#AceWorldNews says that according to the latest reports thousands of Kurds rallied in towns across south-eastern Turkey on Sunday, demanding the release of Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan, in commemoration of the 15th anniversary since he was first captured.
In Diyarbakir, the main city in the south-east, the demonstrators fought with police in side streets, according to Reuters, while in Cizre, near the Iraqi border, protesters lobbed petrol bombs as police retaliated with tear gas. Ocalan is leader of the PKK – the Kurdistan Workers Party – and is regarded by Turkey as being responsible for tens of thousands of deaths.
For Kurds, Ocalan represents the struggle for self-determination and political rights. While peace talks began in late 2012, there was a rebel withdrawal in September due to the apparent lack of progress the Turkish government made in addressing their concerns.
#kurdish, #kurdistan, #kurds, #petrol-bombs, #pkk, #police, #reuters, #turkey