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VOKRadio.com, Los Angeles, California, USA
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Turkey's Crimes!
"Not in our name and never
again under our watch."
Friday 12,30,2011
By: Cklara Moradian
Turkish war planes bombard civilians near the village of
Uludere in the southeastern Sirnak province around 11 pm Turkish time (21:00
GMT) on Wednesday December 28, 2011. When the debris settled a horrific
massacre was uncovered.
In what the official Turkish army is calling "a mistake" due
to "a possible intelligence failure," at least thirty-seven young Kurdish men
have been declared dead and dozens of others injured. Victims were as young as
12-years old and were the main providers for their families in an already
impoverished
region. Due to the severe burns inflicted on the bodies, not all of
the victims have been identified, and the harsh winter condition is making the
process more difficult. In several videos broadcasted by local news agencies,
families of the victims are shown mourning the loss of their youth. Bodies
wrapped in blankets are lined up on the snow with family members struggling to
identify their kin. Photos of villagers carrying their dead fathers, sons,
brothers, and uncles reveal the aftermath of a heinous crime of aggression
perpetrated by the Turkish government.
This massacre is carried out by the same Turkish government
that boasts of democratic reform. A NATO ally Turkey is regularly referred to
as the only modern democratic country in the Middle East. As the
self-proclaimed leader of the region, Erdogan speaks of human rights and
meddles in the affairs of the neighboring countries. With high moral authority,
he speaks boldly against Israel and the Syrian government, while simultaneously
carrying out a brutal crackdown on Kurdish intellectuals, journalists,
activists, and students under the slogan of “war on terrorism.” And now he
justifies the death of civilians as a simple “blunder.”
The Turkish military has yet to apologize. They maintain
that unmanned drones spotted what was thought to be PKK fighters.
Survivors have given a more horrific account of the events.
They testify that they were spotted by the Turkish army, deliberately
re-routed, and then ambushed. They had no way of defending themselves or a way
to escape. So far the response from the International community has been
non-existent, and the Turkish media have been shamelessly callous. They
continue to portray the victims as lawless smugglers who were illegally
crossing the Iraqi-Turkish borders. They fail to mention the economic
depravation, lack of opportunity and education, and the inhumane levels of
poverty plaguing these young men. They fail to mention that these conditions
are caused by decades of systematic discriminatory policies against the Kurdish
population. They overlook the fact that even the modest agricultural livelihood
native to the people in the region has been destroyed by years of military
operations in the name of “national security.”
Turkish apartheid policies against Kurds have left young
people with not much choice.
Smuggling goods, such as diesel and cigarettes, from Kurdistan in
Northern Iraq has become one of the only means of survival. These young men
walk several hundred miles in harsh winter conditions, often with inadequate
shoes and clothing, in order to provide for their families. They carry goods on
mules, risking severe injury and illness. They constantly face the danger of
losing limbs by accidently stepping on mines or becoming victims of cross-fire
fighting.
In Turkey’s major cities, the civilian deaths of these young
men have caused massive outrage. Thousands of Kurds have flooded the streets in
protest.
Kurdish communities in dispora are holding emergency
gatherings, protests, and vigils to show their solidarity with people in Sirnak
province. In several cities around the world protests in front of the Turkish
embassy have been organized.
Kurdish-Americans in Washington DC will be holding a protest in front of the
Turkish Embassy at noon on Friday, December 30, 2011.
United States citizens are urged to write to their representatives, send
letters to their local newspapers, and media outlets, demanding an end to the
sales of arms to Turkey. Last month the Obama administration supplied the
Turkish government four predator drones. According to the Turkish armies
statements a US made unmanned drone was used in the operations that killed
these innocent young men. It is the responsibility of every citizen to loudly
protest these crimes against humanity by saying “not in our name and never
again under our watch.”
This day will be remembered as yet another day of injustice
committed against innocent Kurdish people. For Kurds around the world, 2011
will end in mourning.
مطلب را به بالاترین بفرستید: 
+ ده توانن ئه م رادوي ه گوي به ده ن تكايه له سه ر وينه ي رادوي كه كليك كه ن
+ براي شنيدن برنامه هاي راديو روي تصوير راديو كليك كنيد
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