The Issue
PKK is the Kurdish Worker’s Party, which under the leadership of Abdulla Ocalan, has been fighting to attain an autonomous Kurdistan from the state of Turkey (START, 2013). Abdulla Ocalan is credited to forming the party in 1978 in Fis, a village in the neighborhood of Lice (Songun, 2009). The ideology of the PKK has been based on Kurdish nationalism and socialism, where Ocalan has been advocating his ideas using orthodox Marxism. It was only until 1984 when this group started to utilize armed struggles against the Turkish government, as it sought to have their Kurdish rights recognized by being granted the freedom it wanted (START, 2013). To such other organizations as the European Union, the United Nations, the United States of America and the NATO, PKK is classified as a terrorist organization. Recently, Sakine Cansiz, Leyla Saylemez and Fidan Dogan, three women activists of the PKK, were killed mysteriously in Paris, in what is seen as a professionally orchestrated execution (BBC News, 2013). The bodies were found Thursday morning, January 10, in the Kurdish office in Paris (Robson & Allen, 2013). The deaths were mysterious since the office was not broken into, but the dead bodies revealed gun shots to their necks, heads, and abdomen.
Involvement
There are various allegations regarding those who may have been involved in the killings of these women. There is an allegation, especially from the PKK, that Turks could have been involved due to the outlook of awarding more rights to the Kurds (Dombey, 2013b). From another side, it is feared Iran could have been involved since it (Iran) had been eager to emasculate Turkey in the region. There are those people believing the success of Turkey in dealing with the Kurdish challenge can generate competitiveness in the region, and Iran is alleged to fear such an occurrence. As far as Syria’s conflict is concerned, it is evident Iran and Turkey have assumed different sides. Ankara is equivocal in calling for President Bashar al-Assad’s departure, while Tehran sees an ally in Damascus (Dombey, 2013b). These different stands between Iran and Turkey regarding Syria are perceived as possible contributors to an attack from Iran.
At Stake
After the mysterious killings of Sakine, Cansiz, Leyla Saylemez, and Fidan Dogan, the peace process between the PKK and the Turkish government is at stake (Dombey, 2013b). After many years of war between the PKK and the government forces, many people have lost their lives and property has been destroyed. The heightened tension, loss of lives and wanton destruction has reached a point where peace is to be given a chance to prevail. There have been talks between the government forces and the PKK to end the Kurdish conflict and promote peace. Some of the bans have been progressively lifted in attempts to keep the peace talks going. One such ban has been the use of Kurdish language in classrooms. However, this ban has been lifted and schools could offer lessons in the Kurdish language. There are those people who are afraid that the death of these three women could derail the peace process. This process demands that PKK should disarm and stop using its armed method of fighting for the rights of the Kurdish society.
Root cause
The root cause of the deaths of the three women in Paris can be attributed to the participation of the PKK in peace talks with the government of Mr. Recep Erdogan, who is the prime minister of Turkey (Dombey, 2013a). Since PKK, under the leadership of Abdulla Ocalan, has decided to participate in peace talks that would see the organization deviate from its former ways, there are speculations there could be people who are against the talks. These people could be responsible for the killings of the three women activists in Paris (Robson & Allen, 2013). The bodies of the three women were found sprayed with bullets in the Kurdish office they were using in Paris. The fact that the room had not been broken into is a clear indicator of the professionalism of the killers. It is argued that the women could have opened for the killer(s), who may have used disguise to gain entry into the room.
Their involvement
Sakine Cansiz, 55, is a co-founder and a senior female member of the PKK. She has participated in numerous protests outside of Diyarbakir, and has been arrested and sentenced to jail (Dombey, 2013b). Also, she has participated in PKK’s affairs in Syria with Ocalan, and has been a commander of the women’s guerilla movement in Kurdish regions north of Iraq. She has also taken part in championing the women’s movement of PKK in European countries. Fidan Dogan, 32, is a representative of Paris in the Kurdistan National Congress (KNC), which is based in Brussels. She is responsible for lobbying, on PKK’s behalf, the diplomats, and the European Union through the KNC. Leyla Saylemez, 24, is a junior activist who has been working as a representative of women on diplomatic relations, on PKK’s behalf (Dombey, 2013b).
Presently
Even after the killing of the three activists, there have been calls from both the Turkish government and the Kurds that the peace process should continue (Reynolds, 2013). During the burial ceremony in Diyarbakir, many speakers asked the Turkish government to stop bombing the Kurds in Iraq, since peace and war could not be exercised simultaneously (Dombey, 2013a). The Kurdish speakers said they believed in the peace process and were ready to implement peaceful deals, but the government should show its commitment towards the peace process by stopping to bomb Kandil (Hayatsever, 2013). The peace talks are still in progress.
References
BBC News. (2013). PKK shooting: Kurds mass for women's funerals. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21050162
Dombey, D. (2013a). PKK funerals show support for peace talks. Retrieved from http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/9b1c8b1c-60d4-11e2-a31a-00144feab49a.html#axzz2IHmd4fLe
Dombey, D. (2013b). Paris killings ‘attempt to derail PKK peace talks’. Retrieved from http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/1f1c9f9c-5c16-11e2-ab38-00144feab49a.html#axzz2IHmd4fLe
Hayatsever, H. (2013). Masses turn out to pay final respects to PKK members. Retrieved from http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/masses-turn-out-to-pay-final-respects-to-pkk-members.aspx?pageID=238&nID=39284&NewsCatID=338
Reynolds, J. (2013). Calls for peace at funerals of slain PKK activists. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21067927
Robson, S., & Allen, P. (2013). Assassinated in Paris: Three women found shot in the head and lying side-by-side in Kurdistan Workers' Party office. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2260071/Assassinated-Paris-3-Kurdish-PKK-women-including-founder-Sakine-Cansiz-shot-head.html
Songun, S. (2009). History of PKK in Turkey. Retrieved from http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/default.aspx?pageid=438&n=history-for-the-pkk-in-turkey-2009-09-14
START. (2013). Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Retrieved from http://www.start.umd.edu/start/data_collections/tops/terrorist_organization_profile.asp?id=63
