Kurdish News #16 - May 1995

[kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu]

Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu
From: Kurdistan Committee of Canada <kcc at magi.com>
Subject: Kurdish News #16 - May 1995

Kurdish News
A Monthly Publication Of The Kurdistan Committee Of Canada
Number 16 - May 1995

(There was no Number 15. Kurdish News will now appear monthly.)

Index:

1) Canadian Newroz Delegation 1995
2) Parliament Of Kurdistan In Exile Opens In Europe
3) Turkish War And The Civilian Sufferings
4) No "Comfort" Now For Kurds
5) Interview With A Member Of HADEP
6) Boycott Turkish Tourism! Do Not Give Financial Support To The
Dirty War!
7) Statement From Kani Yilmaz


1) Canadian Newroz Delegation 1995
     
     Do human Rights exist in Turkey? The Turkish government's
attempts to democratize and develop a Western model within the
borders of its nation have failed. This failure is due to the
abuse of human rights in Turkey and specifically in Kurdistan.
     From March 15-24, a Canadian delegation led by Mr. Svend
Robinson, MP travelled to Turkey and Kurdistan to observe and
document the life conditions of the people in Turkey and the
Kurdish minority in the region. To carry out this mission the
delegation made a point of meeting with a range of organisations,
associations, and parties. Included among these was IHD (Human
Rights Association), IHDV (Human Rights Foundation), Egit-Sen
(teachers union), HADEP (Peoples Democratic Party), Ozgur Ulke
(Free Land newspaper), and most importantly the people in Ankara
(capital of Turkey) and Diyarbakir (capital of Kurdistan). The
delegation also met with the Canadian Ambassador to Turkey in
Ankara.
     The first meeting was in the Ankara regional office of IHD,
where the delegation met with the director. Just prior to the
meeting there had been demonstrations in Istanbul. As a result of
a conflict which took place between Turkish government-backed
radicals and Alevi Kurds who had been forced into Istanbul's
slums after their villages in the Kurdish region were destroyed
by the State Security Forces. The conflict led to civil unrest in
Istanbul over what was termed to be an unjust killing and an
attack by Turkish Police Forces. The regional office in Ankara
was preparing a peaceful demonstration in support of the attack
on the Alevi Kurds. The delegation witnessed the arrival of a
young woman to the office who had just returned from the
demonstration with massive injuries to her head and neck. Many
phone calls made to the office were regarding the arrests of
people participating in the demonstration in the streets and
mainly at the university. As the secretary of the office was
informing the local media of the recent arrests as result of the
demonstration, the telephone line that she was using was cut off.
The phone being cut off opened a discussion on human rights and
caused the director to speak exclusively of the abuses in Turkey
and mainly in Kurdistan.
     The director talked of abductions, terror, arrests, and
destroyed villages. Meanwhile, people, mainly of Kurdish origin,
were coming to the office to report arrested and missing family
members. For most of these individuals she was unable to provide
support due to limited resources and accessibility to
information. The association is limited in its capacity to give
financial aid or psychological support to individuals but the
main problem she spoke of was the difficulties that the office in
general faced in terms of abuses by the Secret Police. The
association's funding is provided solely by donation and
therefore their ability to transfer and provide information to
government officials, international organisations, and the
general public is extremely restricted. In order to obtain more
information, the director referred the delegation to the main
headquarters of IHD.
     In the main headquarters of the Human Rights Association
(IHD), the delegation met with the president, Mr. Akin Birdal.
The position of the office was made quite clear by him, although
they had been threatened by three bomb attacks in the past and
were directly threatened by another, they were quite adamant on
doing their job to the best of their ability with the limited
resources available to them and the obvious hazards. The
delegation was told that the activities carried out by the IHD
included forming committees on various subjects including those
concerning torture, prisons, women, general amnesty, the death
penalty, workers' rights, freedom of conscience and thought, the
right to form organisations, citizenship, rights of refugees,
environment and ecology, etc. The president made it quite clear
that most of the abuses of these fundamental human rights were
committed in the Kurdish region of Turkey. And although their
attempts to accurately document the situation were often brought
to a halt by the Turkish authorities, they succeeded only through
serious caution and taking the risk that at any moment of any day
their lives were in danger.
     The delegation was informed not only of the abuses towards
the Kurds in southeastern Turkey but also the abuses inflicted
upon their own offices. All fourteen offices of the Human Rights
Association in southeastern Turkey had been recently closed by
the State and as a result four chairpersons were immediately
imprisoned, in many cases leaving no individuals to effectively
lobby for the reopening of the offices.
     The delegation also met with the president of HADEP,
formerly known as DEP (a banned party of which thirteen MPs are
imprisoned or exiled), Mr. Murat Bozlak. Mr. Bozlak told the
delegation of the barriers which are erected by Turkish
Authorities to prevent Kurdish MPs from coming into power. "We
have been bombed, we have been killed, but we are not dead, the
Kurdish people must have representation, people must know what is
happening to us". As observed by the delegation, many of the
members of HADEP were not Kurdish but believed in the justice
that they strived for and therefore risked their lives to see
that this justice was obtained.
     In the delegation's meeting with the Canadian Ambassador,
Mr. Peter Hancock, Mr. Svend Robinson had a lengthy meeting where
he stressed the Canadian government's dearth in expressing the
views of many Canadians and international bodies concerning the
Kurdish situation. Critical confrontations arose when Mr.
Robinson addressed his concern that Canada has made no public
representations either in Turkey or at the United Nations
Commission on Human Rights condemning the abuses in Turkey. Mr.
Hancock informed him that he viewed the media in Turkey as being
"more or less free". This comment was made after the delegation
attended a rather emotional meeting in the office of the banned
daily newspaper Ozgur Ulke. However, Mr. Hancock was very
instrumental in arranging a meeting between Mr. Robinson and four
of the imprisoned Kurdish MPs of DEP (Democracy Party).
     In the office of Ozgur Ulke, presently renamed Yeni
Politika, the delegation met with the editor and his translator.
The employees told of the bombings in Istanbul that all but two
employees narrowly escaped. They were in the process of
re-establishing a basis for a new newspaper due to the fact that
not only had their office been bombed, but the previous
newspapers Ozgur Ulke and Ozgur Gundem had been banned by the
Turkish authorities. In the view of the employees, these
newspapers were and are the only authentic means of communication
for the Kurdish people in Turkey. Their publications wrote of the
situation of Kurds in Turkey, their struggle for freedom and
their demands for human rights and dignity, they profiled
prolific intellectuals, politicians, and human rights workers,
many of whom are since imprisoned because of these articles, and
their willingness to speak their views on the Kurdish issue. All
members were aware of the risk they were taking daily as they
went to work for this newspaper and often just to be associated
with it. Their dedication and courage was so strong that on many
occasion individuals offered to lead the delegation on tours of
destroyed villages and shanty towns. The delegation was decisive
in replying that it was not their place nor their responsibility
to ensure ultimate death for these people.
     As the delegation travelled to the North West Kurdistan
(southeastern Turkey), to the Kurdish capital of Diyarbakir, the
economic and social implications became quite obvious, more so
than in Ankara. Many families and individuals had been forced to
take their lives to the street, attempting to scratch out a
manner of survival through any means. The delegation visited the
main population centres of the city and was able to conclude that
the standard of living for the majority of Kurds in the city was
far below the poverty level of that in Canada. Many of the
residents of the city blamed their extreme poverty on the Turkish
government's severe oppression of the Kurdish people. They told
the delegation that these actions were aimed at making the
Kurdish people so weak mentally and physically that they could no
longer protest. The general feeling of these residents was that
in fact the oppression had only made them morally stronger and by
no means would they give up protesting.
     The main obstacle for the delegation upon arrival in
Diyarbakir was the presence of the Security Forces. The
delegation was informed that on no occasion were they to take any
pictures without the authorization of the southeast's Super
Governor in charge of State of Emergency, Unal Erkan. Due to the
Turkish army's invasion of northern Iraq, Mr. Erkan would not
meet with the delegation and therefore the delegation would be
unable to take pictures of the situation legally. The police made
a point of making their presence known to the delegation by
tailing and interrogating them about their contacts at any given
moment. All individuals who were seen speaking to any member of
the delegation were also promptly interrogated by the police, who
demanded to know any information about the plans of the
delegation. The delegation was also informed that they should not
make any attempts to leave the city to visit destroyed villages
if they were to remain under the protection and supervision of
the police. It was also implied that any attempts to leave the
city would be in vain and, if the occasion arose, all film,
cameras, and notes would be seized.
     On the day of the arrival of the delegation, the day before
the banned Kurdish Newroz celebrations, through independent
journalists, the delegation was informed that two European
delegations had been arrested and deported for celebrating and
observing the Newroz festivities of university students.
     On the 21st of March, Kurdish Newroz, the delegation was
informed by some young patriotic Kurds of the location of an
illegal Newroz celebration. When the delegation arrived at the
location, they were surrounded by hundreds of small children who
begged the "journalists" to take their picture. The small
interlinking alleys were swarming with women and children and an
obvious absence of adult men. Members of the delegation were told
that the reason for the absence of the men was that if they had
not fled the region for economic reasons or fear of persecution
that they had gone to the mountains to fight for a "free
Kurdistan". The delegation was prompted to participate in the
festivities around the fire and it was made quite obvious to the
delegation that even the children were aware that the delegation
was there to attempt to document and improve the situation of the
Kurds. In intervals of about 30 seconds, the children and women
would chant "Biji Serok Apo" or Long Live Our Leader (a phrase
used to homage Abdullah Ocalan, General Secretary of the PKK or
Kurdistan Workers Party), they also chanted "Biji PKK" and "Biji
Guerrilla" (referring to the guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers
Party). The delegation observed that all the children appeared
malnourished and ill but would at every opportunity risk their
lives to lead the delegation to safety from the grasp of the
Security Forces.
     An hour later when the delegation returned to the scene,
they were informed by the children that the police had come to
break up the festivities and the people were sent back to their
homes. The delegation was also informed of two other locations
where there would be illegal Newroz celebrations. Upon arrival at
these locations they were again informed that the police had
already come with tanks and weapons to break up the
celebrations.   
     The delegation's first meeting in Diyarbakir was with the
Diyarbakir branch of IHD. The day the delegation met with IHD
officials, the office had just reopened after being closed by the
State. Because numerous members of this office had previously
been arrested, the office was being run by individuals from other
offices around Turkey and the main goal of the employees was
simply to keep the office open without trouble. Although there
was obvious hesitance from the members to speak with the
delegation, they managed to provide them not only with useful
information but also contacts which may have been useful in
providing further information. Some of the factual abuses by the
State Security Forces provided the delegation (although they
stated that the facts were severely censored and much lower than
in actuality) for the year of 1994 were as follows: 298 extra-
judicial killings and deaths under torture, 1,000 alleged torture
cases, 458 civilians killed and 574 wounded by the military,
1,500 villages burnt or destroyed, 700,000 dismissed union
workers, 100 journalists, scholars, writers and MPs imprisoned,
14,473 persons detained, 15,000 political prisoners in custody.
The list of abuses not only from the IHD but from other
organisations was endless.
     One of the organisations the delegation was referred to was
teachers union Egit-Sen. The delegation was again provided with
many facts but as well was able to put a human face on the
tragedy. Often with tearful eyes the teachers spoke of the 21
teachers who had been murdered in the Kurdish region by "unknown
assailants". The murders were never investigated and in no case
were charges laid. The teachers spoke not only of the hardships
that the they faced in terms of the State but also in terms of
the everyday duties of a Kurdish teacher. The classes have most
often between 80-130 students with 4 or 5 students at one desk
and up to 15 students standing. The average grade level reached
for these (Kurdish) students is the equivalent to Canadian grade
six, thus for economic reasons plus their lack of education
prevents the mainly Kurdish students from attending a university.
When asked why the education level was so low they replied that
"Kurds are not allowed to be Kurds, not allowed to be taught in
their own language, this creates great barriers for them". They
also stated: "We cannot teach as Kurds. If a child asks his
English teacher why a word in English is so similar to that of
one in Kurdish, the child must be disciplined in front of his or
her peers." The classes are becoming increasingly more crowded.
In the last two years 683 schools in the Kurdish region have been
closed, leaving only 583 functioning. In a statement, the
Diyarbakir minister of education he declared that "the
government's aim is not to teach or educate, it is our job to
make sure there are teachers in the class". As far as the Kurdish
teachers of the teachers union are concerned, they believe the
Turkish government reserves education for Turks and not Kurds. 
     As told to the delegation, the problems for the Kurdish
teachers do not necessarily end there. On one occasion, 8 Kurdish
teachers were murdered under suspicious circumstances over a
period of about eight months. The teachers were known to have
spoken out for rights for Kurdish students and were also known to
have advocated the study of the Kurdish language and culture.
Months after the incidents occurred, the families of the victims
were contacted by the Turkish government and offered 800,000,000
Turkish Lira ($26,000 Cdn.) if they would write a letter accusing
the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) of murdering their family
members. None of the families accepted.
     The delegation concluded its visit by observing the life
conditions of the Kurdish people in Diyarbakir. The Canadian
Ambassador, Mr. Peter Hancock, proved to be quite instrumental in
arranging a meeting between four of the imprisoned Kurdish MPs of
DEP and Mr. Robinson, MP. The meeting was held at the maximum
security prison in Ankara where the MPs are being held. The
meeting with Mr. Robinson enabled, in the words of Leyla Zana,
MP, "for the first time in five months I can see the sun". These
legitimately-elected MPs were imprisoned, many for up to 15
years, for alleged crimes against the state, crimes which the
international community has proclaimed "legitimate and legal".
The MPs remain hopeful that outside pressures will indeed result
in their liberation and urge other countries to keep pressure on
human rights issues in Turkey. 
     The findings of the Canadian delegation to Turkey led them
to the conclusion that the military and political objective of
the Turkish state continues to be systematic assimilation,
through the means of persecution, imprisonment, torture, and
sometimes the assassination of the Kurdish people. The public
face of the Turkish state is democracy. The delegation found that
there is no democracy in Turkey, not even for the Turkish people.
Contrary to this public face, the delegation found violence and
oppression to be the only means used by the Turkish state to
maintain its authority.

2) Parliament Of Kurdistan In Exile Opens In Europe

     On April 12, 1995 in The Netherlands, the Parliament of
Kurdistan in Exile held its first inaugural meeting to begin its
work. The performance of the act proved to the world that the
Dutch people and their government were democratic and fair
relative to freedom of expression. This opportunity was also an
act of tolerance. The Kurdish people will never forget such an
act of understanding. It is obvious that the occasion will be
remembered as an historic beginning in times to come.
     In the world, as democratic values are becoming
institutionalized with every passing day, Turkey is insisting on
its anti-democratic stand and tradition. To the acts of terror
that the Turkish state continues to commit in Northern Kurdistan,
the Ankara government has added a new atrocity in front of the
whole world and invaded Southern Kurdistan. It is a pity that
Turkey has even been showered with understanding and support by
some countries. We consider such empathy regrettable, as it makes
it difficult to bring about a solution to the Kurdish question.
     The Turkish government has called home its ambassador to The
Netherlands, Mr. Zeki Celikkol. It has done so to protest the
democratic values of the Dutch government. In so doing, it has
again revealed its undemocratic nature.
     We condemn this act of the government of Turkey. We again
thank the Dutch people and their government for their act of
understanding.

Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile
129a Avenue Louise
1050 Brussels, Belgium

tel: +322-539-3033
fax: +322-539-3887

3) Turkish War And The Civilian Sufferings

We received the following statement from the press office of the
People's Liberation Army of Kurdistan (ARGK) on April 19, 1995.
It is a balance sheet of the Turkish war against the Kurds that
began with the invasion of South Kurdistan on March 20, 1995. It
follows for your information verbatim:

     A month has passed since the Turkish army invaded South
Kurdistan. A total defeat has been the reward for this incursion.
A fierce resistance has prevented the invading force from moving
around. Their only temporary stronghold, Zaxo and its vicinity,
has become an inhospitable place with every passing day. This
assessment of ours was seconded the other day by a high ranking
Turkish general, who, to his credit, noted that "the Turkish
operation is turning into a Vietnam-style quagmire". It is this
sense of utter hopelessness that has forced the Turkish
authorities to undertake a nationwide campaign, extending even to
Europe, to collect funds to finance the war.
     A cursory look at the activities of the Turkish army in
South Kurdistan is quite telling. In Xankurke region, the enemy
has engaged our forces many times, but to no avail. It has now
decided to retreat from the region. Its forays into Awasin and
Zap regions have also been repulsed. In Metina, Kani Masi,
Qurmiye-Hiror, and Zendur regions, the Turkish forces have
entered in order to set up army posts, but their camps have been
attacked, sometimes during the day and almost always at night.
Their way out has been to leave these areas as well. The only
relatively "safe" area is Zaxo, which also has its share of
attacks from us as well.
     The Turkish war in South Kurdistan has had a psychological
goal rather than a military one. The aim has been to intimidate
the people, to torture, and at times to kill them, just to make
the point that the Turkish army is invincible. This being the
policy, the tactics have varied from time to time. Last month in
Zaxo, a car explosion that killed some 100 people was the work of
Turkish agents who wanted to create a political vacuum in order
to pave the way for the entrance of the Turkish troops. Not much
later, a car with civilian passengers was targeted, killing 8 of
its Kurdish occupants.
     In the course of this operation, the Turkish troops have
killed 27 civilians, injured 3 seriously, and taken a number of
shepherds into their custody. Some 30 villages have been totally
destroyed, forcing some 30,000 residents to flee.
     Throughout this operation, we have attacked the Turkish
troops at will. In some parts of Kurdistan we have had the direct
support of the people, and in some areas civilians suffering
under the yoke of the invading forces have joined us to avenge
the Turkish wrongs with their participation in our ranks.
     To date, in terms of ambushes, attacks, previously placed
mines, harassment through intense gunfire, suicide attacks, and
infiltration of enemy forces, we have had 190 contacts with
Turkish troops. From field reports that have reached our office,
a total of 1,047 Turkish soldiers have been killed. Our losses
for the same period in South Kurdistan are 45 fighters killed and
42 injured.

People's Liberation Army of Kurdistan (ARGK)

4) No "Comfort" Now For Kurds

By Dara MacNeill

     Anybody remember the Gulf War? Apparently it had a lot to do
with toppling tyrants and protecting the human rights of subject
peoples. One of the key events in that whole campaign was the
establishment by the U.S.-led forces, in April 1991, of Operation
Provide Comfort.
     Operation Provide Comfort apparently had one basic premise:
to protect the long-suffering Kurdish population in northern Iraq
from the excesses of Saddam Hussein's military. As a result, a
huge swathe of northern Iraq became a no-go area for any Iraqi
military personnel and, in order to ensure compliance, the region
was policed by the U.S. military.
     There are some 25 million Kurdish people scattered between
Iraq, Syria, Iran, and Turkey. During the carve-up of the Middle
East after the First World War, nobody paid any heed to Kurdish
demands to be treated as a separate national entity.
     The same carve-up resulted in the creation of Kuwait, simply
to maintain a Western foothold in the region and ensure its
bounteous oil supplies would not fall into "the wrong hands".
Since then, the Kurds have lived largely as refugees and they
are, effectively, the largest displaced nation on earth. Demands
for the establishment of a separate Kurdish state have met with
equal ferocity and brutality from the rulers of the countries in
which they reside. Indeed, the Turkish government even refuses to
recognize the Kurdish people within their own borders as a
separate ethnic identity. Finding all other avenues closed, the
Kurds have resorted to armed struggle which today is led largely
by the PKK.
     Since the establishment of Operation Provide Comfort some 44
months go, the only people who appear to be in any way comforted
are the Turkish military. Using the absence of any Iraqi military
presence in northern Iraq, they have struck at both rebel bases
and civilian centres in the region. In the process, an estimated
15,000 Kurds have been killed.
     In this the Turks have been aided and abetted by the U.S.,
who regard Turkey as a key ally in the region. Thus, although
George Bush was willing to play politics with the lives of the
Kurds in 1991 and make noises about protecting them from Saddam
Hussein, he repeatedly refused to meet Kurdish representatives
for fear of upsetting Turkey.
     On March 20, Turkey took their brutal campaign against the
Kurds a step further when they launched a wholesale invasion of
northern Iraq. The operation, involving up to 35,000 troops, is
the biggest ever in Turkey's history, outstripping even their
1974 invasion of Cyprus.
     So where are the self-styled protectors of the Kurds?
Standing on the sidelines making comforting noises. Bill Clinton
has endorsed the operation and expressed "understanding" of
Turkey's need to "deal decisively" with the Kurds. Apparently,
Clinton was initially hesitant about the whole affair, but was
reassured when the Turkish government informed him they expected
the operation would be a short one. I'm sure the Iraqi Kurds will
be immensely comforted by that news.
     As a result, according to one U.S. news report, the U.S.-led
air force which is charged with protecting the Kurds has "halted
its routine flights in the area, which are designed to protect
Iraqi Kurds".
     The news report which carried the story appeared to find
nothing even remotely strange, unusual, or even slightly
contradictory abut this. But then they wouldn't, would they. Once
again, the Kurdish people have become the victims of "strategic
necessity".

(Source: An Phoblacht/Republican News - News And Views Of The
Irish Republican Movement. Published in Belfast and Dublin,
Ireland - March 28, 1995)

5) Interview With A Member Of HADEP

     A correspondent for the KURD-A news agency recently visited
some Kurdish friends in Antep and Diyarbakir and in the big
cities of western Turkey as well. In several conversations and
interviews, she tried to get a clear picture of the mood, hopes,
and fears of the Kurdish people.
     One of the people she spoke to was a prominent member of the
pro-Kurdish People's Democracy Party (HADEP), which is not
officially banned in Turkey, but which has been plagued by
murders carried out by "unknown assailants", arrests, attacks,
and accusations of collaboration with the PKK.
     "In the last few months, our work here at HADEP has taken
some great steps forward, but the state's persecution of the
Kurds has also gotten stronger. The Kurds must live in fear -
that is the only means the Turkish government knows how to use.
But despite all the oppression, we continue to work because we
love our people. Those people killed by 'unknown assailants' are
brothers to all of us. They stand behind us. Their blood shall
not have been shed in vain."
     The friend continued: "If only the Kurdish people in Europe,
and in the world, just had the broad support of friends and a
sympathetic party! But we know how to tell the difference between
our friends and our enemies. We thank our friends for their
practical and moral assistance, for their political and
humanitarian support."
     And what about your enemies? "Our enemies want to show us
how a person should be, both in struggle and at the negotiating
table. If only they knew how our guerrillas live! If they could
share but one day of their lives with them, then they would
really know how a person should be!"
     Will the struggle escalate in the coming year? "We won't
lose our hope for freedom in 1995 and we will struggle on, even
if it costs us four times as many lives. We aren't afraid. But we
hope that the Turkish state will finally stop oppressing the
Kurds and start negotiating."

(KURD-A 29.03.1995)

6) Boycott Turkish Tourism! Do Not Give Financial Support To The
Dirty War!

The press office of the People's Liberation Army of Kurdistan
(ARGK) issued a statement on January 17, 1995 relating to a
boycott of Turkish tourism, which finances the special war in
Kurdistan. A special war is taking place in Turkey and Kurdistan.
In this situation of war, the ARGK press office said, there can
be no vacation trips. "Every holiday in Turkey makes profit for
the dirty war." The following is the communique which was sent to
the KURD-A news agency:

     There is a battlefield in Kurdistan. The Turkish Republic is
waging a horribly dirty war. They do not seek to reach a
peaceful, political, and democratic solution. The Turkish
Republic has forced the people of Kurdistan into a one-sided war.
     In the cities and the countryside, countless people are
driven from their homes, more than 2,000 villages have been
destroyed or depopulated through the violence of the military.
Millions of Kurds are being tortured. 15,000 Kurdish patriots,
our people, have been imprisoned. All living spaces in Kurdistan
are being destroyed, the forests are being burned, and there is
not a single mountain region which is not being bombarded. The
Kurdish people have every right to resist and to struggle. Every
region in Kurdistan is a battlefield in this war. A horrible war
is waging between the ARGK and the Turkish Republic. 
     The special war is also being carried out in Turkey. Every
vacation in Turkey brings in profits for the dirty war. These
profits are transformed into bullets which are used against the
Kurdish people. We are warning the European public, those people
who would like to spend their holidays in Turkey: You cannot take
a vacation on a battlefield. No one should make reservations nor
book any tickets, no one should travel into Turkey or Kurdistan.
     There is no guarantee that you can survive in a region where
a war is taking place. Anyone who does not pay attention to this
and who ignores the human conditions is risking their life by
travelling into Turkey and Kurdistan - we are not responsible for
this. To prevent unwanted consequences, do not travel to Turkey
or Kurdistan. We are warning people ahead of time and making them
aware of the reality.
     Turkey is not a safe country: The lies and destructive
policies of the government are responsible for this. We don't
want Europeans to be fooled by the tourism propaganda of a regime
which is dictatorial, not democratic, and whose military is
waging a special dirty war. Just like last year, we hope that
people will respect our call.
     We call on the German state to remove its support for the
Turkish government and to free itself from its complicity in the
dirty war. In the long-term, this complicity will only harm
Germany's own interests. If Germany continues to support
destructive policies in Kurdistan, then political and economic
targets will be attacked by ARGK units. We will carry out suicide
attacks against German targets in Turkey and Kurdistan.
     The Turkish government denies the existence of the Kurdish
people, it practices violence and despotism. This regime cannot
be accepted. You cannot take a vacation in a region where such a
regime is accepted.
     We are warning people ahead of time that we are not
responsible for the consequences of any undesirable developments.

People's Liberation Army of Kurdistan (ARGK)

7) Statement From Kani Yilmaz

To The Public And Press:

     It is now more than three months since I was detained after
coming to Britain at the invitation of a British MP and
subsequently arrested and incarcerated in prison.
     At first I was to be deported. However, although I received
invitations from Italy, Greece, Belgium, The Netherlands,
Denmark, and other countries, the Home Office prevaricated on
various pretexts and eventually I was taken to court and told
that Germany had requested my extradition. The case will soon be
heard. It is abundantly clear that a political conspiracy has
been hatched. This can be deduced from the fact that when I
arrived in this country for my umpteenth visit I was met by two
officials at the airport who said they had been informed of my
arrival and that they knew who I was. If they had said "We don't
want you here" I would have turned round and gone back instantly.
It is illegal to conspire against a person, and when that person
has been invited by a parliamentarian of that country it is the
height of disrespect. It is shameful to invite someone and then
arrest them.
      As for the German allegations, all I can say is that the
reactions of the Kurdish people in Germany to the genocide being
perpetrated by the Turkish state against the Kurdish people in
Kurdistan, aided and abetted by the European states, in
particular Germany, is just and right. To accuse me on account of
these protests is ridiculous. I am not a clandestine person, I am
the public mouthpiece of my people's just and legitimate
struggle. I am alleged to have incited the people. How did I do
this? The German Interior Minister targets us every day. A German
policeman influenced by him shot dead a Kurdish youth in Hannover
who was flyposting. According to this logic, the German Interior
Minister should be put on trial.
     For days now, Turkish security and intelligence officials
are visiting Germany. It is clear that Mrs. Ciller, who said she
would slaughter us in Europe, intends to do this with German
assistance.
     The nation of which I am an individual is being slaughtered
in front of the eyes of the world for the crime of demanding its
name and its freedom. In Kurdistan today a genocide is being
carried out and the people, villages, forests, and fields are
being subjected to a scorched earth policy.
     I came to this country to explain this dire situation, to
convey PKK General Secretary Abdullah Ocalan's proposals for a
cease-fire leading to a peaceful political settlement, and to
request Britain's assistance. However, my peace mission resulted
in my incarceration in a British prison, despite the fact that I
have committed no offence in this country.
     I call on the public, political parties, parliament, and the
media to oppose this unacceptable breach of all democratic norms
and I urge them to protest against it.

Kani Yilmaz,
European Spokesperson for the National Liberation Front of
Kurdistan (ERNK)

February 1995


Kurdish News is published by:

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