Turkey’s DTP says 1980 coup waged “cultural genocide” on Kurds
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The military coup in 1980 conducted "political, social and cultural genocide" on Kurds and paved the way for the establishment of the terror organization, PKK, the leader of the pro-Kurdish party said on Tuesday. (UPDATED)
Turk's remarks came after tensions rose in the region over the DTP's claims that Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the terror organization PKK, had been mistreated in Imrali prison where he is serving a life sentence. The claims sparked huge protests in the mainly-Kurdish southeastern regions, leaving one person dead.
Turk said their aim is to resolve the Kurdish issue peacefully and criticized the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) policies for viewing the issue solely as a security problem.
"The Kurdish issue is a political problem and its solution is possible only by political means. The mentality of saying 'if I win the Kurdish regions in the elections, if I wipe out the DTP in the region, then I would eliminate this problem' shows how humiliating and disrespectfully Kurds are approached. We urge everybody to be careful and to withdraw from playing such dangerous games," Turk said, referring to the AKP's aim to win the local elections in the strongholds of the pro-Kurdish party.
Turk also said it is necessary to send a delegation, including DTP members, to Imrali jail, where Ocalan has been imprisoned since 1999.
"The reason we are gathered here is the physical violence used against the PKK leader, Mr. Ocalan," said Turk, claiming the treatment of the imprisoned terrorist leader was unlawful and inhumane.
ONE DEAD, The Turkish government has denied the allegationsof DTP on Ocalan. Mass demonstrations were held at the weekend across the country’s southeastern provinces including Hakkari, On Monday shopkeepers in the region closed-up shops, a common form of non-violent protest in the region, as Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan arrived in region. One person was killed Monday during a rally organized by the DTP after clashes erupted between police protestors in the Dogubeyazit district of Agri province. The protestors shouted slogans in support of Ocalan and his terror organization PKK, and attempted to stage a march, ignoring police orders to disperse. The governorship of Agri released a written statement on the incidents late on Monday. "We consider that the incident is provocation given the fact that four bullets hit an armored police vehicle on the same street (where the protestor died)," the statement said. Five police officers were injured after the demonstrators turned the protest violent, the statement added. According to the official figures, at least 20 people were detained for throwing rocks and hurling Molotov cocktails at police.