Nowadays we see many nations of both East and West striving for the freedom and independence of their homelands, and often we hear that a new state has come into being, after many struggles and great' sacrifices on the part of such nations, in order that they might live like all the free and independent peoples.
World opinion today is increasingly united in the realization that it is no longer permissible for any nation to remain under-privileged. For this reason we see articles written in many of the world's newspapers, and hear voices raised in many speeches, in support of this ...
Contents
Editorial / 3
The Fifth Congress / 4 The Resolutions of the Sixth Congress / 8 Constitution of the K.S.S.E. / 9 Conference of Kurdological Studies / 10 Telegrams to Turkey and Iran / 10 Sixth Congress of the International Union of Students / 11 A Tribute to Adnan Khudadad / 12 Declaration of the K.S.S.E. / 13 Report on the Participation of the K.S.S.E. in the Sixth Congress of the International Union of Students / 14 Kurdistan Welcomes the General Secretary of the K.S.S.E. / 18 The Problem of Specific Kurdish Organisations / 19 Activities of the K.S.S.E's Executive Committee / 25 Copy of the Telegram which was sent to Ankara / 26 Restive Kurds / 27 'International Society Kurdistan / 28 Prominent Swiss Protest Against Death Sentences in Iranian Kurdistan / 29 Press Comment / 29 The 'Secret Clauses' of Turkish Policy / 31 Newroz in Europe / 32 The Festival of Newroz / 32 B.B.C. Television and Kurdistan / 33 Letters to the Editor / 33 Kurdish Literature / 35 Letters to Monsieur Gamal Abdul Nasser / 37 Letter to General Gursel / 39
EDITORIAL
Nowadays we see many nations of both East and West striving for the freedom and independence of their homelands, and often we hear that a new state has come into being, after many struggles and great' sacrifices on the part of such nations, in order that they might live like all the free and independent peoples.
World opinion today is increasingly united in the realization that it is no longer permissible for any nation to remain under-privileged. For this reason we see articles written in many of the world's newspapers, and hear voices raised in many speeches, in support of this or that cause. Nevertheless the Kurdish nation, which has striven for years -without number and sacrificed many of its sons to obtain its national and cultural rights, sees with astonishment how world opinion, as expressed in the press and in international organizations, and the governments of the world individually, have not faced up in a positive manner to the Kurdish problem.
In Kurdistan of Turkey, where more than five million Kurds live, hundreds every month are thrown into prison and the Kurds are denied all human rights. Moreover, this inhuman treatment becomes more savage every day. Although some people imagine that the recent change of government in Turkey will lead to a spread of democracy in the Turkish Republic, we cannot understand how any Turkish government dare mention democracy while it calls the Kurds 'mountain Turks' and denies them all rights, including even that of speaking their own language.
Today the government of General Gursel is engaged in oppressing the Kurdish people even more than previous Turkish governments. The military prisons of Istambul are full of Kurds, tried in secrecy and without the benefit of the elementary right of defence, a right granted to every defendant in all democratic countries. In the same way Kurds in their thousands are driven out of Kurdistan every year, together with their families, and forced to live in Turkish areas in the west of Turkey, after their land and property in Kurdistan has been summarily seized. Each family is only allowed to take a maximum of 100 kilos, of personal property with it, and in many cases Kurdish men are expelled from Kurdistan, leaving their wives and children at the mercy of the Turkish police and soldiers. Although many newspaper correspondents and news agencies are aware of these facts we see that they consider them of no great importance or interest.
The condition of the Kurds in the Kurdistan of Iran is not much better than that of their brothers in Turkey. A year ago the Persian gendarmerie and the minions of the Shah's government arrested approximately six hundred Kurds in one night and flung them into prison, later to be tried in secret by a military court. Four persons were sentenced to death and many to life imprisonment. Despite the fact that the Shah's government is fully aware that the entire Kurdish nation and its organizations, together with a number of foreign newspapers and organizations, condemn these arbitrary actions we see that those four Kurds are still under the threat of execution and many other Kurds still in prison.
On many occasions the government of Iran states that they are the friends of the Kurds and invites the Kurds living outside Iran to unite with them. They claim that the Kurds of Iran live happily and enjoy all national rights and are served by Kurdish newspapers and broadcasting stations. Evidently the Persian officials have forgotten, or have put out of their minds, the fact that in the Kurdistan of Iran, where nearly four million Kurds live, there is not a single school where a Kurdish child can study in his own language. Likewise, there are no Kurdish newspapers opjournals, with the solitary exception of one called ironically Kurdistan, a 'weekly' published in Teheran, and not distributed in Kurdistan itself. This is meant only for external propaganda purposes, to praise the Shah and his government and to attack Kurdish organizations, including our own committee, which is supported by the majority of the Kurdish people in Kurdistan.
In Syria, where there are nearly 400,000 Kurds living, more than three hundred Kurdish intellectuals, professional men and personalities have recently been arrested, and twenty-two sentenced to life imprisonment. The Kurds in Syria have been deprived of all national rights.
Those Kurds who have been arrested in Turkey, Iran and Syria are not criminals, nor are they guilty of treason towards those countries. Their only crime has been to demand their legal rights.
The government of Iraq, under the Interim Constitution, grants the Kurds their rights and regards them as equal to the Arabs of Iraq. Nevertheless there are shortcomings. For example, certain Kurdish newspapers in Iraq have been banned. We hope that these shortcomings will be remedied and that in the new Constitution the rights of the Kurdish people will be proclaimed explicitly and completely.
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KSSE
Kurdistan
Compte d'auteur
Compte d'auteur Kurdistan, numbers VII & VIII Kurdish Students' Society in Europe Komeley Xwendikaranî Kurd le Ewropa
1961
Kurdistan Published by the Kurdish Students' Society in Europe Numbers VII & VIII 1961
Printed in England by Coasby & Co. ltd., Southsea, Hcmti
Kovar
