Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06ADANA9
2006-01-20 11:14:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Consulate Adana
Cable title:
OCALAN APPEAL STILL STRONG IN SE
how-toThis record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS ADANA 000009
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL TU ADANA PKK
SUBJECT: OCALAN APPEAL STILL STRONG IN SE
SUBJECT: Pro-Ocalan Sentiment Still Strong in Turkey's Southeast
UNCLAS ADANA 000009
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL TU ADANA PKK
SUBJECT: OCALAN APPEAL STILL STRONG IN SE
SUBJECT: Pro-Ocalan Sentiment Still Strong in Turkey's Southeast
1. (SBU) On January 18 a Turkish court confined imprisoned PKK
leader Abdullah Ocalan to his cell on Imrali Island for 20 days,
and stipulated that his lawyers would not be able to see him
during that period, according to our contacts and press reports.
The government charged that, during December 12, 2005 meetings
with his lawyers, Ocalan issued instructions for Kurds to engage
in demonstrations. The lawyers made public the news of Ocalan's
confinement. The PKK then publicly announced that Ocalan's
confinement was unacceptable, and urged Kurds within and outside
Turkey to stage pro-Ocalan demonstrations.
2. (SBU) Local contacts told us that on January 17 in the
Sakirpasa district of Adana, about 100 Kurds and members of the
Liberal Citizens Movement (a small pro-Kurdish citizens action
group in the Cukurova region) demonstrated against Ocalan's
confinement as part of a series of similar demonstrations in 14
provinces involving approximately 5000 protestors throughout
Turkey's southeast, as reported in the press.
Actions follow regional mayors' assertion that "Ocalan is a
reality"
-------------- --------------
--------------
3. (SBU) On Dececember 15, 2005, regional pro-Kurdish press
announced that the 56 mayors in southeast Turkey aligned with
DEHAP, including the mayors of larger regional cities, such as
Diyarbakir, Batman, Tunceli, Hakkari and Sirnak, joined the
ranks of the new Democratic Society Party (DSP) in a Diyarbakir
ceremony. In that ceremony the groups' remarks emphasized,
among calls for greater Kurdish cultural rights, a call for the
GoT to recognize the "reality of (former PKK Abdullah) Ocalan's"
continuing strong influence on southeast Turkey's Kurdish
population.
4.(U) On December 30, regional press reported that this
southeast Turkey mayor's group also sent a letter to Danish
Prime Minister Rasmussen to protest calls by the GoT for the
cessation of ROJ-TV broadcasts from Denmark. In response to
their letter, Turkish deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister
Gul reportedly criticized the group's protest of the GoT request
and the Diyarbakir Prosecutor's office reportedly started an
investigation into whether several mayors, including Diyarbakir
mayor Osman Baydemir, Tunceli mayor Songul Erol Abdil, and
Batman Mayor Huseyin Kalkan., violated Turkish law in making
their protest.
5.(U) Regional press reports that the Diyarbakir Prosecutor's
Office this week has opened similar investigations against
regional DSP mayors regarding their calls for peaceful protests
of Ocalan's reported solitary confinement.
REID
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL TU ADANA PKK
SUBJECT: OCALAN APPEAL STILL STRONG IN SE
SUBJECT: Pro-Ocalan Sentiment Still Strong in Turkey's Southeast
1. (SBU) On January 18 a Turkish court confined imprisoned PKK
leader Abdullah Ocalan to his cell on Imrali Island for 20 days,
and stipulated that his lawyers would not be able to see him
during that period, according to our contacts and press reports.
The government charged that, during December 12, 2005 meetings
with his lawyers, Ocalan issued instructions for Kurds to engage
in demonstrations. The lawyers made public the news of Ocalan's
confinement. The PKK then publicly announced that Ocalan's
confinement was unacceptable, and urged Kurds within and outside
Turkey to stage pro-Ocalan demonstrations.
2. (SBU) Local contacts told us that on January 17 in the
Sakirpasa district of Adana, about 100 Kurds and members of the
Liberal Citizens Movement (a small pro-Kurdish citizens action
group in the Cukurova region) demonstrated against Ocalan's
confinement as part of a series of similar demonstrations in 14
provinces involving approximately 5000 protestors throughout
Turkey's southeast, as reported in the press.
Actions follow regional mayors' assertion that "Ocalan is a
reality"
-------------- --------------
--------------
3. (SBU) On Dececember 15, 2005, regional pro-Kurdish press
announced that the 56 mayors in southeast Turkey aligned with
DEHAP, including the mayors of larger regional cities, such as
Diyarbakir, Batman, Tunceli, Hakkari and Sirnak, joined the
ranks of the new Democratic Society Party (DSP) in a Diyarbakir
ceremony. In that ceremony the groups' remarks emphasized,
among calls for greater Kurdish cultural rights, a call for the
GoT to recognize the "reality of (former PKK Abdullah) Ocalan's"
continuing strong influence on southeast Turkey's Kurdish
population.
4.(U) On December 30, regional press reported that this
southeast Turkey mayor's group also sent a letter to Danish
Prime Minister Rasmussen to protest calls by the GoT for the
cessation of ROJ-TV broadcasts from Denmark. In response to
their letter, Turkish deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister
Gul reportedly criticized the group's protest of the GoT request
and the Diyarbakir Prosecutor's office reportedly started an
investigation into whether several mayors, including Diyarbakir
mayor Osman Baydemir, Tunceli mayor Songul Erol Abdil, and
Batman Mayor Huseyin Kalkan., violated Turkish law in making
their protest.
5.(U) Regional press reports that the Diyarbakir Prosecutor's
Office this week has opened similar investigations against
regional DSP mayors regarding their calls for peaceful protests
of Ocalan's reported solitary confinement.
REID