Is Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s bold Kurdish opening aimed at ending nearly three decades of internal conflict coming to a close? The question has been weighing ever more heavily since June 28 when soldiers opened fire on a group of Kurdish demonstrators in the township of Lice in southeastern province of Diyarbakir. At least one person died and several others were wounded after the soldiers allegedly shot at the crowd as they began to flee.
The incident has sparked widespread fury among the Kurds and a flurry of condemnations from their leaders. “The state has shown that it won’t be honoring its promises (to the Kurds,)” charged Sirri Sureyya Onder, a lawmaker from the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP). The Union of Kurdistan Communities (KCK), a sister organization of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), said in a statement. “The Justice and Development Party (AKP) government, with its increasing attacks, is espousing a stand that creates doubt and distrust.”