The killing of a Kurdish protester by a stray bullet during a protest march is sure to further stress Kurdish-Turkish government relations. Until recently, Turkey had enjoyed relative peace from the Kurdish conflict, which at one time had enveloped Turkey. Many civilians had been caught in the cross-fire between the government and Kurdish rebels and its armed wing, the PKK (Group Profile and see logo). However, the Turkish government is improving its record on Kurdish rights, and a relatively inactive period for the PKK ushered in an era of peace. However, the PKK recently resumed activities, claiming that the Turkish government was seeking out Kurdish rebels and stalling on human rights for the Kurdish population. The Turkish government claimed that the PKK re-emerged as they were able to regroup with impunity from their bases in northern Iraq and cross over the border.

Since the end of the cease-fire, the PKK had greatly stepped up their activities in the last year, mainly in Kurdish areas. However, bolder attacks have taken place against tourist areas, where the PKK and other Kurdish groups are widely suspected. In previous incarnations, the PKK has targeted the tourist industry in order to harm the economy and the Turkish government. In response to and with an international spotlight on what was seen as an internal problem, Turkish security forces have stepped up their activities. The Turkish government has to walk a fine line between tightening up on security so that foreign tourists, a major source of revenue and image are not scared off, and not cracking down too hard so that their human rights record is questioned, especially on the hard road to possible European Union membership.

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