Any attack on an innocent to further a political agenda constitutes horrendous evil. I personally condemn all such acts without exception whether committed by a Kurd an Al-Quaeda or one of our own.
The PKK has been declared a terrorist organization by the US and acts of terror have been generally and specifically condemned by our Presidents in all circumstance. So, I am not sure what it is you are calling for.
From 1915 to 1918, Kurds struggled to end Ottoman rule over their region. They were encouraged by Woodrow Wilson's support for non-Turkish nationalities of the empire and submitted their claim for independence to the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. The Treaty of Sèvres stipulated creation of an autonomous Kurdish state in 1920. That historic accomplishment has not seen its manifestation however. Iraq granted Kurdistan autonomy for a while during the late 1900's but it was short lived.
The Kurds represent approximately 20 percent of the Turkish population and are mainly clustered in one region on the South Eastern border. Their ethnic identity is harshly repressed. Until 1991 it was illegal to use the Kurdish language in Turkey. The Turkish military is very heavy handed against Kurdish villagers. For example: it is known that an estimated 3000 Kurdish villages have been simply wiped out in recent years. And they invaded Iraqi Kurdish villagers slaughtering the men and raping the women including young girls, with virtual impunity up until 2003. Which is why the Kurds in Iraq celebrated the arrival of the US military.
In 1994, Leyla Zana, the first female Kurdish representative in Turkey's Parliament, was charged for making "separatist speeches" and sentenced to fifteen years in prison. At her inauguration as an MP, she reportedly identified herself as a Kurd. Amnesty International reported that "she took the oath of loyalty in Turkish, as required by law, then added in Kurdish, 'I shall struggle so that the Kurdish and Turkish peoples may live together in a democratic framework.' Parliament erupted with shouts of 'Separatist!', 'Terrorist!', and 'Arrest her!'".
You don't have to pick a side between the PKK terrorists and the brutally oppressive Turkish regime you know, nor does Bush. |
