Roj TV strikes again; Diyarbakir turned into war zone yesterday
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mart 29, 2006 09:44
The funerals for 4 of the 14 terrorist PKK members killed in clashes in the Southeast of Turkey were held yesterday in Diyarbakir, where broadcasts by Kurdish-backed Roj TV led to violent rioting on the streets of the city. Roj TV has been the focus of recent controversy, as Turkey has made a series of high level diplomatic requests that it be shut down in Denmark, where it continues to broadcast uninterrupted by the Danish government.
Yesterday, a call to shop and business owners to "close their shutters and roll down their metal blinds" in deference to the funerals led to violence by PKK supporters on the streets of Diyarbakir against up to 70 shops, 3 banks, and one health clinic that chose not to heed the Roj TY broadcasted warning from the PKK. Supporters of the outlawed terrorist group threw molotov cocktails at unshuttered businesses, and some banks' ATMs were destroyed.
Events occured in follow-up to funeral
The event leading up to the rioting and clashes in Diyarbakir was the funerals held for PKK terrorists Bulent Tanisik, Muzaffer Pehlivan, Mahmut Guler, and Kenan Demir. The funerals were attended by an estimated 5,000 people, who accompanied the bodies from Diyarbakir's Sefik Efendi mosque to the Yenikoy Graveyard where they were buried. Stones were thrown by the crowd at the 2nd Tactical Air Force regiment which passed nearby the funeral procession. Following the burials, a group of 1,000 marched through the streets shouting slogans in support of imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. Later, gas bombs and stones were thrown in clashes between police forces behind barricades that confronted the marchers in the street. With crowds dispersing into sidestreets, businesses that had not closed their metal shutters were attacked by PKK supporters armed with molotov cocktails, sticks, and stones.
No one was killedl yesterday in Diyarbakir, although 10 police force members and one soldier were injured. Funerals for the remaining 10 PKK members killed in clashes this week were also marked by protest in Batman, Adana, and Siirt, though none of the other funerals turned into anything like the events in Diyarbakir.
Events occured in follow-up to funeral
The event leading up to the rioting and clashes in Diyarbakir was the funerals held for PKK terrorists Bulent Tanisik, Muzaffer Pehlivan, Mahmut Guler, and Kenan Demir. The funerals were attended by an estimated 5,000 people, who accompanied the bodies from Diyarbakir's Sefik Efendi mosque to the Yenikoy Graveyard where they were buried. Stones were thrown by the crowd at the 2nd Tactical Air Force regiment which passed nearby the funeral procession. Following the burials, a group of 1,000 marched through the streets shouting slogans in support of imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. Later, gas bombs and stones were thrown in clashes between police forces behind barricades that confronted the marchers in the street. With crowds dispersing into sidestreets, businesses that had not closed their metal shutters were attacked by PKK supporters armed with molotov cocktails, sticks, and stones.
No one was killedl yesterday in Diyarbakir, although 10 police force members and one soldier were injured. Funerals for the remaining 10 PKK members killed in clashes this week were also marked by protest in Batman, Adana, and Siirt, though none of the other funerals turned into anything like the events in Diyarbakir.