KHRP Deputy Director Speaks at Parliamentary Event on the Kurds in Syria |
On 21 October 2008, KHRP Deputy Director Rachel Bernu delivered a speech at the Houses of Parliament as part of a meeting entitled ‘Human Rights and the Kurds in Syria: Discrimination and Repression’. Hosted by Jeremy Corbyn MP, the event also featured Abdelmajid Mellek, a member of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), and Dr Rebwah Fatah, Director of the UK-based organisation Kurdish Media. KHRP gave an overview of the systematic discrimination and human rights abuses faced by Kurds in Syria. This includes a long history of denial of citizenship, targeting of Kurdish political groups and activists, restrictions on freedom of expression, and suppression of Kurdish culture. Kurdish Media argued that repression of minority groups by the Syrian authorities is not simply an internal matter, but creates a situation of instability that has repercussions for regional security. The PYD spoke about a new campaign being launched by the party to gather data on human rights violations against Kurds in Syria and to disseminate that information internationally. A question-and-answer session at the end of the meeting focused on issues such as the need for human rights activism to bridge divisions between Kurds from different countries and with different political affiliations, and the most effective ways of highlighting the situation of Kurds in Syria to the international community. The KHRP speech can be downloaded from our website here. Please note: to download or purchase documents from KHRP’s website you must be registered to our site. Registration is easy and free: sign up today on the right-hand side of this page. |