THE KURDISH "TEMPLE" HAS BEEN RANSA

[stk at schism.antenna.nl]

------------------------------ forwarded message -----------------------------
M.MERLIN at TBX.berlinet.de writes:

## Nachricht zur Information/Dokumentation weitergeleitet
## Orig.-Abs. : akin at kurdish.org (AKIN)



American Kurdish Information Network (AKIN)
September 20, 1996
Press Release # 14
Telephone 202.483.6444

The Kurdish "Temple" Has Been Ransacked

(We received the following Press Release from the desk of Yasar Kaya, the
President of Kurdish Parliament in Exile.  It is a deeply felt indignation.
We ask that you validate it.  Letters of protest to the Belgium and
British authorities would be greatly appreciated.  A sample letter follows
for your perusal)

"On Wednesday, September 18, 1996, the Belgium police raided the various
Kurdish institutions.  We later found out that the same search was also
undertaken in London, England.  The Kurdish Parliament in Exile, the
Kurdish satellite television, Med TV and the homes of Kurdish families were
among the places that were searched.

The Kurdish parliament is a "temple" of the Kurdish people.  It has been
destroyed rather than searched.  When the police came to my house, I made
it clear to them that if they want to silence the parliament, they would
have to kill us.

The Belgian and the British authorities are trying to criminalize and
humiliate the Kurdish people and their national cause.  This is linked to
the Turkish government's continuation of the war against our people.  We
categorically reject the charges that have been leveled against us.  We do
not deal with drugs, bribes or abductions!

The Turkish government has silenced the Kurdish dissent in Turkey proper
and now wishes to do the same abroad.  I warn, the Belgian authorities as
well as all the western governments, not to be accomplices in this
coordinated Turkish act of subjecting Kurds to a silent a genocide.  To do
that with impunity, the Kurdish institutions have been the target of
intimidation and closure in Turkey.  We ask the West not to be the tools of
this policy abroad.

Our struggle will continue to the last of us.  If this is the path left
open to us; we will take it.  It is not our aim to live dishonorably in
this world.

It should be known that everyone will have to pay a price for such an
eventuality.  Those who have endorsed the dismemberment of our country have
now taken upon themselves to be tools of the Turkish government.  Our calls
for peace have been disregarded; the course of war is shown to us as an
alternative.  Everybody must face the consequences of their actions.  We
will not bow before anyone.  Those who are after creating enmity between us
and our host nations must think twice.  We, therefore, respectfully ask the
Belgian and the British authorities to correct their respective mistakes."

Draft letter to the Belgian Ambassador


We are/I am concerned to learn of the raids by the Belgian police on a
number of offices and homes of Kurdish exiles in Belgium, and in
particular, the sequestration of the files and enforced closure of the
offices of both MED TV and the Kurdish Parliament in exile (KPE), thus
effectively silencing this voice of the Kurdish people.

The Belgian authorities have the right to act against persons and
institutions engaged in criminal activities, but MED TV and the KPE have
always kept within Belgian law. If it turns out that any person has
committed offences, then charges must be brought accordingly, but to
criminalise whole institutions on the grounds of acts by individuals would
be a very serious matter.

Freedom of expression is severely limited in Turkey, and this is the reason
why MED TV and the KPE operate from Belgium, where they were able to
discuss Kurdish affairs, including constitutional reforms that would allow
the Kurdish people to manage their own affairs, without the threat of
prosecution. It is unfortunate that the Belgian authorities appear to be
acting in collusion with the Kurds' oppressors, in extending Turkish
censorship to the outside world.

We/I would be grateful if you could let us/me know what evidence was
presented to the courts in Belgium to justify such extensive operations of
search, confiscation and detention. Please may we/I also know what charges
have now been made, against whom, and when the property confiscated will be
restored to its owners. We/I would like to know whether any compensation
will be payable to MED TV or to the KPE for the interruption of their
activities, and the costs they will incur in reconstituting their files.


----
American Kurdish Information Network (AKIN)
2623 Connecticut Avenue NW #1
Washington, DC 20008-1522

Tel: (202) 483-6444
Fax: (202) 483-6476
E-mail: akin at kurdish.org
Home Page: http://burn.ucsd.edu/~akin
----

The American Kurdish Information Network (AKIN) provides a public service
to foster Kurdish-American understanding and friendship



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Solidaritygroup Turkey-Kurdistan
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stk at schism.antenna.nl
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