‘The struggle of the PKK cannot be criminalized’

Swiss BastA Party Secretary General Franziska Stier joined the ongoing campaign to remove the PKK from the terrorist organizations list. “Putting the PKK onto this list is a wrong and unfair decision. That’s why I support this campaign,” the Swiss politician said.

Stier also works as a freelance journalist in Switzerland and Germany and is active in several feminist women’s organizations. She was a member in the Peace Delegation to South Kurdistan in June 2021.

The BastA Party Secretary General spoke to ANF about delisting the PKK from the terror list.

Stier remarked that if a permanent peace and stability is wanted in the Middle East, the parties should be treated as equals as required by the international law. “Because of my profession, I follow social events and communities closely. I think the PKK has been waging a long-standing struggle for peace and democracy against the turmoil in the Middle East. The countries which are adamant on keeping the PKK on the list should treat the parties equally.”

THE TURKISH STATE’S CRIMES ARE OVERLOOKED

Stier pointed out that the Turkish state has committed crimes against humanity in front of the entire world. “These crimes are overlooked since Turkey is a member of NATO. This wrong and biased political attitude is unacceptable. The arms and trade agreements between the European states and the Turkish state are based entirely on mutual interests. Putting the PKK onto this list is a wrong and unfair decision. That’s why I support this campaign.”

A GIFT TO THE TURKISH STATE

Stier noted that she and other members of the peace delegation were prevented from going to South Kurdistan in June last year by the German authorities. Remarking that the Kurdish institutions and the Kurds are criminalized, she continued, “Left Party Deputy and European Council Member Michel Brandt shared photos of a demonstration in Strasbourg in 2019 on the social media. He was fined last week on the grounds that there were banned flags and posters in the photos he shared. Even solidarity with the Kurdish people is banned currently. This punishment is essentially a gift given to the Turkish state.”

THE PKK’S STRUGGLE IS LEGITIMATE

Stier stressed that the AKP-Erdogan government’s genocidal attacks are continuing in defiance of the international law. She emphasized that the PKK is fighting against genocide, adding, “The legitimacy of this struggle is obvious. For this very reason, the PKK should not be included in the EU’s terror list,” Stier said underlining the negative effects of the ban on the daily life of the Kurds.