Turkish forces have been fighting against Kurdish militants since 1984.
Turkish forces have been fighting against Kurdish militants since 1984.
Turkish forces have been fighting against Kurdish militants since 1984.
Turkish forces have been fighting against Kurdish militants since 1984.

Seven members of Kurdish family killed in Turkey in 'racist' attack


  • English
  • Arabic

Seven members of a Kurdish family were killed on Friday in central Turkey by armed assailants who tried to burn their house.

Rights activists have said the attack was fuelled by racism.

But Turkey's Interior Ministry denied the incident was linked to long-running tensions in the region and said the deaths were the result of a family dispute.

The Kurdistan Workers' Party, which wants an independent Kurdish state, has waged a rebellion against Turkey since 1984 that has left more than 40,000 people dead and has led to harsh government crackdowns.

While Konya has seen periodic episodes of violence during the insurgency, the province has been spared from the fate of other Kurdish-majority southern provinces such as Sirnak and Mardin, where fatalities have spiked during the most recent escalation of violence, which erupted in 2015.

The Dedeoglu family had been seriously wounded in another attack in May by neighbours who told the family they "will not let Kurds live" in the Konya region, south of Ankara.

One of the victims complained in mid-July that police and judges were deferential towards the May attackers, who had been freed.

The family feared for their lives, the victim said.

Abdurrahman Karabulut, the family's lawyer, said the release of the attackers after the first incident gave them impunity.

"This was an entirely racist attack. The judiciary and the authorities are responsible for what has happened," Mr Karabulut told Arti TV.

Eren Keskin, vice president of the Human Rights Association, said the group was following the case.

"The youngest family member told me: 'We are very scared'," she said on Twitter.

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said a years-long feud between two families was behind the killings.

He said describing the attack as a racist crime was "a provocation".

"This attack is not connected to the Turkish-Kurdish issue. Making a link to this is as dangerous as the attack," he said.

But the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party said there had been several attacks on Kurds over the years.

"The hate speech and provocation of the authorities is the main cause of this massacre," said Mithat Sancar, co-leader of the party.

It was the second deadly attack on Kurds in Konya in July.

On July 21, a Kurdish farmer was killed in a village in the region by attackers who shouted: "We don't want Kurds here."

But local authorities said it was a result of a fight over grazing rights.

BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES

Friday (UAE kick-off times)

Borussia Dortmund v Paderborn (11.30pm)

Saturday 

Bayer Leverkusen v SC Freiburg (6.30pm)

Werder Bremen v Schalke (6.30pm)

Union Berlin v Borussia Monchengladbach (6.30pm)

Eintracht Frankfurt v Wolfsburg (6.30pm)

Fortuna Dusseldof v  Bayern Munich (6.30pm)

RB Leipzig v Cologne (9.30pm)

Sunday

Augsburg v Hertha Berlin (6.30pm)

Hoffenheim v Mainz (9pm)

 

 

 

 

 

MATCH INFO

Day 1 at Mount Maunganui

England 241-4

Denly 74, Stokes 67 not out, De Grandhomme 2-28

New Zealand 

Yet to bat

GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

The more serious side of specialty coffee

While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.

The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.

Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”

One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.

Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms. 

Marathon results

Men:

 1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13 

2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50 

3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25 

4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46 

5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48  

Women:

1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30 

2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01 

3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30 

4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43 

5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01  

Updated: July 31, 2021, 9:37 AM