Oslo: During their visit to the Human Rights House November 21, the Kurdish chairwomen Layla Guven and Sukran Aydin, urged the European Union to keep pressure on Turkey with regard to the position of the Kurdic minority. Several Kurds have been killed during recent clashes with Turkish police and security forces in South Eastern Turkey, reported Guven and Aydin. (22-NOV-05)

According to KHRP in total four people were killed and 24 wounded during these irregularities that the last 2 weeks have been taking place in the Kurdish part of Turkey. These started when a bookshop in the city of Semdinli in the Kurdic area of Turkey was destroyed by what turned out to be members of the Turkish secret service by means of a bomb attack. In the following demonstrations to commemorate the victims of the attack Turkish police opened fire. 

Small-Kurdiske kvinner 2005.jpgRape as a weapon
In the negotiations with the EU the rights of Kurds in Turkey are a controversial issue, together with the country’s poor human rights records and the poor democratic institutions. The position of Kurds is under continues pressure despite the fact that Turkey as an OCSE-member has signed the København document that safeguards the rights of minorities. Guven and Aydin, who are from the Diyarbakir county, stressed that the EU-pressure that was exerted on Turkey has given results in the positive direction. However, it was stated that continuing pressure was needed, given the little faith they had in sincere intentions from the side of the Turks.

One of the methods Turkey uses in suppressing the Kurdish population is the systematic use of rape. This was one of the outcomes during the seminar ‘Rape as a weapon of war’ that was held at the Human Rights House in Oslo later in the day. Many Kurdish women have been the victim of rape by the military/paramilitary village guards, Turkish police and security forces. The result of this is that many women suffer from serious mental symptom, which in some cases has lead to the women committing suicide. Just like in other regions of the world the taboo on sexual violations is being used to silence opposition. 

Kurdish media under pressure
That the position of Kurds in Turkey is still very repressed showed the reaction of the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his visit to Denmark last week. When confronted with the message that among the journalists covering the press conference was a journalist of the Kurdish tv-station Roj TV, Erdogan refused to continue. When Danish Prime Minister Rasmussen refused to expel the journalist Erdogan angrily left the room. Turkey has been pressuring Danish authorities for a long time to take action against Roj TV, which has its broadcast base in Denmark, on the ground that it is linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers? Party (PKK). According to Guven and Aydin the station, that started broadcasting in March 2004, is very popular amongst the Kurdish population. Recently another Kurdish media outlet, the German based Kurdish newspaper Ozgur Politika, was closed because of alleged links with the PKK.

Possibility to return
During their visit Guven and Aydin also informed about the recent Turkish arrangement that gives Kurdish people that have been chased from their village, the possibility to return. However, it turns out there are several snags at this possibility. In the first place papers have to be handed over to the authorities to prove the property is not someone else’s. This gives problems in a lot of cases. In addition many are pressured to become village guards for the Turkish authorities as a result of the arrangement. 

Appeal in Strasbourg
Being a large minority in Turkey, Kurds are by the Turkish authorities not allowed to live according to their traditions. As a result the Kurdish language is for example largely prohibited in public life. A central position in the Kurdish struggle has been Abdullah Öcalan, who was imprisoned in 1999 and sentenced to death by the Turkish authorities. At the moment his appeal is pending at the European Court for Human Rights in Strasbourg.