Vol. 74/No. 1      January 4, 2010

A demonstration in the Kurdish city of Diyarbakir December 14 drew thousands. In Istanbul on December 13 a peaceful demonstration by about 200 Kurds was later attacked by Turkish nationalists, some of them armed with guns. On December 15 two demonstrators were shot dead in the town of Bulanik.

The court banned the Democratic Society Party (DTP) following the killing of seven Turkish soldiers by guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and demonstrations organized by the DTP to protest the prison conditions of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan.

In addition to the banning order, two DTP deputies were expelled from parliament December 11 and 37 party members were barred from joining any political party for five years.

The court said, “The DTP’s closure was decided due to its connections with the terror organization [PKK] and because it became a focal point of the activities against the country’s integrity.”

Kurds are an oppressed nationality in Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria. They face pervasive discrimination in jobs, housing, education, and language rights. The PKK, a group of Maoist origins, took up arms in Turkey in 1984 to fight for an independent Kurdistan. The Turkish ruling class responded with a reign of terror in Kurdish communities. Today the PKK calls for negotiations to end the conflict based on granting Kurds autonomy within Turkey.

The DTP denies any connections with the PKK but does advocate including PKK representatives in negotiations to end the 25-year military conflict. Istanbul has rejected talks that would include the PKK.

In an effort to gain admittance to the European Union, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has taken some steps to acknowledge basic Kurdish rights. These include the teaching of the Kurdish language at one university and permitting Kurdish prisoners to speak their native tongue during visits by relatives.

Erdogan said December 14, “We are against the closure of parties. We think individuals should be punished.”

On December 9 FBI chief Robert Mueller visited Istanbul where he met with top ministers and police officials. According to a press statement by the U.S. embassy, they discussed an “even closer and more effective cooperation in our common struggle against terror and lawbreakers.” According to the Kurdish Globe, published in Iraqi Kurdistan, Washington has provided Istanbul with surveillance on PKK movements for its air strikes against the guerrillas’ camps.

The DTP announced December 14 that all its members of parliament would resign. If their resignations are accepted it could mean new elections are called to fill the empty seats.  
 
 
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