Two nations with a credibility gap
Both Iran and Turkey have accused Israel of state terror against the peace activists on the high seas.
From a Kurdish point I salute these brave activists, especially to Dr Fintan Lane who happens to be a friend of mine, and I sympathise with the Palestinian people facing oppression by the Israeli state.
Yet we cannot forget that both Turkey and Iran continue to commit atrocities against the Kurdish population.
Turkish war planes and helicopters regularly bombard Kurdish villages in south Kurdistan. In the past 30 years Turkey has evacuated more than 30,000 Kurdish villages, a figure confirmed by a Turkish parliamentary commission on human rights.
Thousands of Kurdish politicians have been imprisoned since April 2009 and are still awaiting trial. Minors have been sentenced to 8-12 years imprisonment for their alleged political allegiance. Turkey’s Prime Minister Erdogan gave security forces the order to attack Kurdish women and children to protect the state.
The Turkish prime minister claims he sent toys for children on the flotilla while he uses weapons against Kurdish children, including weapons procured in dealings with the Israeli state.
Yet he is quick to criticise Israel’s state terror.
The Islamic Republic of Iran hung five Kurdish activists for “enmity against God” last month. Turkey and Iran have no credibility in proclaiming selective human rights when it happens to coincide with their interests.
Latif Serhildan
Glasheen Road
Cork
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