19 April 1994

Doc. 7072

.       Revised

1403-14/4/94-7-E

MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

on the Kurdish problem

presented by Mr LAAKSO and others 1

The Assembly,

1.       Dismayed by the decision of the National Assembly of Turkey to lift the parliamentary immunity of several Turkish members of parliament native of Kurdistan, their detention by the Turkish authorities, and their being accused of crimes liable to the most severe punishments, such as the death penalty;

2.       Outraged by the unceasing massacre of Kurdish populations by the Turkish army, for instance the aircraft bombing of Kurdish villages in the north of Iraq and in the south-east of Turkey;

3.       Grieved at the assassination, prosecutions, arrests and sentences of several journalists and publishers, as well as raids by the Turkish police in several newspaper offices, the censorship and the obligation of self-censorship of Turkish medias, as well as the difficulties for the international medias to reach the areas inhabited by the Kurdish people;

4.       Dismayed by the arrests which were denounced by the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) of Kurdish lawyers belonging to the Bar of Diyarbakir;

5.       Considering the violations against the freedom of expression, of assembly and of the press, and the intimidations denounced by the European observers during the recent local elections;

6.       Taking note that the use of the Kurdish language has been nearly completely forbidden in spite of the fact that some restrictions have been suppressed;

7.       Considering the repeated declarations of the Turkish Prime Minister, according to which a Kurdish problem does not exist in Turkey;

8.       Taking into account the meetings of protest and solidarity on behalf of the Kurdish population at the call of many political parties, unions, and associations in several European countries, as well as the expression of protest of many parliaments and members of parliament;

9.       Considering the agreements of military co-operation recently signed between Turkey and some member states, as well as arms contracts;

10.       Considering the restrictions by some member states on organisations and associations of Kurds, which could encourage the Turkish authorities to pursue their political repression but also strengthen the hardline tendencies among the Kurdish movement;

11.       Taking into account the fact that the Constitutional Court of Turkey has decided the dissolution of the Socialist Party of Turkey, its programme being considered contrary to the law on the political parties and the Constitution;

12.       Considers that the continuous refusal of the Turkish Government to seek a political solution to the Kurdish question has largely contributed to the deterioration of the situation,

13.       Asks the governments of the member states to suspend any military and police aid to Turkey;

14.       Asks the governments of the member states not to expel the Kurdish refugees to Turkey;

15.       Condemns the terrorist actions from all sides, as well as the bloody exactions of the Turkish army against the Kurdish population;

16.       Urges the Turkish Government to stop its repressive politics against the Kurdish people and the destruction of its villages, and to start negotiations with the representatives of the Kurdish people so that human rights be respected, and that the political and cultural rights of the Kurds of Turkey be acknowledged as well as the right to autonomy, which is being considered for the Kurds of Iraq;

17.       Reiterates its support to the Kurdish people wishing to be able to express its cultural identity and its right to autonomy;

18.       Asks the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly and the governments of the member states to do everything, namely within the context of their political, economic and commercial relations, so that the Turkish Government fully respects human rights and its obligations as a member state of the Council of Europe.

Signed:

Laakso, Rodrigues, Vazquez, Hadjidemetriou, Holand, Korakas,

Paunescu, Hurta, Arnalds, Stiborova, Mocioi

1 ¹ 1. This text only represents the views of the individual members who have signed it. It does not reflect a position adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly.