American Kurdish Information Networ

[kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu]

From: Arm The Spirit <ats at locust.cic.net>
Subject: American Kurdish Information Network (AKIN) Press Release #14

American Kurdish Information Network (AKIN) Press Release #14

September 20, 1996

The Kurdish "Temple" Has Been Ransacked

(We received the following Press Release from the desk of Yasar
Kaya, the President of Kurdish Parliament in Exile. It is a
deeply felt indignation. We ask that you validate it. Letters of
protest to the Belgium and British authorities would be greatly
appreciated. A sample letter follows for your perusal.)

     "On Wednesday, September 18, 1996, the Belgium police raided
the various Kurdish institutions. We later found out that the
same search was also undertaken in London, England. The Kurdish
Parliament in Exile, the Kurdish satellite television, MED-TV and
the homes of Kurdish families were among the places that were
searched.
     The Kurdish parliament is a "temple" of the Kurdish people.
It has been destroyed rather than searched. When the police came
to my house, I made it clear to them that if they want to silence
the parliament, they would have to kill us.
     The Belgian and the British authorities are trying to
criminalize and humiliate the Kurdish people and their national
cause. This is linked to the Turkish government's continuation of
the war against our people. We categorically reject the charges
that have been leveled against us. We do not deal with drugs,
bribes or abductions!
     The Turkish government has silenced the Kurdish dissent in
Turkey proper and now wishes to do the same abroad. I warn, the
Belgian authorities as well as all the western governments, not
to be accomplices in this coordinated Turkish act of subjecting
Kurds to a silent genocide. To do that with impunity, the Kurdish
institutions have been the target of intimidation and closure in
Turkey. We ask the West not to be the tools of this policy
abroad.
     Our struggle will continue to the last of us. If this is the
path left open to us; we will take it. It is not our aim to live
dishonorably in this world.
     It should be known that everyone will have to pay a price
for such an eventuality. Those who have endorsed the
dismemberment of our country have now taken upon themselves to be
tools of the Turkish government. Our calls for peace have been
disregarded; the course of war is shown to us as an alternative.
Everybody must face the consequences of their actions. We will
not bow before anyone. Those who are after creating enmity
between us and our host nations must think twice. We, therefore,
respectfully ask the Belgian and the British authorities to
correct their respective mistakes."

-----

Draft Letter To The Belgian Ambassador

     We are/I am concerned to learn of the raids by the Belgian
police on a number of offices and homes of Kurdish exiles in
Belgium, and in particular, the sequestration of the files and
enforced closure of the offices of both MED-TV and the Kurdish
Parliament in exile (KPE), thus effectively silencing this voice
of the Kurdish people.
     The Belgian authorities have the right to act against
persons and institutions engaged in criminal activities, but MED-
TV and the KPE have always kept within Belgian law. If it turns
out that any person has committed offences, then charges must be
brought accordingly, but to criminalise whole institutions on the
grounds of acts by individuals would be a very serious matter.
     Freedom of expression is severely limited in Turkey, and
this is the reason why MED-TV and the KPE operate from Belgium,
where they were able to discuss Kurdish affairs, including
constitutional reforms that would allow the Kurdish people to
manage their own affairs, without the threat of prosecution. It
is unfortunate that the Belgian authorities appear to be acting
in collusion with the Kurds' oppressors, in extending Turkish
censorship to the outside world.
     We/I would be grateful if you could let us/me know what
evidence was presented to the courts in Belgium to justify such
extensive operations of search, confiscation and detention.
Please may we/I also know what charges have now been made,
against whom, and when the property confiscated will be restored
to its owners. We/I would like to know whether any compensation
will be payable to MED-TV or to the KPE for the interruption of
their activities, and the costs they will incur in reconstituting
their files. 

----
American Kurdish Information Network (AKIN)
2623 Connecticut Avenue NW #1
Washington, DC 20008-1522

Tel: (202) 483-6444
Fax: (202) 483-6476
E-mail: akin at kurdish.org
Home Page: http://burn.ucsd.edu/~akin
----

The American Kurdish Information Network (AKIN) provides a public
service to foster Kurdish-American understanding and friendship.

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Arm The Spirit is an autonomist/anti-imperialist information
collective based in Toronto, Canada. Our focus includes a wide 
variety of material, including political prisoners, national 
liberation struggles, armed communist resistance, anti-fascism, 
the fight against patriarchy, and more. We regularly publish our 
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