PKK commander calls for removal from US terror list

[Anthea]

PKK Murat Karayilan calls
for removal from terror list

A senior commander of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) called on the United States to directly engage with them, rather than relying on information from Turkey, and remove the group from the terror list in recognition of the PKK’s contribution in the war against the Islamic State (ISIS)

“Up until now, America has not engaged with us. The US learns about us from third parties who are against us – like the Turkish state. I think that America has been fed misleading and fraudulent information about us,” Murat Karayilan, a member of PKK’s executive body, said during an interview with the Jerusalem Post, published on Thursday.

“The only solution is for America to engage with us, lay out a clear policy toward the Kurds and contribute to solving the Kurdish issue,” he said.

The US, among other Western allies of Turkey, considers the PKK a terrorist organization, listing in 1997. Karayilan claimed that the inclusion of the PKK and its commanders on the US terror list was a “calculated maneuver from US politicians to appease the Turkish state.”

“We call on the US to delist us from the terrorist list. The PKK had a major role in stopping ISIS [Islamic State] from expanding in the region, and we hope that the US will change their views toward our movement. Such a diplomatic approach would benefit the US and its allies in the region,” he said.

US has put a $5 million bounty on Karayilan

The PKK is an armed group struggling for increased cultural and political rights of Kurds in Turkey. It will celebrate its 42nd anniversary on Friday.

The group’s activities inside and outside Turkey have been condemned by the US, which in late August called on Erbil, Baghdad and Ankara to work together to oust the PKK from Shingal where it gained a foothold during the war to defeat ISIS.

Washington also condemned the PKK attack against Peshmerga forces in Duhok province early in November.

Karayilan said in his interview with the Israeli news outlet that “We do not have enmity toward any party, including the US, and we have never targeted the US.”

PKK officials have accused the US several times of providing military support to Turkey, including disclosing coordinates of their bases and positions.

“Unfortunately, despite our support for democracy, liberty and human rights, the US and Western countries still support the Turkish state and its military campaign against us. We hope the US will review its policy and be more positive toward the Kurdish people,” said Karayilan.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeas ... /261120201

[Anthea]

My Thoughts

Murat Karayilan:

I have a great deal of admiration and respect for Murat Karayilan, much more so than for Ocalan and believe Murat should be in complete control of the PKK

Murat Karayilan has spent years risking his life living alongside the freedom fighters

I believe Murat Karayilan could lead his people to Unity and Independence

Murat has the respect off all the freedom fighters

ISIS

Kurds were on the ground often fighting ISIS face to face and losing thousands of their own people in the fight

Whereas most of the coalition just bombed the **** of everyone and everything in site

Yazidis

Yes the PKK were a great help in removing ISIS but now the Yazidis need their homeland back

After all that the Yazidis have been through they need to be protected from ALL armed intervention

Now

Several armed groups are in the Yazidi homeland trying to claim control

If Murat Karayilan pulls his people out and leaves the Yazidis alone then he will have my support as I firmly believe the PKK should be removed from the terror list

I ask that everyone support Murat Karayilan

[Anthea]

Delist the PKK

The campaign for the removal of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) from the EU list of terrorist organisations, launched by the international initiative Justice for Kurds in November 2021, has been concluded

The results of the campaign were presented at a public press conference on Tuesday, January 31, in Schuman Square next to the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels.According to the results, three million people supported the campaign to remove the PKK from the list of banned terrorist organisations. After the press conference, the Initiative submitted three million signatures to the EU Commission.

Representatives of various organisations that have actively participated in the campaign also took part in the press conference. Belgian Peace Organization Vrede Spokesperson Ludo de Brabander, Progressive International representative Daniel Kopp and the President of the European Left, Walter Baier, made statements demanding that the EU remove the PKK from the list.

BRABANDER: IF YOU WANT PEACE, REMOVE THE PKK FROM THE LIST

The Belgian Peace Organization Vrede Spokesperson Ludo de Brabander said: “We are here because we have collected many signatures to demand the PKK to be delisted as a terrorist organization.

There are many court rulings that the PKK is not a terrorist organization. It is an organization which is a party to an unarmed conflict. And now we are faced with a situation that has been used for years to criminalize the struggle for the rights of the Kurds. And this must be ended. The PKK must be removed from the list of terrorist organizations if you want peace in Turkey, if you want peace with the Kurds in the Middle East.”

KOPP: PKK PROMOTES STRUGGLE FOR EQUALITY

Progressive International representative Daniel Kopp said: “This is an international organization established to mobilize, organize and unite progressive forces around the world. Today, with my Kurdish comrades, I am calling for the removal of the PKK from the list in Europe. The PKK has been recognized by the European Union as a terrorist organization for several years in favour of the Turkish state. This is not true.

The PKK is not a terrorist organization. The PKK is a political party and promotes the Kurds' struggle for peace and equality in Turkey. Therefore, we are here today to submit millions of signatures from all over the world to the European Institutions, demanding that the PKK be removed from the list for peace, prosperity and affluence in the Middle East.”

BAIER: PKK REPRESENTS THE KURDISH PEOPLE

Walter Baier, the president of the European Left, said: “I am attending this demonstration and press conference on behalf of the European Left Party. We support the Kurdish people's struggle for equality, democracy and the right to self-determination. And it is essential to delist the PKK to achieve peace in the Kurdish-Turkish conflict. Because the PKK, which is a party to the solution, represents the Kurdish people and is essential for peace. The European Left Party promotes peace and solidarity among peoples for a solution in all conflict resolutions.”