Repression against Kurds never stopped
Repression against Kurds never stopped
Eighteen years have passed since the pro-Kurdish Democracy Party (DEP) deputies were arrested at the door of the Parliament. However, the same oppressive mentality lingers on by means of political operations, arrests and imprisonments against the Kurdish politicians. Steps for a solution to the Kurdish issue have turned out to be military and political operations, revealing that policies have not changed since Kurds started doing legal politics in 1989.
While five pro-Kurdish political parties, Freedom and Democracy Party (ÖZDEP), People's Democracy Party (HEP), DEP (Democratic society Party), HADEP (People's Democracy Party) and Democratic Society Party (DTP), have been closed until this date, the present pro-Kurdish party, Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), has been the target of oppression with more than 6,200 currently jailed members including deputies and mayors.
DEP deputies Orhan Doðan and Hatip Dicle were taken into custody under harassment at the door of the Parliament on March 2, 1994 when six Kurdish deputies, Orhan Doðan, Hatip Dicle, Leyla Zana, Ahmet Türk, Sýrrý Sakýk and Mahmut Alýnak were first stripped of their legal mandate by the Supreme Election Board. While deputies were taken into custody on March 4 and jailed on March 17, the Constitutional Court on June 16, 1994 ruled for the closure of the DEP and the abolition of legal immunities of its 13 deputies. On December 8, 1994, Dicle, Zana, Doðan and Selim Sadak were sentenced to 15 years imprisonment on the allegation of being members of the illegal organization.
After serving ten years in prison, deputies were released on June 9, 2004.
Twelve years after the closure of the DEP, the DTP was similarly subjected to same procedures and closed in 2006. Thirty-seven DTP members were politically banned and the deputyships of Chair Ahmet Türk and Aysel Tuðluk were removed by the court. The DTP deputies and mayors therewith became members of the new established BDP.
The KCK (Union of Kurdistan Communities) operations against Kurdish politicians and human rights defenders started on April 14, 2009 and still continue with increasing detentions and arrests every passing day. Seven mayors from the BDP were arrested on December 24, 2009. On the allegation of being member to KCK Turkey Council, Hatip Dicle was once again arrested after 15 years, with 23 others including former DTP Diyarbakýr Chair lawyer Fýrat Anlý, Human Rights Association Chair Muharrem Erbey and mayors of the BDP. On the same allegation, former DEP deputy Mahmut Alýnak was also arrested in a KCK operation on December 8, 2011. The arrests within the scope of so-called “KCK” operations have risen over 6,000 so far.
Eighteen years after the 'coup' of March 2, 1994 as BDP Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaþ calls it, not much has changed for the Kurdish politicians who are on every occasion still being associated with links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Charges ranging from 15 years to aggravated life sentences are demanded in the largest KCK case against 151 Kurdish politicians 103 of whom are currently held in prison. Twenty-eight former DTP executives, twelve mayors, two City General Council members and two City Council members are among the accused whose demand to testify in Kurdish is being rejected in the ongoing trials where Kurdish is recorded as 'an unknown language’ by the court.
BDP Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaþ says that, "The state was following a policy of elimination in those days and it is still doing the same. However, much has changed in this process in the Kurdish political movement. Our friends were killed in unidentified murders and jailed but they have never given up the struggle. We learned much and grew up with these sacrifices. However, the state did not change; it on the contrary lost its legitimacy before the Kurdish people. Hatip Dicle is still arrested among others but as a matter of fact, it is the responsible of the March 2 coup who have lost."
While five pro-Kurdish political parties, Freedom and Democracy Party (ÖZDEP), People's Democracy Party (HEP), DEP (Democratic society Party), HADEP (People's Democracy Party) and Democratic Society Party (DTP), have been closed until this date, the present pro-Kurdish party, Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), has been the target of oppression with more than 6,200 currently jailed members including deputies and mayors.
DEP deputies Orhan Doðan and Hatip Dicle were taken into custody under harassment at the door of the Parliament on March 2, 1994 when six Kurdish deputies, Orhan Doðan, Hatip Dicle, Leyla Zana, Ahmet Türk, Sýrrý Sakýk and Mahmut Alýnak were first stripped of their legal mandate by the Supreme Election Board. While deputies were taken into custody on March 4 and jailed on March 17, the Constitutional Court on June 16, 1994 ruled for the closure of the DEP and the abolition of legal immunities of its 13 deputies. On December 8, 1994, Dicle, Zana, Doðan and Selim Sadak were sentenced to 15 years imprisonment on the allegation of being members of the illegal organization.
After serving ten years in prison, deputies were released on June 9, 2004.
Twelve years after the closure of the DEP, the DTP was similarly subjected to same procedures and closed in 2006. Thirty-seven DTP members were politically banned and the deputyships of Chair Ahmet Türk and Aysel Tuðluk were removed by the court. The DTP deputies and mayors therewith became members of the new established BDP.
The KCK (Union of Kurdistan Communities) operations against Kurdish politicians and human rights defenders started on April 14, 2009 and still continue with increasing detentions and arrests every passing day. Seven mayors from the BDP were arrested on December 24, 2009. On the allegation of being member to KCK Turkey Council, Hatip Dicle was once again arrested after 15 years, with 23 others including former DTP Diyarbakýr Chair lawyer Fýrat Anlý, Human Rights Association Chair Muharrem Erbey and mayors of the BDP. On the same allegation, former DEP deputy Mahmut Alýnak was also arrested in a KCK operation on December 8, 2011. The arrests within the scope of so-called “KCK” operations have risen over 6,000 so far.
Eighteen years after the 'coup' of March 2, 1994 as BDP Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaþ calls it, not much has changed for the Kurdish politicians who are on every occasion still being associated with links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Charges ranging from 15 years to aggravated life sentences are demanded in the largest KCK case against 151 Kurdish politicians 103 of whom are currently held in prison. Twenty-eight former DTP executives, twelve mayors, two City General Council members and two City Council members are among the accused whose demand to testify in Kurdish is being rejected in the ongoing trials where Kurdish is recorded as 'an unknown language’ by the court.
BDP Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaþ says that, "The state was following a policy of elimination in those days and it is still doing the same. However, much has changed in this process in the Kurdish political movement. Our friends were killed in unidentified murders and jailed but they have never given up the struggle. We learned much and grew up with these sacrifices. However, the state did not change; it on the contrary lost its legitimacy before the Kurdish people. Hatip Dicle is still arrested among others but as a matter of fact, it is the responsible of the March 2 coup who have lost."
