03/22/2010, 00.00
TURKEY
Send to a friend

Turkey’s Kurds celebrate Norouz under the watchful eye of police

No incidents are reported, but 29 people are stopped for openly praising the PKK, the Kurdish Party fighting for Kurdish autonomy. Since 1984, 45,000 have died in the conflict.
Ankara (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Tens of thousands of Kurds gathered yesterday to celebrate Norouz, the Persian New Year, and ask the government to keep its promise to grant their community greater freedom. Thousands of police agents were deployed to keep the various events under control. No incident was reported.

Norouz falls on the spring equinox and is celebrated throughout Central Asia, especially in Iran. In southeastern Turkey, home to Turkey’s Kurdish population, celebrations saw tens of thousands of people come together. At least 3,000 police agents and various helicopters were used to maintain order in Diyarbakir, the main city in Turkish Kurdistan. In the past, similar celebrations had ended in clashes with police, resulting in tens of deaths. In 2008, festivities were banned.

This year, the event was observed without a problem. In Istanbul, home to a large Kurdish community, police stopped and interrogated 29 people, who were caught shouting slogans in favour of the PKK, the Kurdish Workers’ Party led by Abdullah Ocalan, currently in prison on terrorism charges.

On the eve of Norouz, Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan urged everyone to choose reconciliation. Last year, he pledged greater autonomy and prosperity for the Kurdish region, but tensions and clashes with PKK members have prevented any significant move.

Since 1984, some 45,000 people have died in clashes between Kurdish separatists and the Turkish army. The same period was marked by periods of intense fighting and moments of truce.

TAGs
Send to a friend
Printable version
CLOSE X
See also
Blast in Diyarbakir further stokes the Kurdish Question
04/01/2008
Turkish troop build-up along border with Iraqi Kurdistan
10/07/2007
Erdoğan pondering joint anti-PKK operation with US, hopes for peace come from Baghdad
23/10/2007
Rice in Ankara to stop Turkish attack in Kurdistan
02/11/2007
Turkish air strikes block the return of Yazidi refugees
12/02/2022 17:33


Newsletter

Subscribe to Asia News updates or change your preferences

Subscribe now
“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”