One death in hunger strike

[kurdeng at aps.nl]

 id VT12310; Sat, 05 Aug 1995 21:31:23 -0800

------------------ Forwarded from : EUGENE at zodiac.rutgers.edu ------------------

from An Phoblacht/Republican News
July 27, 1995
news and views of the Irish Republican movement--Sinn Fein


                  Kurdish hunger striker dies 

     AS A KURDISH prisoner died on hunger strike in a Turkish
jail this week, the British government was being accused of
collaboration with the Turkish genocidal campaign in Kurdistan. 
Fesih Beyazcicek died on Monday, 24 July, ten days after
commencing an indefinite hunger strike along with 10,000 Kurdish
POWs. 

     He had been denied medical treatment. Sinn Fein Councillor
Mary Nelis of Derry is appealling for international and media
focus on the Kudistan struggle. And she's backing the demands of
the hunger strikers for political dialogue to end the conflict, 
recognition of prisoner of war status, an end to Turkish
executions and repression, acceptance of the Geneva Convention on
combatants and UN and Red Cross monitoring of the war.  

     The death of Fesih Beyazcicek occurred as Britain prepared
to extradite the European representative of the PKK to face
charges in Germany. A Belmarsh magistrate ruled for the
extradition of Kani Yilmaz on 25 July. Yilmaz was 
arrested on 26 October last year as he made his way to address
politicians in the British Houses of Parliament. Home Secretary
Michael Howard ordered the arrest on grounds of 'national
security' and the London magistrate admitted on Tuesday that
''the final decision is not with me but with the Home
Secretary''. 

     Kani Yilmaz has 15 days to appeal the decision. Councillor
Mary Nelis, who met visiting Kurdish representatives in Derry on
30 June says: ''Having assisted directly in the murder of Kurdish
people by arming and training the Turkish regime, the British
government have stepped up their harassment and criminalisation
campaign against the Kurdish community in Britain. The
extradition of Kani Yilmaz is a case in point.  

     ''I call on them to release Kani Yilmaz sand to end their
collaboration with Turkey's genocidal campaign against the
Kurds.'' 

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