Monday, July 1, 2013

Kurdistan: PKK cell kidnaps a Turkish police agent

The massacre of Lice, on Friday 28th, in which Turkish police forces opened live fire against civilian protesters who attempted to impede the construction of a new police station, killing one and injuring many, has not just caused widespread protests in Kurdistan and Turkey proper, but also has triggered an incident that puts in jeopardy the recently initiated "peace process" between the Ankara government and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

According to Gara newspaper[es], citing Turkish news agency Dogan:
PKK guerrillas kidnapped a Turkish military police sergeant in Lice hours after the killing of the young Kurd. The guerrillas argued with the gendarme, a member of the special operations unit, and they finally decided to capture him.

The kidnapping seems to be independent of the PKK command structure, which so far has not made any statement in the direction of ending the cease-fire but it illustrates very well how the arrogant stand of Erdogan also in the Kurdish case, building new military sites and ordering to shoot to kill, instead of taking steps to ensure a long-lasting and democratic peace, is undermining all the peace process just weeks after it began. 

In this sense Kurdish MP Sirri Sureyya Önder declared that:
The Government must reconcile itself with the People, not build new military outposts, it must have a true will for peace. This is not the road that will bring us to peace. 

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