Monday, March 19, 2012

Turkey kills one person in repression of Kurdish protests

Demo at Ankara
The Newroz or Kurdish New Year (Spring equinox) began early this time and began hot. Protesters have taken over many cities, including North Kurdish capital of Amed (Diyarbakır) and the major Turkish cities of Istanbul  and Ankara (where Kurds are a most important minority).

Turkish response has been brutal, with one person already killed and more than 100 arrested.

New Year celebrations
The mortal victim is Haci Zengin, who was shot by police with a tear gas canister in Kazlıçeşme (Istanbul).

The protests have been called by both the legal BDP and the illegal PKK in demand for autonomy for Northern Kurdistan, which has no political nor cultural rights whatsoever and makes up one of the poorest and most marginalized parts of the centralist and ultra-nationalist Turkish state.

Sources: Ekurd, Reuters, Euronews (video).

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