Kurdish Rights Group to Hold Protest Outside Turkish Embassy in US

Kurdish human rights advocates will hold a vigil outside the Turkish embassy in the United States on Friday to protest Ankara's lawless violence against civilians, American Kurdish Information Network Director Kani Xulam told Sputnik.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — According to a statement Xulam provided Sputnik ahead of Friday’s event, the vigil is being held on the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. who "resisted the domination of whites over blacks, as we are resisting the domination of Turks over Kurds."

"As Kurdish Americans, we are going to begin an open-ended vigil in front of the Turkish embassy on Friday, January 15 at 11 a.m. until they [Turkey] stop their lawless madness on the Kurds and Kurdistan," Xulam said.

Protesters, the statement noted, will also call on the United States to stop supplying Ankara with weapons that are used to murder Kurds, the only group that has fought and defeated the Islamic State, also known as Daesh, which is outlawed in Russia and numerous other countries.

"American support for Kurdish justice, with the same vigor given Dr. King, can spark brushfires of freedom that will light up the world with courageous cries for freedom in Turkey and Kurdistan," the statement added.

On Wednesday, local media reported that Turkish education officials vowed to take measures against more than 1,000 academics who signed a letter calling on Ankara to stop military operations against Kurdish independence fighters, local media reported Wednesday.

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has been struggling for independence for Kurdish-dominated regions in the southeast of Turkey. Severe clashes between Ankara forces and Kurdish fighters have risen since a July terror attack that killed more than 30 people, most of them Kurds. After Kurds allegedly retaliated by killing two Turkish policemen, Ankara launched a military campaign against the group.