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In Syrian Kurdistan, Kurds hold New Year demos |
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In Syrian Kurdistan, Kurds hold New Year
demos
21.3.2012 |
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March 21, 2012
QAMISHLI, Syrian Kurdistan,— Thousands of
Syrian Kurds held demonstrations in Syria's Kurdish
region in the north of the country [Western
Kurdistan] on Wednesday to mark the Kurdish New
Year, Newroz, as seen in videos posted online by
anti-regime activists.
In the main northern city of Aleppo, demonstrators
waving Kurdish flags shouted slogans such as "Azadi",
meaning freedom in the Kurds' Kurmanji language, and
"Our Syrian revolution is for justice, dignity and
freedom."
"Get out!" they cried, addressing President Bashar
al-Assad, while students vowed to drop out of school
until the fall of the Syrian leader.
In the northeastern town of Qamishli, on the Turkish
border, demonstrators carried portraits of Meshaal
Tamo, a Syrian Kurdish opposition leader who was
assassinated in October.
In the northeastern city of Hassaka, several
protesters chanted anti-Assad slogans.
In Ras al-Ain, also on the Turkish border, the crowd
carried Syrian revolutionary flags, the standard
used from the country's independence from France
until Assad's Baath party came to power in 1963.
Syria's Kurds represent around nine percent of
Syria's 23-million-strong population. Most of them
live in the north and in Damascus.
They repeatedly complain of discrimination and
demand recognition for their Kurdish culture,www.ekurd.net
their language and that they be treated like
full-fledged citizens of Syria.
A dozen Kurdish political groups are banned by the
authorities.
Over 2 million Kurds live in Syria, mainly in
the north bordering Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan
region. Syrian Kurds have long sought official
recognition of the Kurdish language and their
culture in Syria.
The Kurdish language is not allowed to be taught in
schools. In 1962, 20% of Syria's ethnic Kurdish
population were deprived of Syrian citizenship
following a controversial census.
Freedom of expression remains tightly controlled in
Syria, and security forces have sweeping powers of
arrest and detention. Kurds in Syria often speak
Kurdish in public, unless all those present do not.
Suppression of ethnic identity of
Kurds in Syria include: various bans on the use of
the Kurdish language; refusal to register children
with Kurdish names; replacement of Kurdish place
names with new names in Arabic; prohibition of
businesses that do not have Arabic names; not
permitting Kurdish private schools; and the
prohibition of books and other materials written in
Kurdish.
Copyright ©, respective author or news agency,
AFP | ekurd.net | Agencies
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