Since the partitioning and annexation of Kurdistan into Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria after World War One, Kurds have been subject to genocide, forced assimilation policies, violent repression, and denial of basic human rights and their identity at the hands of the aforementioned countries.

In recent years, Turkey has intensified its repressive policy against 20 million Kurds in Southeast Turkey. Since 2011, as many as 7000 Kurdish politicians, activists, academics, journalists, and ordinary citizens have been arrested for peacefully demanding equality and basic human rights. Moreover, on March 24th 2012, a Turkish court sentenced Leyla Zana, a prominent Kurdish lawmaker and a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, to ten years in prison for expressing her belief. Therefore, we urge President Barack Obama to interfere and pressure Turkey to resolve the Kurdish issue by drafting an inclusive constitution that meets the Kurdish demands. Moreover, resolving the Kurdish question in Turkey will positively influence the Kurdish predicament in the other parts of Kurdistan and it is considerably instrumental in achieving peace and stability throughout the Middle East.