14. The letter to President of European Parliament

Dear Mister President,
Maybe my letter will never reach you. Maybe – even if it will – you will never read it. But I wouldn't be myself, if I wouldn't try.

Since I started my struggle for Kurdish Nation rights, many times I was doing things, that seemed hopeless at the first stage. But even if I don't get any result, I know that at least I tried my best. Maybe my letter should be more official, like other letter, which I use to write to some institutions and nobles, as Secretary General of UN or US President, but I decided that this letter will not be like that, cos I want to speak to not only as to politician, but also – and maybe first of all – as to a human. As to someone who originates from the country and nation, that experienced partition, occupation and oppression from the enemies' regimes. So listen to me as a human and try to help us as a politician.

I decided to write that letter, because I read in internet that you appealed to Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to stop its armed struggle. When I read that I started to wonder what was your motives to make a statement like that. I was wondering if you had no other choice , but “to dance as Turkish music plays” or maybe you are not aware what is really going on the territory commonly known as Turkey.

Kurdistan – the country that doesn't exist on the world's map, but exists on the map of nearly 50 million Kurdish hearts, in which in spite of all the hope for freedom and independence is still burning. Since the time of Sevres Treaty, that deprived Kurdish Nation the chance for the own state, breaking all the promises given three years earlier in Lausanne, since the territory of Kurdistan was torn into pieces and given under four foreign states control (in fact put into slavery) – the suffering of Kurdish Nation started and it continues till today. Kurds, who became a national minorities within the boarders of Syria, Iran, Iraq and Turkey, for many years used to be a subject of brutal policy of that states, which purpose was to destroy Kurds as a nation, deprive them their identity and national culture and in the result – assimilated them completely. Kurdish Nation experienced enormous oppressions, discriminations, humiliations as well as exterminations. However, no matter how hard the authorities of all these states were trying to ruin Kurdish Nation – they never manage to destroy one thing – the deep desire to live in the own, independent country. The desire which is and always will be alive in every Kurdish heart.

Turkish state since the times of dictator Kemal Mustafa Ataturk used to excel in oppressing Kurdish people in many different ways. Any attempts to keep Kurdish identity, practice Kurdish culture and tradition resulted in more persecutions and repressions from Turkish authorities. Anything that was connected with Kurdish Nation and its culture was forbidden and annihilated using all available means and could result with imprisonment. As a Polish by origin for sure you know the story of Polish children in school in town of Wrzesnia during the Partitions of Poland (K.I.B.: Polish children at school in Wrzesnia under Prussian (German) occupation refused to pray in German language in 1901). Now we already passed more than 10 years of XXI century and Kurdish children on the territories controlled by Turkey remain in the same situation as these Polish children more than 100 years ago under Prussian occupation. Till today Kurdish children has no right to use their mother language as well as to have the names in that language. And if these children protest against breaking their law to use their mother language – are arrested and put in Turkish prison, sentenced for many years, accused of being “members of illegal organization”, which means just terrorists. By the way – so called “Anti Terror Law” is the most often tool used by Turkish authorities in their operations against Kurdish people. Anyone who tries to defend Kurdish minority rights – and I would like to remind that this minority calculates about 25 million people – is accused of being terrorist and put in prison for many years.
Let me to share the classic example of that kind. In 1991 the first Kurdish lady was elected to Turkish Parliament. Her name was Leyla Zana. At the time when she took her oath she was dressed in black and had red-yellow-green ribbon in her hair, the colors that symbolize Kurdistan. This ribbon caused the big outrage and objections from the Turkish MPs, who started to shout. Leyla Zana managed to take her oath in that noisy chamber, but according to the Turkish law she committed big crime, when at the end of her oath she added: "I take this oath for the brotherhood between the Turkish people and the Kurdish people.” She said that in her mother language, in Kurdish language. The language that was forbidden. The language, that according to Turkish law was an act of terrorism. Leyla Zana was sentenced for 12 years and spent 10 years in prison. We can mention hundreds, if not thousands examples like that and all these used to take place in some tens of recent years only.

In that situation Kurdish people has no other choice, but to struggle for their rights. Struggle also with the weapon. PKK – Kurdistan Workers Party is not the reason of problems between Turkish authorities and Kurdish minority – PKK is the result of these problems. The members of PKK are not terrorists, as Turkey is trying to claim to convince the world. Freedom fighters from Kurdistan Workers Party are fighting for the basic rights of Kurdish minority, including the right to live, that is also broken by Turkey. They are fighting for freedom of their nation and they are ready to sacrifice their lives for that. But they are fighting with Turkish regime, not with civilians, as Turkey claims. Targeting civilians doesn't bring any benefits for them – in contrary, acting like that would be in fact acting against themselves. It is the policy of Turkish authorities, directed to Kurdish civilians, including women and children, that should be considered as the act of terrorism. Turkish propaganda, that resembles the Goebbels one, makes the oppressed and their defenders to be labelled as criminals. No idea why the world considers this propaganda as a fact and all which Turkey is trying to create – as a reality. But the truth is that the reality is totally different.

At the same time, when Turkish PM Recep T. Erdogan condemns Syrian dictator B.Assad, Turkish agents carry on the coordinated action on Kurdish territory in order to arrest politicians, intellectuals, lawyers, journalists, human rights defenders and activists of Kurdish origin. At the same day, while his visit in UK, Erdogan “apologizes” for Dersim massacre, his war planes drop the bombs on Kurdistan Autonomous Region, which – let me to remind – is still within the borders of sovereign state, Iraq – that is not in a war with Turkey. These bombs injure and kill Kurdish civilians and their livestock. So answer to yourself honestly – wouldn't you call it the act of terrorism? Well, Turks in their unlimited insolence call it “fighting with terrorism”. But its really hard to say what Kurdish family of seven with little kids, that was torn into pieces by Turkish bomb, has to do with terrorism. What 20 years old Kurdish shepherd, seriously injured in Turkish bombardment has to do with terrorism. And for sure it would be hard to find out what tens of his sheep killed by Turks have to do with terrorism. It is Turkey, that targeting Kurdish civilians, also outside Turkish boarders – not PKK.

Let me to quote the line from Polish National Anthem:

“What the alien force has taken from us,
We shall retrieve with a sabre (sword).”

Would you call “retrieve with a sabre” what alien force taken from Polish - terrorism? I am sure not. So would you agree with me that retrieve with a nowadays “sabre”, what was taken from Kurds by force is not terrorism as well?

You appealed to PKK to do the same as ETA in Spain did. But these are two completely different realities. Did ETA act to protect their nation against genocide and cultural genocide? Can we compare in any way the PKK struggle for freedom, dignity and nation rights with the separatist requires of the group of people, who want to show their ethnic distinctiveness? PKK and ETA are two different realities, struggling for different goals.

Turkey – as a member of NATO is consider to be an “alley”, a political and economic partner for the western world. But everyone seems to turn blind eye on the fact that NATO member, that should act within the international law – in fact is breaking that law. Turkey – as one of the signatories of Chemical Weapon Convenction, breaks this treaty rules and 22nd October 2011 used the forbidden chemical weapon, which resulted in murder of 36 Kurdish partisans, freedom fighters of PKK, whose bodies after that could hardly be recognized by the members of their families. The western world seems also not to notice the fact that behind the brilliant developing economy, the happy smiles of the tourists going for holiday to Turkey, behind the empty slogans of MP Erdogan – there are hundreds, thousand human tragedies. Turkey is not a partner. Turkey is potential and real danger for the civilized world. Turkey should be stopped and it should be done right now, before it will be too late. Before Turkey - following the nazi German example – will express the desire to conquer the world and turkify it.

The state which is responsible for hundreds of thousands lost lives, which is responsible for the massacre of Kurdish and Greek people and the genocide of Armenian Christians, which in front of the world is breaking the law, which in the XXI century is trying to slave few million nation, which mutilates the death bodies of Kurdish freedom fighters – can not be treated as a partner for the civilized world.

Do you know what was the number of people who lost their lives in last earthquake in Kurdish city Wan? So are you aware that most of these people weren't in fact killed by the seismic quakes, but by the brutal anti-Kurdish policy of Turkish state? People in Wan were dying under the debris because during the first, critical hours and days after the earthquake the help didn't reach them. This help didn't reach them on time not because there was no help, but because it was effectively block by Turkish state. For sure you know that Polish rescue team was refused to come to Wan with the help, as well as the rescue teams from many other countries.

So please reach above the Turkish propaganda. Please reach out to the point where Turkish propaganda is finished and the reality begins. And please look at that reality, but first of all – please spot this reality. The brutal reality in which nearly 25 millions Kurds have to live in, persecuted by the Turkish regime.

Please consider all these facts and please make a new statement – but this time according to your conscience, not to political correctness and Turkish propaganda. This is very important, cos everyday people of Kurdistan are persecuted, imprisoned, tortured and killed by the Turkish state. That's why we have to join our efforts to stop Turkey, as soon as possible, cos every day of delay means new tragedies and new victims.

Since the time I started to struggle for Kurdish Nation rights, a lot of things I decided to do seemed to be hopeless and achieve no result. Would this letter be the same hopeless? Would I achieve no result? Its only up to You.

With respect.

The text was published by ekurd.net: http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2011/12/turkey3609.htm