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Turkey: Tens of thousands demand freedom
for Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan
15.2.2012 |
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Photo: DIHA
February 15, 2012
DIYARBAKIR, The Kurdish
region of Turkey, — Rallies and press conferences
were held today in 40 different locations in the
region in order to protest the anniversary of the
capture of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) Leader
Abdullah Öcalan, DIHA news agency reported.
Öcalan's capture was condemned and messages of
resistance and peace were given in demonstrations in
Adana, Adıyaman, Antep, Batman, Bingöl, Dersim,
Elazığ, Erzurum, Iğdır, Hatay, Kars, Mersin, Siirt,
Van and its Bostaniçi, Gevaş, Muradiye, Gürpınar and
Saray districts, Ağrı and its Doğubayazıt district,
Hakkari and its Yüksekova district, Muş and its
Bulanık district,www.ekurd.net
Diyarbakir and its Kocaköy, Hilvan, Bismil, Silvan
and Dicle districts, Urfa and its Viranşehir, Suruç
and Ceylanpınar districts, Mardin and its Midyat,
Kızıltepe, Derik, Dargeçit, Mazıdağı and Nusaybin
districts, Şırnak and its Güçlükonak, Cizre and
Beytüşşebap districts.
Demonstrations and press conferences were also held
in other parts of Turkey, including İzmir, Aydın,
Istanbul and Bodrum.
The Democratic Congress of the People (HDK) made a
written statement regarding the thirteenth
anniversary of Öcalan's capture. "Any unlawful
treatment or pressure towards Öcalan increases the
tension in the country and causes legitimate
reactions in the Kurdish people. The operations
under the name of KCK [Union of Kurdistan
Communities] bring the Kurdish issue to a dead end.
Violence against the Kurds is increasing. The
government is targeting all who take the side of
negotiation instead of violence. A dialogue with the
BDP [Peace and Democracy Party] as well as the other
personalities considered representatives by Kurds
should be established and the arrested negotiations
should be restarted," said the statement.
Istanbul and Diyarbakir
demonstrations attacked by police
Turkish police attacked demonstrators attempting to
gather in the Taksim Square on Wednesday in order to
protest the anniversary of the capture of Abdullah
Öcalan. Many have been taken under custody. Clashes
were reported between a group of demonstrators and
the police. Among the people attacked by police many
BDP (Peace and Democracy Party) executives and
deputies. ANF news agency reported.
Police had also not allow a similar demonstration in
Diyarbakir.
Koşuyolu Park where the reading of a press statement
was planned has been cordoned off by police and
entry has not been permitted. Some demonstrators
have staged a sit in in front of Diyarbakır
Kindergarten as the police do not allow the
gathering of the four groups by blocking the streets
with hundreds of armored vehicles. Thousands around
the kindergarten are supporting the action with
slogans.
Finally the press release in Diyarbakir was read out
but police attacked the people soon after it.
Kurds, including jailed
children, protest February 15 across Turkey
Eighteen minor prisoners in the Diyarbakir E Type
Prison declared on Wednesday that they will go on a
three-day hunger strike in order to protest the
anniversary of the capture of Kurdistan Workers
Party (PKK) Leader Abdullah Öcalan, DIHA news agency
reported.
Prisoners in the Midyat M Type Prison also declared
yesterday that they will go on an indefinite hunger
strike without turns to protest the capture and
isolation of Abdullah Öcalan.
Hunger strikes continue outside the walls in several
cities as well as the prisons. Today is the fourth
day of the hunger strikes in Diyarbakır, Şırnak and
Mardin and the second day of the hunger strike in
Ağrı. A one-day hunger strike was started today in
Bursa as the three-day hunger strike was ended in
Istanbul.
Three arrests in Diyarbakir
Three arrests and ongoing street clashes have been
reported in Diyarbakir as demonstrations to protest
the 13th anniversary of the capture of Kurdistan
Workers Party (PKK) Leader Abdullah Öcalan were held
today across Turkey, DIHA news agency reported.
Demonstrators had responded to the police with
stones and Molotov cocktails following violent
attack of police earlier in Diyarbakır. Barricades
have been put up with garbage containers and
hundreds of demonstrators have burned tires on main
streets while many armored vehicles keeping the city
under blockade. Clashes reportedly continue in
several neighbourhoods.
Twenty-four were arrested today in Istanbul where
the police did not allow the demonstrations with the
same reason.
Street clashes in Cizre
Violent street clashes took place last night in the
Cizre Town of Şırnak between protestors and the
police. The police who had taken broad security
measures in the town since days threw gas bombs at a
group of protestors who blocked some roads. Blast
bombs, Molotov cocktails and bangers were thrown at
the police and the armored vehicles. The clashes
continued for several hours. DIHA reported.
Abdullah Ocalan - PKK
Ocalan is the founder of the outlawed Turkey Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)
which took up arms for self-rule in the mainly Kurdish southeast of Turkey
(Northern Kurdistan). Ocalan had been forced from his long-time home in Syria by
Turkish pressure in 1998, embarked on an odyssey through several European
countries and ended up in the residence of the Greek ambassador in Nairobi. He
was on his way from there to the airport on February 15, 1999 when he was arrested by
Turkish agents and put on a plane to Turkey.
Following the arrest, violent protests by Kurds erupted all over Europe. Ocalan
was put on trial on the heavily guarded prison island of Imrali in the Sea of
Marmara near Istanbul and sentenced to death. His sentence was later commuted to
life in prison, after Turkey abolished the death penalty in
2002. Ocalan was the only prisoner for a decade until new prisoners arrived on
November 2009, after the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of
Torture (CPT) criticised Ankara for violating
Ocalan's human rights by keeping him in solitary
confinement. He is allowed only visits from
close relatives and his lawyers.
Ocalan has a high symbolic value for most Kurds in Turkey.
Since it was established in 1984, the PKK has been fighting the
Turkish state, which still denies the constitutional
existence of Kurds,www.ekurd.net
to establish a Kurdish state in
the south east of the country, sparking a conflict
that has claimed some 45,000 lives.
But now its aim is the creation an autonomous
Kurdish region and more cultural rights for ethnic
Kurds who constitute the greatest minority in
Turkey, numbering more than 20 million. A large
Turkey's Kurdish community openly sympathise with
the Kurdish PKK rebels.
PKK's demands included releasing PKK detainees,
lifting the ban on education in Kurdish, paving the way for an autonomous democrat Kurdish
system within Turkey, reducing pressure on the
detained PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, stopping
military action against the Kurdish party and
recomposing the Turkish constitution.
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.
The PKK is considered ass '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.
Compiled by ekurd.net from news agencies.
Copyright ©, respective
author or news agency,
DIHA - diclehaber.com | firatnews.com | ekurd.net | Agencies
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