On December 13, 90 Kurdish refugees in North London joined a European wide hunger strike to protest against Turkish state atrocities including massive depopulation of villages, the detention and torture of thousands of Kurds and torture and murder of journalists from Özgür Gündem, the pro-Kurdish daily newspaper. SOCIALIST OUTLOOK spoke to a young Kurdish woman student from the Kurdish Workers Association and colleagues who are on hunger strike.
SO. Why are you on hunger Bahar: The first reason is the raid on the Ozgür Gündem office on 10 December. It was United Nations International Human Rights Day. I think its very important because of the day - its human rights day and you can see how the Turkish state doesn't allow democratic rights and doesn't even tolerate a newspaper which is the only voice of the Kurdish people and is the only oppositional paper which is against the Turkish State.
SO: What has happened to the statf of Özgür Gündem?
Adar: We hear that about 30 people are under torture - they have not been heard of and there is no explanation by the government authorities. The Director of accountancy of the paper has been released and he said the others are under torture.
SO: What else is the protest about?
Bahar: The strike is also against the genocide of the Kurdish people. We are protesting at what the Turkish state is doing in the villages and also against the banning of Kurdish Women fighters from the PKK organisations in France and Germany.
SO: Why have France and Germany banned Kurdish organisations?
Firzat: Because Germany is one of the most important allies of Turkey - they don't agree with the self-determination of the Kurdish people. They are working with the Turkish state against the freedom struggle of the Kurds.
Bahar: Also they have an historical relationship: Germany has one of the best relationships with Turkey. It is not in their interests for the Kurds to secede, and by banning the Kurdish organisations they will stop the support of the Kurdish people for the PKK - or so they think.
Bahar: Can I say something else about the war? An example - 400 people were killed in Batman during the last iwo years and they don't have enough room in the cemetery anymore. Those people are civilians - unarmed people - killed by death squads. During the house raids and air attacks a large number of youth are taken into custody every day and tortured. Many of them disappear - there are hundreds of disappearances.
SO: How do you see a way Bahar: I think the only solution is a political solution and it depends not just on the Turkish state but also on the European states - this is one of the demands of the hunger strike.
SO: How do you think it will come about?
Bahar: By pressure from the Kurdish people and the European workers movement on the European governments.
The hunger strike finished on December 23. It was followed by a protest march from Bonn to Brussels which arrived in early January. There is still no more news about the Editor of Özgür Gündem except that she has not been released or charged and that she has allegedly been tortured.
For further information contact: Kurdistan Solidarity Committee, Ainger Road, London, NW3 3AT. Tel: 071586 5892 Public meeting to Defend Özgür Gündem Feb 12 see What's Happening for details.