Ógra Shinn Féin build Solidarity in Turkish Kurdistan

international | miscellaneous | press release Saturday November 11, 2006 04:25 by Internationale - Ógra Shinn Féin osfnational at yahoo dot ie

Ballymoney Sinn Féin Councillor Daithí McKay has said that the EU must make the upholding of human rights and democracy for the Kurdish people a pre-condition of Turkish admittance to the European Union. Speaking after completing a 4-day tour of Turkish Kurdistan representing Ógra Shinn Féin Councillor McKay said:

"Turkey's treatment of the Kurdish people has been totally abhorrent and it's efforts to deny this sizeable minority their human rights has been plain to see. After one of the public debates I took part in Diyarbakir this week a number of international speakers, including myself, had our passports seized and photocopied by the police. This was just one example of how Turkey's Article 301 is used to threaten citizens for engaging in free speech criticising the government. Another example was when we were warned not to say the word 'Kurdistan' during a radio interview as the Government would have the radio station shut down.

"The Turkish government have also introduced laws to deny Kurds representation in the Turkish parliament. The ruling that parties are not allowed to be represented in the Turkish parliament unless they get over 10% of the national vote is clearly aimed at ensuring that the 20-30million Kurds in Turkey are kept out of the parliament and are politically disempowered.

"The Turkish army plays a major role in oppressing the Kurds and it's use of chemical weapons to kill 14 Kurdish PKK members earlier this year was a serious violation of the Geneva accords that it's military allies in the US and Britain failed to condemn. They also failed to comment on the murder of 13 civilians, including 4 children, which happened in the wake of these killings. The forced conscription of Kurdish people into a Turkish army that they clearly loathe is another major issue that must be addressed before EU membership can be granted to Turkey.

"It is vital that the EU uses the opportunities presented to it to help achieve a lasting and peaceful solution to the problems that exist in Turkish Kurdistan. Kurdish people clearly want to see a permanent and just end to the conflict and central to that will be a positive response and further reforms from the Turkish government in the wake of last month's PKK ceasefire."

A video of the Turkish army's killing of 14 Kurdish civilians during protests in March is available at the following link: http://www.kurdishuprising.com/Download.htm.