17 July 2011
Save the Life of Kurdish Politician Abdullah Demirbas!
Urgent Signature Campaign against the Arbitrariness of the Turkish Legal Authorities
Support for the Signature Form
The life of the uncompromising Kurdish politician Abdullah Demirbas, who is committed to a democratic and peaceful solution to the “Kurdish question” and who was elected in 2009 for the second time to the office of Mayor of Sur District, Diyarbakir, is in danger! In May 2009 Abdullah Demirbas, who has campaigned for the use of minority languages in Turkey and has called on Turkey to ratify the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages, was sentenced to two years in prison for having committed a so-called language crime. The decades-long terror perpetrated by the Turkish state – persecution, severe prison conditions, torture, and psychological terror – ruined the health of Mr. Demirbas, among countless other opposition figures. He has been suffering from serious thrombosis and asthma attacks for a long time. All treatment received in Turkey has proven unsuccessful. The only prospect for a cure exists abroad in Western Europe. But the Turkish authorities are opposing precisely this, arguing that a possible escape by Mr. Demirbas must be prevented.
There is no basis for such an argument: Abdullah Demirbas has consciously put his life on the line for the sake of democracy and peace and for equal rights for the Kurdish people. He has been abroad several times. Although his life was in danger and he had received lengthy jail terms, he never contemplated “escape” and returned each time to his home town in Diyarbakir and performed his duties as Mayor of Sur District. We are fully convinced that following completion of his medical treatment he will return to his home and continue his campaign for peace and liberty.
Given the emergency of the situation we consider ourselves forced to appeal to democratic public opinion and prominent individuals, in order to overcome the arbitrariness of the Turkish legal authorities and to make it possible for Mr. Demirbas to get effective treatment in a special clinic abroad, in Western Europe. We therefore appeal to you to add your signature in support of our effort to have the travel ban imposed on Mr. Demirbas by the Turkish legal authorities lifted.
Unrestricted access to medical treatment for Abdullah Demirbas!
With highest regards,
Verein der Völkermordgegner e.V. Frankfurt / Main (Association of opponents of genocide)
Soykirim Karsitlari Dernegi (SKD);
Contact: Ali Ertem Tel. 0049 / 69 / 5970813 E-mail: skd@gmx.net
Signatories / Institution, profession, or title / City or Country
1 Ali Ertem Vorsitzender des Vereins der Völkermordgegner e.V. (SKD) Frankfurt - Deutschland
2 Dr. Tessa Hofmann Philologin und Soziologin Berlin - Deutshcland
3 Recep Maraşlı Editor Website Gelawej Berlin - Deutschland
5 Doğan Akhanlı Schriftsteller Köln - Deutschland
Keine Kommentare:
Kommentar veröffentlichen