Press Statement

Turkey Allows its Mask to Drop:
- State Mobilization Against the Demand for “Kurdish Language Education”
- Kurdish Students Arrested, Beaten, Tortured and Branded as Separatists.

Because last year’s “reforms” to the Turkish constitution contained no specific ban on the Kurdish language, many European politicians saw this as a significant step in the right direction.

Through this omission Turkey is attempting to cleverly avoid the real requirements of the Copenhagen Criteria. However, Article 42 of Turkey’s Constitution clearly states: “In education and learning establishments Turkish citizens may not be taught any language other than Turkish as a native language nor use any language other than Turkish during lessons”.

On 20.11.2001, 200 Kurdish students at Istanbul’s University began a campaign for education in their native language which then spread like wildfire across Turkey, encroaching even into regular schools. According to the Turkish newspaper Hürriyet (18.01.2002), the number of formal requests has increased to 10,608. The method of taking action was peaceful: students and school pupils submitted either individual formal requests or signed petitions to their university vice-chancellors or school administrations. However, these refused to accept the requests. The campaign continues, as does the violence against the students and school pupils.

Interior Minister Yücelen considers the campaign for native language lessons in Kurdish to be a clear separatist act and gave instructions to strictly reject the requests and, following the logic that an offence had been committed, to arrest those submitting such requests. The notorious State Security Courts have therefore been brought in to deal with them. The state prosecutor for the courts in Istanbul has even ordered the “Police Anti-Terror Unit” to investigate those making requests.

The Turkish Higher Education Board (YÖK) have carried out their threat and have begun to suspend students for periods ranging from 1 month to 2 semesters.

It is clear to the general public that Turkey has allowed its mask to drop. The repressive and brutal way in which they have dealt with the Kurdish students and school pupils who are participating in this peaceful campaign, clearly shows that the Turkish regime is far from being able talk openly and publicly and without repression, about human, individual, group and minority rights. Instead they cite their own laws and dish out punishments accordingly.

The campaign is nothing but a demand for a linguistic human right. Turkey’s paranoia with the Kurdish language again shows how far away Turkey is from European norms and values. The children of Kurdish immigrants in the German Länder of Bremen, Lower Saxony and North Rhine Westphalia, as well as those in Sweden, have for years now enjoyed native language lessons which have been sponsored and supported by the state. But millions of Kurdish children of Turkish citizens are denied this right by all kinds of brutal methods.

-     We urgently call on the European Council, the European Union and her institutions not to just be  spectators to Turkey’s actions on the issue of the Kurdish people’s right to its native language, but instead to request Turkey’s immediate return to European norms and values.

-     We call on the Turkish government to meet the demand for “Kurdish Language Education” and to comply with their international responsibilities concerning human rights.

Managing Committee                                                                                   Bonn, 23rd January 2002

Sertac Bucak, Chairman

International
Association for
Human Rights
of the Kurds -
IMK e.V.

P. O. Box 20 07 38
D - 53137 Bonn

Phone + 49 - 228 - 362802
Fax + 49 - 228 - 363297
e-mail: IMK-Bonn@t-online.de
www.kurden.de