ŞÎNYAR BAYÎZ

Sulaymaniyah- While the Turkish attacks in the Kurdistan Region continue, some political refugees from different parts of Kurdistan living in the Kurdistan Region to have a safe life have been reportedly killed by the Turkish intelligence agencies with the support of their collaborators in the region.

On May 17, Mehmed Zeki Çelebi, a political refugee from Northern Kurdistan and the owner of Deniz Restaurant in Sulaymaniyah, was killed. His murder reveals the inadequacy of the security situation in the Kurdistan Region and that the refugees cannot live fearlessly and freely in the region. We spoke to political refugees in the Kurdistan Region about their situation.

“The Kurdistan Region is not safe for us”

Pirşeng Şaho, a political refugee from Eastern Kurdistan, told us that their lives are in danger and the perpetrators enter and leave the region freely without being investigated by the authorities.

“The government and concerned parties must stop the persecution against the refugees. The situation that the refugees live in is dangerous and we all worry about our lives. We left our homeland due to the occupation policies; we came here to have a safe life. I call on the authorities to protect us,” she said.

“Kurdish refugees are not recognized as Kurdish citizens”

Zuleyxa Musa Berxo is from Kobane but lives in the Kurdistan Region as a political refugee. Speaking about the murder of Mehmed Zeki Çelebi, she said:

“Zeki Çelebi was arrested in Turkey because of his political views and then he was released. He had to leave Turkey and come to the Kurdistan Region. He was a political refugee in the Kurdistan Region. But the government and authorities could not protect him because Kurdish refugees are not recognized as Kurdish citizens. Due to the policies of the KDP and the Barzani family, the refugees are not safe here. Not only in Erbil, but also in many cities such as Sulaymaniyah, the Turkish intelligence agencies try to kill political refugees. I call on the Kurds living in four parts of Kurdistan to unite and stand against the enemy. If the Kurds unite, the enemy will not be able to occupy the lands of Kurds and annihilate the Kurds.”

“Kurds are being killed by carrying out a different policy”

Barış Qeraxar, a refugee from Northern Kurdistan living in the Kurdistan Region, stated that Turkey has intensified its attacks in the Kurdistan Region with the support of the KDP, “They carry out a different policy by killing political refugees because their attacks have failed. The Kurdistan Revolution and PKK guerrillas stated that their efforts to annihilate the Kurds and destroy the lands of Kurdistan were in vain and that the Turkish state could not target the Kurdish people. Turkey does not accept its defeat in the mountains so it starts attacking the cities and openly killing the Kurds in the cities. Unfortunately, in Sulaymaniyah, known as the city of intellectuals, the Kurds are killed in the streets. We must know that either we will liberate Kurdistan and live together or we will all be martyrs in the war to liberate Kurdistan.”