BRUSSELS, — The Kurdish National Congress (KNK) has written to the Presidency of the European Union, the Presidency of the European Commission and the Secretary-General of the United Nations to highlight what amounts to crimes committed by the Turkish government and state officials in relation to the ban of Kurdish education and teaching which constitutes an existential matter for the Kurdish people living in Turkey.
According to the letter, which includes several documents, “the inclusion of Kurdish in education is being refused in order to subject the language to assimilation. This process of assimilation has been conducted systematically since the creation of the Republic.”
The excerpts presented as evidences by the KNK have been gathered from state reports, statements by the Armed Forces and speeches delivered by the Prime Minister. “The carefully planned process of assimilation – reads the letter – will continue as long as Kurdish is banned from general education and is denied assurance through legal and constitutional measures and subsequently resulting in the tragic extinction of a language and the doom of a people.”
Underlining that “assimilation is clearly a crime against humanity”, the KNK stressed in its letter that “during a press conference in Germany along German chancellor Angela Merkel, Turkey’s Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan uttered the words “assimilation is a crime against humanity” regarding the need for protecting the language of Turks in Germany. However, these words obviously do not apply when it comes to Turkey where the Prime Minister himself as well as the entire government commits assimilation against the Kurdish language.”
The letter concludes with an expectation of solidarity and support “for the Kurdish people in relation to solving the issue of Kurdish teaching and education, which is a core right, and against these crimes against humanity by the Turkish State and government.”