“Can he tell us where did he [Akar] visit and what was the name of it?” the ministry asked rhetorically.
Halgurd Sherwani 2021/11/21
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Ministry of Peshmerga on Sunday responded to Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar recent comment that denied the existence of the Kurdistan Region.
The ministry described the Turkish official’s remarks as “surprising” since they outright deny the very existence of a “historical, demographic, and geographic reality”.
Akar made the comment -- in which he categorically denied the existence of Kurdistan, including Iraqi Kurdistan -- during a recent session in Turkey's parliament.
Akar visited Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Region in January, where he was received by Peshmerga Minister Shorish Ismael at Erbil International Airport.
“Can he tell us where did he [Akar] visit and what was the name of it?” the ministry asked rhetorically.
The ministry also stated that if the Turkish minister doubts the existence of Kurdistan, he should “look back at Ottoman-era documents and history to see whether Kurdistan exists or not.”
“The mentality of denying a nation and its geography has always sparked tensions and issues and it would lead nowhere,” the statement added.
Akar made his controversial remarks during an exchange with a member of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in Turkey’s parliament on Wednesday.
The discussion was about reports claiming Turkey used chemical weapons against its arch-enemy the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Iraqi Kurdistan, Duvar English reported
The Turkish minister was upset by the HDP lawmaker's use of the word “Kurdistan”.
"There is no Kurdistan in Turkey or elsewhere," Akar said, prompting a follow-up question from the MP.
“Doesn’t Iraqi Kurdistan exist?" the lawmaker asked.
“No,” Akar replied.
Halgurd Sherwani 2021/11/21
The KRG Peshmerga Minister, Shorish Ismael, walks alongside his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar (left) at the Kurdistan Region's Erbil International Airport, Jan. 18, 2021. (Photo: Turkish Defense Ministry)
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Ministry of Peshmerga on Sunday responded to Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar recent comment that denied the existence of the Kurdistan Region.
The ministry described the Turkish official’s remarks as “surprising” since they outright deny the very existence of a “historical, demographic, and geographic reality”.
Akar made the comment -- in which he categorically denied the existence of Kurdistan, including Iraqi Kurdistan -- during a recent session in Turkey's parliament.
Akar visited Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Region in January, where he was received by Peshmerga Minister Shorish Ismael at Erbil International Airport.
“Can he tell us where did he [Akar] visit and what was the name of it?” the ministry asked rhetorically.
The ministry also stated that if the Turkish minister doubts the existence of Kurdistan, he should “look back at Ottoman-era documents and history to see whether Kurdistan exists or not.”
“The mentality of denying a nation and its geography has always sparked tensions and issues and it would lead nowhere,” the statement added.
Akar made his controversial remarks during an exchange with a member of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in Turkey’s parliament on Wednesday.
The discussion was about reports claiming Turkey used chemical weapons against its arch-enemy the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Iraqi Kurdistan, Duvar English reported
The Turkish minister was upset by the HDP lawmaker's use of the word “Kurdistan”.
"There is no Kurdistan in Turkey or elsewhere," Akar said, prompting a follow-up question from the MP.
“Doesn’t Iraqi Kurdistan exist?" the lawmaker asked.
“No,” Akar replied.
Turkish police release Kurdish academic detained for posting 'Long Live Kurdistan' on social media
Kutum’s lawyer Mehmet Emin Aktar tweeted that his client was released after appeal at the 2nd Elazig High Criminal Court, where he was charged.
Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2021/11/10
Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2021/11/10
Hifzullah Kutum, a research assistant at Fırat University. (Photo: Duvar English)
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdish academic Hifzullah Kutum, who was detained on Nov. 6 after sharing the phrase “Long Live Kurdistan” on his social media account, was released by the Turkish police on Wednesday.
Kutum’s lawyer Mehmet Emin Aktar tweeted that his client was released after appeal at the 2nd Elazig High Criminal Court, where he was charged.
“The (court) case was opened and the court ruled in his favor to release him (on appeal). But in February 2022, the case will continue,” Aktar told Kurdistan 24. “The prosecutor in this indictment accuses Hifzullah Kutum of PKK propaganda.”
In a Sept. 14 tweet, Kutum congratulated all Kurds “on the (anniversary of the) September Revolution. Long Live Kurdistan” accompanied by a picture of Kurdish leader Mullah Mustafa Barzani.
After that tweet, the Fırat University in Elazig suspended Kutum from his position. A Turkish flag was reportedly hung on Kutum’s office door at the university.
In response, Kutum said that the flag in the clip he posted on social media is of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, with which Turkey has diplomatic relations. He also referred to meetings between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and top Iraqi Kurdish officials.
The September Revolution, spearheaded by the late Mullah Mustafa Barzani, broke out on Sept. 11, 1961, as part of efforts to establish a Kurdish autonomous region within the Iraqi state, then led by Abdul Karim Qasim.
The incident comes one week after Turkish police detained a civilian named Cemil Taşkesen in the Kurdish Siirt province in late October for criticizing the visit of Meral Aksener, the leader of the Turkish ultranationalist Iyi (Good) Party.
Read More: Kurdish civilian detained in Turkey for saying “this is Kurdistan”
Taşkesen was later released after giving his statement to the prosecution.
Also, the Deputy Chairman of the Kurdistan Socialist Party (PSK) Bayram Bozyel was arrested on Nov. 8 by Turkish police in the Kurdish city of Diyarbakir (Amed).
Read More: Kurdish politician arrested by Turkish police in security crackdown
Editing by Paul Iddon.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdish academic Hifzullah Kutum, who was detained on Nov. 6 after sharing the phrase “Long Live Kurdistan” on his social media account, was released by the Turkish police on Wednesday.
Kutum’s lawyer Mehmet Emin Aktar tweeted that his client was released after appeal at the 2nd Elazig High Criminal Court, where he was charged.
“The (court) case was opened and the court ruled in his favor to release him (on appeal). But in February 2022, the case will continue,” Aktar told Kurdistan 24. “The prosecutor in this indictment accuses Hifzullah Kutum of PKK propaganda.”
In a Sept. 14 tweet, Kutum congratulated all Kurds “on the (anniversary of the) September Revolution. Long Live Kurdistan” accompanied by a picture of Kurdish leader Mullah Mustafa Barzani.
After that tweet, the Fırat University in Elazig suspended Kutum from his position. A Turkish flag was reportedly hung on Kutum’s office door at the university.
In response, Kutum said that the flag in the clip he posted on social media is of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, with which Turkey has diplomatic relations. He also referred to meetings between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and top Iraqi Kurdish officials.
The September Revolution, spearheaded by the late Mullah Mustafa Barzani, broke out on Sept. 11, 1961, as part of efforts to establish a Kurdish autonomous region within the Iraqi state, then led by Abdul Karim Qasim.
The incident comes one week after Turkish police detained a civilian named Cemil Taşkesen in the Kurdish Siirt province in late October for criticizing the visit of Meral Aksener, the leader of the Turkish ultranationalist Iyi (Good) Party.
Read More: Kurdish civilian detained in Turkey for saying “this is Kurdistan”
Taşkesen was later released after giving his statement to the prosecution.
Also, the Deputy Chairman of the Kurdistan Socialist Party (PSK) Bayram Bozyel was arrested on Nov. 8 by Turkish police in the Kurdish city of Diyarbakir (Amed).
Read More: Kurdish politician arrested by Turkish police in security crackdown
Editing by Paul Iddon.
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