Declaration of the Stockholm Assembly

We, a group of Kurds from northern Kurdistan who are living in Sweden, responded to the call of Mr. Kemal Burkay and convened in Stockholm on 11 March 2000 to discuss the political and social situation of the Kurdish nation in northern Kurdistan.

At the end of the meeting we resolved to appoint a commission whose task it will be to publish a declaration presenting our views to the public, keeping in mind the opinions of those who were unable to attend the assembly.

We, the undersigned, publicly declare that:

The Kurdish nation is one of the oldest and greatest nations in the Middle East. It has a rich history, language and culture. The Kurdish nation, like other nations, has the right to determine its own destiny, to live freely on its territory, to govern its own country, to utilize its country's rich resources, to profit from modern science and technology, and to freely use and develop its language and culture.

From its beginnings until the present day, the Turkish Republic has denied the existence of the Kurdish nation. It has responded to the Kurds' demands for recognition of their national democratic rights with a policy of cruel oppression and genocide. Although the Turkish Republic did not view a federation as being sufficient to meet the needs of a hundred thousand Cypriot Turks and demanded a confederation, it acknowledges no rights whatsoever for the more than twenty million Kurds who live in northern Kurdistan. Until the present day, the Turkish Republic's policy towards the Kurds has consisted of denial, assimilation and genocide.

In order to attain the status of a candidate for membership in the European Union, the Turkish Republic has promised to fulfill the "Copenhagen criteria". These criteria have to do with minority rights, and although the Kurds constitute a nation living on its own territory, these criteria could at least open up a path toward a solution of the conflict. Yet today the Turkish leadership is still implementing its old policy, even though the EU has opened the door for Turkey by granting it the status of a candidate for membership. Turkey stubbornly continues to deny the existence of the Kurdish people and its national rights.

Turkey denies the Kurds the opportunity to participate in politics and forbids Kurdish political parties and organizations to engage in free, democratic and legal activities. And it still forbids education and radio and television broadcasts in Kurdish.

The Kurdish nation has never accepted servitude and subjugation, and it will not do so in the future. The Turkish Republic must give up its empty dreams and accept reality. It must open up the path to a solution for the issues of the Kurds and Kurdistan. The resolution of the conflict is linked with the recognition of the Kurds' national and democratic rights. For this reason, the use of expressions such as "democratic republic" or "constitutional citizenship" or other policies aimed at taming dissent does not constitute a solution. The strategies and attitudes embodied in this policy aim at alienating the Kurds from their national, political and democratic values. The Kurds should not lose sight of their proper goals. The Kurdish nation must not let itself be blinded by this deceitful policy, which became evident during the Imrali period.

We call on the Turkish Republic to fulfill the international treaties it has signed and, above all, to fulfill the "Copenhagen criteria". The steps listed below must be taken as soon as possible to show the people of northern Kurdistan that a path has been opened toward a peaceful solution of the Kurdish question, so that the Kurdish people can determine the future of their country on the basis of their own free will.

* The State of Emergency in Kurdistan must be ended. Organizations of war and terrorism such as the counterguerillas, JITEM, the special units and the system of "village guards" must be disbanded.

* The Kurdish refugees whose villages and towns have been destroyed and who have been forced to leave their homes must be given the opportunity to return freely. The mines buried in the earth must be deactivated and compensation must be paid for the damage done.

* A new, democratic constitution that recognizes the Kurdish identity must be adopted.

* Kurdish schools must be opened, and radio and television stations must be allowed to broadcast in Kurdish.

* All of the legal and political obstacles to freedom of thought and freedom to organize must be abolished so that Kurdish political parties can work freely under their own names in accordance with their own programs.

* All political prisoners in detention and in prison must be unconditionally released. Politicians in exile must be allowed to return freely.

* All laws and resolutions that forbid Kurdish names must be abolished. The villages and towns whose Kurdish names have been changed to Turkish ones must be given their original names back.

***

Recently initiatives bearing names such as "Free Democrats", "Initiative for Unity" and "Initiative Group for the Democratic Movement" have arisen in Kurdistan and Turkey. These groups are committed to attaining recognition of the rights of the Kurds and to protecting their interests. We are convinced that they will effectively advocate the political values for which the Kurdish people have made tremendous sacrifices over the years. All of these legal initiatives and patriotic groups must draw a clear line of demarcation between themselves and those who aim at implementing the policy of the Turkish state. For the initiatives launched under the name of the "Project for Peace and the Democratic Republic" have been put on the market by the Turkish state. Under no circumstances should patriotic groups place such a burden on our country's and our society's future. They must always keep their eyes on the rights and freedoms of the Kurdish people. Within this context, everyone from the socialists to the liberals and the religious groups must join together in a legal party that is committed only to its own goals and is governed by its own officials.

The meeting's participants also exchanged opinions on the need to take the requisite steps to legalize the Kurdish national and democratic movement and establish a legal Kurdish political party with its own name, identity and program. It was emphasized that one cannot speak of free Kurdish political parties unless they are founded under their own names, have their own specific programs, and are able to work freely. In order to make this natural and fundamental right a reality, all Kurdish patriots must work together effectively. Campaigns with this aim must be waged within this country and abroad; we must work unceasingly to attain this goal.

We are convinced that it is possible to safeguard our freedom and our national democratic rights through unity and a shared political will. In keeping with this belief, we call on all political, democratic and cultural organizations and institutions here and abroad to intensify their efforts to coordinate our joint political, democratic and cultural activities.

We call on the United Nations, the OSCE and all international organizations to put the conflict over the Kurds and Kurdistan on their agendas and to commit themselves to finding a solution for these conflicts.

The European Union must not permit the Turkish Republic to contravene EU norms. As long as Turkey has not taken any steps toward a peaceful solution of the conflict, the EU must halt its military and economic assistance to Turkey and withhold its political support.

30 March 2000

Hüsamettin ASLAN, M. Siddik AVCI, Mümtaz AYDIN, Hüseyin ALDUR, Hawar ACKBLAD, Nihat AKAR, Nezir AKAT, Üzeyir AL, Ata ALA, Eyüp ALACABEY, Aziz ALIS, Kutbettin ALIS, Süleyman ALIS, M. Ali ALP, Kovan AMEDI, Mustafa AYDOGAN, Sait AYDOGMUS, Selim BAKAC, Sükran BAKAL, Dilo BALIN, Taner BAYRAK, Abdurrahman GUNDIKI, Belengaz BELGE, Sidik BOZARSLAN, Sermin BOZARSLAN, Kemal BURKAY, Muzaffer COSKUN, Mustafa CIZIRI, Yusuf CIZIRI, Vakas CELIK, Nedim DAGDEVIREN, Mehmed DEHSIWAR, Salih DEMIR, Süleyman DEMIR, Sofi DEMIR, Cemil DEMIRCAN, Abide DIYARBEKIRI, Seyran DURAN, Aza Y. ERDEM, Muxlis ERDEM, Lokman ERTAS, Ali ERTAS, Bawer ESER, Bube ESER, Yasar GELERI, Aram GERNAS, Ahmet GEZICI, Selim CAN, Bilal GÖRGÜ, A. Selam GÜVEN, Seyithan IMRAK, Keya IZOL, Atila KALKAN, Mustafa KALPAK, Mazhar KAPLAN, Hursid KAPLAN, Firat KARAGÜL, Enver KARAHAN, Erol KARAHAN, Izzet KARAASLAN, Mesude KAYA, Remzi KERIM, Haci KILICASLAN, Seyh Mahmut KULAKSIZ, M. Ali KUT, Yüksel KÜCÜKOBA, Mahmud LEWENDI, Mahani LICOK, MALMISANIJ, MAMOSTE, Selim MURAT, M. Emin NAROZI, Firat NEMRUD, Yasar OGUZ, Fahri ÖLCER, Resat ÖNEN, Zeynelabidin ÖZALP, Sidik ÖZCIRIS, Hatip ÖZER, Orhan ÖZER, H. ÖZTÜRK, Lales QASO, Ceko PAKGÜL, Bave REWSEN, Riza POLAT, Lokman POLAT, Serdar ROSAN, Zinar SORAN, Nezir SEMIKANLI, Ihsan SENER, Vildan TANRIKULU, Mehmet TOPRAK, Sakir TUTAL, Erol TÜMEN, Hüseyin UCMAZ, Ismet UZUN, Halid XOCA, Sükrü XOCA, Burhan YILDIZ, Selahattin YILDIZ, Mustafa YILMAZ, Arif ZEREVAN, Sores ZIREK