THE KURDS' MANDELA

"If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner."
~ Nelson Mandela.

Newroz celebrations continue in North Kurdistan. And as DTP is pressing more and more for Öcalan's freedom in their Newroz speeches, and since DTP is making its position on the upcoming Kurdish summit well known, I thought it would be appropriate to include a translation of a recent piece by Ahmet Altan.

Apo and Mandela

The other day Hürriyet's general publication manager Ertuğrul Özkök wrote an interesting article. He mentioned that Apo could take a place in the peace process.

I don't know if I am doing an injustice to Özkök but I see such writings came out in Hürriyet as the state's forerunner for its preparations. I think they are written to prepare the public for what is planned or the plans are in the process of preparation.

If this is Özkök's own idea or if it's written by the order of the state, the result doesn't change. This is, I think, a positive step.

A couple of days before this article was published, I encountered another piece of news just as interesting.

It was mentioning that 12 more cells would be built on İmralı Island. I mean twelve more people would be taken to reside with Apo. When these two things are evaluated together the idea that something is changing gets stronger.

The name of Apo is like the god Janus, which has two different appearances. Most of the Turks hate this name. Furthermore some of the newspapers add descriptions like "terrorist leader" or "baby killer".

For the Kurds, however, this name has almost a holy meaning. For them, Apo is the leader who enabled the Kurdish Question to be discussed concretely in this country. He is an indivisible part of the Kurdish identity. Moreover, PKK members call him "the leadership", not Apo or Ocalan. His description has almost a mystical influence.

A couple of months ago I had watched a movie about South Africa's black leader, Nelson Mandela. Mandela's name was the same as Apo's in South Africa. A "murder" for the whites; a "holy" leader for the blacks. The movie was telling Mandela's imprisonment adventure through a white guard's perspective. Mandela first was kept in a cell. Then some of his friends from his own organization were put beside him. Then altogether they resided in a more comfortable "place". Later on, Mandela was provided a farmhouse with protection. Then he was released and joined the elections.

This was a "horrible" period for several whites. For the blacks, however, it was a period to be celebrated. The feeling of hatred or revenge is not sufficient to solve this kind of social problem, an ethnic clash. Even if you presume the non-existence of millions of people, their identity, language, and traditions, life imposes its reality.

There is a Kurdish reality in Turkey. Because this "reality" was not admitted it first turned into a problem then into a war. Thousands of people died. Hundreds of billions of dollars that were supposed to be spent for the welfare of this country's people, were spent on weapons. The problem has not been solved yet.

Today even the retired generals admit some mistakes were made in the Kurdish Question. Turkey is tired of the war. The world wants Turkey and the Middle East to arrive at peace.

A great Kurdish conference is being prepared. Apo, in Imrali, stated that he sees this initiative as positive. Although the Turks become uncomfortable by hearing this idea, still Apo is an important one for "peace".

Like Alev Er always says "Whoever you are fighting with, he is the one you make peace with". Apo started the war. Today he has the power to start peace. A peace without Apo and PKK is not possible.

Turks, being very angry at Apo or PKK, even hating them, does not change this reality. Today keeping Apo aside from the peace process, pretending the non-existence of PKK, does not fit reality. I know how several Turkish readers will be angry when they read this article. But how far can we disregard realities by being afraid of anger and reactions?

Today Apo is the Kurds' Mandela; he is their national hero. Now I want to ask my Turkish readers: Is taking revenge on Apo, or punishing him, important, or is it important for Turkey to arrive at a decent level of welfare; kids are not being killed anymore, and living in this country where everyone lives in peace together?

Revenge is not such a feeling that results in a positive outcome.

The two parties suffered in this war, the two parties were hurt, and the two parties cried for their children. What good is it going to do to maintain this?

Is it possible not to see the great profits that will be gained by including Apo in the peace process? Turkey is on the brink of peace. With a little bit of determination, we can pass over this line. Even a country like South Africa, which went through hatred and blood, succeeded in this. Why shouldn't we succeed?

Okay, you got it, we are good at fighting, however . . .

Doesn't being able to have peace have as much value as fighting?

From Taraf.

Note that I do not know what statement of Öcalan's that Altan is referring to when he says that Öcalan "sees this initiative as positive". It may be a statement that Öcalan made in reference to PKK's suggestion of a summit or it may be a statement referring to a more general suggestion of a summit. However, given DTP's current stance on the summit, as expressed by Talabanî during his visit to Turkey last week, it's highly unlikely that Öcalan sees as positive the hidden agendas that will be brought to the table when that summit occurs.

NEWROZ IN NORTH KURDISTAN

"You can't separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom."
~ Malcolm X.

A million people turned out for Newroz in Amed (Diyarbakır), the Kurdish capital. They listened to Ahmet Türk, Osman Baydemir, and Leyla Zana, who condemned Talabanî's new attempt to disarm the PKK. Five hundred thousand gathered to hear Emine Ayna, Sebahat Tuncel, EMEP chief Levent Tüzel, and ÖDP's Ufuk Uras in Istanbul. Thirty thousand gathered in Şirnex to hear Hasip Kaplan, Ahmet Ertak, Ramazan Uysal, and Halil İrmez. Seventy thousand gathered in Adana to hear Osman Özçelik.

Everywhere mention was made of PKK's şehîds, especially Mazlum Doğan, and Emine Ayna also mentioned Deniz Gezmiş and his companions.

For the most part, Newroz this year was peaceful because AKP is desperate due to the upcoming elections. There was an exception to this in Colemêrg (Hakkari), Şemdinli, and Wan. Youths clashed with police in these cities and one nine-year-old boy was hit with a gas canister that was fired by the police. The boy was taken to the Şemdinli State Hospital and was later transferred to the larger state hospital in Gewer (Yüksekova).

Turkish security forces killed Kurdish children with tear gas canisters during the Amed Serhildan. Turkish police fired tear gas canisters into a hospital in Istanbul last May Day.

Whoever thinks that getting hit with a gas canister isn't so bad needs to check out what is going on in the Palestinian areas with them:

The condition of American citizen Tristan Anderson, wounded by IDF fire during demonstrations Friday against the security fence in Naalin, remains critical. According to reports from Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, Anderson is still unconscious and is connected to a respirator.

A demonstration was staged on Sunday in front of the Rabin army base in Tel Aviv by dozens of left-wing activists against what they claim is the security forces' excessive use of force against weekly Friday protests in Naalin.

The activists claimed that an illegal gas canister developed for dispersing crowds, and which was deemed forbidden for use by the military prosecution in 2001, was used during the protest during which Anderson was injured. They also maintained Anderson was shot at intentionally, and not hit by a stray bullet.

If that's what the condition of an adult is after being hit by a tear gas canister, imagine the impact on a nine-year-old. It would also be nice to know if Turkey gets its canisters from Israel. Here's something on the ones the IDF uses:

The Israeli army began using to use a high velocity tear gas canister in December 2008. The black canister, labeled in Hebrew as “40mm bullet special/long range,” can shoot over 400 meters. The gas canister does not make a noise when fired or emit a smoke tail. A combination of the canister’s high velocity and silence is extremely dangerous and has caused numerous injuries, including a Palestinian male whose leg was broken in January 2009.

But don't expect anyone to get worked up about Kurdish kids getting shot with tear gas canisters.

In the meantime, here are a few Newroz photos from North Kurdistan and lots more at Özgür Gündem.

NEWROZ 2009

Photo courtesy of our friends in the mountains.

To Rastî's readers:

NEWROZ PÎROZ BE!

NEVRUZ'UNUZ KUTLU OLSUN!

YJA-STAR: REVENGE IS OUR HONOR

"Well behaved women rarely make history."
~ Laurel Thatcher Ulrich.

YJA-STAR issued a statement in which its guerrillas promise revenge for the martyrs of 12 March, whose team leader was a member of YJA-STAR and for Newroz attacks in Qamishlo, Wan (Van), Gever (Yüksekova). YJA-STAR noted the combined resistance of Kurdish guerrilla forces in the Zap region and the Kurdish people's resistance during Newroz, remarking that this is an historic period in which guerrilla and the people's resistance had integrated and become stronger.

YJA-STAR commented on the outpouring of support for the leadership during Newroz, throughout Kurdistan as well as in Istanbul, and that this outpouring of support showed the Kurdish people's solidarity with the leadership.

In its statement, YJA-STAR greeted the Kurdish youths' resistance, "We greet the Kurdish youths' resistance; We celebrate them because of their determined struggle. For rising and maintaining the struggle in terms of integration with the guerrillas, we are calling all our youth in general, and young girls in particular, to our active struggle areas, which are our mountains."

"In this respect, we give our deep condolences to the people that have been murdered in Qamishlo, Van, and Gever; we hope the wounded get well as soon as possible and we declare that we share our people's grief." In addition to this, YJA-STAR said, "Indeed, everyone must know that the Kurdish people are not alone. YJA-STAR forces promised revenge against all the miscalculated attacks. We are declaring this promise to the whole world."

To Turkish and Syrian security forces: The women of the PKK are coming and they're going to show you just how weak your shit really is.

Serkeftin!

NEWROZ IN WAN AND QAMIŞLO

"Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man's original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion."
~ Oscar Wilde.

Newroz in Wan (Van). Check out the cops beating the women with their batons. This all came about because Newroz celebrations were forbidden in Wan, Culemêrg (Hâkkari), Riha (Urfa), and Sêrt (Siirt).

It looks like someone lifted most, if not all, of Hürriyet's video and put it up on Youtube:

Some photos:






















If you check the photos from Culemêrg (Hâkkari), note that the fascist police with ski masks are Özel Hareket Timler, and they are richly deserving of the same fate as the military Özel Timler ("special teams").

Özgür Gündem also has a Newroz photo gallery.

Here's another video from Wan:

And another:

Özgür Gündem reports that the Diyarbakir chief prosecutor wants Turkish translations of the speeches made on Newroz in Amed by Ahmet Türk, Osman Baydemir, Leyla Zana and Necdet Atalay, as well as a translation of the Newroz message Öcalan sent. The chief prosecutor also wants video of the celebrations in order to determine the identities of those who carried Öcalan flags, KCK flags, and PKK flags.

The biggest coup of the holiday came from Roj TV, which broadcast live for 5 hours from Amed. A while ago, Roj had begun broadcasting through two satellites in order the jamming of their transmissions by the Turkish state.

On Newroz, Roj TV began 24 hour broadcasting. "Good news for Roj TV's viewers: Roj TV is broadcasting 24 hours now".

Despite oppression and blocking, Roj TV has started broadcasting 24 hours on Newroz and onward.

[. . . ]

Thus viewers will be able to follow the news from Kurdistan and the whole world at any time during the day. In its statement, Roj TV said, "Roj TV's decision will accelerate the enhancement of Kurdish language and culture, and will preserve it."

In related news, Denmark is trying to get Roj TV listed with the UN as a terrorist organization, according to Danish ambassador to Ankara, Jesper Vahr. Vahr recently stated that Turkey's evidence against Roj TV is insufficient to support Turkey's claims. For this reason, Denmark is asking Turkey for more evidence against the channel.

"Besides Turkey and Denmark have cooperation against terrorism and if we look at the bigger picture this must not be reduced to an incident of Roj TV. Right now there is an ongoing investigation against Roj TV and we need all the evidence that Turkey will provide."

Three Rojavayî Kurds were murdered by the Syrian Arab regime during Newroz celebrations in Qamişlo, Syrian-occupied Kurdistan. The Jerusalem Post claims that 10,000 Syrian troops have been deployed to Syrian-occupied Kurdistan; however, the claim is not substantiated anywhere else, including Firat News. Given that Cihan News and DebkaFile reports about a Turkish invasion of South Kurdistan early last June were spectacular lies, there is no reason, at this point, to give any credence to the current claim.

Firat News has photos of those murdered by the Syrian regime:









The Syrian regime has so far refused to return the bodies of the victims to their families.

Şehîdên azadiyê nemirin!

Finally, check Gordon Taylor's recent musing on Newroz, Kurds, and the Dicle.

DYSFUNCTIONAL DEMOCRACY

"If liberty and equality, as is thought by some, are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be best attained when all persons alike share in the government to the utmost."
~ Aristotle

Altilim has a nice wrap up of Newroz festivities in Turkey. The headline reads: "Hundred thousands gave general Başbuğ an answer." In case you missed it, Ilker Basbug (Land Forces Commander--Buyukanit's old position and traditionally the position for those Paşas who go on to become the Paşa of Paşas, the Shining Sun Around Which the Turkish Universe Revolves, the Turkish Chief of General Staff) was in Diyarbakir two weeks ago doing his math. Unfortunately, Basbug's math doesn't add up for a number of reasons.

From Altilim:

Hundred thousands gathering at the Newroz rally in Diyarbakir celebrated their feast despite all repression. In Amed, the Kurdish name for the capital of Kurdistan, where general Başbuğ had blared out threats to the people before, Newroz turned into a glamorous celebration. Although a working day, life in the city stopped in the morning and the people entered the place of the rally, called Fuar Alanı.

The rally, in which more than 500.000 people took part, started with Ahmet Türk, Leyla Zana, Osman Baydemir and Musa Farisoğulları, administrative chairman of DTP of Amed, lighting the fire for Newroz.

Despite all threats, a huge poster with the founders of the PKK, such as Kemal Pir, M. Hayri Durmuş, Mazlum Doğan and Abdullah Öcalan and the martyr Zeynep Kınacı was hung up, flags of the confederalism and Öcalan posters were carried. The provocative behaviour of the police, which lasted during the whole rally, later turned into an attack in fact, when the masses were about to disperse. 80 people were arrested in clashes with the police.

Aysel Tugluk had a Newroz message for Ankara (as well as the US and EU):

The leader of Turkey's main pro- Kurdish party warned that the arrest of top party officials during the past month may rekindle separatist violence that has led to thousands of deaths in the past two decades.

The crackdown could also cost Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose party holds a majority of parliamentary seats in the largely Kurdish southeast, support in elections later this year.

"If our party, which is committed to a peaceful resolution, is unable to function, it says to Kurds that the political arena is shut to them,'' said Aysel Tugluk, co-chairman of the Democratic Society Party or DTP. That may lead Kurdish guerrillas to call off their seven-month unilateral truce as they "assess how effective this cease-fire has been,'' she added.

Read the rest at Bloomberg.


In the spirit of Ms. Tugluk's message, here's a letter from Amed (Diyarbakir) Mayor Osman Baydemir on the controversial possible dismissal of Sur Municipality Mayor Abdullah Demirbas and the dissolution of the Sur Municipal Council, courtesy of the Peace in Kurdistan Campaign (all emphasis mine):

Diyarbakir, March 14 2007


President, USAM and
Mayor, Diyarbakir Metropolitan Municipality


Subject: Possible Dismissal of the Sur Mayor and the Municipal Council


Dear Chief Executive,

The Southeast Anatolia Region is one of the two socio-economically most underdeveloped regions of Turkey, which are heavily populated by Kurdish citizens. Population of the cities such as Diyarbakir and Batman has almost tripled due to the protracted situation of conflict related to the Kurdish problem, and urban life and services in most of the provinces located in the region have been paralyzed. Of course, municipalities located in other regions of Turkey as well are grappling with countless problems in delivering services and contributing to Turkey's democratization process. However, becomes most clear in the East and Southeast Anatolia Regions which have a different cultural life. Municipalities located in these regions have been experiencing heavy tutelage of the central government in most of their activities. In the current context, most people in the region, Turkey's excessively centralist governmental structuremost of whom do not have political representation in the national parliament due to the 10% national election bar, can express their democratic demands and participate in decision-making processes in and through the municipalities. However, the legal and administrative pressures over the municipalities in the region have recently increased significantly. Especially the municipalities who are members of the Democratic Society Party have been subjected to countless investigations, court cases and penalties. As basic constituent elements of local democracy of the region, our municipalities have been put into a dysfunctional situation due to such practices of the central government.

Local governments, particularly the municipalites, are undoubtedly one of the most important channels of a country's democratic life. Fair and good governance requires the inclusion of local demands into the decision-making processes. Due to the national legislation, most municipalities in the region cannot meet the cultural needs of the local people and deliver services in languages other than Turkish. Our municipalities have been receiving demands from the local people concerning the delivery of cultural and awareness building services both in Turkish and in languages other than Turkish. Thus, our Sur Municipality, a district municipality related to Diyarbakir, has been conducting preparatory activities for a while toward this end with a decision taken by the Municipal Council. However, the Ministry of Interior appealed to the State Council to dismiss the Sur Mayor Mr. Abdullah Demirbas and dissolve the Municipal Council on the pretext that Mr. Demirbas and the Municipal Council exceeded the bounds and limits of their duties and authorities and violated the 3rd and 42nd articles of the Constitution.

The attached report was written in order to enable you have an idea about this unfortunate situation that the Sur Municipality is encountering. This approach of the Ministry of Interior to the Sur Mayor and Municipal Council who have acted with a perspective of participatory democracy to meet local demands is an example of the intolerance on the part of the central government toward local democracy and cultural rights. Dismissal of the Sur Mayor and dissolution of the Municipal Council would certainly mean an unacceptable action that would heavily damage local democracy, cultural rights and the relations of confidence between the state and citizens of the region.

We hereby submit this situation of our Sur Municipality to your high attention, evaluation and observation.

Warm regards,

(Signed)
Osman BAYDEMIR


Ps. Please also see the attached “Report on Local Government and Local Democracy Dynamics Concerning the DTP Municipalities in Turkey” prepared by the Democratic Society Party Local Governments Commission to learn more about the pressures on DTP municipalities in Turkey.


Mr. Ulrich BOHNER
Chief Executive
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
Council of Europe
STRASBOURG
France

cc: Mr. H SKARD, President of the Congress
Directorate General of Local Authorities, Ministry of Interior, Turkey
Union of Municipalities in Turkey

Stay tuned for more from the capital of Kurdistan.

NEWROZ 2707

NEWROZ 2707 PÎROZ BE!

A masked demonstrator holds a portrait of jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan during a gathering to celebrate Newroz in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir March 21, 2007. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY)

Kurdish demonstrators surround a traditional bonfire during a gathering to celebrate Newroz in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir March 21, 2007. Newroz, which means 'new day' in Kurdish, marks the arrival of spring and is also celebrated in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, and Tajikistan. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY)

Tens of thousands of Turkish Kurds, with some of them holding flag of outlawed separatist rebel group the Kurdistan Workers Party, PKK, and posters of its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan chant slogans during the Nowruz celebrations in southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir, Wednesday, March 21, 2007. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Turkish Kurds, with one of them holding a poster of the Kurdistan Workers Party's, PKK, (the outlawed separatist rebel group) jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan, shout slogans during the Nowruz celebrations in southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir, Wednesday, March 21, 2007. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Demonstrators attend a gathering to celebrate Newroz in southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir March 21, 2007. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY)

A Kurdish girl poses during a gathering to celebrate Newroz in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir March 21, 2007. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY)

Pro-Kurdish former lawmaker Leyla Zana addresses the people during a gathering to celebrate Newroz in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir March 21, 2007. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (Turkey)

Tens of thousands of Turkish Kurds, some of them holding posters of outlawed rebel group jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan, shout slogans during the Nowruz celebrations in southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir, Wednesday, March 21, 2007. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Demonstrators hold portraits of jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan during a gathering to celebrate Newroz in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir March 21, 2007. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY)

Tens of thousands of Turkish Kurds, some of them holding flags of a outlawed separatist rebel group and posters of its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan during the Nowruz celebrations in southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir, Wednesday, March 21, 2007. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

A masked man stands among demonstrators during an open air meeting by thousands of Kurds celebrating Newroz (new year or the beginning of spring) in Istanbul March 21, 2007. REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY)

Turkish riot police detain a Kurdish demonstrator in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, March 21, 2007. (AP Photo/Murad Sezer)

Police detain a protester during clashes after a gathering by thousands of Kurds celebrating Newroz in Istanbul March 21, 2007. REUTERS/Osman Orsal(TURKEY)

Turkish riot police detain a Kurdish demonstrator in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, March 21, 2007. Authorities increased security around the country for Wednesday's Nowruz festival and warned they would not tolerate illegal demonstrations. But protesters carried pictures of rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan and flags of his banned separatist Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, despite laws banning rebel propaganda. Police fired tear gas to disperse a group who threw stones at police at the end of festivities in Istanbul and detained more than 20 people. (AP Photo/Murad Sezer)

A man flees from a baton-charging riot police officer after an open air meeting by thousands of people to celebrate Newroz (new year or the beginning of spring) in Istanbul, March 21, 2007. REUTERS/Fatih Saribas (TURKEY)

Turkish riot police chase Kurdish protesters through a tunnel under a railway station in Istanbul March 21, 2007, during a gathering held by thousands of Kurds to celebrate Newroz (new year or the beginning of spring). REUTERS/Fatih Saribas (TURKEY)

Turkish riot police take shelter behind their shields to protect themselves from stones thrown by demonstrators in Istanbul March 21, 2007, during a gathering held by thousands of people to celebrate Newroz (new year or the beginning of spring). REUTERS/Fatih Saribas (TURKEY)

Smoke from tear gas shells is seen in the air as Turkish riot police take shelter behind their shields to protect themselves from stones thrown by demonstrators in Istanbul March 21, 2007. REUTERS/Fatih Saribas (TURKEY)

NEWROZ PREPARATIONS

"In Kurdish legend, the holiday celebrates the deliverance of the Kurds from a tyrant, and it is seen as another way of demonstrating support for the Kurdish cause."
~ Wikipedia, "Newroz as celebrated by Kurds."

A masked protester jumps over a fire during a demonstration in Istanbul March 18, 2007. The demonstration was held to support Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of illegal Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), who is currently serving a life sentence. REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY)

Police detain a protester after a demonstration in Istanbul March 18, 2007. REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY)

There's been a lot of nationalist activity in Turkey in the last week, and it's specifically directed toward the Kurdish new year, Newroz. Last year, Turkish media worked itself into a frenzy with its usual predictions of violence during Newroz, but the violence didn't come to pass during the holiday. This being an election year in Turkey, the nationalist activity directed against Newroz is, in reality, another excuse to round up DTP politicians, and has become an issue for anti-"terrrorism" boards, from TDN:

Weary of Kurdish groups' wide demonstrations and protests, the Turkish government is preparing to take measures to prevent violent acts during the Nevruz festival on March 21. An anti-terrorism board met yesterday, here, to review the security measures to be taken especially in the cities of southeastern Anatolia and in big cities like Istanbul and Ankara.

It never entered the thick heads of the Ankara fascists that maybe Kurds are weary of having to demonstrate, protest, and engage in legitimate armed resistance in order to gain the right to be treated as human beings. There's a bit of double-speak used here, though, because "to review security measures to be taken" against Newroz demonstrations can be translated to mean: "prepare provocations against the Kurdish people." That's what security forces did after Newroz last year, during the funeral of HPG gerîlas in Amed.

Turkish security forces started operations against PKK members and supporters in February. Yesterday, the DTP's head of Mardin, Ferhan Türk, had been arrested.

Human Right of Association (İHD), in a press announcement issued yesterday, criticized the measures taken by the security forces against DTP members. İHD the government of its responsibility for the arrests against the DTP mayors in Van, Diyarbakır, Batman and Mardin.

Over fifty DTP leaders have been arrested in the last couple of weeks, with at least two Wan DTP officials, Ibrahim Sunkur and Abdulvahap Turhan, having been incarcerated in Wan's F-Type prison.

Another interesting nationalist development:

After the Ministers Council on Monday, government spokesman Cemil Çiçek announced the Nevroz festival will be celebrated by the state, as before. He expressed the desire of celebrating Nevruz as a day of friendship, peace and brotherhood.

So, they are going to celebrate Newroz as a state, "as before." Since PKK first came onto the scene in 1984, Newroz in Turkish-occupied Kurdistan has become very politicized. Unable to overcome the politicization of the Kurdish population, and frustrated by the inability to forcibly assimilate Kurds, the state took a different tack and decided to declare that Newroz was, in reality, an ancient Turkish holiday. The ultra-fascist Turkish-Islamists fabricated an entire history around Newroz in an attempt to dilute the importance of the holiday for Kurds, as reported by Asylum Aid in 2000:

The State and its officials remain nervous and inconsistent regarding Kurdish expression. Celebration of the Kurdish New Year, Newroz, on 21 March is a classic example. With the active encouragement of the PKK, Newroz became more than the ancient Iranian cultural tradition it had always been. It became the major annual expression of Kurdish cultural nationalism, and by 1992 was accompanied by civilian casualties as the security forces tried to stifle the expression of popular feeling. In 1995 the State bowed to the inevitable and sought to co-opt the festival by declaring it a national holiday on the mendacious grounds that it was a Turkish tradition. From 1995, Newroz has been accompanied by much putting out of Turkish flags. It was a clever and partially successful move, but it does not imply tolerance of Newroz as a Kurdish event, and those who sport Kurdish colours (red, green and yellow) are still liable to be arrested and beaten up, be it at Newroz or some other time of the year.

[ . . . ]

Because of the capture of Abdullah Ocalan Newroz in 1999 was particularly critical. The Turkish security forces took extreme methods of control. Some 8,000 persons were detained, 1,700 of them in Istanbul alone. An revealing little example of continuing State nervousness was the press report concerning Newroz 2000 in Batman. Six local newspapers in Batman were under investigation, it said, for spelling 'Newroz' the Kurdish way rather than the Turkish way of 'Nevroz'.

It looks like the state is viewing election year 2007 as equally critical, especially since reports of Ocalan's poisoning have already inflamed "The Region." As far as the manufacuring of Newroz into an ancient Turkish holiday goes, even Ilnur Cevik admitted as much last year:

In recent years the Turkish authorities decided that Nevruz was an ancient Turkish festivity and that it should be celebrated all over Turkey, not just in the areas dominated by our citizens of Kurdish origin. Turkish authorities started organizing special celebrations where many prominent personalities jumped over bonfires, as the tradition requires. Of course these so-called festivities were completely artificial and lacked any kind of public support.

But the "completely artificial" Turkish Nevroz (as opposed to Kurdish Newruz--remember the "W" is forbidden) will be the order of the day this year, as the Paşas have determined. Given that this year we have witnessed the Deep State murder of Hrant Dink; that a Turkish professor is facing charges of insulting Ataturk; that extremist nationalism is praised and the resulting violence is thereby encouraged; that Erdogan is trying to outdo everyone in nationalist sentiment in the battle for Cankaya; that 50-kilo mega-flags are considered the proper response to Kurds who wave red, yellow, and green hankies; and that BBP, the people who brought you Ogun Samast, is proclaiming "brotherhood," "peace," and "love," and a general warm, fuzzy feeling for Kurds, means that it will be an interesting Newroz.

On Monday, the DTP mayor of Colemerg (Hakkari), Metin Tekce, was sentenced to seven years in prison for saying what we all know to be true: PKK is not a terrorist organization. DTP's Amed (Diyarbakir) provinicial chairman, Hilmi Aydogdu, is looking at three years for "inciting hatred." Imagine how many years the Turkish government would get if it applied its own law to itself.

Newsflash: Ankara and DC have a bit of a disagreement over Maxmur. What this article means is the the US is prepared to sacrifice the lives of well over 10,000 Kurdish refugees to bribe Turkey into not invading South Kurdistan. This is a move by Washington to protect its oil interests in Kerkuk. There's also some information about Turkish military developments in its Kurdish colony. More on that, too, here.

No doubt the current environment will give the Deep State the excuse it needs to engage in Newroz provocations against the Kurdish people.

Stay tuned.