Human rights report: Kurdish Newroz 2709 (2009) in Syria

[RodinRojhilat_KURDISTAN]

Human rights report: Kurdish Newroz 2709 (2009) in Syria
KurdishMedia.com24/03/2009 00:00:00
Last year on 20 March 2008, 3 Kurds were shot dead by the Syrian
authorities as they celebrated the New Year – Newroz – in Qamishli.


On 12 March 2009, the fifth anniversary of the killings during the
Qamishli uprising in 2004, 30 university students were arrested in
Alepo for commemorating this day. Four of the students are still
missing – Bahzad Muslim, Kawa Deqo, Alan Hussein and Abdi Rami.


On 16 March two Kurds disappeared off the streets in Damascus,
kidnapped by the intelligence security – Fouad Hassan Hussein born
1982, from Durbassia town and Maher Sattam Hussein, a student of
geography at Damascus University.


This year, during the days running up to 20 March 2009, some Kurdish
leaders were warned not to go for Newroz celebrations by
representatives from the Syrian authorities. Some leaders, for example
Abdul Hamid Darwish, the Secretary of the Kurdish Progressive
Democratic Party in Syria, and Ismail Omar, the General Secretary of
the Kurdish Union Democratic Party in Syria told their supporters to
stay away from any party, promoting a culture of fear amongst Kurds to
stop them from participating in the celebrations. These two leaders
have chosen to tell their people not to provoke the Government
authorities at other times also.


There were fears that the authorities were planning to use this time
of Kurdish celebration as an excuse to intimidate us through arrests,
beatings and perhaps a repeat of last year’s killings, but most of the
leaders encouraged their people to be brave at this time.


Traditionally Kurds go into the hills to celebrate Newroz, taking
tents and equipment for their party. On 20 March, six people were
arrested in al-Hasaka including Mr Suleman Oso, a leader in the
Political Committee of the Yekiti Party. He was with others preparing
for the Newroz celebrations when about one hundred officers from the
police and the army arrived, including General Yassar Selman al-Shofi.
They had a bulldozer with them which they used to break the stage.


In al-Hasaka, Turbaspea, Amuda, Deyrick, Qobane and Romelan towns, the
stages set up for the celebrations were also destroyed by the
authorities.


On the evening of 20 March, 10,000 armed police and intelligence
security services arrested over 120 Kurds and hit and swore at women
in Sheikh Maqsood and al-Ashrafiya areas of Alepo during their
candlelit Newroz party.


Also on 20 March at the celebration in Sereqaniyeh town a teenager was
arrested; in Amuda, two people were arrested; in Deyrick town a group
of children were beaten and arrested.


These people are still detained at the time of writing.


We wish to thank a delegation of people who visited parties that were
taking place in some of the Kurdish areas of Syria. These included
representatives from the Embassies of Britain, America, Canada,
Norway, Sweden and Finland, and of the United Nations. Their interest
in our Kurdish Newroz celebrations is very much appreciated. The
Syrian Government is being welcomed back into the international arena
but we know that at the same time our situation is deteriorating. We
were reassured by the presence of this delegation, and we hope they
will develop their interest in our human rights during the coming
year.


Kurdish Yekiti Party in Syria – Committee of UK branch

Yekiti....@yahoo.co.uk


22.3.2009