Weekly Review // March 14 - 20 SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
Observatory
The Southeastern Europe Intelligence Unit is formed by an ambitious group of young scientists which focuses on the political, economic, defense and security developments in the wider region of Southeastern Europe. Our main task is the “Southeastern Europe Observatory” to become a credible, detailed, objective and flexible “tool” of information and short analysis in the hands of the researcher and the professional who is interested in the current affairs of this sensitive and crucial part of the European continent. In each weekly review, you will find the most significant news of the previous week in the region.
SPECIAL COUNTRY REPORT: Turkey Kurds clash with police at Newroz - a cultural or a political suppression?
very year March 21, millions of Kurds across the world celebrate Newroz, which refers to the beginning of the New Year for the Kurdish people. Meaning ‘the new day’ in Kurdish language, Newroz represents the beginning of Spring and the starts of the New EYear. Members of the pro-Kurdish party BDP (Peace and Democracy Party) applied for permission to spread their fests to the days of 17-21 March as they have been doing in previous years. However, this year, the Ministry of the Interior denied permission for the earlier start of Newroz celebrations before the 21st, strictly prohibiting any activity on March 18. The ban arrived soon after the president of the BDP, Selahattin Demirtas declared the official celebrations shall take place on Sunday the 18th, instead of Monday 21st.
Despite the bans, Newroz celebrations took place in Van, Hakkari, Siirt, Mus, Diyarbakır, Instabul and Ankara. Thousands of people gathered, danced, cheered, and shouted slogans, “Long live the leader Apo (here, referring the nick name of their leader Abdullah Ocalan)” and “The PKK is the people”. Kids, teenagers and the elder people were alltogether, dressed in traditional costumes, singing Kurdish songs within the barricades surrounded them by the policemen. Kurdish flags and the pictures of Ocalan were all over, as hundereds of riot police were tasked to stand against the demonstrators and to clash with the resisting groups. The TV showed the police driving the water vehicle onto the groups and throwing tear gas. Media reported that 120 people were arrested and 5 people got injured. Many Kurdish politicians were beaten up as the pictures showed in the newspapers the next day. Hacı Zengin, who is a Kurdish politician responsible of one of the Party’s district in Istanbul reportedly died during a police intervention and one policeman was shot dead. While all this was happening, Prime Minister Erdogan defended the ban and the police action, arguing “ironically” that otherwise the celebrations would have turned into a bloodshed.
The Kurds today consist of almost 20% of the population in Turkey and have been demanding political autonomy for the eastern and southeastern districts for many years now. More than 35.000 guerillas, soldiers and civillians lost their lives, since the PKK started armfire in 1984. Even though AKP (Justice and Development party) government at first seemed moderate towards the Kurdish dispute and initiated a rather radical approach towards the Kurdish with several cultural reforms called ‘Democratic Openning’, the political climate has changed since last summer, when Erdogan was re-elected with collecting 49% of the national votes. Soon after that, the PKK broke out the ceasefire, the bloodshed restarted in the southeast and the pro-Kurdish politicians started to deliver speeches remarking they have arrived to the end of the road. Newroz celebrations have always been marked more political, than cultural, as it happens to be an opportunity for the Kurdish people to cry out loud their strive for their identity. However, the particular tension of this year’s celebrations can also be explained by the break of ties between the Kurdish representatives and the government. It is difficult to tell whether the Kurds and the Turks came to the end of the road, but the main picture drawn over the violence of the previous weekend displays clearly that the two communities do no longer walk on the same road.
Deniz Dag External Scientific Associate/Turkey Liaison/Research Assistant on Defense & Security Issues
1 Weekly Review // March 14 - 20
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