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Kurdish Newroz 2709 (2009), in Syria
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 years
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.party_uk@yahoo.co.uk
22.3.2009
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