2014 Kobanî protests

Kurdish protests in Turkey hist Kobani Olayları October 2020 2014 Kobanî protests in Turkey Diyarbakır_Kobanî_protests_1.jpg Aftermath of the protests October 6–8, 2014 (10 06 2014 10 08 2014) Nationwide, mainly in southeastern Turkey Siege of Kobanî, frustration with the Turkish government's response, regional tensions Protesting Turkey’s perceived inaction, solidarity with Kobanî defenders Demonstrations, protests, violent clashes with security forces Quelled, protests ceased after a few days Crackdown on protestors, several deaths, widespread damage Protesters (pro-YPG and anti-isis supporters) Government of Turkey, Turkish police, Gendarmerie, (Another groups HÜDA-PAR, Grey Wolves, Hizbullah), Political Parties (MHP, CHP) Thousands of protesters 46 682 323 Widespread destruction in multiple cities Several burned or damaged, including government offices 1,974 Over 200 Tightened control on protests, further divisions between the Turkish government and Kurdish groups The protests were a response to the siege of Kobanî by ISIS and Turkey's perceived lack of support The 2014 Kobanî protests in Turkey were large-scale rallies by pro-People's Defense Units (YPG) protestors in Turkey which occurred in autumn 2014 as a spillover of the crisis in Kobanî. Large demonstrations unfolded in Turkey, and quickly descended into violence between protesters and the Turkish police. Several military incidents between Turkish forces and militants of the Youth Wing of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in south-eastern Turkey contributed to the escalation. Protests then spread to various cities in Turkey. Participants were met with tear gas and water cannons. 46 people were killed and 682 injured by the police and paramilitary groups over six days of protests between 7 and 12 October. Causes Siege of Kobanî As a result of the advance of the Islamic State (IS) on Kobanî that began 13 September 2014, more than 200,000 Syrians sought refuge in Turkey.http://www.newindianexpress.com/world/1500-Kurdish-Fighters-Join-Forces-Against-IS-in-Syria/2014/09/28/article2453611.ece 1,500 Kurdish Fighters Join Forces Against IS in Syria The New Indian Express 3 October 2014 6 October 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141006195219/http://www.newindianexpress.com/world/1500-Kurdish-Fighters-Join-Forces-Against-IS-in-Syria/2014/09/28/article2453611.ece dead2015 Kobani Protests in Turkey https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/EUR4420172015ENGLISH.pdf live 8 October 2021 Amnesty International https://web.archive.org/web/20211007122914/https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/EUR4420172015ENGLISH.pdf 2021-10-07 On 30 September, errant shells landed on Turkish soil and the Turks shot back into Syrian territory, with Turkish armor being brought to the border to deter further incursions.TANKS ON BORDER AS PARLIAMENT READIES TO DISCUSS TROOP MANDATE http://www.dailysabah.com/politics/2014/09/30/tanks-on-border-as-parliament-readies-to-discuss-troop-mandate 3 October 2014 dailysabah.com 30 September 2014 6 October 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141006121651/http://www.dailysabah.com/politics/2014/09/30/tanks-on-border-as-parliament-readies-to-discuss-troop-mandate live Five civilians in Turkey were injured when a mortar hit their house. Turkey evacuated two villages as a precautionary measure.Ozerkan Fulya 5 October 2014 Kurds battle IS for key Syria town as fire spills over border https://news.yahoo.com/jihadists-murder-briton-battle-kurdish-town-225117948.html 7 October 2014 Yahoo News 6 October 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141006182146/http://news.yahoo.com/jihadists-murder-briton-battle-kurdish-town-225117948.html live There were several causes for the protests. Turkish authorities forbidding Kurdish volunteers to cross the border into Kobanî was one,Turkish president says Kobani about to fall to 'IS' https://www.dw.com/en/turkish-president-says-kobani-about-to-fall-to-is/a-17981034 2020-10-21 Deutsche Welle en-GB 2020-10-24 https://web.archive.org/web/20201024125142/https://www.dw.com/en/turkish-president-says-kobani-about-to-fall-to-is/a-17981034 live that Turkey refused to launch a military operation in defense of Kobani even though the Turkish parliament has passed a law authorizing one another. However, Turkish security forces did not allow People's Protection Units (YPG) militants and other volunteers to go the other way, using tear gas and water cannons against them.http://en.cihan.com.tr/news/Protest-erupts-in-Turkish-Syrian-borderline_2921-CHMTUyMjkyMS80 Protest erupts in Turkish Syrian borderline Cihan News Agency 3 October 2014 https://archive.today/20140927190300/http://en.cihan.com.tr/news/Protest-erupts-in-Turkish-Syrian-borderline_2921-CHMTUyMjkyMS80 2014-09-27 dead While dispersing Kurdish crowds near the border, Turkish police fired tear gas directly into a BBC news crew van, breaking through the rear window and starting a small fire.https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29498188 Turkish police tear-gas BBC team near Syrian border BBC News 5 October 2014 7 October 2014 7 October 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141007080849/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29498188 live Events As a result of the crisis in Kobanî, massive pro-Kobanî demonstrations unfolded in Turkey and quickly turned into violence between protesters and the Turkish police. Several military incidents between Turkish forces and militants in south-eastern Turkey, contributed to the escalation. Protests then spread to various cities in Turkey, such as Mardin, Bingöl or Van in Eastern Anatolia but also to the western cities of Izmir and Istanbul."Kobani Protests in Turkey". Amnesty International. 2015, pp.5–6 October On 7 October, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Kobanî would fall to ISIL, and the protests took up force.The plot hatched against the HDP over Kobane https://www.duvarenglish.com/opinion/2020/10/20/the-plot-hatched-against-the-hdp-over-kobane/ 2020-10-21 www.duvarenglish.com 20 October 2020 en-GB 2020-10-23 https://web.archive.org/web/20201023063400/https://www.duvarenglish.com/opinion/2020/10/20/the-plot-hatched-against-the-hdp-over-kobane/ live According to a witness' interview with Amnesty International the Justice and Development Party (AKP) led Municipality's bodyguards attacked protestors in Siirt on 7 October 2014."Kobani Protests in Turkey" Amnesty International (2015), p.8 The same day, several members of the Hüda Par, including Yasin Börü, were killed in Bağlar, Diyarbakır."Kobani Protests in Turkey". Amnesty International. 2015, p.7 As a counter measure to the protests, the authorities in Mardin province imposed a curfew in several districts.2014-10-07 Kurds protest against Turkey as IS advances on Kobane en-GB BBC News https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29518448 2022-04-25 2022-03-08 https://web.archive.org/web/20220308140822/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29518448 live On 8 October Mark Lowen from the BBC reported that 19 people had died and that the Turkish authorities imposed curfews in several cities with a majorly Kurdish population.Lowen Mark Mark Lowen 2014-10-08 Turkey Kurds: Kobane protests leave 19 dead en-GB BBC News https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29530640 2020-10-21 2020-10-21 https://web.archive.org/web/20201021223251/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29530640 live Protesters across at least six cities of southeastern Turkey were met with tear gas and water cannons, and 13 people were killed on the first day of the protests.Kobane: Air strikes help Syria town curb IS BBC News 7 October 2014 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29526783 8 October 2014 7 October 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141007211455/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29526783 liveİHD: 46 ölü, 682 yaralı, 323 tutuklama Agos 15 October 2014 25 January 2026 https://www.agos.com.tr/tr/yazi/8252/ihd-46-olu-682-yarali-323-tutuklama https://web.archive.org/web/20240519154655/https://www.agos.com.tr/tr/yazi/8252/ihd-46-olu-682-yarali-323-tutuklama 19 May 2024 live Over the six days from 7 to 12 October, 46 protesters (whose names were subsequently published by Turkey's Human Rights Association) died at the hands of the police, the Kurdish Hezbollah paramilitary group, and AKP-directed village guards, while 682 sustained injuries, 1,974 were detained and 323 among them arrested, with 38 reporting torture afterwards.Kurt Mehmet Kurdish Hizbullah in Turkey: Islamism, Violence and the State London Pluto Press 2017 170 https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/31680/625899.pdf The protests came to an end after Abdullah Öcalan called for their termination from his prison on Imrali island.Yeğen Mesut 2015 The Kurdish Peace Process in Turkey: Genesis, Evolution and Prospects https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/191379/gte_wp_11.pdf live https://web.archive.org/web/20200818012618/https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/191379/gte_wp_11.pdf 2020-08-18 29 January 2021 www.files.ethz.ch 10 November On 1 November 2014, multiple protests took place to support the Kurds of Kobanî. 5,000 people demonstrated in the Turkish town of Suruç, 10 km mi from the border. At least 15,000 marched in Turkey's largest Kurdish-majority city of Diyarbakır and 1,000 protested in Istanbul, all peaceful.http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/thousands-protest-turkey-show-solidarity-kobane-kurds-129318560#sthash.zBERWwJN.dpuf Thousands protest in Turkey to show solidarity with Kobane Kurds Middle East Eye 3 November 2014 2 November 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141102212549/http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/thousands-protest-turkey-show-solidarity-kobane-kurds-129318560#sthash.zBERWwJN.dpuf live On 7 November, protests erupted over reports a 28-year-old Kurdish woman activist had been shot in the head by Turkish soldiers on the Turkish side of the border near Kobanî.Varghese Johnlee 7 October 2014 Kurdish Woman Activist 'Shot in the Head' by Turkish Soldiers near Kobani http://www.ibtimes.co.in/kurdish-woman-activist-shot-dead-by-turkish-soldiers-near-kobani-613322 7 November 2014 International Business Times 7 November 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141107144948/http://www.ibtimes.co.in/kurdish-woman-activist-shot-dead-by-turkish-soldiers-near-kobani-613322 live She was reportedly part of a peaceful group of demonstrators who wanted the Turkish government to allow volunteers from Turkey to join the fight against ISIL in Kobanî. Responses President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that he was not ready to launch operations against ISIL in Syria unless it was also against the Syrian government.DeJong Karen Karen DeYoung Sly Liz Liz Sly 9 October 2014 U.S. frustration rises as Turkey withholds military help from besieged Kobani Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-frustration-rises-as-turkey-withholds-military-help-from-besieged-kobani/2014/10/08/311cb190-4f0e-11e4-babe-e91da079cb8a_story.html 11 October 2014 25 October 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141025113206/http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-frustration-rises-as-turkey-withholds-military-help-from-besieged-kobani/2014/10/08/311cb190-4f0e-11e4-babe-e91da079cb8a_story.html live Legal prosecution of the protestors Erdoğan has repeatedly blamed the Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) for the deaths during the Kobanî protests, whereas the HDP blamed Turkish police for the outbreak of violence.McKernan Bethan 2021-04-26 Turkey puts 108 Kurdish politicians on trial over 2014 Kobani protests en-GB The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/26/turkey-puts-108-kurdish-politicians-on-trial-over-2014-kobani-protests 2023-12-23 0261-3077 Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, Co-Chairs of the HDP in 2014, were arrested due to other charges in November 2016 but from September 2019 onwards, were also prosecuted for the Kobani protests.19 October 2020 Kobani Investigation: Arrested politician Kışanak arrested again: 'She might flee abroad' https://www.bianet.org/english/politics/232941-arrested-politician-kisanak-arrested-again-she-might-flee-abroad 2020-10-19 Bianet The prosecutors initiated the investigation against Demirtaş and Yüksekdağ2021-03-04 Turkey: Free Politician after European Court Ruling https://www.icj.org/turkey-free-politician-after-european-court-ruling/ 2022-04-17 International Commission of Jurists en-US the same day Demirtaş demanded his release due to a courts verdict, that he was to be released pending trial. In September 2020, the investigations were expanded onto the leading politicians of the HDP and the Democratic Regions Party (BDP) at the time of the protests. Sirri Süreyya Önder,25 September 2020 Turkey orders dozens of arrests including opposition mayor https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/9/25/turkey-orders-dozens-of-arrests-including-kurdish-opposition 2020-10-04 www.aljazeera.com en and Ayhan Bilgen were detained on 25 September 2020.Gazetesi Evrensel A trustee to replace Kars Municipality after Ayhan Bilgen was arrested https://www.evrensel.net/daily/415660/a-trustee-to-replace-kars-municipality-after-ayhan-bilgen-was-arrested 2020-10-04 Evrensel.net en-EN The prosecution of 82 supporters of the protests during September 2020, has led to other protests against the prosecution.HDP protests Kobane detentions outside Turkish parliament https://www.duvarenglish.com/politics/2020/09/28/hdp-protests-kobane-detentions-outside-turkish-parliament/ 2020-10-04 www.duvarenglish.com 28 September 2020 en-GB During October, Sebahat Tuncel, Aysel Tuğluk13 October 2020 Kobanê investigation: HDP's Tuncel, Tuğluk remanded in custody 'again' https://bianet.org/english/politics/232622-kobane-investigation-hdp-s-tuncel-tugluk-remanded-in-custody-again live Bianet https://web.archive.org/web/20210111122132/https://bianet.org/english/politics/232622-kobane-investigation-hdp-s-tuncel-tugluk-remanded-in-custody-again 2021-01-11 and Gültan Kişanak, all imprisoned at the time, received new arrest warrants due to the protests. Gülser Yıldırım was also summoned to deliver a statement, following which she was released into house arrest. In the trial of Kişanak, secret witnesses had been used.Turkish court remands two more Kurdish politicians over Kobani protests https://ahvalnews.com/turkey-kurds/turkish-court-remands-two-more-kurdish-politicians-over-kobani-protests 2020-12-15 Ahval en 2020-11-27 https://web.archive.org/web/20201127075302/https://ahvalnews.com/turkey-kurds/turkish-court-remands-two-more-kurdish-politicians-over-kobani-protests dead The HDP has called several times for a parliamentary commission which would investigate the events causing the protests, but their demands were rejected by politicians of the AKP and their political ally the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).2020-10-22 Gov't rejects HDP's demand to investigate 2014 deadly Kobane protests for 10th time https://www.duvarenglish.com/politics/2020/10/22/govt-rejects-hdps-demand-to-investigate-2014-deadly-kobane-protests-for-10th-time live https://web.archive.org/web/20201101094452/https://www.duvarenglish.com/politics/2020/10/22/govt-rejects-hdps-demand-to-investigate-2014-deadly-kobane-protests-for-10th-time/ 2020-11-01 2021-01-14 www.duvarenglish.com Overall, 108 Kurdish politicians were put on trial in relation to the Kobanî protests. In January 2021, the president of the MHP Devlet Bahçeli, called for the closure of the HDP due to its involvement in the Kobanî protests.2021-11-01 Turkey's far-right MHP to file application for pro-Kurdish HDP's closure https://www.duvarenglish.com/turkeys-far-right-mhp-to-file-application-for-pro-kurdish-hdps-closure-news-55813 live https://web.archive.org/web/20210111175031/https://www.duvarenglish.com/turkeys-far-right-mhp-to-file-application-for-pro-kurdish-hdps-closure-news-55813 2021-01-11 2021-01-14 Gazete Duvar On 2 March 2021, the Court of Cassation requested the case file regarding the Kobani protestsHDP indictment seeks political ban for 687 members, including Demirtaş, Buldan and Sancar https://www.bianet.org/english/politics/241005-hdp-indictment-seeks-political-ban-for-687-members-including-demirtas-buldan-and-sancar 2021-04-06 Bianet 2021-12-29 https://web.archive.org/web/20211229134439/https://bianet.org/english/politics/241005-hdp-indictment-seeks-political-ban-for-687-members-including-demirtas-buldan-and-sancar live and on 17 March the State Prosecutor of the Court of Cassation filed a lawsuit before the Constitutional Court demanding the closure of the HDP. In May 2024, several HDP politicians were convicted, among them Demirtaş and Yüksekdağ who were sentenced to 42 and just over 30 years in prison, respectively.Turkey: Pro-Kurdish leader Demirtas gets 42 years in prison https://www.dw.com/en/turkey-pro-kurdish-leader-demirtas-gets-42-years-in-prison/a-69102837 2024-05-21 Deutsche Welle See also List of modern conflicts in the Middle East Kurds in Turkey Kurdish people References External links Category:2014 in Turkish politics Category:Kurdish protests in Turkey Kurdish protests in Turkey Category:Censorship in Turkey Category:Kurdish–Turkish conflict (2015–present) Protests, 2014 Category:October 2014 in Turkey Category:November 2014 in Turkey Category:Islamic State and Turkey Category:Arson in 2014 Category:Building and structure arson attacks in Turkey Category:Attacks on buildings and structures in 2014 Category:2014 riots Category:2010s political riots Category:Riots and civil disorder in Turkey