LIFT THE BAN ON THE PKK – SEND A POSTCARD TODAY

Peace in Kurdistan Campaign today received a new batch of postcards ready to be sent by YOU to Theresa May at the Home Office. The postcard was specially designed and includes text on the back that urges her to delist the PKK from the list of terrorist organisations. In our view, taking this step is imperative if the government is serious about supporting a resolution to the Kurdish conflict in Turkey, which itself would have important ramifications for Rojava and the region.


The postcard text reads:

Dear Home Secretary,

On 1st May this year, lawyers submitted an appeal to the European Court of Justice to remove the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) from the list of banned organisations. Afterwards, lawyer Marq Wijngaarden stressed, “For a permanent peace to be achieved in the Middle East, the PKK must be delisted from terrorist organizations.”Hundreds of people, such as prominent lawyers Michael Mansfield and Gareth Pierce, signed our appeal agreeing with this view.

They acknowledge that in order for the current Kurdish-Turkish peace talks to have any chance of success, the PKK must be recognised as a major political actor and be offered the legal conditions with which to negotiate the end of the conflict as equal partners. Historic examples from South Africa and Northern Ireland show that this is a necessary step. Furthermore, by keeping the PKK on the list, the UK is continuing to support Turkey’s systematic criminalisation of legitimate and peaceful protest. This has led to the prosecution of over 40,000 people in 5 years. I urge you to remove the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) from the list of proscribed organisations.

TAKE PART TODAY:  Reply to this email with your name, postal address and how many cards you need and we will send them to you. Alternatively, fill in the form at the bottom of this page: http://delistthepkk.com/postcard-campaign
This appeal was jointly initiated by the Kurdish Community Centre (KCC); Halkevi Turkish and Kurdish Community Centre; Sussex Kurdish Community Centre; Peace in Kurdistan Campaign and Campaign Against Criminalising Communities (CAMPACC).
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Peace in Kurdistan Campaign for a political solution of the Kurdish QuestionEmail: estella24@tiscali.co.uk <mailto:estella24@tiscali.co.uk> 
www.peaceinkurdistancampaign.com
Contacts Estella Schmid 020 7586 5892 & Melanie  Sirinathsingh - Tel: 020 7272 7890
Fax: 020 7263 0596

KURDISH NEWS WEEKLY BRIEFING, 19 – 25 July 2014

1. Barzani voices support to Kurdish peace process
23 July 2014 / HurriyetIndependent Diyarbakır deputy Leyla Zana and Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Istanbul deputy Sırrı Süreyya Önder have met with Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani as part of their a week-long visit to northern Iraq. Barzani told Zana and Önder that the KRG was ready to support the ongoing peace process in Turkey. The KRG is ready “to give necessary support for the success of the peace process,” he said, adding that the recent legal amendments for the process were also significant. Talabani returned to Iraq over the weekend for the first time since he suffered a stroke and was flown abroad for medical treatment 18 months ago. His health appears to be in a good condition judging from the photos he appeared in with the two visiting Turkish deputies.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/barzani-voices-support-to-kurdish-peace-process.aspx?pageID=238&nID=69532&NewsCatID=338<http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/barzani-voices-support-to-kurdish-peace-process.aspx?pageID=238&nID=69532&NewsCatID=338> 
2. Exclusive: Turkey's Presidential Candidate Selahattin Demirtas Talks To Kurdish Question
22 July 2014 / Kurdish Question"I know that Alevis trust in me, Kurds trust in me, Turkish progressives and democrats trust in me, Muslim democrats trust in me, LGBTI individuals trust in me, women and youth trust in me, Armenians, Assyrians and Yazidis trust in me, Ecologists and Green movements trust in me. Now if all of these different groups have gathered around our principles and trust in us and are feeding and strengthening our hope, our job is to make sure we do not disregard or disappoint any of them and take this struggle to victory. Our aim is to represent all those supporting us in the right way by staying true to our principles, being clear, transparent and firm under all conditions." Selahattin Demirtas.
http://www.kurdishquestion.com/kurdistan/north-kurdistan/exclusive-turkey-s-presidential-candidate-selahattin-demirtas-talks-to-kurdish-question/182-exclusive-turkey-s-presidential-candidate-selahattin-demirtas-talks-to-kurdish-question.html<http://www.kurdishquestion.com/kurdistan/north-kurdistan/exclusive-turkey-s-presidential-candidate-selahattin-demirtas-talks-to-kurdish-question/182-exclusive-turkey-s-presidential-candidate-selahattin-demirtas-talks-to-kurdish-question.html> 
3. Turkey's Kurdish candidate says peace does not hinge on Erdogan
21 July 2014 / ReutersTurkey's peace process with Kurdish militants will go on whether or not Tayyip Erdogan wins the presidency in August, his pro-Kurdish rival said, but he declined to reveal whether he would back the prime minister in the event of a second-round run-off.
Selahattin Demirtas, the presidential candidate for the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), is running a distant third in the polls. He left unclear which of the leading candidates he might support. Support from Kurds, who make up a fifth of the population, could be key to Erdogan's securing the absolute majority he needs in the first round of the presidential election on Aug. 10, or equally important in the event of a run-off two weeks later.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/21/us-turkey-election-demirtas-idUSKBN0FQ1I720140721

4. Presidential candidate Demirtaş: ‘Turkey fanning the flames of the Middle East’
21 July 2014 / Journal of Turkish WeeklyTurkey is fanning the flames of turmoil in the Middle East, according to Selahattin Demirtaş, the presidential candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), which is seeking to expand beyond its Kurdish base in next month’s election.
Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News in an exclusive interview, Demirtaş also criticized the government for halting the European Union accession process, saying the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) “stopped the reform process when it no longer needed the EU.”
http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/169413/presidential-candidate-demirtas-turkey-fanning-the-flames-of-the-middle-east.html

5. Öcalan: Attacks on tent protest unacceptable
24 July 2014 / Kurdish InfoFollowing the burning of tents by Turkish security forces at the solidarity vigil with Kobane in the village of Ziyaret in Birecik district, the vigil is continuing.
Mehmet Öcalan, the brother of Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan, visited the vigil this morning.
Mehmet Öcalan said his brother had told him during his recent visit that the state’s hostile attitude to the tent protest was unacceptable.
The tents were erected on 9 July in solidarity with the resistance of the people of Kobane to ISIS attacks on it.
On 20 and 21 July the protest site was attacked and pillaged by police and soldiers.
http://www.kurdishinfo.com/ocalan-attacks-tent-protest-unacceptable <http://www.kurdishinfo.com/ocalan-attacks-tent-protest-unacceptable> 
6. A Kurdish general bombarded in Gaza
24 July 2014 / Kurdish InfoThe fiercest Israeli attacks on Gaza have been concentrated on the neighbourhood of Shejaiya, where more than 100 people have died.
The name of this neighbourhood is derived from the name of one of Saladin al Ayubi’s generals, Shuja’ al-Kurdi, who was killed in a battle with Crusaders in 1239 AD. Shejaiya, whose residents are largely of Turkmen and Kurdish descent, was targeted during Israel’s two previous offensives on the Gaza Strip within the past six years, in 2008/9 and 2012.At least 644 Palestinians have died in the Israeli operations targeting Gaza that began on 8 July, and around 4,000 people have been wounded.
The vast majority of these casualties have been civilians, with at least a hundred children having been killed.
http://www.kurdishinfo.com/kurdish-general-bombarded-gaza <http://www.kurdishinfo.com/kurdish-general-bombarded-gaza> 
7. More than 700 killed in Syria as ISIS tightens grip on east
20 July 2014 / Asharq al-AwsatMore than 700 people were killed in Syria over the course of Thursday and Friday, in what activists say were the bloodiest 48 hours of fighting in the conflict to date.
The head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), Rami Abdul Rahman, told Asharq Al-Awsat that this was the first time casualties had topped 700 in the space of two days since the conflict began in 2011. He contrasted the violence to the gas attack in the Ghouta region close to Damascus last year, which he said killed around 500 people. The UK-based SOHR tracks casualties on both sides of the Syrian conflict by collating reports from a network of observers on the ground in the country.
The final toll was announced after the SOHR reported that 270 people had been killed in fighting between pro-Syrian government forces and militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), when the latter seized the Shaar gas field east of the city of Homs on Friday.
http://www.aawsat.net/2014/07/article55334493?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=*Mideast%20Brief&utm_campaign=2014_The%20Middle%20East%20Daily_7.21.14<http://www.aawsat.net/2014/07/article55334493?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=*Mideast%20Brief&utm_campaign=2014_The%20Middle%20East%20Daily_7.21.14>
8. ISIS Tells Kurdish Families to Leave Mosul
20 July 2014 / AINAAfter the exodus of the Christian community from Mosul following [AINA 2014-07-20] threats by the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS), the insurgents are now allegedly threatening the Kurdish community, pushing them to leave the city.
Hashm Ali, a Kurd from Mosul, plans to leave the city as soon as possible due to the threats made by ISIS to his family.
"ISIS insurgents view Kurds in the city as infidels and non-Muslims, for this reason they threaten Kurdish families. They have warned Kurds to leave the city as soon as possible because Kurds are Peshmerga fight against ISIS rebels," said Ali to BasNews.
Another Kurdish citizen in Mosul Salwan Hussein said "in spite of the continuous threats of ISIS, they have given us several days to leave the city."
http://www.aina.org/news/20140720064502.htm <http://www.aina.org/news/20140720064502.htm> 
9. HDP condemns Israeli offensive against Palestine
10 July 2014 / HurriyetThe Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) has strongly condemned Israeli airstrikes against Palestinians, criticizing the international community’s silence over the attacks that have so far claimed the lives of 80 people.
“We feel sorrow and concern for the loss of more than 80 people and the injury sustained to 400 others who are all civilians, as a result of Israel’s comprehensive attacks against Palestinian cities, particularly Gaza. Targeting civilians is unacceptable for any reason whatsoever,” the HDP said in a written statement on July 10.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/hdp-condemns-israeli-offensive-against-palestine-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=68948&NewsCatID=510<http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/hdp-condemns-israeli-offensive-against-palestine-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=68948&NewsCatID=510> 
10. Ban on Firat News Agency lifted in Turkey
22 July 2014 / ANFA court in Istanbul has lifted the ban on access to the Firat News Agency (ANF) website.
ANF’s lawyer Ramazan Demir said: “The illegality and arbitrary use of legislation that has gone on for years has now ended.”
Access to the ANF internet site www.firatnews.com, which was founded in 2005 and publishes in two dialects of Kurdish (Kurmanji-Sorani), Turkish, English, Arabic and Persian, was obstructed by a judgment in 2011 that prevented access to 36 Kurdish internet sites.
Since then access to the domain addresses of various extensions of ANF have also been blocked.
http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/ban-on-firat-news-agency-lifted-in-turkey.htm <http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/ban-on-firat-news-agency-lifted-in-turkey.htm> 
11. Margaret Owen Speaks To Kurdish Question
July 2014 / Kurdish QuestionMark Campbell speaks to UK human rights barrister Margaret Owen for Kurdish Question about her interest in the freedom struggle of the Kurdish people and especially Kurdish women.
http://www.kurdishquestion.com/interviews/margaret-owen-speaks-to-kurdish-question.html<http://www.kurdishquestion.com/interviews/margaret-owen-speaks-to-kurdish-question.html> 
12. Syria Daily, July 21: Finally a Battle Between Assad Regime and Islamic State?
21 July 2014 / EA WorldviewPresident Assad’s forces and the jihadist Islamic State have met in their first one-on-one ground battle in the 40-month Syrian conflict.
The pro-regime Al-Watan, citing a “military source”, wrote on Sunday of fighting over the al-Shaer gas field in the Palmyra district of central Syria.
The Islamic State, which already has control of oilfields in eastern Syria, moved into al-Sha’er last Thursday, killing scores of guards — a propaganda statement by the jihadist showed photos of 72 bodies. Syrian forces secured a nearby oilfield and counter-attacked on Friday. Al-Watan said at least 60 troops have been killed in the attempt to reclaim the gas field.
http://eaworldview.com/2014/07/syria-daily-finally-battle-assad-regime-islamic-state/

13. Clashes with PYD ongoing on Syrian border as death toll rises to nine
23 July 2014 / CihanA Turkish soldier wounded during clashes between the Turkish army and the Democratic Union Party (PYD), an offshoot of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), died on Tuesday, raising the death toll of soldiers killed during Monday's clash with Kurdish militants to three. Yiğit Şahan was heavily injured after the Kurdish group opened fire on the Turkish soldiers late on Monday near the town of Ceylanpınar, in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa. He was taken to Harran University Hospital where, despite reports citing his doctors that Şahan was in good condition, he died late on Tuesday. His body was sent to his home city of İzmir after a funeral ceremony in Şanlıurfa.
http://en.cihan.com.tr/news/Clashes-with-PYD-ongoing-on-Syrian-border-as-death-toll-rises-to-nine_0493-CHMTUxMDQ5My8kbmV3c01hcFZhbHVlLntjYXRlZ29yeS5pZH0 <http://en.cihan.com.tr/news/Clashes-with-PYD-ongoing-on-Syrian-border-as-death-toll-rises-to-nine_0493-CHMTUxMDQ5My8kbmV3c01hcFZhbHVlLntjYXRlZ29yeS5pZH0> =

14. Christians flee Iraq's Mosul after ultimatum by IS
19 July 2014 / Middle East EyeHundreds of Christian families fled their homes in Mosul Saturday before an ultimatum from the Islamic State (IS) threatening their community's centuries-old presence in the northern Iraqi city expired. An AFP correspondent in Mosul, the main Iraqi hub of the IS proclaimed "caliphate", said Christians squeezed into private cars and taxis to beat the noon deadline.
"Some families have had all their money and jewellery taken from them at an insurgent checkpoint as they fled the city," said Abu Rayan, a Mosul Christian who had just driven out with his family. IS who have run the city since a sweeping military offensive that began six weeks ago has told the thousands of Christians in Mosul they could convert, pay a special tax or leave.
: http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/christians-flee-iraqs-mosul-after-ultimatum-712350966#sthash.c0jeUigB.dpuf

15. Talk to Al Jazeera - Masoud Barzani: Kurdish independence
17 July 2014 / Al JazeeraThe president of the Iraqi Kurdistan region discusses the future of the nation and how change is a must for Iraq. Masoud Barzani is the president of the Iraqi Kurdistan region which has a population of five million Kurds. “The Kurds are tired of this exhausting situation in Iraq. Change is therefore a must in Iraq. We will no longer accept other people deciding our fate. We will be the ones deciding our own future.”
Iraq's Sunni heartland is currently in the grip of fighters from the self-declared Islamic State and other Sunni groups. The mainly Shia Iraqi army who initially fled from the advancing fighters are struggling to contain them.
http://m.aljazeera.com/story/201471719176616433 <http://m.aljazeera.com/story/201471719176616433> 
16. Kurds settle on candidate to be Iraq’s president, clearing way for vote
24 July 2014 / Sacbee NewsIraq’s Kurdish political bloc settled late Wednesday on a veteran politician from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan to be its nominee to be Iraq’s next president, a decision that seemed likely to clear the way for his election to the office Thursday.
Fouad Massoum had been one of three Kurds vying for the office in a field that on Wednesday had been winnowed to 41 from 103 a day earlier. His nomination as the sole Kurdish candidate was announced by a television station loyal to Jalal Talabani, Iraq’s current president.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/07/24/6577754/iraq-delays-picking-president.html#storylink=cpy
 
18. The Presidential Election In Turkey And N.Kurdistan And Our Votes Around The World
July 2014 / Kurdish QuestionAll three candidates for the upcoming elections in Turkey and North Kurdistan have been declared. Not surprisingly the AKP’s candidate is Prime Minister Erdogan; the HDP’s candidate co-chair Selahattin Demirtas, while the CHP-MHP joint candidate is Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, an Islamist newcomer to active politics. Ihsanoglu was the first candidate to be declared and the most furore and discussion has broken out over his candidacy. The Kemalist wing, nationalists and the few social democrats within the CHP have been openly critical of their party for declaring a man whose primary identity is his Islamic identity. At the grassroots level CHP’s core voters are also upset and angry with their party for not consulting them and their organisations. Alevis make up an important part of this unsettled group and see this candidacy as proof that the CHP is becoming more like the MHP and moving to the right rather than social democracy.
http://www.kurdishquestion.com/kurdistan/north-kurdistan/the-presidential-election-in-turkey-n-kurdistan-and-our-votes-around-the-world.html<http://www.kurdishquestion.com/kurdistan/north-kurdistan/the-presidential-election-in-turkey-n-kurdistan-and-our-votes-around-the-world.html> 
19. Duran Kalkan: Independence And Freedom
July 2014 / Kurdish QuestionThe latest developments in the Middle East has re-intensified the discussions of independence and freedom amongst the Kurds. The administration in Southern Kurdistan is stating that it will "declare independence". The democratic autonomous cantons in Western Kurdistan are stating that they have installed a "free and democratic way of life". This brings us nicely to the question of "what is the difference between independence and freedom?"
It is not even worth mentioning that the terms independence and freedom are not new to the Kurdish agenda. The Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Ocalan has been trying to develop a Kurdish consciousness regarding freedom and independence for over forty years. The Kurdish people — under the leadership of the PKK — have been struggling heroically for freedom and independence for the past thirty-six years.
http://www.kurdishquestion.com/insight-research/analysis/independence-and-freedom.html <http://www.kurdishquestion.com/insight-research/analysis/independence-and-freedom.html> 
20. Alevis find saying no to Erdogan a tall task
23 July 2014 / Al MonitorOn July 21 in Ankara, the Alevi Bektasi Federation (ABF) announced that it had politely declined an invitation from Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for its members to attend iftar, the breaking of the fast during Ramadan. As the holy month draws to a close, Turkey's presidential candidates have mobilized to attract different groups to their iftars. The prime minister and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) were already known for their lavish, high-end iftars, and the election campaign has only intensified dinner traffic. Every evening, the media carry reports of Erdogan addressing pre- and post-iftar gatherings, turning them into live events for the country to follow on multiple TV channels. Crowds are encouraged to cheer for Erdogan during the live broadcasts as he passionately campaigns. In the first days of Ramadan, a photo of Erdogan was shared on social media asking, “Are you ready? He is fasting and is even angrier.”
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/07/tremblay-erdogan-iftar-alevis-gaza-berkin-turkey-akp.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter##ixzz38V5jJanW <http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/07/tremblay-erdogan-iftar-alevis-gaza-berkin-turkey-akp.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter##ixzz38V5jJanW> 
21. Turkey’s benign neglect helped spur the Islamic State’s rise
22 July 2014 / The Daily StarOne night in 1995, I switched to CNN International to catch the evening news, and saw a long caravan of Toyotas driving toward a dusty city carrying solemn young men with flowing beards and Uzis. The Taliban had just entered the global scene. Its conquest of Afghanistan allowed Al-Qaeda to flourish, which led to 9/11 and triggered the ongoing war between Judeo-Christianity and Islam. The echoes of the Taliban are now resonating loudly once again, right in the middle of the most fragile of Muslim geographies: Mesopotamia. The Islamic State in Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS), since renamed the Islamic State, is not Al-Qaeda’s first attempt to plant itself in this region, but it may be the first successful one. And if ISIS becomes a permanent fixture of the Mesopotamian landscape, its former supporter, Turkey, will suffer the most.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Commentary/2014/Jul-22/264649-turkeys-benign-neglect-helped-spur-the-islamic-states-rise.ashx#ixzz38CPu72kY <http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Commentary/2014/Jul-22/264649-turkeys-benign-neglect-helped-spur-the-islamic-states-rise.ashx#ixzz38CPu72kY> 

22. Turkey’s Response to ISIS and the Crisis in Iraq
16 July 2014 / RUSIOn 11 June 2014, fighters from the Islamic State (IS) stormed the Turkish consulate in Mosul and kidnapped forty-nine consulate staff and their family members. The hostage crisis has posed a set of unique challenges for Turkish foreign policy makers seeking to craft a new policy for the conflicts in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, Turkey has strongly advocated for the United States to use military force to topple Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. However, in Iraq, Ankara has opted for a more cautious policy and has spoken out against the prospect of US airstrikes.
https://www.rusi.org/go.php?structureID=commentary&ref=C53C65D249F758#.U85HW4BdVy5 <https://www.rusi.org/go.php?structureID=commentary&ref=C53C65D249F758#.U85HW4BdVy5> 
23. Islamic State uses Turkish Consulate in Mosul as headquarters
17 July 2014 / Al MonitorWhen Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the enigmatic leader of the al-Qaeda-inspired Islamic State (IS, formerly the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, or ISIS), appeared on a video posted online in early July addressing a congregation of faithful at a mosque in Mosul, pundits oozed commentary about his words and his attire. Was the self-declared caliph’s watch a Rolex? If so, how did this sit with the teachings of Islam? they mused. But a no less significant detail escaped unnoticed. After his fiery speech, Baghdadi was whisked away to the Islamic State's new headquarters — the Turkish Consulate in Mosul. “It is absolutely true that IS has been using the Turkish Consulate as its main headquarters and that Baghdadi spent several hours there,” confirmed Atheel al-Nujaifi, the governor of Mosul, in a telephone interview with Al-Monitor. “It is their office.”
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/07/zaman-isis-turkeys-mosul-consulate-headquarter-iraq.html#ixzz38PHqWAvf <http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/07/zaman-isis-turkeys-mosul-consulate-headquarter-iraq.html#ixzz38PHqWAvf> 
24. The Stupidity of American Foreign Policy
25 July 2014 / Peace in Kurdistan CampaignAlthough there can be no doubt that compared to most other countries in the world today and in the past, American foreign policy has been motivated by relative honesty and intelligence, currently there are several specifics in that policy that can only be characterized as sheer stupidity. The first point has to do with American foreign policy towards the horrific civil war in Syria. Although President Obama’s basic instinct not to enter another disastrous Middle Eastern war is sound, his administration’s continuing attempt to support increasingly non-existent moderate oppositionists against the Assad regime is at the best based on wishful thinking because with one exception (the Kurds) such moderates in Syria no longer exist.
http://peaceinkurdistancampaign.com/2014/07/25/gunter-the-stupidity-of-american-foreign-policy/<http://peaceinkurdistancampaign.com/2014/07/25/gunter-the-stupidity-of-american-foreign-policy/> 
25. The truth about conspiracy theories is that some require considering
20 July 2014 / The IndependentPatrick Cockburn: The Greeks tell a story against themselves about their tendency to believe in conspiracy theories. They relate how God decided that he would give every nation as a gift a special national characteristic. On the appointed day, representatives of the nations of the world entered the divine presence and were handed their gifts. The Americans received optimism, the French elegance, the British stoicism, the Russians courage, the Iranians cunning, and so on. The Greek delegation was delayed and arrived late just as the other nations were leaving. God apologised and explained to them that he was sorry but he had already given away the most desirable characteristics and there were none left. The Greeks were enraged and protested furiously, shouting "so you too, God, have joined the plot against us as we always expected you would. Go on, tell us who is paying you and why do you conspire against us?"
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/the-truth-about-conspiracy-theories-is-that-some-require-considering-9616863.html<http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/the-truth-about-conspiracy-theories-is-that-some-require-considering-9616863.html> 
26. The Dilemmas of the Kurds in Syria
24 July 2014 / RudawLast week I wrote about the international community’s options of whom to support in Iraq. I did so in multiple choice format, concluding that only the Kurdistan Regional Government appears democratic, worthy and capable of taking on the Islamic State’s Jihadis. Since 2012, however, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria’s militants have also been fighting Kurds in Syria very actively. Most recently, they used weapons and vehicles captured in Mosul to increase their pressure on Kobane and other cantons controlled by the Kurds of Rojava (Syrian Kurdistan). The fighting has grown more desperate and fierce, but the Kurds of Kobane and other areas remain on their own. With little more than old Kalashnikovs and RPGs, they continue to hold back a determined and now better-armed force than what the Iraqi army fled from in June. Yet still the United States and others still refuse to provide support to the Syrian Kurds.
http://rudaw.net/english/opinion/240720141 <http://rudaw.net/english/opinion/240720141> 
27. The realpolitik of Turkish-Kurdish energy cooperation
24 July 2014 / Middle East EyeOne of the top priorities for the AKP (Justice and Development) government has been making sure that Turkey becomes an energy hub between eastern suppliers and Western markets. The Iraq crisis, despite posing a threat for Turkish interests, brings the government closer to its aspirations. However, the government may have to delay, if not totally relinquish, the ideal of being a game setter and assume a more unassertive position as a regional player that pragmatically adapts itself to the changing conditions.
The current policies indicate that this is actually what the Turkish government is set to do. After the Islamic State (IS) seized control of several oil refineries and pipelines adjacent to the Kurdish region, the AKP-KRG (Kurdish Regional Government) bloc saw the eventual emergence of a new regional “energy status quo” as the awaited occasion to increase the international legitimacy of their energy agreement.
http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/realpolitik-turkish-kurdish-energy-cooperation-1868235065#sthash.dT72RQAr.dpuf

28. Iraqi Kurdistan and Israel: A choice between political strategies and moral stances
19 July 2014 / Al AkbarOver the course of the past decade, Iraqi Kurdistan, also known as South Kurdistan, has been pushing harder for secession from Iraq and forming an independent Kurdish state. If and when this occurs, will the Kurdish politicians and the population be comfortable allying with Israel? The journey for Kurdish self-determination has been long and arduous throughout the 20th century. As early as 1919, Kurdish groups in northern Iraq led by Mahmoud Barzanji rebelled against British colonial domination. The revolt was ferocious, only quelled after the colonial British air-force unleashed a barrage of deadly gas bombs on villages and towns. Barely two years later, in 1922, as Barzanji declared the Kingdom of Kurdistan, another Kurdish revolt against the British was sparked but it too was quickly repressed by force.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/iraqi-kurdistan-and-israel-choice-between-political-strategies-and-moral-stances

29. The 194th State: The Kurds’ Bid for Nationhood
17 July 2014 / The New YorkerI snuck into Kurdistan, in 2002, on an old smugglers’ route. There was no legal way to get there, so I’d flown to Iran, taken a second flight to its western border, driven a couple hours, signed a log book in a hut acknowledging that I’d left Iran, then walked across a dirt road into the raw wilderness of northern Iraq. There were no buildings in sight, let alone border security, immigration, or even road signs—just vistas of craggy mountains.
The Kurds, who make up nearly twenty per cent of Iraq’s population, had been isolated from the world for more than a decade, since the United Nations imposed sanctions on Saddam Hussein’s regime in 1991. They had also been isolated from the rest of Iraq, as punishment for challenging Saddam’s rule. He squeezed them even harder than the world squeezed him. The Kurds’ regional governments suddenly had to fend for themselves.
http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-194th-state-the-kurds-bid-for-nationhood?mobify=0 <http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-194th-state-the-kurds-bid-for-nationhood?mobify=0> 
30. The rise of ISIS signals a deeper crisis of representation amidst the different communities of the region
7 July 2014 / Oxford Research GroupAlarm has spread as the Islamist militant group Isis (Islamic State of Iraq & Syria) who now prefers to call itself the Islamic “state”, has crossed the border of  Iraq and Syria, threatening  the  implementation of  a caliphate and harsh Islamic law to any who do not practice its brand of violent ‘puritanism’. Sectarian hatred has begun to shape the regional DNA threatening to erode boundaries that have prevailed since the collapse of the Ottoman empire a century ago.
http://www.oxfordresearchgroup.org.uk/publications/articles_multimedia/rise_isis_signals_deeper_crisis_representation_amidst_different_com

31. Video: Christopher Davidson on the Islamic State's funding and strategy
23 July 2014 / Middle East EyeChristopher Davidson, author of After the Sheikhs: The Coming Collapse of the Gulf Monarchies and reader in Middle East politics at Durham University, spoke to MEE about his thoughts on the Islamic State’s funding and future strategy in Iraq and beyond.
Davidson goes against what he calls the “conventional narrative” of believing IS has been self-funded, saying it is likely “considerable funding has been flowing in” from regionally based, as well as international, sympathisers.
Discussing where the group will head next, Davidson said: “my guess is they are attempting to create dominance over Sunni parts of the Middle East and perhaps even eventually the Arabian Peninsula”.
- See more at: http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/video-christopher-davidson-islamic-states-funding-and-strategy-2074692177#sthash.b1h7iUok.dpuf
 

KURDISH NEWS WEEKLY BRIEFING, 12 – 18 July 2014

1. People of Botan to abolish Rojava border on 19 July
17 July / Dicle NewsThe people of Botan are determined to cross the border in the great Rojava march on 19 July. Cizre Municipality Co-mayor Leyla İmret called on everyone to join the march, saying, "those borders will be crossed by tens of thousands on 19 July."
DBP (Party of Democratic Regions) Cizre district co-chair Ali Gün said: "Our main aim is render even more meaningless these already meaningless borders." The people of Botan have begun to flood to the district of Cizre in Şırnak province to lend their support to the great Rojava march. The people of Botan, responding to PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan's call for "allout resistance" to the ISIS attacks on Rojava, will march from the Saklan area of Cizre towards the Cizirê (Jazire) Canton of Rojava on 19 July, the second anniversary of the Rojava revolution.
http://www.diclehaber.com/en/news/content/view/411151?from=314584322
 
2. ‘May God help Erdoğan if I’m elected president’: Demirtaş
18 July / Hurriyet NewsThe Peoples’ Democratic Party’s (HDP) candidate for the upcoming presidential elections, Selahattin Demirtaş, revealed the roadmap of his campaign at an Istanbul meeting on July 15, along with a slogan declaring a “call for a new life.”
In the meeting, Demirtaş underlined his stance against all kinds of discrimination in Turkey while also boldly claiming that he will win the elections in the first round, scheduled for Aug. 10.
http://tinyurl.com/op3d6le
 
3. Turkey's youngest Kurdish mayor slams 'ridiculous' jail term
14 July / eKurdA 25-year-old Kurd who is Turkey's youngest mayor slammed on Monday as "ridiculous" a four-year jail sentence she was handed for taking part in protests she claims she did not attend.
A court in the southeastern Kurdish regional capital Diyarbakir said Monday she had been convicted because judges believed the profile of her nose and mouth matched that of a protester filmed at a violent Kurdish rally.
http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2014/7/turkey5070.htm
 
4. Turkish support for ISIS is proved
13 July / Hawar NewsThe Turkish State is continuing in its support for ISIS mercenaries, which is ranked internationally on the list of ‘Terrorists’, through the reception of these mercenaries in its airports and sending them to Rojava to attack Kurdish people. 
During the last clashes, which took place yesterday between People's Defense units and ISIS mercenaries, in which many of mercenaries were killed, People's Defense Units gained the identity papers of an Egyptian Emir (price) and a Tunisian with his passport.
http://www.hawarnews.com/english/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1971:turkish-support-for-isis-is-proved&catid=1:news&Itemid=2
 
5. KCK: Turkey facilitates ISIS attacks on Syrian Kurdistan
13 July / Bas NewsOn Sunday the Kurdistan Democratic Communities’ Union (KCK) issued a statement claiming the Kurds of Syrian Kurdistan will “not bow to the oppressor and will resist until the end”.
 The statement was issued in response to the recent attack of the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) on Kobani. […]
KCK accuse Turkey of opening its borders to ISIS, “ensuring their crossing into Rojava and setting them against the people of Kobani” and of cooperating with the Sunni insurgents.
http://basnews.com/en/News/Details/KCK--Turkey-facilitates-ISIS-attacks-on-Syrian-Kurdistan/26693
 
6. Turkish Airline Transporting Tajik Militants to Syria, Iraq
15 July / Fars NewsTurkish Air has been transferring large groups of Takfiri terrorists from different countries to Syria and Iraq, including nearly a hundred Takfiri Tajiks to Iraq lately, sources revealed on Tuesday.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13930424000972
 
7. ISIL ‘attacks Shiite mosque’ in Istanbul
18 July / Hurriyet News
Members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) attacked a Shiite mosque in Istanbul last week, a human rights association has claimed in report, refuting official statements about the incident.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/isil-attacks-shiite-mosque-in-istanbul.aspx?pageID=238&nID=69200&NewsCatID=341

8. Turkey embracing Iraq’s Kurds as trade erodes old enmity
12 July / Daily StarOnce branded an enemy of the state, the leader of Iraq’s Kurds, Massoud Barzani, has become Turkey’s best friend in the Middle East.
For decades, Turkey <file://localhost/javascript/void(0)> regarded Barzani’s aspirations for independence as an incitement to ethnic Kurds on its soil who had taken up arms for self-governance. During the 2003 U.S. invasion to topple Saddam Hussein, Turkey came close to sending troops into northern Iraq <file://localhost/javascript/void(0)> to prevent the Kurds extending their borders to oil-rich Kirkuk. Last month, amid Iraq’s latest crisis,Kirkuk <file://localhost/javascript/void(0)>  fell to the Kurds without a fight, and without any sign of Turkish concern.
http://tinyurl.com/kxesmh5
 
9. People flooding to Rojava border
14 July / The Kurdish QuestionHundreds of people have left in convoys of vehicles from the cities of Amed, Batman and Van heading for Suruc, while preparations are being made for a tent protest at the border in Cizre.
Hundreds of people have left the districts of Lice, Hani, Kulp, Hazro and Kocakoy in Amed province to demonstrate their support for the resistance in Kobane. Musicians and singers also on the way Members of the Cegerxwin Culture and Art Centre are also heading to the border in a convoy of 6 vehicles.
http://www.kurdishquestion.com/kurdistan/north-kurdistan/people-flooding-to-rojava-border.html
 
10. Hundred of Kurds enter Syria to fight ISIL as Turkey increases security on Rojava border
18 July / Hurriyet NewsHundreds of Kurdish fighters have entered the predominantly Syrian Kurdish region known as Rojava in recent days to battle jihadists besieging the Kurdish city of Kobane, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdul Rahman said July 14, as the Turkish army beefed up its security on the border.
http://tinyurl.com/nej8ap7
 12. Barzani's Ankara meetings end
15 July / ANF NewsKurdistan Federal Region President Massoud Barzani has held talks in Ankara with Turkish President Abdullah Gül, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu.
It is understood that subjects discussed included the independence referendum, the plight of Turkish consular staff being held hostage by ISIS and the oil crisis.
http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/barzani-s-ankara-meetings-end.htm

13. Turkish airlines transporting ISIS gangs
16 July / Dicle NewsTurkish Airlines (THY) has been transferring large groups of militants from different countries to Syria and Iraq, including nearly a hundred Tajiks to Iraq lately, sources revealed on Tuesday.
http://www.diclehaber.com/en/news/content/view/410973?from=4261604361
 
14. Prosecutor uses PKK evidence against ‘girl with red foulard,' lawyers cry foul
18 July / Hurriyet NewsReports on a young Gezi protester, who became publicly known as “the girl with the red foulard,” which states that she joined the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party <http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/PKK> (PKK), have been used as evidence by the prosecutor in her trial.
Ayşe Deniz Karacagil, 21, who faces up to 98 years in prison for participating in the Gezi Park demonstrations last year, had joined the outlawed PKK<http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/PKK> months after being released from a four month-long custody.
http://tinyurl.com/q4bo2pe
 
15. HDP: does Kürecik radar base protect Israel too?
15 July / ANF NewsHDP MP İdris Baluken has asked in the Turkish parliament whether military intelligence is being gathered from the Kürecik radar base, which countries the base is protecting and whether Israel is among those countries.
http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/hdp-does-kurecik-radar-base-protect-israel-too.htm
 
16. While Iraq burns, Isis takes advantage in Syria
18 July / BBCWhile international attention has been fixated on the disintegration of Iraq and the expansion of the so-called caliphate of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Sunni insurgents have moved their offensive back into Syria with a newly acquired haul of US-made weapons and cash.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-28347456
 
17. Syrian Kurdistan to defend itself with new law
15 July / eKurdThe Democratic Autonomous Administrations Founder Assembly held a meeting in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava) and legislated an important law regarding the service of defense.
According to ANHA, the Democratic Autonomous Administrations Defense Law, which will be applied in all three cantons of Rojava (western Kurdistan), has been published in the official gazette. Defense Law includes 9 articles. According to the law, civilians aged between 18 and 30 must enlist in the military for six months. The law also states that the soldier can choose to either serve the six months with no interruptions or in break the time up into different phases. 
http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2014/7/syriakurd1281.htm
 
18. Doctors confirm ISIS use of chemical weapons in Kobane (Graphic Photos)
15 July / The Kurdistan TribuneLocal doctors and officials have confirmed that the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIS) used some sorts of chemical weapon that instantly killed Kurdish fighters during clashes in Kobanê of Rojava northeast Syria.
http://kurdistantribune.com/2014/doctors-confirm-isis-use-of-chemical-weapon-kobane/

19. Iraq crisis: Kurdistan’s female fighters take on Isis (with video)
16 July / BBCKurdish Peshmerga fighters have moved into parts of northern Iraq abandoned by the army in the face of an advance by jihadist-led rebels. The BBC's Shaimaa Khalil met members of an elite female unit as they prepared to go to the front line.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-28308632
 
20. Hundreds of Turkish Kurds en route to Syria to fight jihadists
15 July / Albawaba NewsHundreds of Kurds from Turkey are heading en masse to northern Syria to help their counterparts fight against jihadists, according to Agence France Presse Tuesday. "At least 800 Kurdish fighters crossed the Turkish-Syrian border to help their comrades in Ain Al Arab (Kobani in Kurdish), which is under total siege by Islamic State jihadists," UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.
http://www.albawaba.com/news/syria-kurds-590542
 
21. YPG inflicts heavy losses on ISIS in Kobane
13 July / ANF NewsISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) gangs attacking Kobanê with heavy weaponry brought from Iraq are sustaining heavy casualties in clashes with the YPG (People’s Protection Forces).
According to the YPG 61 gang members have been killed in the last 24 hours and large amounts of military hardware have been seized.
http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/ypg-inflicts-heavy-losses-on-isis-in-kobane.htm
 
22. Syria conflict: ISIS marches further into Syria tipping the balance of power in the civil war
15 July / The Independent Isis fighters have captured much of eastern Syria in the past few days while international attention has been focused on the Israeli bombardment of Gaza. Using tanks and artillery seized in Iraq, it has taken almost all of oil-rich Deir Ezzor province and is battling to crush the resistance of the Syrian Kurds.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syria-conflict-isis-marches-further-into-syria-tipping-the-balance-of-power-in-the-civil-war-9608335.html
 
23. Syria conflict: Western countries sending millions of pounds in aid to ISIS-controlled regions
16 July / The Independent Western governments are sending millions of pounds of aid to areas held by the radical Islamic group Isis in northern Syria, The Independent can reveal.
The aid, which is paid for by the UK, European and US governments, consists of food, medicine and hygiene kits. It is brought into the country through the war-torn north from the two last remaining border posts open with Turkey in Reyhanli and Kilis.
http://tinyurl.com/nev4c5h
 
24. CIA expanding facilities in Kurdistan?
14 July / Hot AirIt’s no secret that the Kurds see the civil war in Iraq as their opportunity for independence, but until now the US has publicly insisted on keeping Iraq a unitary state, even to the point that the Kurds began complaining that the US was the main obstacle to their national aspirations. Privately, however, it appears that the CIA has begun investing in infrastructure in Irbil as part of their effort to gather intel on ISIS. That, McClatchy’s Mitchell Prothero reports, suggests that the US has begun covering its bases as reality sets in on Iraq’s sunset.
http://hotair.com/archives/2014/07/14/cia-expanding-facilities-in-kurdistan/
 
25. Uncertain welcome for Israel's support in Iraqi Kurdistan
14 July / Middle East EyeIsrael is the only country that has voiced public support for Kurdish statehood. But not all Kurds are too keen on being seen as a ‘second Israel’ in an area surrounded by Arab states and amid the ongoing conflict between Palestinians and Israel. Some Kurds worry that Israel’s support for the Kurds could translate into suicide attacks and threats from Iran.
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/not-all-iraqi-kurds-welcome-israels-support-666475009

COMMENT, OPINION AND ANALYSIS26. Kurds hope oil boom will fuel prosperous independent future
14 July / The Guardian Inside the lobby of Kurdistan's parliament, flanked by guards in traditional baggy trousers, is a giant portrait of Mustafa Barzani. The Barzanis have been fighting for Kurdish independence since the 1880s. They battled the Ottomans, the British and Baghdad. In a colourful life, including exile in Iran and the Soviet Union, Barzani tried to establish a Kurdish state. He died in 1979, in the US. Now, it seems, his moment has finally arrived.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/14/kurdish-technocrats-discuss-kurdistan-oil-wealth
 
27. Iraq crisis: How Saudi Arabia helped Isis take over the north of the country
13 July / The IndependentHow far is Saudi Arabia complicit in the Isis takeover of much of northern Iraq, and is it stoking an escalating Sunni-Shia conflict across the Islamic world? Some time before 9/11, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, once the powerful Saudi ambassador in Washington and head of Saudi intelligence until a few months ago, had a revealing and ominous conversation with the head of the British Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, Sir Richard Dearlove. Prince Bandar told him: "The time is not far off in the Middle East, Richard, when it will be literally 'God help the Shia'. More than a billion Sunnis have simply had enough of them."
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/iraq-crisis-how-saudi-arabia-helped-isis-take-over-the-north-of-the-country-9602312.html
 
28. "Iraq Has Already Disintegrated": ISIS Expands Stronghold as Leaks Expose US Doubts on Iraqi Forces (Video)
16 July / Democracy NowIraq remains on the verge of splintering into three separate states as Sunni militants expand their stronghold in the north and west of Iraq. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) declared itself a caliphate last month and now controls large parts of northern and western Iraq and much of eastern Syria. Recent advances byISIS, including in the city of Tikrit, come amidst leaks revealing extensive Pentagon concerns over its effort to advise the Iraqi military. Iraqi politicians, meanwhile, are scrambling to form a power-sharing government in an effort to save Iraq from splintering into separate Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish states. We are joined by two guests: Reporting live from Baghdad is Hannah Allam, foreign affairs correspondent for McClatchy Newspapers, and joining us from London is Patrick Cockburn, Middle East correspondent for The Independent and author of the forthcoming book, "The Jihadis Return: ISIS and the New Sunni Uprising."
http://www.democracynow.org/2014/7/16/iraq_has_already_disintegrated_isis_expands
 
29. Explaining Kurdish Nationalism Interview With Tenn Tech Univ Prof Michael Gunter
14 July / Musings on IraqThere are more and more signs pointing towards the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) declaring independence from Iraq sometime in the future. This has been a long term goal based upon recent events in Iraq and historical imagining. To help explain the roots of Kurdish nationalism is Prof. Michael Gunter of Tennessee Tech. Univ.
http://musingsoniraq.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/explaining-kurdish-nationalism.html
 
30. Revisiting Kurdistan: ‘If there is a success story in Iraq, it’s here’
16 July / The GuardianThe news from Iraq has been grim of late. Sectarian killings, political feuding and the flamboyant rise of Islamist fanaticism. Last month, Isis – the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant <http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/11/isis-too-extreme-al-qaida-terror-jihadi> , one of a series of radical Sunni groups – carried out a stunning military advance. Its fighters captured Mosul <http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/10/iraq-sunni-insurgents-islamic-militants-seize-control-mosul> , Iraq's second biggest city, and Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's birthplace<http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/11/isis-militants-seize-control-iraqi-city-tikrit> . They now control most of Sunni Iraq. Their goal is Baghdad and the overthrow of Iraq's Shia-dominated government.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/16/arrived-in-kurdistan-with-chemical-weapon-suit-iraq-saddam-hussein

31. Kurds: Signs of division?
14 July / Kurdistan TribuneThe Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and its president are advising for an independent Kurdish state. The dream Kurdish history has longed for. Nevertheless, as times passes, the unity of the Kurds passes too. Undoubtedly, all the Kurds long for an independent state. Yet, according to the politics played by the political parties there is a division about the timing of the independent state and about how the state will become independent. President Barzani has put on a new face and has become the Woodrow Wilson of Kurdistan. Without doubt, the Kurdish nation appreciates his approaches and tactics as the president of the KRG. Furthermore, as the head of his party, it is appropriate to appreciate the work he has done so far. As we now already know, his party has well-educated diplomatic pioneers. Yet, why do Kurds divide as time passes by? Why are the efforts deceasing?
http://kurdistantribune.com/2014/kurds-signs-of-division/
 
REPORT
32. Turkey’s illiberal turn
16 July / ECFRThe European Union must re-engage with Turkey – even if it cannot with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan - if it is to prevent any further backsliding on democratic reforms, according to this policy brief.
Prime Minister Erdoğan, who led his AKP (Justice and Development Party) to a landslide general election victory in 2002 and won two further terms, is expected to top the poll in next month’s presidential election beginning on 10 August.[…]
A decade ago there were high hopes that, with the help of the EU, Turkey was on its way to becoming an advanced democracy. But now this bold vision is all but dead. He writes that Turkey is now becoming an “illiberal democracy” in which Erdoğan could use his powers to turn the country into a presidential republic. Bechev details the causes of Turkey’s illiberal turn under AKP rule
http://www.ecfr.eu/publications/summary/turkeys_illiberal_turn314
 
STATEMENTS
33. Rojava must not fall: Support Kurdish democratic autonomy against ISIS
15 July / Peace in KurdistanThe Kurds in Syria have been under fierce assault from ISIS since 2 July but very little of what has been unfolding has been reported in the mainstream media and few if any comments have been made by British, European or American political leaders. As the casualties start to mount, it is time that the world took note before a new tragedy in the Middle East emerges.
http://peaceinkurdistancampaign.com/resources/pik-campaign-statements/rojava-must-not-fall-support-kurdish-democratic-autonomy-against-isis/
 

LIFT THE BAN ON THE PKK – FREEDOM AND JUSTICE FOR THE KURDS

As you know, Peace in Kurdistan Campaign has been advocating for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to be removed from Turkish and international terrorist lists for many years, and since last year has been jointly running a signature campaign to gather public support for delisting. As we have said, “The case for removing the PKK from the terrorist list is now overwhelming. It is a crucial and necessary step in the peace process, which will struggle to have any legitimacy if the PKK remains isolated and Kurdish citizens are still being systematically arrested.Genuine negotiations cannot happen until the PKK recognised as a legitimate political actor.”

Hundreds of people already support the campaign including prominent lawyers Gareth Pierce and Michael Mansfield QC, and a European-level appeal was initiated in May this year on the grounds that continued listing of the PKK contradict European laws and constitutes an obstacle to the peace process. Now, we aim to expand the signature appeal with a new website that makes it easier than ever to sign your name. We also have  a new action – to send the UK Home Secretary, Theresa May, hundred of postcards signed by the public demanding she lift the ban.


WHAT CAN YOU DO?
SIGN YOUR NAME: Now, it is even easier to support our appeal – go to delistthepkk.com and sign the appeal!

SEND A POSTCARD TO THERESA MAY: We aim to send the Home Secretary of the UK 500 postcards urging her to lift the ban. You can find out more about it here: http://delistthepkk.com/?page_id=16 Get in touch with us and we can send you as many postcards as you need. 
COLLECT SIGNATURES FOR US: We are always looking for volunteers to hit the streets and find support for the campaign from the public. If you want to help us, get in touch.

SHARE THE CAMPAIGN: Facebook, Twitter...you know what to do!

Appeal to all Kurdistani people, supporters and humanitarian organisations to support Syrian Kurdish region.‏

Dear Friends,
Please see below and attached an appeal for funds from the Kurdish Red Cross. Please do what you can to support humanitarian efforts in Rojava:


Appeal to all Kurdistani people, supporters and humanitarian organisations to support Syrian Kurdish region.
Today the Syrian people in general and Kurds in particular are going through a violent proxy war. The Syrian Kurdish region is suffering most severely due to imposed double blockade of both the brutal Assad regime and the armed opposition. People in the Kurdish regions are suffering from lack of essential food and medicine and are becoming isolated in a crippling siege, which is threatening to become a severe humanitarian disaster in these hard winter conditions, the shortage of food, medicines and fuel for heating, bakeries, transports and electrical generators operation for hospitals and medical centres.
 
This situation is threatening people’s life, because of spread of diseases and lack of medical aids. However the Kurdish regions have been excluded from the international humanitarian aid despite hosting thousands of hundreds of refugees and displaced people from all Syrian war affected towns and cities.
 
The recent brutal attack targeting civilians in SereKaniye (Ras al Ain) on 16 January 2013 by Selafist armed mercenaries affiliated to terrorist groups, Turkey and others regional powers to destabilise and dragging the relatively peaceful Kurdish region into violent civil war which makes the Kurdish region a violent proxy war zone, targeting the civilians by killing indiscriminately and shelling civilians'  houses and properties which have been destroyed and looted and thousands have forcibly fled in horror and displaced.

We, the Kurdish Red cross crescent an humanitarian relief organisation established in Syrian Kurdish region to support the affected people in need and earnestly call all Kurdistani people, regional and global humanitarian Relief organisations, EU, UN, International community and public opinion to support the Kurdish region people and carry out their duties and responsibilities over the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in the region where vulnerable people are losing lives.
 
Looking forward to your support and contributions to save lives!
 
Dr Mohamed Mustafa,
Representative of Kurdish Red Cross/ Crescent in the UK.
Mobile: 07872 300836


The objectives of campaign:
- Inviting and asking everyone, all Kurdistani people  and humanitarian relief organisations to contribute in this campaign.
-Organising sub-committee for collecting of donations from businesses, shops, homes, families, individuals.
-Organising a fund raising event in the UK

 
Britain: Kurdish Red Moon, Address: Fairfax Hall 11 Portland Gardens / London N4 IHU
Registered Charity No: 10 93 741, Company No: 42 85 714 
Bank Sort code: 20 46 60 
Bank Account No: 40 91 23 87