FIFTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE EU TURKEY AND THE KURDS

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FIFTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE EU, TURKEY AND THE KURDS destroyed. The next few months are crucial to use all necessary measures to put a swift end to the implementation of this dam. Another important issue that I wish to highlight are the terrible conditions which Kurdish women face on a daily basis in Turkey. One such woman is Leyla Zana, a Kurdish politician from eastern Turkey who advocated for the rights of the Kurds. Last month, she was sentenced to ten years in prison by a Turkish court in Diyarbakır for having supporting the PKK (the Kurdistan Workers Party). But what is her real crime? Since the early 1990s, Leyla Zana’s only crime has been to fight for the rights of Kurds in Turkey. In 1991, she was imprisoned for speaking her native language in the Turkish Parliament after taking her parliamentary oath and for her political actions which the Turkish Government claimed to be against the unity of Turkey. Leyla Zana was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1995 and in 1998 and was awarded the 1995 Sakharov Prize by the European Parliament, but was unable to collect it until her release in 2004. Since then, she has been hailed by international human rights groups as a courageous woman that will stop at nothing to improve the lives of Kurds in Turkey. As Member of the UK Parliament, Ann Clywd notes that Leyla Zana asks for nothing more than recognition of the Kurdish language, Kurdish identity, freedom of expression and political and cultural rights; freedoms that you and I enjoy everyday. She seeks a non-violent and democratic solution for the Kurds living in Turkey. She is now a role model and inspiration for Kurdish women everywhere. She is often lauded for improving their position in the patriarchal Kurdish society and has twice been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Another ethnic group which are discriminated against are Iranian Kurds. Human Rights Watch has recently documented how Iranian authorities have implemented tight measures to suppress the basic human rights of Kurds in Iran by arresting and prosecuting them simply for exercising their right to freedom of expression. The 4.5 million Kurds living in Iran are entitled to the very same rights as their fellow 60 million country men and women. Human Rights Watch goes onto to say that what is going on in the Kurdish areas of Iran is the routine suppression of legitimate peaceful opposition. Iran has closed Persian and Kurdish language newspapers, banned books, and punished publishers, journalists, and writers for opposing and criticizing state policies. The legitimate activities of nongovernmental organizations have also been suppressed by the refusal of the authorities to issue registration permits as well as charging campaigners with security offenses. The Iranian authorities have even gone so far as to sentence peaceful activists to death, without providing any evidence to support their allegations. 26
FIFTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE EU, TURKEY AND THE KURDS We cannot allow this to continue. I urge the international community to use diplomatic measures to encourage Iran to abolish laws which allow it to suppress peaceful dissent in the country’s Kurdish regions. I am also very hopeful that the new wave of optimism brought on by the Obama administration will enhance efforts to bring Iran in from the cold. These cases demonstrate that Turkey and its neighbours must act fast to implement political reforms. There must be respect for the cultural and linguistic rights of Kurds. Should Leyla Zana come before a court again, her supporters believe she will not get a fair trial. This may be the sad truth, and it is precisely why Turkey, as a member of the European Union must uphold the human rights of all its citizens, regardless of race, religion and gender. Thank you very much. 27
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FIFTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE EU TURKEY AND THE KURDS

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