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{{Original research|date=April 2011}} |
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{{Current|date=April 2011}} |
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{{Infobox civil conflict |
{{Infobox civil conflict |
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| title = 2011 Kurdish protests in Turkey |
| title = 2011 Kurdish protests in Turkey |
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| partof = [[2010–2011 Middle East and North Africa protests|2010–11 Middle East & North Africa protests]] |
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| image = |
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| image = |
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| caption = |
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| place = {{flag|Turkey}}, especially İstanbul, Diyarbakır, Batman |
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| place = {{flag|Turkey}} |
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| coordinates = |
| coordinates = |
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| date = {{start date|2011| |
| date = {{start date|2011|03|24}} – ''ongoing'' |
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| status = |
| status = Ongoing |
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| goals = Lifting of a ban on Kurdish candidates, reinstitution of [[Kurdish language|Kurdish-language]] education, creation of an autonomous Kurdish region, release of political prisoners, end of military operations against Kurdish dissidents<ref name="RudawinEng">{{cite news|url=http://www.rudaw.net/english/news/turkey/3539.html|agency=Rudaw|title=Call for Civil Disobedience in Turkey|date=4 April 2011|accessdate=27 April 2011|first=Hemin|last=Khoshnaw}}</ref><ref name="IstanbulXinhua">{{cite news|url=http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2011/4/turkey3190.htm|agency=Kurd Net|date=20 April 2011|accessdate=27 April 2011|title=Thousands of Kurds protest barring of Kurdish political candidates in Turkey}}</ref> |
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| goals = To attain basic human rights and to establish an autonomous Kurdish nation-state |
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| causes = Political repression, institutional racism, discrimination, centralization of authority, ban on several Kurdish parliamentary candidates<ref>[http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/mob_n.php?n=ysk-puts-ankara-in-turmoil-exit-strategy-sought-2011-04-19 YSK ruling throws Ankara into tumultuous search for exit strategy<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> |
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| causes = Continuous denial of minority rights |
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| time = |
| time = |
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| timezone = |
| timezone = |
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| methods = [[Demonstration (people)| |
| methods = [[Civil disobedience]], [[civil resistance]], [[Demonstration (people)|demonstrations]], [[online activism]], [[protest march]]es, [[riot]]ing, [[sit-in]]s, [[strike action]]s |
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| fatalities = 4<ref name="KurdDead">{{cite web|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2011/04/2011420204329820606.html |title=Kurdish Protester Killed in Turkey Clash}}</ref><ref name="terrorists">{{cite news|url=http://english.sabah.com.tr/National/2011/04/22/three-terrorists-killed-in-kahramanmaras|agency=Sabah|title=Three terrorists killed in Kahramanmaraş|date=22 April 2011|accessdate=27 April 2011}}</ref> |
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| fatalities = 10+ |
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| arrests = |
| arrests = |
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| concessions = Ban on Kurdish candidates lifted<ref name="welcome">{{cite news|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2011/04/2011421172713775785.html|agency=Al Jazeera English|date=21 April 2011|accessdate=28 April 2011|title=Turkish Kurds welcome poll decision}}</ref> |
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| concessions = |
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}} |
}} |
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{{Campaignbox Kurdish Rebellions}} |
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The '''2011 Kurdish protests in Turkey''' are an ongoing campaign by members of [[Republic of Turkey|Turkey]]'s [[Kurdish people|Kurdish]] minority to demonstrate against perceived restrictions of their rights by the Turkish authorities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.france24.com/en/20110420-one-killed-kurdish-protests-turkey-politician |title=One killed in Kurdish protests in Turkey: politician |publisher=FRANCE 24 |date= |accessdate=2011-04-22}}</ref> Although they are the latest in a [[Kurdish rebellions|long series]] of protest actions by restive [[Kurds in Turkey]], they are strongly influenced by the concurrent [[2010-2011 Middle East and North Africa protests|popular protests]] throughout the [[Middle East]] and [[North Africa]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/22/world/europe/22kurds.html?_r=1|agency=The New York Times|title=Kurds Renew Their Movement for Rights and Respect in Turkey|first=Landon|last=Thomas|date=21 April 2011|accessdate=27 April 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Alexander|last=Christie-Miller|url=http://www.eurasianet.org/node/63347|title=Turkey Drops Ban on Kurdish-Backed Candidates|agency=EurasiaNet}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sundayszaman.com/sunday/columnistDetail_getNewsById.action?newsId=240580&columnistId=110|agency=Zaman|date=9 April 2011|accessdate=27 April 2011|title=Diyarbakır and Lefkoşa|first=Ergun|last=Babahan}}</ref> and the Turkish publication ''[[Hürriyet Daily News]]'' has suggested that the popularly dubbed "Arab Spring" that has seen revolutions in [[Egyptian Revolution|Egypt]] and [[Tunisian Revolution|Tunisia]] may lead to a "Kurdish Summer" in the northern reaches of the Middle East.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=the-arab-spring-the-kurdish-summer-2011-04-11|agency=Hürriyet Daily News|date=11 April 2011|accessdate=27 April 2011|title=The Arab Spring, the Kurdish Summer|first=Kadri|last=Gürsel}}</ref> Protesters have taken to the streets both in [[İstanbul]] and in [[southeast Turkey]], with some demonstrations also reported as far west in [[Anatolia]] as [[İzmir]]. |
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{{Original research|date=April 2011}} |
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The '''2011 Kurdish protests in Turkey''' erupted on March 24th and remain ongoing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.france24.com/en/20110420-one-killed-kurdish-protests-turkey-politician |title=One killed in Kurdish protests in Turkey: politician |publisher=FRANCE 24 |date= |accessdate=2011-04-22}}</ref> The protests are another explosion in an ongoing struggle of the 20 million Kurdish people in Turkey to acquire human rights and to establish their own autonomous nation-state. Frustrated with the continued intolerance and oppression of the Turkish government and captivated by the revolutionary fervor of the concurrent [[2010-2011 Middle East and North Africa protests|Middle East Freedom Movements]], the Kurdish people have and once again begun to organize themselves and vocalize their desire for secession and an independent homeland. The Kurdish youth, especially, are leading the way by utilizing the Internet and social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to mobilize the Kurdish public. After ten years of relative quiet, thousands of Kurds are on the streets again protesting for rights and national sovereignty. |
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==Background== |
==Background== |
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There are currently 14 to 20 million [[Kurds in Turkey]], living predominantly in the southeast of the country. The Kurdish people are a unique ethnic group with their own language and customs. In Turkey, the Kurdish uprising dates back to at least 1925, but the most recent [[Turkey – Kurdistan Workers' Party conflict|major rebellion]] started in 1978 and has crossed the border into adjacent [[Iraqi Kurdistan]] on a number of occasions. Over 3,000 Kurdish villages have been "evacuated" by the Turkish armed forces since the conflict began.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newyouth.com/archives/middleeast/us_nato_hypocrisy_exposed_as_tur.html |title=US/NATO Hypocrisy Exposed as Turkey Attacks Kurds |publisher=Newyouth.com |date=1999-04-21 |accessdate=2011-04-22}}</ref> |
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{{main|Kurds in Turkey|Turkey – Kurdistan Workers' Party conflict}} |
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[[File:Kurdish-inhabited area by CIA (1992).jpg|thumb|300px|Map of Kurdish populated territory]] |
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The [[Kurdistan Workers' Party]] (PKK), a Kurdish separatist group listed as a [[terrorist organization]] by the governments of Turkey and the [[United States]], has demanded greater autonomy for [[Turkish Kurdistan]]. It has also called upon Turkish authorities to release Kurdish prisoners and detainees, overturn a ban on [[Kurdish language|Kurdish-language]] education, and cease military action against Kurdish groups.<ref name="ekurd1">{{cite news|url=http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2011/3/turkey3163.htm|agency=Kurd Net|date=24 March 2011|accessdate=27 April 2011|title=Turkey's Kurds launch protest movement for rights}}</ref> In 2009, Prime Minister [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]] launched a "Kurdish initative" aiming to broaden cultural rights for Kurds, but many Kurdish protesters have said this does not go far enough.<ref>[http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/02/2011228162351651625.html Kurdish rebels end Turkey 'truce' - Middle East - Al Jazeera English<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> On 28 February 2011, the PKK announced an end to a unilateral ceasefire it had declared in August 2010, prompting Erdoğan to launch a verbal attack on the pro-Kurdish [[Peace and Democracy Party]] (BDP) over its alleged collusion with the militant group. "A political party that is in Parliament hurling out threats ... during every election period puts pressure on people who want to exercise their democratic will and serves no other purpose," the prime minister said, seemingly implying that the BDP is a political front for the outlawed PKK.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.am/eng/news/50001.html|agency=NEWS.am|date=3 March 2011|accessdate=28 April 2011|title=PKK ceasefire end seen as step to help “Peace and Democracy” Party in elections}}</ref> |
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There are currently 14 to 20 million [[Kurds in Turkey]], living predominantly in the southeast of the country. The Kurdish people are a unique ethnic group with their own language and customs. However, while other nation-states emerged (ex: Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia) following the collapse of the [[Ottoman Empire]], the Kurds were denied national sovereignty by the new Turkish state and were excluded from the [[Treaty of Lausanne]]. As a result, Kurds have attempted [[Kurdish rebellions|numerous rebellions]] throughout the 1920s and 1930s, later escalating again in the 1970 with the [[Turkey – Kurdistan Workers' Party conflict|PKK insurgency]], which is going on up until today. |
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===Censorship of digital media=== |
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[[Internet]] [[Internet censorship|censorship]] is practiced by the government of Turkey. A number of websites, including those of pro-Kurdish and alternative news outlets such as [[Voice of America]], [[Bianet]], and ''[[Azadiya Welat]]'', are subject to a filter imposed by the [[Turkish Council of State]]. Bianet reported that according to new regulations adopted by the government in late February, this filter will be expanded from blocking access to certain websites from [[Internet café]]s to affect all Internet access points and [[Internet service provider|ISP]]s in Turkey sometime in the near future.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bianet.org/english/freedom-of-expression/129279-internet-should-not-become-the-voice-of-ankara|agency=Bianet|date=15 April 2011|accessdate=27 April 2011|title=Internet Should not Become the "Voice of Ankara"}}</ref> Access to the video-sharing website [[YouTube]], which has been an important tool for democrats in countries like [[Libya]] during [[2011 Libyan civil war|recent unrest]] in that country,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/tech-news/students-use-cameras-youtube-to-reveal-libyan-siege/article1983583/|agency=The Globe and Mail|title=Students use cameras, YouTube to reveal Libyan siege|first=Joseph|last=Nasr|date=13 April 2011|accessdate=27 April 2011}}</ref> is also banned in Turkey.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/11/03/us-turkey-youtube-idUSTRE6A227C20101103|title=Turkey reinstates YouTube ban|date=3 November 2010|accessdate=27 April 2011|agency=Reuters|first=Ece|last=Toksabay}}</ref> |
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In Turkey, the Kurdish national movement dates back to at least 1925, when Atatürk ruthlessly suppressed the Kurdish revolt of Sheikh Said Piran against the new Turkish republic. The military was again used in the 1930s and 1940s to suppress uprisings prompted by Ankara’s increasing attempt to centralize its authority.<ref>{{cite web|author=John Pike |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/kurdistan-turkey.htm |title=Kurdistan - Turkey |publisher=Globalsecurity.org |date=2008-06-25 |accessdate=2011-04-22}}</ref> |
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==Timeline== |
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The Turkish military coup of 1980 lead to a period of severe repression and to the elimination of almost all Kurdish and leftist organizations. Under General Evren and the subsequent President Ozal, a massive assimilation campaign was conducted to Turkify the population and cleanse it of its Kurdish sentiments. Ex- Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, even so bodly stated that “There is no Kurdish issue in Turkey” denying the reality of Kurdish desire for independence.<ref name="newyouth1">{{cite web|url=http://www.newyouth.com/archives/middleeast/us_nato_hypocrisy_exposed_as_tur.html |title=US/NATO Hypocrisy Exposed as Turkey Attacks Kurds |publisher=Newyouth.com |date=1999-04-21 |accessdate=2011-04-22}}</ref> |
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===March=== |
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====24 March==== |
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In a statement published online on 24 March, the [[Peace and Democracy Party]] (BDP) announced the immediate beginning of a [[civil disobedience]] campaign, beginning with a strike and [[sit-in]] in [[Diyarbakır]], the largest city in the Kurdish region.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.kurdish-info.eu/News-sid-URGENT-STATEMENT-from-Peace-and-Democracy-Party-BDP-16544.html|agency=Kurdish Info|date=24 March 2011|accessdate=27 April 2011|title=URGENT STATEMENT from Peace and Democracy Party - BDP}}</ref> The government responded by deploying soldiers and [[Turkish Army|Army]] vehicles to break up the unsanctioned demonstration, which drew about 3,000 participants. Just a fraction of these participants—a few dozen [[member of parliament|MP]]s and Kurdish city officials, including the mayor of Diyarbakır—were permitted to proceed to the sit-in venue, while thousands more demonstrators thronged outside and shouted angry slogans. Police clashed with demonstrators, some of whom attempted to attack officers with [[firework]]s, and detained five. A similar scene erupted in [[Batman, Turkey|Batman]], where a larger number of protesters were reportedly detained and protest tents were forcibly taken down.<ref name="ekurd1"/> |
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====27 March==== |
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Demonstrations spread to [[İstanbul]], [[İzmir]], [[Silopi]], and [[Antalya]] by 27 March. Protest camps also sprang up in [[Dersim]], [[Muş]], [[Van, Turkey|Van]], and [[Ağrı]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/3/227805/|agency=Kurdistan News Agency|title=Kurdish civil rebellion continues in Turkey|accessdate=27 April 2011|date=27 March 2011}}</ref> Several dozen protesters were arrested.<ref name="Dawn">{{cite news|url=http://www.dawn.com/2011/03/27/turkey%E2%80%99s-kurds-begin-civil-disobedience-campaign.html|agency=Dawn|date=27 March 2011|accessdate=27 April 2011|first=Suzan|last=Fraser|title=Turkey’s Kurds begin ‘civil disobedience’ campaign}}</ref> |
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Protest leader and MP [[Selahattin Demirtaş]] said that the [[Peace and Democracy Party]] was determined to carry out civil disobedience actions across the Kurdish region and condemned the governor of [[Diyarbakır Province]] for declaring the protests unlawful. Fellow Kurdish leader [[Ahmet Türk]] said they will continue the sit-in action despite the pressure from the Turkish authorities.<ref name="ekurd1"/><ref name="RudawinEng"/> "The prime minister who sends greetings to [[Tahrir Square]] while sending tanks and gas bombs at us should know that the [Kurdish] people have been seeking their freedom in their [own] Tahrir Squares," said Demirtaş, referring to Prime Minister [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]] and his [[International reactions to the 2011 Egyptian revolution|favorable stance]] toward [[Egypt]]ian [[2011 Egyptian revolution|revolutionaries]].<ref name="Dawn"/> |
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In the 1930s an official ban was placed on the Kurdish language. This was reinforced by the 1980 coup, when the junta considered Kurdish one of the unnamed languages banned by the law. Use of Kurdish was strictly prohibited in all government institutions, including the courts and schools. Nevertheless, during the 1960s and again in the mid-1970s, Kurdish intellectuals attempted to start Kurdish-language journals and newspapers. None of these publications survived for more than a few issues because state prosecutors inevitably found legal pretexts for closing them down. Between 1980 and 1983, the military government passed several laws expressly banning the use of Kurdish and the possession of written or audio materials in Kurdish.<ref>{{cite web|author=John Pike |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/kurdistan-turkey.htm |title=Kurdistan - Turkey |publisher=Globalsecurity.org |date=2008-06-25 |accessdate=2011-04-22}}</ref> |
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====28 March==== |
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Until 1991, all use of the Kurdish language was banned. It remains illegal for Kurdish to be used in publishing and broadcasting, and in educational and political institutions.<ref name="newyouth1"/> |
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About 40,000 people marched to the alleged site of [[mass grave]]s of Kurds in [[Siirt Province]] on 28 March. The [[protest march]] spun off into [[riot]]ing in the province. In Batman and Diyarbakır, two of the original sites of protests as part of the civil disobedience campaign, media reported Turkish security forces detained several more protesters.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2011/03/31/feature-03|agency=Southeast European Times|date=31 March 2011|accessdate=28 April 2011|title=Kurdish civil disobedience continues in Turkey|first=Alina|last=Lehtinen}}</ref> |
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===April=== |
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===Ethnic Cleansing and Destruction of Villages=== |
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====6 April==== |
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Demirtaş ratcheted up the civil disobedience campaign by Kurdish protesters on 6 April by accusing imams sent by the government to lead prayers in Turkey's [[southeast Turkey|southeast]] of supporting and spying for the ruling [[Justice and Development Party]] and urging Kurds not to pray behind them. Demirtaş also said that sermons in Kurdish parts of the country should only be given in [[Kurdish language|Kurdish]], a policy Erdoğan opposes.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sundayszaman.com/sunday/newsDetail_getNewsById.action?newsId=240380|agency=Zaman|date=7 April 2011|accessdate=27 April 2011|title=BDP calls on Kurds not to pray behind state imams in mosques}}</ref> |
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====8 April==== |
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Entire Kurdish villages have been invaded by the Turkish armed forces and forcibly depopulated. “The exact number of persons forcibly displaced from villages in the south-east since 1984 is unknown. Most estimates agree that 2600 to 3000 villages and hamlets have been depopulated. A few non-governmental organizations put the number forcibly displaced as high as 2 million.”<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newyouth.com/archives/middleeast/us_nato_hypocrisy_exposed_as_tur.html |title=US/NATO Hypocrisy Exposed as Turkey Attacks Kurds |publisher=Newyouth.com |date=1999-04-21 |accessdate=2011-04-22}}</ref> |
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At Friday prayers in Diyarbakır on 8 April, a number of Kurds boycotted in solidarity with the BDP, with many holding signs and banners supporting Demirtaş and the protests as others prayed. At least one newspaper ran photographs of the boycott.<ref name="militantimams">{{cite news|url=http://www.sundayszaman.com/sunday/newsDetail_getNewsById.action?newsId=240785|date=12 April 2011|title=PKK planning to disturb social peace in East, Southeast with ‘militant imams’|agency=Zaman|accessdate=27 April 2011|first=Hasim|last=Soylemez}}</ref> |
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====11 April==== |
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On 11 April, the ultraconservative Turkish weekly ''[[Aksiyon]]'' published allegations that "militant imams" loyal to the [[Kurdistan Workers' Party|PKK]] intend to promote [[terrorism]] among Kurds by portraying PKK fighters killed in clashes with government forces as [[martyr]]s. According to the report, imprisoned PKK leader [[Abdullah Öcalan]] devised the plan from behind bars. It also alleged that the banned PKK is using the BDP as a political front.<ref name="militantimams"/> |
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====19 April==== |
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In February 2005, Nobel Laureate, Orhan Pamuk, told a Swiss newspaper, “Thirty-thousand Kurds and one million Armenians were killed in these lands, and nobody but me dares to talk about it.”<ref>{{cite web|last=Barsoumian |first=Nanore |url=http://www.armenianweekly.com/2011/03/28/nobel-laureate-fined/comment-page-2/ |title=The Armenian Weekly Online |publisher=Armenianweekly.com |date=2011-03-28 |accessdate=2011-04-22}}</ref> |
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On 19 April, Turkey’s elections board ruled that 12 Kurdish politicians who had registered as independent candidates were barred from running in the June [[Turkish general election, 2011|parliamentary elections]]. The politicians included [[Leyla Zana]], who has spent ten years in prison for alleged PKK membership despite a ruling by the [[European Court of Human Rights]] that her imprisonment violated [[freedom of speech]].<ref>[http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2011/4/turkey3189.htm Leyla Zana and 11 other Kurdish politicians barred from running for Turkish parliament<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> |
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Kurds angry over the ban rallied in [[Hakkari]], [[Şırnak]], İstanbul, Van, and Diyarbakır. More than 2,000 protesters gathered in [[Taksim Square]] on the [[Europe]]an side of İstanbul, Turkey's largest city.<ref name="IstanbulXinhua"/> Police used [[tear gas]] to disperse the protest, which reportedly injured several, including at least one police officer. Shopkeepers and workers went on strike in Hakkari and Van. Van also saw clashes between protesters and Turkish [[gendarmarie|gendarme]]s, with its Kurdish mayor being among the demonstrators injured in the fighting, and scuffles were also reported in Diyarbakır, where a 15-year-old boy was reportedly hospitalized after being shot and injured by police. The semi-official [[Anatolian Agency]] claimed significant property damage in the city of Diyarbakır and said police confiscated several [[Molotov cocktail]]s brought to the demonstration by Kurdish protesters.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-04/20/c_13836524.htm|agency=Xinhua|date=19 April 2011|accessdate=27 April 2011|title=Turkey sees protests against candidate ban}}</ref> |
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On March 28, 2011 a Turkish court ordered Nobel Laureate, Pamuk, to pay 6,000 liras (about 4,000 USD) to six individuals—1,000 liras each—in compensation for insulting their “Turkishness” after citing the number of Kurds and Armenians killed in Turkey. In Turkey, citing crimes against the Kurdish population is treated as a crime punishable by law.<ref>{{cite web|last=Barsoumian |first=Nanore |url=http://www.armenianweekly.com/2011/03/28/nobel-laureate-fined/comment-page-2/ |title=The Armenian Weekly Online |publisher=Armenianweekly.com |date=2011-03-28 |accessdate=2011-04-22}}</ref> |
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====20 April==== |
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On 20 April, police fired live rounds at protesters in [[Bismil]] and killed one of them. At least 16 protesters were detained and four were injured. The incident drew outrage from the Kurdish community, with Selahattin Demirtaş canceling a planned meeting with President [[Abdullah Gül]] in [[Ankara]] over the shooting.<ref name="KurdDead"/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1634210.php/Political-crisis-in-Turkey-over-candidates-for-parliamentary-polls|agency=Monsters & Critics|date=20 April 2011|accessdate=27 April 2011|title=Political crisis in Turkey over candidates for parliamentary polls}}</ref><ref name="welcome"/> |
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===Initiation of Civil Disobedience Campaign=== |
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====21 April==== |
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The Kurdish Peace and Democratic Party, which succeeded the previous Kurdish DTP party, and the Kurdish Democratic Society announced that March 24 marks the beginning of a civil Kurdish rebellion. Camps have been set up in the framework of civil rebellion across Turkey in cities including Dersim, Mush, Van, and Agri. Istanbul, Izmir, Antalya, and Edna cities with Kurdish majorities witnessed other similar protests.<ref>{{cite web|author=Written by: |url=http://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/3/227805/ |title=Kurdish civil rebellion continues in Turkey | Misc |publisher=AKNEWS.com |date=2011-03-27 |accessdate=2011-04-22}}</ref> |
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The elections board reversed its decision to bar several Kurdish political candidates on 21 April after facing massive outcry. Some journalists expected this to be the end of intensified protests and rioting.<ref>[http://articles.boston.com/2011-04-21/news/29460234_1_kurdish-rebels-pro-kurdish-leyla-zana Turkey: Kurdish candidates can run for parliament - Boston.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Nonetheless, the Anatolian Agency reported that one police officer and two civilians were injured in rioting in Batman on the same day. The semi-official news agency alleged that Kurdish protesters attacked police with rocks, firebombs, and gunfire. It also said three people were hospitalized in [[Van Province]] after Kurdish demonstrators set fire to a bank with a Molotov cocktail. Police reportedly employed [[tear gas]] and [[water cannon]] to disperse the riot.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90777/90854/7358720.html|agency=People's Daily Online|date=22 April 2011|accessdate=27 April 2011|title=One policeman, two civilians injured in Kurdish protests in Turkey}}</ref> |
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In [[Kahramanmaraş]] in Turkey's [[Mediterranean Region, Turkey|Mediterranean Region]], three Kurds whom conservative pro-government daily ''[[Sabah (newspaper)|Sabah]]'' called "terrorists"<ref name="terrorists"/> were shot dead by security forces amidst protracted street protests.<ref>{{cite news|agency=The Jerusalem Post|title=Turkish forces kill 3 Kurd rebels near Syrian border|url=http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=217394|date=21 April 2011|accessdate=27 April 2011}}</ref> ''Sabah'' remarked upon the spread of unrest further west than the territory in which Turkish Kurds have traditionally been active in [[Asia Minor]].<ref name="terrorists"/> |
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===Beginnings of Open Protest=== |
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====23 April==== |
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Some three thousand people gathered in Diyarbakir, the largest Kurdish city in southeast Turkey, to stage a sit in. Turkish armed forces and armored vehicles were immediately sent in to stop the protests. Kurdish members of Turkish parliament and local mayors even participated in the protests signifying a unity amongst the Kurdish people. Selahattin Demirtas and Gultan Kisanak joined the protestors in Diyarbakir and as well as mayor Osman Baydemir, DTK's Ahmet Turk, and Aysel Tugluk. Tens of thousands showed their support by participating nearby.<ref name="ekurd1">{{cite web|url=http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2011/3/turkey3163.htm |title=Turkey's Kurds launch protest movement for rights |publisher=Ekurd.net |date= |accessdate=2011-04-22}}</ref> |
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According to a report in the pro-government daily ''[[Zaman]]'', alleged PKK supporters threw Molotov cocktails at a house in suburban [[Şanlıurfa]] while a family was sleeping there on the night of 23 April, seriously damaging the property but causing only minor injuries. Police detained two in connection with the incident.<ref>{{cite news|title=Children narrowly escape death in Molotov cocktail attack|first=Fethi|last=Altun|url=http://www.todayszaman.com/news-241926-children-narrowly-escape-death-in-molotov-cocktail-attack.html|agency=Zaman|date=25 April 2011|accessdate=27 April 2011}}</ref> |
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====24 April==== |
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The imprisoned Kurdish leader’s (Ocalan) is being chanted on the streets again during the widespread protests.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zimbio.com/World+Politics/articles/ooArShcID7Q/Thousands+people+gathered+Ocalan+birthplace |title=Thousands of people gathered to Ocalan's birthplace - World Politics |publisher=Zimbio |date=1949-04-04 |accessdate=2011-04-22}}</ref> |
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''Zaman'' claimed pro-[[Peace and Democracy Party|BDP]] protesters in [[Ergani]] attacked buildings and gendarmes with Molotov cocktails and [[firecracker]]s. It also reported that 32 rioters in Batman were detained after a crowd of demonstrators pelted police with stones and tried to set fire to shops.<ref name="YSKrev">{{cite news|url=http://www.todayszaman.com/news-242054-demonstrators-continue-protesting-despite-ysk-reversal.html|agency=Zaman|date=26 April 2011|accessdate=27 April 2011|title=Demonstrators continue protesting despite YSK reversal}}</ref> These demonstrations came just days after international media reported an easing of tensions in southeast Turkey following the reversal of a ban on several Kurdish parliamentary candidates.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.france24.com/en/20110422-kurdish-protests-calm-down-southeast-turkey|agency=France24|date=22 April 2011|accessdate=27 April 2011|title=Kurdish protests calm down in southeast Turkey}}</ref> The Anatolian Agency reported that two off-duty soldiers, wearing civilian clothes, were shot from behind in [[Yüksekova]], leaving both injured. It also claimed rioting, including stone- and firebomb-throwing, in Bismil, which police reportedly used tear gas and water cannon to disperse.<ref>{{cite news|agency=Kurd Net|title=Off-duty soldiers attacked in southeast Turkey|date=25 April 2011|accessdate=28 April 2011|url=http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2011/4/turkey3197.htm}}</ref> |
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=== |
====25 April==== |
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BDP supporters protested violently in the [[Aksaray, Istanbul|Aksaray]] neighborhood of İstanbul on 25 April, attacking police, vehicles, and shops, ''Zaman'' alleged.<ref name="YSKrev"/> Turkish authorities also arrested 35 in Hakkari on alleged PKK ties.<ref name="Bianet">{{cite news|url=http://www.bianet.org/english/human-rights/129539-35-people-in-custody-tens-of-thousands-of-people-protest|agency=Bianet|title=35 People in Custody, Tens of Thousands of People Protest|date=26 April 2011|first=Nilay|last=Vardar|accessdate=27 April 2011}}</ref><ref name="Bianet"/> In response, more than 20,000 Kurds living near the international border with [[Iraq]] marched to a border crossing and threatened to enter [[Iraqi Kurdistan]] in a show of defiance unless the 35 were released, forcing Peace and Democracy Party officials to intervene. The protesters eventually returned to their homes.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.firatnews.com/english/index.php?rupel=article&nuceID=2047|agency=Firat News Agency|date=26 April 2011|accessdate=27 April 2011|title=Hakkari to protest today against detentions}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=election-cannot-take-place-under-current-circumstances-says-bdp-2011-04-26|agency=Hurriyet Daily News|date=26 April 2011|accessdate=27 April 2011|title=Election impossible in current situation, says Turkey's pro-Kurdish party|first=Goksel|last=Bozkurt}}</ref> |
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====26 April==== |
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Selahattin Demirtas said, that the Peace and Democratic Party is determined to carry out civil dispbedience actions across the Kurdish region and condemned the Turkish Diyarbakir governor for declaring the protests unlawful. DTK's Ahmet Turk said they will continue the sit-in action despite the pressure from the Turkish authorities. |
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On 26 April, about 20,000 in southeast Turkey reportedly turned out to protest the detention of alleged PKK supporters in Hakkari, according to media. About 10,000 protesters set off on a march from Hakkari to Van, according to Kurdish officials.<ref name="Bianet"/> |
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<ref name="ekurd1"/> |
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====27 April==== |
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The PKK that offered truce in August now says that a ceasefire is “meaningless” because Ankara has not honestly advanced dialogue. The Turkish state continues to deny the constitutional existence of the Kurds. The PKK now aims at creating an autonomous Kurdish region with cultural rights for the Kurds who constitute 20 million people. They demand a release of PKK detainees, the lifting of the Kurdish education ban, a termination of military action on Kurdish territory, and reducing pressure on the detained PKK President, Ocalan.<ref name="ekurd1"/> |
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On 27 April, demonstrators hurled Molotov cocktails at riot police located near Aksaray metro station, which prompted the police to use tear gas to disperse the protesters. The demonstrators were mostly dispersed, although a small group remained in Aksaray, broadcaster NTV reported.{{Citation needed|date=April 2011}} |
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==International reaction== |
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Despite court ruling, which overturned a decision to place the Kurdish PKK rebel group on the European Unions terror list, Ankara and the US continue to label the PKK a terrorist organization.<ref name="ekurd1"/> |
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In the [[United States]], protesters have demonstrated in solidarity with [[Kurds in Turkey]]. A U.S.-based [[human rights]] advocacy group organized and gathered hundreds of people in front of the Turkish consulate in [[Los Angeles]] on 24 March to demand the release of a 15-year-old Kurdish girl sentenced to 8 years in prison on what government critics called "trumped-up" charges of terrorism in Turkey. Protesters placed a large model of a cage outside the consulate as a reminder of the 2,600 Kurdish minors currently incarcerated in Turkey.<ref name="unitedhumanrights1">{{cite web|url=http://www.unitedhumanrights.org/2010/03/protest-at-turkish-consulate-exposes-ankaras-inhumanity-to-children |title=Protest At Turkish Consulate Exposes Ankara’s Inhumanity to Children | United Human Rights Council |publisher=Unitedhumanrights.org |date=2010-03-30 |accessdate=2011-04-22}}</ref> |
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In April, members of the Kurdish diaspora in [[London]], the capital of the [[United Kingdom]], staged a week-long protest camp and marched through [[London Borough of Haringey|Haringey]] to show solidarity with the Turkish Kurds.<ref>{{cite news|agency=Haringey Independent|url=http://www.haringeyindependent.co.uk/news/topstories/8977690.Kurdish_protesters_camp_outside_Finsbury_Park/|date=15 April 2011|accessdate=27 April 2011|title=Kurdish protest in Haringey calls for 'basic rights' in Turkey|first=Tristan|last=Kirk}}</ref> |
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Facebook has been a leading source of organization for the Kurdish youth, greatly contributing to their mobilization and communication. It has facilitated the ability of millions of Kurds to participate in protest activities. The Turkish government is again contemplating closing it down to prevent massive protests as it did last year with the Kılıçdaroğlu-PKK scandal.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://forum.kusadasi.biz/threads/facebook-may-be-next-victim-of-turkeys-internet-bans.24339 |title=Facebook may be next victim of Turkey's Internet bans |publisher=Forum.kusadasi.biz |date= |accessdate=2011-04-22}}</ref> |
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===Turkish Response=== |
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Aside from using the armed forces to suppress the protests, the Turkish government also ordered the taking of prisoners. In Batman Turkish police also removed tents of the protestors and detained tens of protestors on the first day of civil disobedience campaign. BDP deputee Bengi Yildiz was forcebly removed by Turkish police while he joined the sit-in action in central Batman.<ref name="ekurd1"/> |
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Last year Prime minister Erdogan’s Islamist party attempted to quietly cajole the PKK into laying down arms, and even held direct talks with Kurdish leader, Abdullah Ocalan, at his Turkish prison cell. This process has failed to quell the Kurdish desire for rights and independence.<ref name="ekurd1"/> |
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Ankara, is fearful of the protests that have spread across the Middle East and that are now taking place within Turkey.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cesran.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1187%3Aunrest-in-the-middle-east-the-turkish-response-and-the-turkish-model-&catid=37%3Aorta-dou-calmalar-makale-ve-raporlar&Itemid=67&lang=en |title=Unrest in the Middle East, the Turkish response and the Turkish model |publisher=Cesran.org |date= |accessdate=2011-04-22}}</ref> |
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Turkish police have responded to protesters with asymmetric and intensive violence. On April 20th police fired live rounds on the protesters in the southeast and killed one of them. At least 16 protestors were detained and four slightly injured, stated a reporter with the AFP news agency.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2011/04/2011420204329820606.html |title=Kurdish Protester Killed in Turkey Clash}}</ref> |
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On April 27, 2011 at least 1,000 Turkish soldiers, backed by helicopters, were mobilized and sent into the southeast of the country, near the borders of Tunceli and Bingol provinces, where they killed an additional 7 Kurdish rebels.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110428/wl_nm/us_turkey_kurds |title= Turkish Troops Kill 7 Kurdish Rebels}}</ref> |
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===Denial of Representation=== |
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On April 19th Turkey’s elections board ruled that 12 Kurdish politicians who had registered as independent candidates be barred from running in the June national parliamentary elections. The politicians include Leyla Zana, who the Turkish government considers to have terrorist connections despite her being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1995. She has been arrested on numerous occasions, once in 1991 for having attempted to make a speech in Kurdish in the Turkish parliament. Zana spent ten years in prison even though the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Turkey had violated her freedom of expression.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2011/4/turkey3189.htm |title=12 Kurdish Politicians barred from Running for Turkish Parliament}}</ref> |
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The decision to bar Kurdish parliamentarians was reversed only on April 21st and was reversed tactically in order to deter further Kurdish protests.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.boston.com/2011-04-21/news/29460234_1_kurdish-rebels-pro-kurdish-leyla-zana |title=Kurdish Candidates can Run for Parliament}}</ref> |
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===Censorship of media=== |
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The Turkish government has for a long time practiced media censorship. This past February the Turkish Council of State decided that news outlets including Voice of America, Bianet, and Azadiya Welat will be filtered. It has decided that these filters will even be expanded and will block access to certain websites from Internet cafés altogether. In the near future all Internet access points and ISPs in Turkey will be filtered in the attempt to disable Kurds from organizing and protesting efficiently.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bianet.org/english/freedom-of-expression/129279-internet-should-not-become-the-voice-of-ankara |title= Internet Should not become the Voice of Ankara}}</ref> |
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Access to the video-sharing website YouTube, which has been an important tool for democrats in countries like Libya during recent unrest in that country, has now also banned in Turkey.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/11/03/us-turkey-youtube-idUSTRE6A227C20101103 |title= Turkey Reinstates Youtube Ban}}</ref> |
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===International Reaction=== |
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Protests have even spread to the United States. The United Human Rights Council (UHRC) organized and gathered hundreds of people in front of the Turkish consulate in Los Angeles on March 24 to demand the release of 15 year old Berivan, a young Kurdish girl sentenced to 8 years in prison on trumped-up charges of terrorism in Turkey. A massive cage was placed outside the Consulate to remind the world of the 2,600 Kurdish minors trapped in Turkish prisons.<ref name="unitedhumanrights1">{{cite web|url=http://www.unitedhumanrights.org/2010/03/protest-at-turkish-consulate-exposes-ankaras-inhumanity-to-children |title=Protest At Turkish Consulate Exposes Ankara’s Inhumanity to Children | United Human Rights Council |publisher=Unitedhumanrights.org |date=2010-03-30 |accessdate=2011-04-22}}</ref> |
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Ralph Fertig, a long time human rights activist and professor at USC, was also present at the event, and said, “This is the beginning of a movement that will grow and grow… because it has a logic, a reason, and a purpose… because it serves justice.”<ref name="unitedhumanrights1"/> |
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[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=octuz034KXk&feature=player_embedded#at=13 Kurdish Protests in LA Video] |
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In April, members of the Kurdish diaspora in London, the capital of the United Kingdom, also staged a week-long protest camp and marched through Haringey to show solidarity with the Turkish Kurds.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ikjnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=690:kurdish-protest-in-haringey-calls-for-basic-rights-in-turkey&catid=34:news&Itemid=79 |title= Kurdish Protesters March Through Haringey}}</ref> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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*[[Kurdish people]] |
*[[Kurdish people]] |
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== |
==External links== |
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[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=octuz034KXk&feature=player_embedded#at=13 Kurdish Protests in LA Video] |
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==References== |
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<references/> |
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{{Reflist|3}} |
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==Notes== |
==Notes== |
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* "Kurdistan-Turkey". Global Security.org. |
* "Kurdistan-Turkey". Global Security.org. |
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* Dixon, Norm. "US/NATO Hypocrisy Exposed as Turkey Attacks Kurds". New Youth. April 21, 1999. |
* Dixon, Norm. "US/NATO Hypocrisy Exposed as Turkey Attacks Kurds". New Youth. April 21, 1999. |
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* Barsoumian,Nanore."Nobel Laureate Fined for Mentioning Armenian, Kurdish Deaths".The Armenian Weekly.March 28, 2011. |
* Barsoumian,Nanore."Nobel Laureate Fined for Mentioning Armenian, Kurdish Deaths".The Armenian Weekly.March 28, 2011. |
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[[Category:2011 in Turkey]] |
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[[Category:Protests in Turkey]] |
[[Category:Protests in Turkey]] |
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{{2010-2011 Middle East and North Africa protests}} |
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{{activism-stub}} |
Revision as of 23:29, 28 April 2011
2011 Kurdish protests in Turkey | |
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Part of 2010–11 Middle East & North Africa protests | |
Date | March 24, 2011 | – ongoing
Location | |
Caused by | Political repression, institutional racism, discrimination, centralization of authority, ban on several Kurdish parliamentary candidates[1] |
Goals | Lifting of a ban on Kurdish candidates, reinstitution of Kurdish-language education, creation of an autonomous Kurdish region, release of political prisoners, end of military operations against Kurdish dissidents[2][3] |
Methods | Civil disobedience, civil resistance, demonstrations, online activism, protest marches, rioting, sit-ins, strike actions |
Status | Ongoing |
Concessions | Ban on Kurdish candidates lifted[4] |
Casualties | |
Death(s) | 4[5][6] |
The 2011 Kurdish protests in Turkey are an ongoing campaign by members of Turkey's Kurdish minority to demonstrate against perceived restrictions of their rights by the Turkish authorities.[9] Although they are the latest in a long series of protest actions by restive Kurds in Turkey, they are strongly influenced by the concurrent popular protests throughout the Middle East and North Africa,[10][11][12] and the Turkish publication Hürriyet Daily News has suggested that the popularly dubbed "Arab Spring" that has seen revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia may lead to a "Kurdish Summer" in the northern reaches of the Middle East.[13] Protesters have taken to the streets both in İstanbul and in southeast Turkey, with some demonstrations also reported as far west in Anatolia as İzmir.
Background
There are currently 14 to 20 million Kurds in Turkey, living predominantly in the southeast of the country. The Kurdish people are a unique ethnic group with their own language and customs. In Turkey, the Kurdish uprising dates back to at least 1925, but the most recent major rebellion started in 1978 and has crossed the border into adjacent Iraqi Kurdistan on a number of occasions. Over 3,000 Kurdish villages have been "evacuated" by the Turkish armed forces since the conflict began.[14]
The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a Kurdish separatist group listed as a terrorist organization by the governments of Turkey and the United States, has demanded greater autonomy for Turkish Kurdistan. It has also called upon Turkish authorities to release Kurdish prisoners and detainees, overturn a ban on Kurdish-language education, and cease military action against Kurdish groups.[15] In 2009, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan launched a "Kurdish initative" aiming to broaden cultural rights for Kurds, but many Kurdish protesters have said this does not go far enough.[16] On 28 February 2011, the PKK announced an end to a unilateral ceasefire it had declared in August 2010, prompting Erdoğan to launch a verbal attack on the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) over its alleged collusion with the militant group. "A political party that is in Parliament hurling out threats ... during every election period puts pressure on people who want to exercise their democratic will and serves no other purpose," the prime minister said, seemingly implying that the BDP is a political front for the outlawed PKK.[17]
Censorship of digital media
Internet censorship is practiced by the government of Turkey. A number of websites, including those of pro-Kurdish and alternative news outlets such as Voice of America, Bianet, and Azadiya Welat, are subject to a filter imposed by the Turkish Council of State. Bianet reported that according to new regulations adopted by the government in late February, this filter will be expanded from blocking access to certain websites from Internet cafés to affect all Internet access points and ISPs in Turkey sometime in the near future.[18] Access to the video-sharing website YouTube, which has been an important tool for democrats in countries like Libya during recent unrest in that country,[19] is also banned in Turkey.[20]
Timeline
March
24 March
In a statement published online on 24 March, the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) announced the immediate beginning of a civil disobedience campaign, beginning with a strike and sit-in in Diyarbakır, the largest city in the Kurdish region.[21] The government responded by deploying soldiers and Army vehicles to break up the unsanctioned demonstration, which drew about 3,000 participants. Just a fraction of these participants—a few dozen MPs and Kurdish city officials, including the mayor of Diyarbakır—were permitted to proceed to the sit-in venue, while thousands more demonstrators thronged outside and shouted angry slogans. Police clashed with demonstrators, some of whom attempted to attack officers with fireworks, and detained five. A similar scene erupted in Batman, where a larger number of protesters were reportedly detained and protest tents were forcibly taken down.[15]
27 March
Demonstrations spread to İstanbul, İzmir, Silopi, and Antalya by 27 March. Protest camps also sprang up in Dersim, Muş, Van, and Ağrı.[22] Several dozen protesters were arrested.[23]
Protest leader and MP Selahattin Demirtaş said that the Peace and Democracy Party was determined to carry out civil disobedience actions across the Kurdish region and condemned the governor of Diyarbakır Province for declaring the protests unlawful. Fellow Kurdish leader Ahmet Türk said they will continue the sit-in action despite the pressure from the Turkish authorities.[15][2] "The prime minister who sends greetings to Tahrir Square while sending tanks and gas bombs at us should know that the [Kurdish] people have been seeking their freedom in their [own] Tahrir Squares," said Demirtaş, referring to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his favorable stance toward Egyptian revolutionaries.[23]
28 March
About 40,000 people marched to the alleged site of mass graves of Kurds in Siirt Province on 28 March. The protest march spun off into rioting in the province. In Batman and Diyarbakır, two of the original sites of protests as part of the civil disobedience campaign, media reported Turkish security forces detained several more protesters.[24]
April
6 April
Demirtaş ratcheted up the civil disobedience campaign by Kurdish protesters on 6 April by accusing imams sent by the government to lead prayers in Turkey's southeast of supporting and spying for the ruling Justice and Development Party and urging Kurds not to pray behind them. Demirtaş also said that sermons in Kurdish parts of the country should only be given in Kurdish, a policy Erdoğan opposes.[25]
8 April
At Friday prayers in Diyarbakır on 8 April, a number of Kurds boycotted in solidarity with the BDP, with many holding signs and banners supporting Demirtaş and the protests as others prayed. At least one newspaper ran photographs of the boycott.[26]
11 April
On 11 April, the ultraconservative Turkish weekly Aksiyon published allegations that "militant imams" loyal to the PKK intend to promote terrorism among Kurds by portraying PKK fighters killed in clashes with government forces as martyrs. According to the report, imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan devised the plan from behind bars. It also alleged that the banned PKK is using the BDP as a political front.[26]
19 April
On 19 April, Turkey’s elections board ruled that 12 Kurdish politicians who had registered as independent candidates were barred from running in the June parliamentary elections. The politicians included Leyla Zana, who has spent ten years in prison for alleged PKK membership despite a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that her imprisonment violated freedom of speech.[27]
Kurds angry over the ban rallied in Hakkari, Şırnak, İstanbul, Van, and Diyarbakır. More than 2,000 protesters gathered in Taksim Square on the European side of İstanbul, Turkey's largest city.[3] Police used tear gas to disperse the protest, which reportedly injured several, including at least one police officer. Shopkeepers and workers went on strike in Hakkari and Van. Van also saw clashes between protesters and Turkish gendarmes, with its Kurdish mayor being among the demonstrators injured in the fighting, and scuffles were also reported in Diyarbakır, where a 15-year-old boy was reportedly hospitalized after being shot and injured by police. The semi-official Anatolian Agency claimed significant property damage in the city of Diyarbakır and said police confiscated several Molotov cocktails brought to the demonstration by Kurdish protesters.[28]
20 April
On 20 April, police fired live rounds at protesters in Bismil and killed one of them. At least 16 protesters were detained and four were injured. The incident drew outrage from the Kurdish community, with Selahattin Demirtaş canceling a planned meeting with President Abdullah Gül in Ankara over the shooting.[5][29][4]
21 April
The elections board reversed its decision to bar several Kurdish political candidates on 21 April after facing massive outcry. Some journalists expected this to be the end of intensified protests and rioting.[30] Nonetheless, the Anatolian Agency reported that one police officer and two civilians were injured in rioting in Batman on the same day. The semi-official news agency alleged that Kurdish protesters attacked police with rocks, firebombs, and gunfire. It also said three people were hospitalized in Van Province after Kurdish demonstrators set fire to a bank with a Molotov cocktail. Police reportedly employed tear gas and water cannon to disperse the riot.[31]
In Kahramanmaraş in Turkey's Mediterranean Region, three Kurds whom conservative pro-government daily Sabah called "terrorists"[6] were shot dead by security forces amidst protracted street protests.[32] Sabah remarked upon the spread of unrest further west than the territory in which Turkish Kurds have traditionally been active in Asia Minor.[6]
23 April
According to a report in the pro-government daily Zaman, alleged PKK supporters threw Molotov cocktails at a house in suburban Şanlıurfa while a family was sleeping there on the night of 23 April, seriously damaging the property but causing only minor injuries. Police detained two in connection with the incident.[33]
24 April
Zaman claimed pro-BDP protesters in Ergani attacked buildings and gendarmes with Molotov cocktails and firecrackers. It also reported that 32 rioters in Batman were detained after a crowd of demonstrators pelted police with stones and tried to set fire to shops.[34] These demonstrations came just days after international media reported an easing of tensions in southeast Turkey following the reversal of a ban on several Kurdish parliamentary candidates.[35] The Anatolian Agency reported that two off-duty soldiers, wearing civilian clothes, were shot from behind in Yüksekova, leaving both injured. It also claimed rioting, including stone- and firebomb-throwing, in Bismil, which police reportedly used tear gas and water cannon to disperse.[36]
25 April
BDP supporters protested violently in the Aksaray neighborhood of İstanbul on 25 April, attacking police, vehicles, and shops, Zaman alleged.[34] Turkish authorities also arrested 35 in Hakkari on alleged PKK ties.[37][37] In response, more than 20,000 Kurds living near the international border with Iraq marched to a border crossing and threatened to enter Iraqi Kurdistan in a show of defiance unless the 35 were released, forcing Peace and Democracy Party officials to intervene. The protesters eventually returned to their homes.[38][39]
26 April
On 26 April, about 20,000 in southeast Turkey reportedly turned out to protest the detention of alleged PKK supporters in Hakkari, according to media. About 10,000 protesters set off on a march from Hakkari to Van, according to Kurdish officials.[37]
27 April
On 27 April, demonstrators hurled Molotov cocktails at riot police located near Aksaray metro station, which prompted the police to use tear gas to disperse the protesters. The demonstrators were mostly dispersed, although a small group remained in Aksaray, broadcaster NTV reported.[citation needed]
International reaction
In the United States, protesters have demonstrated in solidarity with Kurds in Turkey. A U.S.-based human rights advocacy group organized and gathered hundreds of people in front of the Turkish consulate in Los Angeles on 24 March to demand the release of a 15-year-old Kurdish girl sentenced to 8 years in prison on what government critics called "trumped-up" charges of terrorism in Turkey. Protesters placed a large model of a cage outside the consulate as a reminder of the 2,600 Kurdish minors currently incarcerated in Turkey.[40]
In April, members of the Kurdish diaspora in London, the capital of the United Kingdom, staged a week-long protest camp and marched through Haringey to show solidarity with the Turkish Kurds.[41]
See also
- List of modern conflicts in the Middle East
- 2010-2011 Middle East and North Africa protests
- Democracy in the Middle East
- Kurdistan
- Kurds in Turkey
- Kurdish people
External links
References
- ^ YSK ruling throws Ankara into tumultuous search for exit strategy
- ^ a b Khoshnaw, Hemin (4 April 2011). "Call for Civil Disobedience in Turkey". Rudaw. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
- ^ a b "Thousands of Kurds protest barring of Kurdish political candidates in Turkey". Kurd Net. 20 April 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
- ^ a b "Turkish Kurds welcome poll decision". Al Jazeera English. 21 April 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
- ^ a b "Kurdish Protester Killed in Turkey Clash".
- ^ a b c "Three terrorists killed in Kahramanmaraş". Sabah. 22 April 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
- ^ Martin van Bruinessen, "Zaza, Alevi and Dersimi as Deliberately Embraced Ethnic Identities" in '"Aslını İnkar Eden Haramzadedir!" The Debate on the Ethnic Identity of The Kurdish Alevis' in Krisztina Kehl-Bodrogi, Barbara Kellner-Heinkele, Anke Otter-Beaujean, Syncretistic Religious Communities in the Near East: Collected Papers of the International Symposium "Alevism in Turkey and Comparable Sycretistic Religious Communities in the Near East in the Past and Present" Berlin, 14-17 April 1995, BRILL, 1997, ISBN 9789004108615, p. 13.
- ^ Martin van Bruinessen, "Zaza, Alevi and Dersimi as Deliberately Embraced Ethnic Identities" in '"Aslını İnkar Eden Haramzadedir!" The Debate on the Ethnic Identity of The Kurdish Alevis', p. 14.
- ^ "One killed in Kurdish protests in Turkey: politician". FRANCE 24. Retrieved 2011-04-22.
- ^ Thomas, Landon (21 April 2011). "Kurds Renew Their Movement for Rights and Respect in Turkey". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
- ^ Christie-Miller, Alexander. "Turkey Drops Ban on Kurdish-Backed Candidates". EurasiaNet.
- ^ Babahan, Ergun (9 April 2011). "Diyarbakır and Lefkoşa". Zaman. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
- ^ Gürsel, Kadri (11 April 2011). "The Arab Spring, the Kurdish Summer". Hürriyet Daily News. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
- ^ "US/NATO Hypocrisy Exposed as Turkey Attacks Kurds". Newyouth.com. 1999-04-21. Retrieved 2011-04-22.
- ^ a b c "Turkey's Kurds launch protest movement for rights". Kurd Net. 24 March 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
- ^ Kurdish rebels end Turkey 'truce' - Middle East - Al Jazeera English
- ^ "PKK ceasefire end seen as step to help "Peace and Democracy" Party in elections". NEWS.am. 3 March 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
- ^ "Internet Should not Become the "Voice of Ankara"". Bianet. 15 April 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
- ^ Nasr, Joseph (13 April 2011). "Students use cameras, YouTube to reveal Libyan siege". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
- ^ Toksabay, Ece (3 November 2010). "Turkey reinstates YouTube ban". Reuters. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
- ^ "URGENT STATEMENT from Peace and Democracy Party - BDP". Kurdish Info. 24 March 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
- ^ "Kurdish civil rebellion continues in Turkey". Kurdistan News Agency. 27 March 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
- ^ a b Fraser, Suzan (27 March 2011). "Turkey's Kurds begin 'civil disobedience' campaign". Dawn. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
- ^ Lehtinen, Alina (31 March 2011). "Kurdish civil disobedience continues in Turkey". Southeast European Times. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
- ^ "BDP calls on Kurds not to pray behind state imams in mosques". Zaman. 7 April 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
- ^ a b Soylemez, Hasim (12 April 2011). "PKK planning to disturb social peace in East, Southeast with 'militant imams'". Zaman. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
- ^ Leyla Zana and 11 other Kurdish politicians barred from running for Turkish parliament
- ^ "Turkey sees protests against candidate ban". Xinhua. 19 April 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
- ^ "Political crisis in Turkey over candidates for parliamentary polls". Monsters & Critics. 20 April 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
- ^ Turkey: Kurdish candidates can run for parliament - Boston.com
- ^ "One policeman, two civilians injured in Kurdish protests in Turkey". People's Daily Online. 22 April 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
- ^ "Turkish forces kill 3 Kurd rebels near Syrian border". The Jerusalem Post. 21 April 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
- ^ Altun, Fethi (25 April 2011). "Children narrowly escape death in Molotov cocktail attack". Zaman. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
- ^ a b "Demonstrators continue protesting despite YSK reversal". Zaman. 26 April 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
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Notes
- "Kurdistan-Turkey". Global Security.org.
- Dixon, Norm. "US/NATO Hypocrisy Exposed as Turkey Attacks Kurds". New Youth. April 21, 1999.
- Barsoumian,Nanore."Nobel Laureate Fined for Mentioning Armenian, Kurdish Deaths".The Armenian Weekly.March 28, 2011.
- Toprak, Ergulen."Kurdish Civil Rebellion Continues in Turkey".AK News.March 27, 2011.
- "Kurdish Civil Disobedience Campaign has begun in Turkey".KurdNet.March 24, 2011.
- "Thousands of people gathered to Ocalan's birthplace".Zimbio.April 4, 2011.
- "Facebook may be next victim of Turkey's Internet bans".Hurriyet Daily News.October 7, 2010.
- Sandrin, Paula. "Unrest in the Middle East, the Turkish Response and the Turkish Model".Center for Strategic Research and Analysis. March 17, 2011.
- "Protest at Turkish Consulate Exposes Ankara's Inhumanity to Children" United Human Rights Council.March 25, 2010.