2014 Kobanî protests

The 2014 Kobanî protests in Turkey refer to large-scale protests by Kurds in Turkey in autumn 2014, as a spillover of the crisis in Kobanî. Large pro-Kobanî demonstrations unfolded in Turkey, and quickly descended into violence between protesters and the Turkish police. Several military incidents between Turkish forces and Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants in south-eastern Turkey, resulting in several mortal casualties, contributed to the escalation. Protests then spread to various cities in Turkey. Protesters were met with tear gas and water cannons, and initially 12 people were killed. A total of 31 people were killed in subsequent protesting up to 14 October.[1]

A building in Diyarbakır that was given to fire during the protests

Causes
Main article: Siege of Kobanî

As a result of the advance of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on Kobanî that began 13 September 2014, more than 200,000 Syrian refugees flowed into Turkey.[2] 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 to prevent them.[3] There were several causes for the protests. Turkish authorities forbade Kurdish volunteers to cross the border into Kobanî was one,[4] that Turkey refused to launch a military operation in defense of Kobani even though the Turkish parliament has passed a law authorizing one another.[4] 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.[5] Five civilians in Turkey were injured when a mortar hit their house. Turkey evacuated two villages as a precautionary measure.[6] 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.[7]

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, resulting in several mortal casualties, contributed to the escalation. Protests then spread to various cities in Turkey. Protesters were met with tear gas and water cannons, and initially 12 people were killed. A total of 31 people were subsequent rioting up to 14 October.[1] On the 8 October Mark Lowen from the BBC reported that 19 people shall have died and that the Turkish authorities imposed curfews in several cities with a majorly Kurdish population.[8]

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 kilometres (6.2 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.[9]

After on the 7 November Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Kobanî would fall to ISIL,[4] the protests took up force.[10] On the same day, there were reports that 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. 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.[11]

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.[12]

Erdoğan has repeatedly blamed the Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) for the deaths during the Kobanî protests.[10] 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.[13] The prosecutors initiated the investigation against Demirtaş and Yüksekdağ the same day Demirtaş demanded his release due to a courts verdict, that he was to be released pending trial.[14] 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.[13] Sirri Süreyya Önder,[15] and Ayhan Bilgen were detained on the 25 September 2020.[16] The prosecution of 82 supporters of the protests during September 2020, has led to other protests against the prosecution.[17] During October, Sebahat Tuncel, Aysel Tuğluk and Gültan Kişanak, who was also arrested for other charges, received new arrest warrants. Gülser Yıldırım was also summoned to deliver a statement, following which she was released into house arrest.[13] In the trial of Kişanak, secret witnesses are being used.[18] 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).[19] Devlet Bahçeli, the president of the MHP, called for the closure of the HDP for causing the Kobanî protests in October 2014.[20]

See also

References
  1. "Kobane: Air strikes help Syria town curb IS". bbc.com/news. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  2. "1,500 Kurdish Fighters Join Forces Against IS in Syria". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  3. "Protest erupts in Turkish Syrian borderline". Cihan News Agency. Archived from the original on 2014-09-27. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  4. Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "Turkish president says Kobani about to fall to 'IS' | DW | 07.10.2014". DW.COM. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
  5. "TANKS ON BORDER AS PARLIAMENT READIES TO DISCUSS TROOP MANDATE". dailysabah.com. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  6. "Kurds battle IS for key Syria town as fire spills over border". Yahoo News. 5 October 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  7. "Turkish police tear-gas BBC team near Syrian border". BBC News. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  8. Lowen, Mark (2014-10-08). "Turkey Kurds: Kobane protests leave 19 dead". BBC News. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
  9. "Thousands protest in Turkey to show solidarity with Kobane Kurds". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  10. "The plot hatched against the HDP over Kobane". www.duvarenglish.com. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
  11. "Kurdish Woman Activist 'Shot in the Head' by Turkish Soldiers near Kobani". International Business Times. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  12. "U.S. frustration rises as Turkey withholds military help from besieged Kobani". Washington Post. 9 October 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  13. "Kobani Investigation: Arrested politician Kışanak arrested again: 'She might flee abroad'". Bianet. 19 October 2020. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
  14. "Turkish court orders rearrest of jailed Selahattin Demirtas". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
  15. "Turkey orders dozens of arrests including opposition mayor". www.aljazeera.com. 25 September 2020. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
  16. Gazetesi, Evrensel. "A trustee to replace Kars Municipality after Ayhan Bilgen was arrested". Evrensel.net. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
  17. "HDP protests Kobane detentions outside Turkish parliament". www.duvarenglish.com. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
  18. "Turkish court remands two more Kurdish politicians over Kobani protests". Ahval. Retrieved 2020-12-15.
  19. "Gov't rejects HDP's demand to investigate 2014 deadly Kobane protests for 10th time". www.duvarenglish.com. 2020-10-22. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
  20. "Turkey's far-right MHP to file application for pro-Kurdish HDP's closure". www.duvarenglish.com. 2021-11-01. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
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