Mr President,
One more time I am writing a letter – this time inspired by the video, which I saw few days ago. During Your visit to Turkey, Mr President, You said that Turkey is Your “ally”, that You will protect its “integrity” and You will be supportive to “reduce terrorist activity of PKK”.
Mr President, let me to point out some basic mistakes in such kind of approach to this issue. And let me to start from the misunderstanding about so called “bad Kurds, good Kurds”. As much as I know, these terms apply to the people from the same nation, the same country, the same culture and the same origin. The terms describe the people from the same nation in relation to the territory on which they happen to live. According to this theory “good Kurds” are those who live in Kurdistan Autonomous Region – South Kurdistan, wrongly called “Iraqi Kurdistan”. The other term – “bad Kurds” applies to those members of Kurdish nation, who live in North Kurdistan, wrongly called “Turkish Kurdistan”. So “bad” ones are those who are described like that by Turkish propaganda. Of course I agree that in any nation, society or other group we can find good and bad individuals. And I agree we can find bad Kurds, the same as we can find good Turks. But it’s not the matter of territory, but the individual qualities of personality.
Mr President, do You know how many American soldiers lost their lives on the territory of South Kurdistan, during their military operations against Iraq? I think You know, that no American soldier has been killed in South Kurdistan. Is there any other place in the world, where American army hasn’t lost a single soldier during military operations? I don’t think so. American soldiers were safe coz they stayed with Kurds – those described as “good”. But American soldiers would be the same safe staying with any Kurds – also those considered as “bad”, simply because this word doesn’t reflect these people’s personality. The expression “bad Kurds” reflects Turkish hostility toward Kurds, nothing more.
Mr President, Your real ally is Kurdistan, not Turkey – the state which is overusing its power and its authority as a NATO member. The state which is breaking international law, using forbidden chemical weapon and attacking civilians. I am sure, Mr President, that You know what is Turkish policy toward Kurdish people. I am sure You know how brutal and unfair is this policy. You can’t ignore it only because Turkey is a member of this or that alliance. What would You do then, Mr President, if history would repeat itself and Germany would decide to follow Nazi patterns again? If Germany would genocide other nations again, would it be still Your ally? Would you support them, Mr President?
Genocide is taking place today. Genocide of Kurdish people is taking place now. Why you ignore this fact, Mr President? Don’t You think that the values of human rights and humanity should be above any alliance? Shouldn’t human rights be more important than money, business and political correctness? Mr President, You was talking about "freedom of expression" for Kurds, but let me to say that it is very big simplification of this complex issue. We will enjoy the right of expression, but our identity will be still denied and our land still occupied. We still will remain slaves in our own home.
Mr President – the other misunderstanding refers to “integrity”. We are not interested to violate Turkish state integrity. In contrary – it is Turkey that grabbed the part of our territory and put it within Turkish boarders. It is Turkey that is currently residing on Kurdish territory, violating and destroying Kurdistan integrity. Mr President, you should rather protect us, coz we are the victims of integrity violations.
Mr President, You label the activity of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) as “terrorism”. I wonder if it is because we carry on the armed struggle for our basic rights? If yes, so I am asking You now, Mr President – what other choice we have, if nobody cares about us, if there is nobody to help us, if the world is blind and silent when Turks oppress, persecute and kill us? What other choice we have, if peaceful negotiations doesn’t work with Turkey – except the fact that human rights shouldn’t be subjected to negotiations. Unfortunately there is no such a thing as negotiations or dialog with Turkey, simply because they just want to possess our land and keep us as slaves. Mr President, do You really think that if peaceful solution would be possible, we would prefer our beautiful girls and brave, young boys to put their lives in risk, to struggle and die for the rights of our nation? For sure not. But today we have no choice. Turkish state declared a war on us. A silent, hidden war.
It’s high time, Mr President, to face the fact that Turkish policy toward Kurds is pure terrorism. Few years in prison for speaking Kurdish language, wearing traditional Kurdish clothes, listening or performing Kurdish music – these are only few examples out of many – to illustrate Turkish policy toward Kurds. That’s the activity of Turkish state which is pure terrorism, not the activity of our freedom fighters from PKK and their civil supporters. Our struggle is not for some abstract idea. We don’t demand anything which is not ours, which doesn’t belong to us. Our struggle is for our basic human rights, including the right for our land, our country. We don’t demand anything more than our own independent country, where we could feel safe, where nobody would deny our identity and our human rights, where nobody would destroy our language and culture, where nobody would oppress and kill us.
Mr President, we don’t expect You, Your administration and Your country to send American soldiers to fight against Turks in our favour. We don’t expect USA to fight on our behalf. But we all would appreciate very much if USA will not support Turkey in their dirty war against Kurds. Mr President – if You and Your Country support Turkish policy toward Kurds, military actions against civilians and our freedom movement – You have to be aware that in fact You support terrorism. One more time I appeal to the United States of America – do not be a part of this dirty, unfair war.
Mr President I appeal to You and I encourage You to review Your opinion about us, Kurds, about our freedom movement, our struggle and about Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The fact that PKK is on the list of terrorist organisations is nothing else, but the excuse for Turkey to oppress us more. Please, answer Yourself, Mr President – does the definition of “terrorism” really apply to PKK? Does it apply to the people, who loves their country and their nation so much, that they sacrifice everything and decide to dedicate their entire lives for the heroic struggle against oppressors? The lonely struggle in front of the whole world’s eyes – the eyes which are blind. The lonely struggle in front of the world, which remains silent.
It’s hard to believe in justice. It’s double hard when someone is Kurd. Do I believe in justice? I don’t know. Do I believe that You will ever read this letter, Mr President? I don’t know. But I hope. However unreal it can be – yes, I hope that You can be the man, who will stop Turkey and change the face of the world.
With respect and with a big hope,
Heval Kulka
Wednesday 18 July 2012
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