ENGLISH VERSION

In Turkish Kurdistan there is still going on a dirty war against the Kurdish people and its democratic structures. A war waged in violation of every international standard and convention signed by Turkey.

Large areas of the country have been declared war zones, that are equal to open air prisons for millions of people living there.

Kurdish villages will be burned again and evacuated by the Turkish army, what will result in the escape of civilians, who are violently forced to leave their homes and land.

The Kurdish forests, in disregard of the International Conventions (signed by Turkey), are  burned, not leaving any shelter  to the Kurdish guerrilla and destroying a whole eco system.

The random murders of civilians, guilty of living in war zones, have restarted. In the towns on the contrary, Kurdish people are killed, injured or tortured just for being “guilty” in some way for showing their ethnic affiliation to the Kurdish people.

The dramatic conditions of Kurdish minors imprisoned in Turkish prisons has become lately an international concern.  The recent reports issued by Amnesty International (June 2010) and by the Commissioner of the European Council for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg, show,  besides the fact of this dramatic case, a situation that is unsupportable and unjustifiable under the human and legal point of view.

There are more than 4000 minors under  trial and hundreds are still imprisoned in adult jails, guilty just for have taking part in demonstrations or throwing stones against the armours of the police forces.  The recent reform of the Antiterrorism Law (July 2010) has been a result of international campaigns and pressure, what will lead to the release of some imprisoned minors  but will not solve the problem completely because of its exceptions and variations.  The situation of the minors in prisons stays dramatic and the risk of being jailed just for taking part in political demonstrations remains.

A folk in prison, but it is impossible to keep silence. In prison there are more than 2000 persons like majors, politicians and human-rights activists that, since the victory of the Party of Democratic Society (BDP) in the local election of March 2009, continue to be arrested.

Imprisonments, that have been covered by State’s secret, insofar that the heads of accusation have been emerged not earlier than 14 months after the arrestment. So here, another time, in the dialogue the political opposition has chosen by the Turkish authorities to give space only to the interests of war-lobby and to some political forces who are already engaged in the electoral campaign for the national elections 2011. Kurds will take part in these elections with the Party of Peace and Democracy (BDP) that, after the forced closure of the Democratic Society Party (DTP) (decided by the Constitutional court in December 2010, is now the political power that represents the interests of the Kurdish people and his demand of acknowledgement of the rights and a pacific and democratic solution of the Kurdish issue. This solution is supported even by that part of the Turkish population, that doesn’t trust in a State grounded on the denial of basic human rights to its citizens.

The war against the Kurdish guerrilla of the People Defence Forces (HPG) is led by brutal manners and methods, that violate the Convention of Geneva on the condition of war prisoners and the conduction of armed conflicts. The bodies of the guerrilla fighters have been mutilated and insulted so much that any recognition is impossible for the family. In many cases the bodies have been burned and the right to celebrate the funeral has been denied to the family. Chemical weapons have been diffused (by the Turkish) as a weapon of mass destruction.

We all, as member of the international civil society, will not remain silent/won’t tolerate the destruction of the peaceful and democratic path that is possible to build up:

·         we condemn the behaviour of Turkey that impedes the Kurdish people from growing and to articulate itself in a political way ending up in waging a never ending and cruel war, that is just of use and interest of internal powers

·         the Kurdish issue could only be solved with a real effort of Turkey and the democratization of its structures and only if the Kurdish people and its structures will be accepted as an equal political partner;

·         The antiterrorism law has to be abolished (it permits imprisonments and abusements with the abrogation of the same penal code), which would be a big step in the direction of democratization.

·         Turkey should join the International Penal court and should approve the Statute of Rome in order to permit the solution of all the problems connected with the years of the dirty war and building up a peace based on the identification of the responsibilities in the violations of human rights;

·         We invite all the international civil society not to leave alone the Kurdish people working together to realize another world based on the respect, dialogue and mutual acceptance.

On the 18th of October will start the trial against the majors, the politicians and the members of the Kurdish civil society. We, as democrats, internationalists, peace keepers, human rights activists will be present in the Courts where the trial will be held, to demonstrate the sense of international solidarity.

The arrival of the Leader of the Kurdish people Abdullah Ocalan in Rome, 12th November 1998, signed a historical moment in the history of the Kurdish people. In order to remember this intense and tragic period we will organize a European demonstration in Rome, because we think that we can’t disappoint the hope of millions of Kurds that still believe in peace and freedom. This could also be a great chance to show to Turkish, Italian and European authorities that Kurdish people are not alone.

We want to support the hope of freedom coming from Turkish jails and .

support the hope of freedom of Kurdish people.