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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Syrian police break up Kurdish protest
2005-06-06
DAMASCUS - Syrian police used tear gas on Sunday to break up a protest by hundreds of Syrian Kurds in the town of Kameshli, where tension has been rising since the burial there of a murdered Kurdish cleric last week, residents said. Residents estimated hundreds of Kurds took part in the protest called by two banned Kurdish parties demanding an investigation into the murder of Sheikh Mohammad Maashouq al-Khaznawi, a moderate cleric not known for opposition to the state.

"They (police) used tear gas after some of the demonstrators fired shots toward the police," said a non-Kurdish resident by telephone from the town. His account could not be verified and officials were not immediately available for comment. One witness said a policeman was shot dead by a Kurdish man who was then arrested.

Later, scores of local Arab tribesmen looted shops, mainly owned by Kurds. "I think the tribesmen were trying to send a message that they are fed up with the tension the Kurdish parties are causing," an Assyrian resident said. "I hope things do not escalate further. There is tension, but there are no clashes."
Arabs busting up the Kurds? Where have I heard that before?
Several banned Kurdish political groups in Syria, home to an estimated two million Kurds, demand the right to teach their language. They also demand citizenship, which is required for state education and employment, for about 200,000 Kurds are classified as stateless based on a 1962 survey.

Syrian officials denied accusations by some Kurdish politicians that Khaznawi was killed by the state and said it was the result of common crime. State-run television on Thursday aired confessions by two dupes men admitting involvement in the crime.

The Arab Human Rights Group in Syria said in a statement on Sunday that the authorities had arrested Riyadh Dardar, a human rights activist who gave a speech at the funeral of Khaznawi. The group said he should be released or sent for trial at a regular court. It did not comment on the content of his speech, which appears to be the reason behind the arrest.
You think?
The Kameshli clashes coincided with a three-year jail term passed by the Supreme State Security Court against Ahmad Qasem, a junior Kurdish politician convicted of belonging to the separatist Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party in Syria.

The demonstration was organised by two other banned Kurdish parties, Yekiti and the Azadi Kurdish Party in Syria. A Yekiti official, Hasan Saleh, said the protesters demanded an investigation into the killing of Khaznawi. "They (the authorities) prevented us from reaching the place where we were planning to demonstrate. We were a peaceful crowd but they beat up many of the participants," Saleh said by telephone from Kameshli.

Another Kurdish politician in Damascus said the protesters were seeking an end to what he described as the extraordinary treatment of Syrian Kurds. He said several Kurds were injured.
Posted by:Steve White

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