AFP – Human Rights Watch urged the Syrian authorities on Friday to probe the shootings by security forces during Kurdish New Year celebrations that killed at least one person.
“Syrian authorities should conduct an independent investigation into the shootings by security forces on March 21, 2010, that left at least one person dead and others wounded at a Kurdish New Year celebration in northern Syria,” HRW’s Joe Stork said.
“Syrian officials need to find out why a New Year celebration turned into a tragedy,” Stork, HRW’s deputy Middle East director, said in a statement.
“Those responsible for ordering forces to fire at the crowd with live ammunition should be brought to justice,” said the New York-based organisation.
It said a crowd of Kurds had gathered near the town of Raqqa last Sunday for Nowruz celebrations for the Kurdish New Year organised by the unlicenced Syrian Democratic Union Party that is closely affiliated with Turkey’s Kurdistan Workers? Party (PKK).
It quoted Kurdish participants as saying Syrian security forces and police in civilian clothes were present in large numbers and asked the Kurds to remove Kurdish flags and pictures of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, who is jailed in Turkey.
When the Kurds refused to comply they were sprayed with water cannon, before security forces began firing into the air and then into the rock-throwing crowds, HRW said.
It added that Kurdish human rights groups said at least two people had died, but only a single death was confirmed.
“The shooting also wounded a number of participants, but their number and identities are not clear because the security forces have denied access to them in hospitals,” the statement said.
“This is not the first time that Syrian forces have used lethal force to break up a Kurdish celebration.
“In March 2008, Syrian internal security forces opened fire on Kurds celebrating Nowruz in the town of Qamishli in northeastern Syria, killing three people and wounding five others,” HRW said.
“The authorities did not investigate that shooting incident.”
Source: AFP
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