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Iraqi Kurds protest against Iran and
Turkey in Holland
3.9.2011 |
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September
3, 2011
THE HAGUE, Netherlands, — More than 30
Kurdish and Iraqi organizations demonstrated against
the Iranian and Turkish bombardments of Iraq’s
Kurdistan region on Friday in the Dutch city, The
Hague.
Organizers said they hoped the protests would push
the international community to convince Turkey and
Iran end their strikes on Kurdish rebels along
Iraq’s border. While Turkey and Iran regularly fight
the rebels, the attacks have heated up this summer,
claiming the lives of nearly a dozen civilians and
displacing scores of families.
“While there are more and more positive changes in
the Middle East, the aggression of the Iranian and
Turkish regimes against Kurdish civilians
continues,” said Kurdish protest organizer Ali
Ghahrmani.
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Demonstrators in the Hague against the Turkish air
strikes in Iraqi Kurdistan region. Photo: Wladimir
van Wilgenburg/rudaw |
A statement signed by the 33 organizations
sponsoring the event claimed they represented Iraqis
of diverse ethnic backgrounds, including Arabs,
Kurds, Assyrians and Turkmen. There were also
organizations representing Kurds from Turkey like
FEDKOM.
Ali Afrasiab, 26, a Kurdish organizer, told Rudaw
that although Turkey and Iran claim to target
Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Party of Free
Life of Kurdistan (PJAK) rebels, “The victims of
this conflict are civilians. You have seen the
pictures of 7 civilians who were killed (in a
Turkish strikes), and whose families fled their
homes. They destroy nature, target civilians and
bomb Iraqi territory.”
Al-Hakim Abdul Razzaq, chairman of the Iraqi House
Union in the Hague, told Rudaw that Iraqi Arabs
turned out in support for the Kurds.
“Every time, Iran and Turkey bomb our land Iraq and
Kurdish villages. Today we came to show our
solidarity with the Kurdish people,” he said.
Nihad al-Kadi of the Iraqi Democratic Movement in
Holland, told Rudaw that “Turkey and Iran export
their problems to Iraq, and should their issues in a
democratic way. Why is Turkey supporting Gaza or the
Arabs while they’re bombing Kurds?”
On August 21, a Turkish air strike in Sulaimaniyah
province
killed a family
of seven, according to Kurdish officials. Turkey
denies the civilians were killed,www.ekurd.netand
have suggested the report was propaganda by the PKK.
The anti-insurgent cross-border operations were
criticized by Human Rights Watch on Friday, who
suggested at least a dozen civilians had been
killed.
“Iran and Turkey should do all they can to protect
civilians and their property from harm, no matter
what the reason for their attacks in Iraqi
Kurdistan,” Joe Stork, HRW’s deputy Middle East
director, said in a statement on Friday.
“Year after year, civilians in northern Iraq have
suffered from these cross-border attacks, but the
situation right now is dire,” Stork said.
By Wladimir van Wilgenburg
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