According to Bia Turkish online daily, the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party MP Hasip Kaplan has recently revealed the existence of an ‘action plan’, devised by Turkey’s Council of Higher Education (YÖK), to exclude Kurdish students from universities. The "5-year medium term plan" is aimed at "systematically arresting and detaining” Kurdish university students.
Mr. Kaplan brought the "Action Plan for Separatist Activities" to the Turkey’s parliament. YÖK has apparently sent the plan to the universities on 17 March 2010.
In an interview with Bia, Mr. Kaplan said; "this confidential action plan is being applied against Kurdish university students every year… The plan suggests watching students who are involved in 'separatist' activities such as attending Newroz celebrations or requesting education in Kurdish as their mother tongue.
There are outrages statements like saying that the students misused the rights provided by the European Union. The investigation and monitoring reports about the students should be sent to the deanery every 4 months. Recent attacks against Kurdish students in Muğla, Ankara, Manisa, Rize, Tokat and Instanbul were based on these directives. It even gets worse since the document is meant to be a 'five-year medium-term plan'. This is a plan to systemize arrests and detentions of Kurdish students."
"We will constantly bring this up at the parliamentary agenda and we will keep it updated. We do not accept to subject students to exclusion due to their identities. It is dreadful that this kind of issues can be found in an official state document. We will reveal that the AKP [ruling Justice and Development Party] government is insincere regarding the constitution and that they are false democrats", Kaplan added.
Kaplan criticized Turkey’s National Education Minister, Nimet Çubukçu, for officially describing the recent death of Şerzan Kurt, a student at the University of Muğla (Aegean coast), as the result of a ‘bar fight’.
Kaplan said, "Çubukçu denied the existence of the document, when she was reminded of the attacks and the action plan. I sent the document to the National Education Ministry and to all parties represented in parliament. I disclosed the document of which Minister Çabukçu denied its existence. How is she going to explain a scandalous situation like this?
I invite the minister to bravely remain behind the decisions taken related to the 'democratic initiative'. On one hand, you are saying 'we are advocates of freedom', on the other hand, you are ignoring Kurdish students and the Kurdish identity. We do not accept this."
Mr. Kaplan brought the "Action Plan for Separatist Activities" to the Turkey’s parliament. YÖK has apparently sent the plan to the universities on 17 March 2010.
In an interview with Bia, Mr. Kaplan said; "this confidential action plan is being applied against Kurdish university students every year… The plan suggests watching students who are involved in 'separatist' activities such as attending Newroz celebrations or requesting education in Kurdish as their mother tongue.
There are outrages statements like saying that the students misused the rights provided by the European Union. The investigation and monitoring reports about the students should be sent to the deanery every 4 months. Recent attacks against Kurdish students in Muğla, Ankara, Manisa, Rize, Tokat and Instanbul were based on these directives. It even gets worse since the document is meant to be a 'five-year medium-term plan'. This is a plan to systemize arrests and detentions of Kurdish students."
"We will constantly bring this up at the parliamentary agenda and we will keep it updated. We do not accept to subject students to exclusion due to their identities. It is dreadful that this kind of issues can be found in an official state document. We will reveal that the AKP [ruling Justice and Development Party] government is insincere regarding the constitution and that they are false democrats", Kaplan added.
Kaplan criticized Turkey’s National Education Minister, Nimet Çubukçu, for officially describing the recent death of Şerzan Kurt, a student at the University of Muğla (Aegean coast), as the result of a ‘bar fight’.
Kaplan said, "Çubukçu denied the existence of the document, when she was reminded of the attacks and the action plan. I sent the document to the National Education Ministry and to all parties represented in parliament. I disclosed the document of which Minister Çabukçu denied its existence. How is she going to explain a scandalous situation like this?
I invite the minister to bravely remain behind the decisions taken related to the 'democratic initiative'. On one hand, you are saying 'we are advocates of freedom', on the other hand, you are ignoring Kurdish students and the Kurdish identity. We do not accept this."
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