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March 23, 2008
On March 20,
2008, during an annual celebration of the Kurdish holiday,
Nowruz, the Syrian security forces appallingly killed three
Syrian Kurds. Nowruz is an annual holiday celebrated by several
of the world’s peoples including Kurdish communities in Syria,
Iraq, Iran and Turkey. Tragically, the Syrian government denies
the Kurdish minority the rights to use their own language and to
celebrate their national Holidays. Syrian government security
forces impose a siege on the outdoor festival every year with
heavy-armed presence; intimidating festival goers and try to
disrupt gatherers. This year was no exception, according to our
sources in Syria; the Syrian security forces used water canons
and tear gas to disperse the celebration. When the unarmed crowd
refused to leave, the security forces fired live ammunition,
killing three citizens, Mohammed Zaki Ramadan (25 years old),
Mohammed Mahmoud Hussain (18 years old), and Mohammed Yahya
Khalil (36 years old). At least five more were injured,
including activist Karam Ibrahim Alysouf (he was later
discharged from the Faraman Hospital), Mohammed Khair Hajkhalaf,
and Mohyaldin Jamil Issa. In addition, ten persons were
arrested. There were no reported injuries or causalities among
the members of the Security Forces. To avoid further clashes
with the Syrian government, the Kurdish Civil Society and
community leaders regrettably had to cancel the Nowruz
celebration. To put this into context, this compares to
canceling Christmas celebrations.
The Damascus
Center for Theoretical and Civil Rights Studies condemns these
violent acts against peaceful gatherers. We call upon an
immediate and independent investigation into the incident to
determine and prosecute the responsible parties for these
incomprehensible acts. We further ask for legal representation
for those arrested and to provide compensation to the injured
and their families.
Director of
the US Office
Damascus
Center for Theoretical and Civil Rights Studies
920-257-3924
kalaswadal@yahoo.com
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