Arrest of former Kurdish MP provokes strong reactions
Ararat News –Publishing (ANP) – Fiona LORIN (Madrid), Roni ALASOR, Brussels – 11 / 5 / 2009 - The arrest of the former Kurdish MP Remzi Kartal by the Spanish police in Madrid on 24 March is facing strong Kurdish reactions in all Europe and Kurdistan. Many Kurdish organisation and political parties ask the Spanish government to release immediately Mr. Kartal and Eyyup Doru, a Kurdish politician from Spain who was also arrested at the same time. From Monday, 11 May, many Kurdish political organisations will show their reaction against Spain all over Europe.
Remzi Kartal is former parliamentarian from Pro-Kurdish Democratic Party (DP) and founding member of the Kurdistan National Congress (KNK). Since 1993 he has been working in Europe as active diplomat and politician defending the Kurdish rights. He has been arrested in Madrid where he was invited as a speaker on the celebration of the Kurdish New year Newroz in last March.
Among the organisations condemning the arrest of Mr. Kartal are: Kurdistan National Congress (KNK), Co-ordination of Democratic Kurdish Society in Europe (CDK), Confederation of Kurdish Organisation in Europe (KON-KURD which has several hundred member associations), Peoples` Congress (Kongra-Gel), Kurdistan Democratic Society (KCK) and many Kurdish politicians from Kurdish part of Turkey and from Europe. They demand to the Spanish government to not be instrumentalized by the Turkish criminalization policy against the Kurdish politicians and diplomats.
Zubeyir Aydar, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Peoples` Congress (Kongra-Gel), former MP, Kurdish lawyer and human rights defender, asked especially the Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and the Spanish Justice Minister to not let the Spanish modern democracy be used by the Turkish war propaganda, disinformation and criminalization against legal Kurdish politicians.
Zubeyir Aydar and Dr. Remzi Kartal had to escape from Turkey as MPs in 1993 when several Kurdish politicians (among them Leyla Zana) have been condemned to 15 years prison for their political activities and speeches. As active politician and diplomat, during the last 15 years Mr. Kartal has been travelling in all Europe, USA, Russia, Balkans and several times also in Spain. During that time he has been arrested only once by the German police in 2005 after international warrant of Turkish Interpol. Germany released him soon after checking the Turkish accusations which were, according the German court, unjustified and falchificated.
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