Not only in Syria riots, it is also in Turkey. Similar to Egypt/Libya Uprising
Violent protests after Kurdish candidates barred from Turkish election
Kurdish protesters take part in a demonstration on April 19, 2011 in Istanbul after Turkey's electoral board barred prominent Kurdish candidates from standing in upcoming elections.
ANKARA, TURKEYArmed with firebombs and slings, Kurdish protesters clashed with Turkish police in two cities Tuesday and the main Kurdish party threatened to boycott the upcoming election because of a decision to bar some Kurdish candidates.
The ruling by the High Election Board was a serious blow to the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party, which is backing independent candidates in the June 12 national election in order to overcome a 10 per cent threshold for political parties to enter the 550-seat Parliament.
The election boards decision outraged party members and even drew criticism from Parliament Speaker Mehemet Ali Sahin from the ruling Justice and Development Party.
It is a decision that has weakened the mission of Parliament, Sahin said. It is not a decision that can be accepted by the countrys democratic conscience.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the main opposition party, said the Parliament should convene to find a solution and discuss lowering the threshold to enter parliament.
If we believe in parliamentarian system, then a solution can be found, Kilicdaroglu said.
The pro-Kurdish party described the decision as a political move and a blow to efforts to seek peace in the southeast, where tens of thousands of people have lost their lives in a decades-long war between autonomy-seeking Kurdish rebels and Turkish troops.
Kurds are trying to hold on to Parliament despite the 10 per cent barrier, despite all anti-democratic efforts, despite the doors being slammed on them, Sabahat Tuncel, whose candidacy was rejected, told Haberturk television in Istanbul.
The decision triggered a violent protest in eastern city of Van, where Kurdish protesters, shouting support for the imprisoned Kurdish rebel chief, tossed firebombs at several bank branches, Dogan news agency video showed. Two policemen were injured when their vehicle rolled over a makeshift roadblock.
Bengi Yildiz, a Kurdish lawmaker, told Turkish media that police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters Tuesday in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir.
The protesters in Diyarbakir had gathered outside a court to support some elected Kurdish mayors on trial for alleged ties to the rebels. The court on Tuesday again refused to accept hearing their defence in Kurdish language and defence lawyers walked out off Tuesdays hearing in protest.
About 400 Kurdish protesters also gathered in Istanbuls main Taksim square to protest the election board ruling.
The election board rejected allegations that it had political motives and said 12 candidates were removed from the list of candidates due to past convictions or a lack of official papers.
Gultan Kisanak, however, argued that her candidacy was blocked even though the local prosecutors office confirmed she had no criminal record. Kisanak said she served time in prison after the 1980 military coup and was convicted for participating in a pro-Kurdish protest in 1990, but the statute of limitations had expired in both cases.
The election board also argued it was unaware of a court decision that reportedly gave two former Kurdish lawmakers, Hatip Dicle and Leyla Zana, their electoral rights back after serving a decade in prison for links to Kurdish rebels. Zana is a prominent Kurdish activist but the decision dashed her hopes to make a comeback to Parliament.
Clashes erupted between riot police and pro-Kurdish protesters in Istanbul
If ethnic Kurds end up without their chosen representatives in parliament, it could reignite unrest in the mainly Kurdish southeast. More than 40,000 people have been killed in a separatist insurgency that has dragged on since the early 1980s.
Opposition lawmakers protest during a debate over the rights of the country's estimated 12 million Kurds
There are an estimated 12 million Kurds living in Turkey, Since 1984, Turkey has killed more than 30,000 Kurds fighting for national self-determination.
... What Milosevics forces have done to the Kosovar Albanians is indeed terrible, but it is not quite genocide. And what the Turkish government has done to the Kurdish people is bad, but it is not quite as bad as what Milosevic has done in Kosovo.Source
Violent protests after Kurdish candidates barred from Turkish election
Kurdish protesters take part in a demonstration on April 19, 2011 in Istanbul after Turkey's electoral board barred prominent Kurdish candidates from standing in upcoming elections.
ANKARA, TURKEYArmed with firebombs and slings, Kurdish protesters clashed with Turkish police in two cities Tuesday and the main Kurdish party threatened to boycott the upcoming election because of a decision to bar some Kurdish candidates.
The ruling by the High Election Board was a serious blow to the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party, which is backing independent candidates in the June 12 national election in order to overcome a 10 per cent threshold for political parties to enter the 550-seat Parliament.
The election boards decision outraged party members and even drew criticism from Parliament Speaker Mehemet Ali Sahin from the ruling Justice and Development Party.
It is a decision that has weakened the mission of Parliament, Sahin said. It is not a decision that can be accepted by the countrys democratic conscience.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the main opposition party, said the Parliament should convene to find a solution and discuss lowering the threshold to enter parliament.
If we believe in parliamentarian system, then a solution can be found, Kilicdaroglu said.
The pro-Kurdish party described the decision as a political move and a blow to efforts to seek peace in the southeast, where tens of thousands of people have lost their lives in a decades-long war between autonomy-seeking Kurdish rebels and Turkish troops.
Kurds are trying to hold on to Parliament despite the 10 per cent barrier, despite all anti-democratic efforts, despite the doors being slammed on them, Sabahat Tuncel, whose candidacy was rejected, told Haberturk television in Istanbul.
The decision triggered a violent protest in eastern city of Van, where Kurdish protesters, shouting support for the imprisoned Kurdish rebel chief, tossed firebombs at several bank branches, Dogan news agency video showed. Two policemen were injured when their vehicle rolled over a makeshift roadblock.
Bengi Yildiz, a Kurdish lawmaker, told Turkish media that police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters Tuesday in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir.
The protesters in Diyarbakir had gathered outside a court to support some elected Kurdish mayors on trial for alleged ties to the rebels. The court on Tuesday again refused to accept hearing their defence in Kurdish language and defence lawyers walked out off Tuesdays hearing in protest.
About 400 Kurdish protesters also gathered in Istanbuls main Taksim square to protest the election board ruling.
The election board rejected allegations that it had political motives and said 12 candidates were removed from the list of candidates due to past convictions or a lack of official papers.
Gultan Kisanak, however, argued that her candidacy was blocked even though the local prosecutors office confirmed she had no criminal record. Kisanak said she served time in prison after the 1980 military coup and was convicted for participating in a pro-Kurdish protest in 1990, but the statute of limitations had expired in both cases.
The election board also argued it was unaware of a court decision that reportedly gave two former Kurdish lawmakers, Hatip Dicle and Leyla Zana, their electoral rights back after serving a decade in prison for links to Kurdish rebels. Zana is a prominent Kurdish activist but the decision dashed her hopes to make a comeback to Parliament.
Clashes erupted between riot police and pro-Kurdish protesters in Istanbul
If ethnic Kurds end up without their chosen representatives in parliament, it could reignite unrest in the mainly Kurdish southeast. More than 40,000 people have been killed in a separatist insurgency that has dragged on since the early 1980s.
Opposition lawmakers protest during a debate over the rights of the country's estimated 12 million Kurds
There are an estimated 12 million Kurds living in Turkey, Since 1984, Turkey has killed more than 30,000 Kurds fighting for national self-determination.
... What Milosevics forces have done to the Kosovar Albanians is indeed terrible, but it is not quite genocide. And what the Turkish government has done to the Kurdish people is bad, but it is not quite as bad as what Milosevic has done in Kosovo.Source
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