News From 'Kurdistan Rundbrief' - F

[ats at etext.org]

From: Arm The Spirit <ats at etext.org>
Subject: News From 'Kurdistan Rundbrief' - February 10, 1995

News From 'Kurdistan Rundbrief' Nr.3 Vol.8 - February 10, 1995


Attacks Against 'Ozgur Ulke' Don't Stop

     Ozgur Ulke editor Salih Guler of the Diyarbakir office was
released after 27 days of torture in the headquarters of the
gendarmerie secret police JITEM after an "urgent action" appeal
by Amnesty International. When he was released, police told him
that the newspaper would soon be closed down for good.
     That same day, the Diyarbakir offices of Ozgur Ulke were
raided again by JITEM forces. Zekine Turker, Vedat Percin, Adil
Denk, Mehmet Emin Alaguz, and Cengiz Kirik were arrested.
     Ramazan Kaban, a 17-year-old worker for Ozgur Ulke in
Batman, was kidnapped by "unknown persons" on January 24. Since
then, he has "disappeared".
     On January 27, Celal Benzer was arrested by plainclothes
police officers in Viransehir in Urfa province. They threatened
to kill him if he keeps on working for Ozgur Ulke.
     On January 28, issue #47 of the weekly newspaper 'Newroz'
was confiscated at the printing press where it was being
published. The editors only received an official warrant for the
confiscations two days later.


New German Weapons For Genocide In Kurdistan

     In February, Germany will send 118.7 million DM worth of
weapons to Turkey. This is part of the third aid package as part
of a NATO agreement. From 1980 to today, Turkey has received 7.5
billion DM worth of weapons from Germany, according to the
January 28 issue of 'Ozgur Ulke'.
     The German defence ministry defended these arms shipments,
which were agreed to during an accord signed during the Gulf War
nearly five years ago:
     "The third aid package, which is part of an agreement signed
in the fall of 1990 during the Gulf conflict, is now being
delivered. (...) According to an agreement with the Turkish side
on January 20, 1995, Turkey will receive...material aid to the
tune of 118.7 million DM, with materials worth 52 million DM
being deliver now. Included are 39 M-88 mountain tanks, 70 M-48
bridge tanks, 600 inflatable boats, 15 ambulances, 1 fresh water
boat, and spare parts. (...) All criticisms of the federal
defence minister in this matter are without justification and are
flatly rejected..."


Prisoners Killed By Being Denied Medical Treatment

     On January 20, 1995, Suleyman Ongun from Cizre died from
wounds he received when state security forces attacked 300 PKK-
prisoners in Diyarbakir on April 10, 1994. Suleyman Ongun was one
of 80 wounded prisoners who were forcibly transferred to Antep
following the assault on the prison. There, he was denied medical
treatment. The spokespersons for the PKK-prisoners in Antep,
Mahmut Inal and Galip Tas, and the chairperson of the Antep
branch of the human rights association IHD, Iman Ozkarat, blamed
the Turkish justice ministry and prison officials for Suleyman
Ongun's death. On January 21, political prisoners in Antep
launched an indefinite hungerstrike to protest the prison's
calculated murder by means of denying medical treatment.


PKK-Prisoners In Critical Danger

     Sadrettin Aydinlik, a PKK-prisoner who has been detained in
Bayrampasa prison in Istanbul for 11 years, has issued a
complaint to the medical chamber in Istanbul because he has been
denied cardiology treatment while in prison. Aydinlik has been in
prison for 11 years and has serious heart trouble. So far, prison
officials and the justice ministry have ignored his requests for
medical treatment.
     Political prisoners in Buca and Aydin launched a
hungerstrike on December 21, 1994. 10 of them are now in bad
health.
     Since January 12, 1995, 20 families of political prisoners
in Buca and Aydin have been on a solidarity hungerstrike. Members
of the SKK (Izmir Anti-War Association) joined the hungerstrike
for one day as well. Political prisoners in Ceyhan, Canakkale,
Cankiri, Nevsehir, Amasya, Iskenderun, and Ankara have also
started a solidarity hungerstrike.
     A rally in support of the hungerstrikers outside of Buca
prison on January 23 was attacked by police. A 60-year-old woman
and her 32-year-old daughter were injured.
     On day 43 of the hungerstrike, relatives of the prisoners
blockaded the road to Buca prison. Security forces attacked the
demonstration and wounded several people.
     The HADEP chairperson in Izmir, RA Kenan Bilgic, has since
stated that there have been "positive developments" for
negotiations between prison officials and the prisoners.


60% Of Kurdish Youths Want Their Own State

     Professor Ergil of the political science department of
Ankara University, in conjunction with the TOBB (Turkish Chamber
of Commerce and Stock Exchanges), carried out a survey of Kurdish
youths regarding "the problems in the east and possible
solutions". In a survey of 250 youths in the Kurdish provinces
Diyarbakir, Batman, Mardin, and Kiziltepe, as well as the major
city Adana, which is home to many Kurdish refugees, 60-65% of the
youths answered that they would like their own Kurdish state.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Arm The Spirit                    E-mail: ats at etext.org
P.O. Box 6326, Stn. A		  
Toronto, Ontario                      
M5W 1P7  Canada

WWW: gopher://locust.cic.net:70/11/Politics/Arm.The.Spirit
FTP: ftp.etext.org --> /pub/Politics/Arm.The.Spirit
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------