
peacefully voicing concerns within their communities
or simply being at the wrong place at the wrong
time.
Although the Kurds represent the largest linguistic
minority in Turkey, comprising about 20 percent of
the population, they have been subject to methodical
oppression since the 1920s.
The Turkish government and military has continuously
targeted the Kurdish minority with hateful sentiment
and denied it national and human rights.
|
Berivan, a 15-year-old Turkish girl who was arrested
at a demonstration in support of a banned Kurdish
group has been jailed for nearly eight years after
being convicted of "terrorist" offences, including
allegedly throwing stones at police. Photo: presstv
ir |
The PKK, a separatist guerilla
movement, emerged as a voice for Kurdish citizens in
the early 1980s. Since its foundation, the PKK aimed
to overcome the oppression of the Kurdish minority
in Turkey through the establishment of an
independent nation-state.
In order to combat the suppression endured by the
ethnic Kurds, the PKK felt obliged to take matters
into their own hands. Its members adopted what some
might deem "terrorist" acts after it was made clear
that institutional structures of the Turkish
political system would consistently work against
them.
This resulted in the Turkish government and media's
classification of the organization as a terrorist
group. The truth is Turkey's hands are far bloodier
than those of the PKK.
Turkey claims to be a country devoted to democracy,
yet principles of democracy are not implemented. The
cycle of oppression committed against the Kurds is
clear evidence that Turkey is far from being a
democratic state. The arrest of the innocent Berivan
is just one example of the countless human rights
violations faced by minorities in Turkey today.
Let us make clear that these injustices will not go
unnoticed. Join the United Human Rights Council (UHRC)
on March 24 for a protest outside the Turkish
Consulate in Los Angeles to demand the immediate
release of Berivan and all children in Turkish
jails.
The UHRC is a committee of the Armenian Youth
Federation. By means of action on a grassroots
level, it works toward correcting the human rights
violations of those governments that distort,www.ekurd.netdeny
and delude their own history to disguise past and
present genocides, massacres and human rights
violations.
Nora Kayserian, Los Angeles
Copyright, respective
author or news agency,
socialistworker org
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news
information on this page
|
®
