Turkish Gov't Responsible for Unrest in Country's Kurdish Regions

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — In December 2015, the Turkish authorities declared a curfew in a number of southeastern regions where armed clashes between Ankara forces and PKK's fighters continue. The Turkish General Staff has said that about 850 Kurdish militants have been killed since mid-December. Kurdish activists, in turn, argue that most of the dead were civilian victims.

"We believe that the main responsibility for the events in southeast of the country lies with the [ruling] Justice and Development Party (AKP)…The actions of the authorities, the bans introduced by them contradict the norms of legislation," Levent Gok said.

According to the official, the civilians of the region are trapped between the PKK’s "extremist actions on one side and illegal, anti-democratic, inhumane policy of the government on the other."

Tensions in Turkey escalated in July 2015, after 33 Kurdish activists were killed in a suicide blast in the city of Suruc and two Turkish policemen were later murdered by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which led to Ankara's military campaign against the group.

The Kurds, Turkey's largest ethnic minority, are striving to create their own independent state. The PKK was founded in late 1970s to promote the self-determination for the Kurdish community.