On July 24, 1923, a treaty signed at the Rumine Palace in Lausanne between Turkey, the United Kingdom, France, and their allies would go down in international history as the Treaty of Lausanne. Yet with its implementation, it became the beginning of a tragic era for the Kurdish people and the people of Kurdistan, marking the onset of both cultural and physical genocide.
And so it happened. The treaty, which legitimized the partitioning of Kurdistan into four parts by colonial powers, left the future of the Kurdish people at the mercy of Arab, Persian, and Turkish domination. One hundred and two years later, the agreement remains a deep wound in the history of the Kurdish people and stands as a symbol of enduring injustice. For this reason, the anger and resistance of the Kurdish people toward this treaty has never subsided; on the contrary, it has grown with each generation to the present day.
Switzerland and Lausanne in particular, which hosted the colonial powers at the table in 1923, will once again witness a moment of historical reckoning on the anniversary of the treaty this year, as it has every year. On the 102nd anniversary of the Treaty of Lausanne, the children of the Kurdish people, those who were excluded from the table and left to the mercy of colonialism for a century, are taking to the streets of Lausanne to voice their anger and their refusal.
Kurds and their friends gathered in the Swiss city today for a protest march and rally to condemn the treaty, which divided Kurdistan into four parts and has subjected the Kurdish people and other peoples of the region to a century of massacres, assimilation, and denial.
Under the leadership of a total of 17 Kurdish movements, including the KCK, KNK, PUK, Gorran Movement, Rojava Autonomous Administration, KCDK-E, TJK-E, PJAK, ESU, PIK, and PYD, thousands of people gathered at the Jean-Monnet Square in Lausanne and started to march to the historic Chateau d’Ouchy, where the Treaty of Lausanne negotiations took place.
The protest march is attended by Kurds from several cities in Switzerland, representatives of Mesopotamian faith groups, and various Swiss institutions, organizations, and solidarity groups.
With their banners and slogans, participants protest against more than a century of rights violations, political discrimination, and the Lausanne status quo, while drawing attention to the need for a new agreement in light of regional developments.
Source: ANF News
