In June last year, after the Swedish Attorney General announced that the case concerning the killing of former prime minister Olof Palme in 1986 was closed and the PKK had nothing to do with the murder, Sweden started to crackdown the Kurds rather than to make a formal apology to them.

The Left Party, which brought the issue to the agenda of the parliament with a written question, announced that it started a solidarity campaign with the Kurds whom Sweden wants to deport after the government did not change its attitude.

The press release about the campaign was made by Left Party Deputy and Foreign Policy Spokesperson Håkan Svenneling and Örebro Left Party Municipal Group Chair Martha Wicklund.

Svenneling had previously brought to the agenda of the parliament that the 23-year-old Kurdish youngster Resul Özdemir was hijacked by a private plane and handed over to the Turkish state in a pirate manner, directing harsh criticism at the Swedish government.

In the joint press statement, Svenneling and Wicklund recalled the Left Party’a strong objection to the negative change of Sweden, which is a state of law. They emphasized that they stand behind article 7 of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, which grants equal rights to everyone and prohibits discrimination.

THE RIGHT OF DEFENSE DOES NOT APPLY TO KURDS

Remarking that people in countries with a rule of law such as Sweden have the right to defend themselves against the accusations against them, the statement pointed out that this right is not applied to the Kurds, citing Zozan Büyük's case.

The Swedish Immigration Office decided to deport Zozan Büyük, mother of two children aged 2 and 4, who came from Belgium and married in Sweden 5 years ago. Despite receiving no state aid and subsistence, Swedish Security Police Säpo is demanding that Büyük be deported, claiming that she is a threat to the country. Based on confidentiality they do not explain why Büyük constitutes a threat.

The statement pointed out that the situation of Zozan Büyük is not an exception and that many Kurds share the same fate. “It is important that we speak up against these injustices. Therefore, we invite everyone to join the campaign we launched to show solidarity with Zozan Büyük and to protest against the oppression of Kurds and their organizations.”

Speaking to the ANF about the campaign, Yekbun Alp, Board Member of the International Left Forum, reminded that the Swedish Democratic Kurdish Community Center has been working for a while to call attention to the situations of Kurds whose asylum applications were rejected, like Zozan Büyük.

Noting that the Kurds are systematically oppressed due to their political ideas, Alp said that she, as a Left Party member, dealt with the issue in Örebro province, where Zozan Büyük lives, together with Martha Wicklund and Left Party Deputy and Foreign Policy Spokesperson Svenneling.

“THE PROBLEM IS THE PKK IS STILL ON THE TERROR LIST”

Pointing out that the campaign is not limited to systematic pressure on the Kurds and preventing their deportation, Alp said, “The problem is that the PKK is still on the list of terrorist organizations. The PKK should be removed from this list. Turkey is trying to legitimize arrests against Kurds and its invasions and attacks in Rojava saying that it is waging war on terror.”

Alp also criticized increasing pressure instead of apologizing to the Kurds although the Attorney General stated at the press conference held for the closure of the Palme murder that it was understood that the Kurds were not involved in the murder.

Highlighting the Left Party’s reaction, Alp continued, “We called on all city council members and mayors to participate in the campaign in which we protested the oppression of the Kurds. Everyone will record their speech on video to show their solidarity. The Left Party Örebro organization will broadcast these videos. We will demand that the deportations of Kurds be stopped, and the PKK be removed from the list of terrorist organizations. The PKK is not a terrorist organization but an organization that defends the rights of the Kurds. Let's not forget that the PKK is fighting against ISIS in Shengal and ensuring our safety.”

NOT PRO-ISIS IMAMS BUT KURDS FIGHTING AGAINST ISIS ARE DEPORTED

Sweden was among the European countries that sent the most fighters to ISIS. Hundreds of people went from Sweden and joined ISIS in Syria and Iraq. They committed massacres against Kurds, Yazidis and other minorities.

In some Swedish cities, imams made great efforts to recruit ISIS members in mosques. Sweden, which remained silent on the imams mobilizing ISIS members for a long time, launched an investigation against the imams at the end of 2019, only after ISIS had suffered major blows.

The Swedish Security Police (Säpo), the Immigration Office, the Supreme Immigration Court and the Swedish Government decided to deport 6 imams in late 2019, evaluating that they posed a threat to the security of the country.

The Supreme Immigration Court, which made the decision for deportation, released the imams who had been detained for 6 months, claiming that there were security problems in the countries where the imams would be extradited.

While the Kurds fighting against ISIS were expelled, the cessation of the deportation of ISIS people caused reaction among the left and progressive parties and circles as well as the conservatives.

Last year, Conservative Party MP Lars Beckman, who brought up the issue of the imams, reacted to the fact that the imams are still not deported. With a new motion at the beginning of February, he brought the issue to the agenda of the parliament and asked for discussion.

He asked Justice and Immigration Minister Mikael Damberg when the imams who pose a threat to Sweden's security would be deported. The proposal is expected to be handled and discussed in parliament in the coming days.