SULAIMANI, Kurdistan region — A group of civil society activists in Sulaimani have announced a week-long hunger strike to protest against military clashes and violence in the Kurdish areas of Turkey (North Kurdistan).
“We want to tell the government and the people of Kurdistan that the actions of the AKP are unacceptable to us,” said Rekawt Ismail, organizer of the strike about the policies of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Ismail said those taking part in the ‘symbolic hunger strike’ are writers, artists and shopkeepers.
Members of the crowd in Sulaimani said they want to show solidarity for Kurds in Turkey and draw attention to several months of violence between the Turkish army and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
“We all know that a massacre, a genocide is taking place in North Kurdistan and the media is restricted there,” Sherko Hama Amin, a Kurdish MP told Rudaw.
“This campaign is to give support to our brethren in the North and show everyone that there’s unity among Kurds just as the Peshmerga, guerrilla and Sharvans fought side by side,” said Hama Amin who visited the hunger strikers to give his support.
The Turkish army and the PKK have been clashing in Diyarbakir and other Kurdish areas since last July where more than 200 civilians are believed to have been killed and a quarter million forced from their homes.
“It is very important that we all condemn war and violence,” said the member of the Kurdistan Region parliament.
Organizers and members of the hunger strike say they would send a letter to the United Nations, US President Barack Obama and EU parliament urging them to put pressure on Turkey to end its military campaign.
“We want to tell the government and the people of Kurdistan that the actions of the AKP are unacceptable to us,” said Rekawt Ismail, organizer of the strike about the policies of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Ismail said those taking part in the ‘symbolic hunger strike’ are writers, artists and shopkeepers.
Members of the crowd in Sulaimani said they want to show solidarity for Kurds in Turkey and draw attention to several months of violence between the Turkish army and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
“We all know that a massacre, a genocide is taking place in North Kurdistan and the media is restricted there,” Sherko Hama Amin, a Kurdish MP told Rudaw.
“This campaign is to give support to our brethren in the North and show everyone that there’s unity among Kurds just as the Peshmerga, guerrilla and Sharvans fought side by side,” said Hama Amin who visited the hunger strikers to give his support.
The Turkish army and the PKK have been clashing in Diyarbakir and other Kurdish areas since last July where more than 200 civilians are believed to have been killed and a quarter million forced from their homes.
“It is very important that we all condemn war and violence,” said the member of the Kurdistan Region parliament.
Organizers and members of the hunger strike say they would send a letter to the United Nations, US President Barack Obama and EU parliament urging them to put pressure on Turkey to end its military campaign.
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