This year is the 13th anniversary of the illegal capture of the Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan which draws attention to the plight of the Kurdish population in the Middle East. Mr Ocalan, leader of the Kurdish PKK (Kurdistan Worker Party) and recognised national leader of millions of Kurdish people, was kidnapped by international forces – led by Turkey and including Israeli and American agents – in the Greek embassy in Kenya on 15 February 1999.
He was brought to Turkey where he has been in solitary confinement under horrendous conditions for the past thirteen years. Support for Mr Ocalan has been unwavering among the Kurds and Kurdish groups are currently doing a 420km Long March for Freedom from Geneva to Strasbourg to highlight the Kurdish situation and calling for peace and freedom for Abdullah Ocalan.
The most effective weapon used by the Turkish government against the legitimate demands of Kurds is the accusation of terrorism. Currently about 6000 Kurdish activists, writers, trades unionists, academics and politicians, including local politicians and parliamentarians, are detained in Turkey accused of security related offences. This AKP-directed program, known as the KCK Case, began in 2009 against all Kurdish dissent in Turkey.
Contrary to what the Turkish government would like you to believe, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, was not born out of thirst for baby’s blood. No, the Kurdish guerrillas in the mountains of Turkey are not all callous sociopaths who gain pleasure from terrorizing villages and kidnapping women and children. The propaganda machine, that is the Turkish state, has been hard at work since the 1970’s trying to paint the most horrific image of the Kurdish movement, and it has been relatively successful in swaying the opinions of major world powers, and a large portion of the general public.
The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by a number of countries and international institutions, including the United States and the European Union. Since what constitutes “terrorism” has yet to be defined in international law, let’s take a look at what the word means according to Turkish law. In Article 1 of Turkey’s Anti-Terror Law (TMK), “terrorism” is defined as “any kind of act done … with the aim of changing the characteristics of the Republic as specified in the Constitution.”
Based on that description alone, one can infer that in Turkey any form of dissent can be categorized as terrorism. And when you take the racist nature of the country’s constitution into consideration, it becomes disturbingly clear that any advocacy of minority rights is severely punishable under Turkish law. This is the reason why dozens of local and international organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have called for the abolition of TMK. www.who-is-the-terrorist?
In that country ruled by very stupid minded Erdogan type of prime minter anyone any age can be called terrorist. While real acts of terrorism has been done to the Kurds from all major four courtiers in Middle East. Namely one is Turkey, than follows former Iraq, Iran and Syria. There are no greater terrorists than these four courtiers that I just described. Nevertheless, the US and EU stand firmly behind Turkey’s “war against terrorism”.
Peaceful protests are met with extreme force by the state. Attacks on the PKK Guerrillas continue despite repeated calls from the Kurdish side for dialogue and peace. On 28 December Turkish war planes massacred 35 Kurdish civilians, mostly children, by aerial bombardment.
Kurdish demands are clear and legitimate: constitutional reform in Turkey recognising the rights of the Kurdish population, political autonomy for the Kurdish areas and education in the Kurdish language.
The Kurdish Freedom Movement is among the most progressive elements in Turkey. Pro-democracy, secular and strongly supportive of women’s rights and role in public life, Kurdish politicians look to Europe for support. It is a shame that this support has been woefully lacking.
Latif Serhildan