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Investigation into 10 German deputies who held PKK
flag in Bundestag |
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December 21, 2014
BERLIN,— The Berlin Public Prosecutor’s
Office has initiated a criminal investigation into
ten deputies from the Left Party (Die Linke) who
held up a PKK
flag last month. The prosecutor’s office accepted
the photograph shared by the deputies on social
media in support of parliamentarian Nicole Gohlke,
whose immunity was lifted on account of unfurling a
PKK flag, as evidence of a ‘crime’.
The Federal Parliamentary Immunity Commission in
Munich removed the immunity of Left Party deputy
Nicole Gohlke after she unfurled a PKK flag at a
solidarity night for Kobanê in Munich on 18
November. Following this, the Left Party deputies
unfurled a PKK flag in the Federal Parliament in
protest on 13 December.
Parliamentarians Diether Dehm, Karin Binder, Sabine
Leidig, Pia Zimmermann, Hubertus Zdebel, Wolfgang
Gehrcke, Alexander Ulrich, Andrej Hunko, Kathrin
Vogler and Ulla Jelpke have now received letters
from the Berlin Prosecutor’s office informing them
that an investigation has been initiated into their
protest. The Prosecutor’s office stated that the
photograph shared on Facebook is considered evidence
of a ‘crime’, as the PKK has been banned in Germany
since 1993.
Jelpke: Ban must be
lifted immediately
Parliamentarian Ulla Jelpke reacted angrily to the
prosecutor’s decision to launch an investigation,
saying the PKK ban must be lifted immediately. She
said that the ban criminalised tens of thousands of
Kurdishwww.Ekurd.net
activists in Germany, recalling recent developments
in the Middle East and Turkey, and adding: "Even
conservative political circles and media in Germany
now say the PKK ban should be lifted.”
Last week the Left Party, which with 64 deputies is
the main opposition party, put down a motion in the
federal parliament for the lifting of the ban,
saying the Kurdish freedom movement was the motor of
democratisation in the Middle East.
'A stain on German
democracy’
Nicole Gohlke unfurled a PKK flag at a solidarity
event in Munich on 18 November, saying: "A struggle
for freedom, democracy and human rights has been
waged under this flag.”
Less than a month later the Federal Parliamentary
Immunity Commission in Munich removed the immunity
of Left Party deputy Nicole Gohlke. Kurdish and left
democratic circles in Germany subsequently carried
out solidarity actions with Gohlke.
The 10 Left Party deputies held up the PKK flag in
parliament in solidarity with their colleague and
then shared the photo on Facebook. Less than 24
hours later deputy Diether Dehm removed it from his
account.
Since it was established in 1984 the PKK has been
fighting the Turkish state, which still denies the
constitutional existence of Kurds, with the aim of
creating an independentwww.Ekurd.net
Kurdish state. Some 40,000
people are estimated to have been killed.
But now
limited its demands to to establish an autonomous
Kurdish region and more cultural rights for ethnic
Kurds
who make up around
22.5 million
of the country's 75-million population but have long
been denied basic political and cultural rights, its
goal to political autonomy. A large Turkey's Kurdish
community openly sympathise with PKK rebels.
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.
Copyright ©, respective author or news agency,
firatnews.com | Ekurd.net | Agencies
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