According to a news report on Arti Gercek news portal, Norwegian activists were detained by Turkish police on Wednesday after attending the funeral service of Kurdish arrestee Zulkuf Gezen, who committed suicide this month. Gezen took his own life in protest to the isolation of Abdullah Ocalan, leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Ocalan, who has been barred from meeting with his lawyers and family members for the last few years, is in solitary confinement in Imrali’s F-Type High-Security prison.
The delegation of Norwegian activists was visiting to attend the popular Kurdish spring festival of Newroz when they were briefly detained in the south-eastern province of Diyarbakir, following Gezen’s funeral. Kurds in Turkey mark Newroz, a celebration of spring’s arrival, in traditional Kurdish communities, on March 21.
The Norwegian members of the Solidarity with Kurdistan Initiative, Marie Sorhaug, Mads Opheim, Beth Hartmann, and Astrid Melmeim, were released shortly after police officers inspected their passports.
The detention of the Norwegian activists was the second occurrence of detention of supporters of the Kurdish political movement from Europe in Turkey this week. Two representatives from France’s Communist Party were also detained as they entered Turkey to attend Newroz celebrations, news portal T24 reported on Tuesday.
The detained French politicians, Sylvie Jan and Michel Laurent, were deported on Wednesday and given a permanent ban on entering the country.
The police justified the denial of entry under Article 6458 of the Foreigners and International Protection Law, which gives authority to local governors to prevent foreign nationals from entering the country due to public safety issues.
Turkish government views the Newroz festival as a manifestation of separatist nationalism of Kurds and enforces tight controls on celebrations.
PKK, an armed militant group that has waged an insurgency in southeastern Turkey for decades, is viewed as a terrorist group by Ankara.
Pro-Kurdish opposition leader to be investigated over “terror propaganda” charge
The post Norwegian delegates visiting Turkey for Kurds’ Newroz festival briefly detained appeared first on IPA NEWS.
from IPA NEWS https://ipa.news/2019/03/22/norwegian-delegates-visiting-turkey-for-kurds-newroz-festival-briefly-detained/
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder