ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Kurdish member of the Turkish parliament from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) on Saturday said it was an “international disgrace” that some Turkish politicians desecrated the Kurdistan Region flag, creating controversy.
“Without a doubt, this disrespect has concerned us all. According to Iraq’s constitution, the Kurdistan Region is an autonomous entity. Disrespecting its flag in another country is an international disgrace,” Abdurrahim Firat told Rudaw’s Hevidar Zana.
The Turkish constitution sets out penalties for insulting the flag of a foreign state.
“Today, Kurdistan is an autonomous region according to Iraq’s constitution and laws. It has status, a flag, and a president, to whom I send my regards and respect. Turkish parliamentarians have no right to insult that flag,” said Firat.
“There are thousands of flags in the world, and every nation's flag is sacred to its people and deserves respect. We must respect all flags,” he added.
The controversy began a week ago when Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavas, a member of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), expressed his anger that the government allowed Kurds to stage a large celebration of their New Year (Newroz) in Diyarbakir (Amed) while it cracked down on CHP protests that erupted after Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was sacked over corruption charges. The Kurdistan Region flag - a yellow sun on a red, white, and green background - was prominently flown at the Newroz celebrations.
Politicians from an ultranationalist party also made statements calling the Kurdish flag a “rag.”
Firat said nearly a thousand complaints have been filed.
“Yes, without a doubt, we are filing complaints. My request is for the Iraqi government to file a formal diplomatic complaint with Turkey over the desecration of the Kurdistan flag. It should seek legal recourse,” he said.
Sinan Ozaraz, head of the Bar Association in Turkey’s eastern province of Van, told Rudaw on Friday that only “the state owning the flag” can file a lawsuit, not individual citizens.
In addition to the flag row, insults have also been directed at Sheikh Said, a Kurdish religious leader and freedom fighter who was executed in 1925. A photograph of his execution was reportedly raised at CHP protests.
Firat noted that Sheikh Said died a century ago. “Hatred and resentment should not persist for 100 years. We do not accept such hostility.”
The Barzani family was also the target of insults by a member of the nationalist IYI Party, Selcuk Turkoglu.
“Barzani is not only the name of a family in which treason is the genetic code, but also the name of the mission to establish the second separatist structure in Turkey after Iraq,” he said earlier this week in the parliament.
He said it would be “real ignorance” to “not consider Barzanistan a threat.”
Firat said such opinions are not shared by the majority in Turkey.
“Those who commit these acts are a small minority driven by nationalism and racism,” he said, adding, “Those who target Sheikh Said Effendi, the Kurdistan flag, and the Barzani family are the same extremist groups. Otherwise, such views are not widespread across Turkey."
Thousands of people gathered in Diyarbakir on March 21 to celebrate Newroz, and the display of the Kurdistan flag was reportedly at its highest in years. The flag was also seen in Turkish-majority cities like Istanbul during Newroz celebrations.
The peaceful nature of this year’s Newroz celebrations is believed to be linked to ongoing peace talks between the state and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has indicated a willingness to lay down arms in exchange for greater political and cultural recognition of Kurds.
The Turkish government often associates displays of Kurdish symbols, especially the Kurdistan flag, with a show of support for the PKK, arresting those waving it on terror charges.
