As usual Kurds were expecting congratulation and support for their New Year during Newroz festivities, yet many of them became the target of assault by authorities of central governments in Turkey, Iran, and Syria.
The Kurdish National Congress of North America (KNC-NA) issued a recent press release regarding the Syrian regime’s brutality when they killed three and injured many others in Western Kurdistan. While we continue to condemn the Syrian assault, we do not see any difference between the behavior of the second Ba’ath regime and the militarists in Turkey and Iran for their persistent hostility toward Kurdish culture, dreams, and hopes.
Reportedly Iran has been shelling the border villages of Eastern Kurdistan with bombs. Unfortunately the international media has no access to the area to evaluate the situation. While the Iranian military bombed villages in Eastern Kurdistan, Turkey’s police attacked Kurdish enthusiasts in the North for celebrating their New Year with slogans such as “Newroz Piroz Be” , or victory for the new day.
The KNC-NA condemns the brutal treatment of Kurds in Turkey, Iran, and Syria and demands that the authorities in those countries learn from the Iraqi people and start solving the Kurdish questions in their territories through peaceful means. The sooner these authorities recognize the importance of dialogue and peaceful coexistence with the Kurds, the sooner Kurds will become a committed partner in democratizing the Middle East.
In this season of life, hope, and change we extend our hand of friendship to the people of the free world as well as to the Turkish, Arab, and Persian people who believe in peaceful coexistence and equality. We hope they will join the Kurdish people in pressuring the aggressive central authorities to end the violence against the Kurds, since without peace in Kurdistan, peace in the Middle East is an unrealistic expectation.
Date published: Wednesday, March 26, 2008