Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris

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REVUE DE PRESSE-PRESS REVIEW-BERHEVOKA ÇAPÊ-RNISTA STAMPA-DENTRO DE LA PRENSA-BASIN ÖZETi
Kurdish refugees still on hunger strike
Turkish Daily News
ANKARA- The Kurds who have crossed into northern
Iraq to seek refuge .from the alleged torching and. bombing
of their villages in Turkey,' are carry~ng on their h~nger
strike that began almost two weeks ago In the Zaho region.
Two hundred male and female Kurdish refugees imtiated
their rrotest action on June 10 to draw Turkish and internationa
attention to their plight. According to the hunger
strikers, they are frus.tratedthat the world has turned.a.blInd
eye to what thèy claim are pressure and torture polICies of
the Turkish government. . .. . .
The aim of the hunger stnke, which gams more particIpants
every day, is to ~rp.eal to the world's democratic
nations to take responsibility for the thousands of Kurds
who have escaped to Iraq.' ,
The group of strike~ was initially relu.ctantto talk t~ representatives
of the prIVately-run Turkish Human Rlgh.ts
Association (HRA) and the members of the press who VISited
the region to investigate' the problems and conditions of
the original 200 strikers. However, the protesters eventually
conceded to holding a meeting with HRA Chairman AkIn
Birdal, who promised them that the HRA woul~ "convey
the details of their rightful action and express their requests
to the international community." .
Hüseyin, the spokesman for the ~unger stnker~ who
'chose to remain anonymous for secunty re~sons, s~ld that
the migration from Uludere in Tur~e'yto their camP.In Zabo
was caused by the oppressive polICies of the Turkish g?Vernment.
He claimed that the government has been applYIng
systematic pressure on the villagers for years .and has
recently been targeting their ~illag~s in la~d and aIr bo~bings
by security forces. Making VI~tOrysigns and wavmg
"lIving is resistance" slogans, the stnker~ saw ~e HRA delegation
off. The group, wrapped ~p In white .garments
resembling shrouds, stressed that their protest actIOnwould
continue until their problems were resolved. .
The group stated their pro~lems an~ reques!s In a ~ommunique
that was s~nt to vanous Turkish and ~nte~~tI?nal
institutions promotIng democ~acy: T~e bulletIn ~ntlC1led
the United Nations and other 'Instltutlons for .thelr lack of
concern for the Kurds in Turkey and also descnbed the conditions
under which the villagers were liying before t~ey
fled to northern Iraq. "Despite the destruction and.genoclde
committed by the Tur~sh governme~t, tens of thousa~ds of
villagers continued to lIve In the regIOn.Howe~er, With the
lalest massacres hy government forces. our VIllages were
turned into ghost towns and every day h?,~dred~of our pe(.
pie were eliminated by mystery mU~fers\lt c~aImed.
According to the commumque, the Inhabitants of these
villages are being killed by hundreds of tho~sands. of
Turkish soldiers who have for years been mvadmg
Kurdistan through the use of sxstematic. destruction ~nd a
policy of genOCide."The bulletIn - which ~as published
on June 10, the same day that the hunger stnke began -
also included various requests from the refugees. These
included:
"Granting political' refugee status to current refugees a~d
to newcomers; pressuring the Turkish govern~~nt to en~ ItS
use of war planes in the occupied region; prOVidIngmedical,
financial and logistical assistance to the refugees, who were
forced to leave all their possessions behind; providing shelter
against ha~h wea~herc?nditions; ~~ndinga U.N. de~egation
to the region to Inve~t}g.ateconditions !here; secunng a
cease-fire between the PK)