Kurds Arrested by Turkish Junta

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Avans: Neilk inTon: Tom Megaby MORAustin Mitchell; Bob Parry; Reg Race; Giles Radice;

Duffy AUEW "(General Secretary): Alan Fisher NUPE (General Secretary); Vincent Hanna NUJ John Jones AUEW TASS: Bill Keys SOGAT Scargill NUM; E. Scrivens AUW; Harry Urwin Garth Frankland NE Leeds CLP; Ray Garner Wolverhampton Welwyn CLP; Neil Taggart, Chairman Leeds District LP, Vice-Chairman, Leeds NE CLP; Jenny Willmott, ADdy BAVEW TASS: Gordon McLennan CPGB: Dennis Mills, Region 5 TGWU; C.P. Wall, Chair.

If the struggle of the .Kurdish people for national liberation has been an important factor in the conflict between Iraq and Iran, it is no less so in the mounting resistance within Turkey to the new military government.

For General Evren and the military junta the principle of the sovereignty of the nation against 'divisionism' has been a constant theme.

Long before they moved to overthrow parliamentary rule, It was to the continuing • Kurdish resistance to Turkish domination as well as the working class that the army leaders pointed as threatening the Demirel government's authority.

Turkey-Kurdistan, occupying vast areas of the country's mountainous eastern region, has historically always been an obstacle to the attempts to pass off the Republic as a simple entity.

Despite massacres amounting virtually to genocide in some Turkish imposition a central Turkish government from Ankara has continued. In fact,/ so great was the fear of Kurdish rebellion from even the earliest years of Turkey's foundation that Attaturk was forced to move the country's capital city away from Istanbul on the far-west Bosphorous into the Anatolian central areas of the country.

Exact figures of Kurdish nationals are not available. Official statistics, compiled by authorities whose job is to deny the Kurds' existence, as a separate people, put the population at around 2 million.

In reality it is at least four times that number.

Evren himself has been visiting the region recently along with other National Security Council members.

In the city of Van he repeated his theme of the military only taking over 'to prevent a civil war' and going on to lament the continued smuggling of arms into the country.

In response to the military's arms amnesty, he said already enough equipment had been handed in to arm a 10,000strong unit!

Since this is only a fraction of the amount still at large, it is possible to grasp the extent to which the population has become militarised during the many years of left defence against state and fascist armed terroI.

Evren's appeal for 'moderation' will fall on deal Kurdish ears. Even as he spoke, mass arrests were taking place in the Kurds' major city of Diyanbakir with more than 1,000 rounded up by soldiers.

Meanwhile the eclipse of democratic rights goes on at full speed. 'Shoot to kill' rights have been given to the security forces against anyone they regara • as "suspicious' or who challenges their authority.

More attacks have been made on any organisation or meetings which in any way represent a potential opponenti to the dictatorship.

Against • those inside the country who attempt to organise international condemnation' of and opposition to the generals' rule, special steps have been taken.

Contact with foreigners'

with a view to giving the real picture of repression to those outside and exposing the lying campaign of the world's press to pass off the junta as 'bloodless' and 'democratic' is now illegal.

Selected for special treatment are journalists who face jail sentences of between six months and two years (with no right of appeal) if they 'intentionally propagate erroneous, unfounded or exaggerated information in a manner to create alarm or excitement among the public".

Meanwhile in Britain the petition of the Turkey Solidarity Campaign was launched at last week's Labour Party conference with enormous success. We list below the delegates and visitors to the conference who signed the declaration which states:

«We declare our total opposition to the military coup in Turkey and its suppression of all democratic rights including the abolition of independent trade unions and the right to strike.

We deplore the British government's refusal to condemn the military dictatorship and its complicity in NATO's war preparations.

We call for:

- Signatories to the MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT Ernie Roberts; Mick Welsh.

TRADES UNION EXECUTIVE MEMBERS TGWU; David Warburton GMWU. COUNCILLORS Camden CLP.

OTHERS Bradford TUC.

CONSTITUENCY LABOUR PARTIES L. Hobday, Bristol South CLP A. Benyon, York CLP.

Rick Evans, Chair. Cornwall S. CLP L. Sodean, Chair. Colindale Br. (Hendon Geoff Howes, Northampton S CLP Chris Ballard Mid-Oxon CLP F. McGrath, Birmingham Ladywood Ann Chapman, Tynemouth CLP Martin Prestige Warley W. Chi G. Teale, Spalding CLP A.E. Pritchett, Angelsey CIP Chris Edwardes, Newcastle Central Valerie Pearson, Newark CLP Roger MeGeown, Rushcliffe CLP Pete Wortsin® Haleso wen and Stourbridge Colin Eilison, Tony Humphrey, Banbury CLP Andy Ward, Croydon N. CLP Ian Aicomn, John Braggins, Agent, St. Pancras N. CLP