—and about the terror that Turkey are imposing on the Kurdish community. 

I think the Plaid Cymru motion covers the key points relevant to this debate. I am a little confused by some of the Conservative amendments, which seem to puzzlingly refer only to the PKK, when this debate is focused on the general situation of the Kurds in Anatolia and northern Syria: a cynical—a cynical—attempt to try and dilute this particular debate here today. I've met Kurdish residents in Wales and their campaign group, which has absolutely no involvement with the PKK. Reading these Tory amendments, you could be forgiven for thinking that they are a deliberate attempt to muddy the water and excuse the treatment of the Kurds in Turkey, always through the lens of the PKK, an organisation, in practice, with a limited reach and operation.  

Let's also be clear that the Turkish Government consistently uses the threat of the PKK as a wider justification for the generally poor human rights conditions they maintain in southern and south-eastern Turkey. And I won't take any lessons from a party who said that Nelson Mandela was a terrorist. Let us look back in history and see what the Conservatives have done to treat people with a lack of respect in our international discourse. There are politicians that have been locked up—politicians like Leyla Güven, who are democratically elected—intimidated, harassed on their streets, communities that have suffered intimidation and a curtailment of their democratic rights. The Turks and others are now directly using military action in northern Syria under the pretext of combating terror, by attacking rebel groups that, up until relatively recently, had the support of the United States and others as partners in the war against Isis. So, I reject these Tory amendments, as do my colleagues, and I don't think they show an adequate appreciation of the wider context.

On a personal level, I see this as a basic fight for justice for a people who have been stateless throughout the vast majority of their history. Some Kurdish origin states were established, but were overran by Turkic states and confederations when they moved into the middle east in the middle ages. Kurds have been without a formally recognised state since that point in time. So, I would hope that Members recognise their struggle in that particular context, recognise the struggle and passions that this ignites, from a people just looking for a homeland, looking for somewhere to make their home, so that the people who have come to listen to this debate, many of whom are from that community, can thrive and can practice their own religion and language and culture, and seriously consider what it takes to drive people to hunger strike for such long periods of time. People are going to suffer, as happened in the north of Ireland. When people thought that the political process could not help them, they resorted to hunger strike because they wanted to be listened to, and they wanted to ensure that they could come to a solution.    

My heart goes out to Imam Sis and to all those who are on hunger strike. Clearly, it's a very difficult position for us to be in, because we don't want people to be in that type of situation, but we do commend them for doing that as an act of political protest and support them in their plight. I would hope that we would get a positive statement of support from the international Minister here today, and a recognition that she will do everything within her possibility to fight for justice for the Kurdish community, not only those who are in Turkey, but for people in Wales who are fighting from the sidelines, fighting here because they simply are not safe to return to their home country. So, I hope that you will all take part in this debate and support the Plaid Cymru motion.