The International Media Turns the Spotlight on Turkeyhttp://europe.ifj.org/en/articles/the-international-media-turns-the-spotlight-on-turkey
By Esben Ørberg, EFJ representative
After seven years behind bars, Turkish journalist Füsun Erdoğan was still not released when she appeared in an Istanbul court on Wednesday. However, international and Turkish media are now really turning the spotlight on the case of the dozens of imprisoned Turkish journalists. Pressure, from the IFJ/EFJ and others, is growing against the regime's treatment of journalists - including on the square in front of Europe's largest courthouse.
Twenty-five relatives, friends, and human rights activists form a wall in front of the courthouse. They are carrying signs and wearing vests emblazoned with the words 'Waiting for Justice'. The peaceful - and completely silent - demonstration is filmed by the BBC, Dutch television and a number of Turkish media. The message of the human wall is clear: the fifty imprisoned Turkish journalists must be released. There is a special focus on Füsun Erdoğan, the journalist who is among those imprisoned the longest in Turkey. She has been incarcerated since 8 September 2006, when she was dragged from the street in Izmir and shoved into a car.
We are standing in front of Europe's largest courthouse, in Çağlayan, a suburb of Istanbul. 32,000 square meters of shiny marble. This is where journalists are repeatedly being dragged in front of a prosecutor, who finds all kinds of tricks to keep the case going. In Füsun Erdoğan's case, for example, the prosecutor has changed seven times. At one point, in 2010, a prosecutor was on the verge of releasing her - but then he was transferred.
Today is the day that her crime is due to be appraised. The original prosecutor demanded a life sentence because he felt that Füsun Erdoğan was a leading figure in the Marxist MLKP party was proven. She says, however, that all the evidence against her was planted by the police.
Today's media turnout suggests that the world is waking up to the wrongs being committed against critical journalists. The BBC has devoted a major story to it; Dutch TV broadcast a half-hour segment last night on the case of Füsun Erdoğan and the other journalists; a number of Green Party MEPs are coming to Istanbul; the Danish Union of Journalists will meet in a few weeks' time with the Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs to discuss the imprisoned journalists; and the chairperson of the European Federation of Journalists, Mogens Blicher Bjerregård, from the podium of the International Publishers' Association in Istanbul today thundered against the conditions under which the Turkish press is working. Expressions of sympathy are pouring in from around the world. Maybe the international pressure will have an effect on the Turkish government?
We just managed to get into the courtroom and occupy the last vacant seats. There are probably 200 people, including 30 guards, in the courtroom, which is the size of a medium-sized detached house of 150 square meters.
All at once, Füsun Erdoğan is allowed to speak. She begins by thanking all her supporters and continues:
"I have always been open about my socialist opinions and my criticism of the government. But I am a journalist, not a political activist. I have been the victim of a set-up. The evidence against me is worthless. The only positive aspect is that the Turkish regime is no longer murdering journalists - now they make do with legal murder."
One of the prosecutors has fallen asleep. His head rolls back and forth until an assistant discreetly rouses him.
There are also many touching moments, when there is eye contact between relatives and the accused.
The hall also holds eight other accused persons. Common to all of them, including Füsun Erdoğan, is that they have all been charged with being active and leading members of the banned 'terrorist organisation', the MLKP. A student who gives a striking defence speech is supposed to have encouraged terrorism at various universities. A warehouse worker is supposed to have been a committee member, and Füsun Erdoğan herself is accused of having channelled money from the radio station, Özgür Radio ("Free Radio"), which she founded, to support the subversive work of the organisation.
The court adjourns for a recess, and Füsun Erdoğan's son gets up to give his mother a hug. Both dissolve into tears, and even the chairperson of the Union of Journalists in Turkey (TGS), Ercan İpekçi, is deeply moved.
Gradually it dawns on the spectators that there will be no decision today. Now they are saying Monday 4 November. Ercan İpekçi slips out into the corridor. He looks tired. No wonder - he closely follows all the court cases against the journalists.
"It's depressing to see how the system works. I know nothing about the MLKP. Perhaps there are criminals among them. Maybe they have hidden weapons. Maybe they have used them. I've no idea. But that has nothing to do with Füsun Erdoğan. She is a journalist!" the otherwise very patient Ercan Epekci almost shouts, and continues:
"Füsun has always been critical, especially about police methods. And she is famous. Many people listen to her. That is what is harming her now. Now they just want to get rid of her, because she will not toe the line. She wants to be allowed to express herself freely as a journalist. And she wants to be allowed to express herself freely as a socialist. Is that too much to ask?"
Wednesday, 20 November 2013
London Kurdish Film Festival, 15-24 November 2013
Dear friends,
For those of you who do not yet know, the 8th London Kurdish Film Festival will soon be upon us, with a full and exciting programme of feature films, documentaries and shorts from all four parts of Kurdistan.
The opening gala film this year will be the UK premiere of BEFORE SNOWFALL, a thought provoking film about honour killing by multi-award winning director Hisham Zaman; who will be in attendance at the festival.
Also included in the star studded and award-winning feature line-up is master filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi’s UK premiere of RHINO SEASON, starring Monica Bellucci and Behrouz Vossoughi; the UK premiere of ever-present Hiner Saleem’s Cannes selected MY SWEET PEPPERLAND, the first ‘Kurdish Western’; the internationally acclaimed BEKAS (UP & AWAY) by Karzan Kader, a film about two Kurdish brothers trying to travel to America to meet Superman; Antalya Golden Orange Best Film Winner YOUR BEAUTY IS WORTH NOTHING by Huseyin Tabak; renowned director Reha Erdem’s JIN, which tells the story of a young Kurdish woman trying to survive in a patriarchal world and award winning REC (TRACE) by Tayfur Aydin, the story of a son who struggles against authorities to bury his mother in her homeland.
Find out more on the 8th London Kurdish Film festival website: http://www.lkff.co.uk/
The full programme can be downloaded from the website and is attached here.
---
Peace in Kurdistan Campaign for a political solution of the Kurdish QuestionEmail: estella24@tiscali.co.uk <mailto:estella24@tiscali.co.uk>
www.peaceinkurdistancampaign.wordpress.com
Contacts Estella Schmid 020 7586 5892 & Melanie Sirinathsingh - Tel: 020 7272 7890
Fax: 020 7263 0596
Patrons: Lord Avebury, Lord Rea, Lord Dholakia, Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP, Jill Evans MEP, Jean Lambert MEP, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Hywel Williams MP, Elfyn Llwyd MP, Conor Murphy MP, John Austin, Bruce Kent, Gareth Peirce, Julie Christie, Noam Chomsky, John Berger, Edward Albee, Margaret Owen OBE, Prof Mary Davis, Mark Thomas
For those of you who do not yet know, the 8th London Kurdish Film Festival will soon be upon us, with a full and exciting programme of feature films, documentaries and shorts from all four parts of Kurdistan.
The opening gala film this year will be the UK premiere of BEFORE SNOWFALL, a thought provoking film about honour killing by multi-award winning director Hisham Zaman; who will be in attendance at the festival.
Also included in the star studded and award-winning feature line-up is master filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi’s UK premiere of RHINO SEASON, starring Monica Bellucci and Behrouz Vossoughi; the UK premiere of ever-present Hiner Saleem’s Cannes selected MY SWEET PEPPERLAND, the first ‘Kurdish Western’; the internationally acclaimed BEKAS (UP & AWAY) by Karzan Kader, a film about two Kurdish brothers trying to travel to America to meet Superman; Antalya Golden Orange Best Film Winner YOUR BEAUTY IS WORTH NOTHING by Huseyin Tabak; renowned director Reha Erdem’s JIN, which tells the story of a young Kurdish woman trying to survive in a patriarchal world and award winning REC (TRACE) by Tayfur Aydin, the story of a son who struggles against authorities to bury his mother in her homeland.
Find out more on the 8th London Kurdish Film festival website: http://www.lkff.co.uk/
The full programme can be downloaded from the website and is attached here.
---
Peace in Kurdistan Campaign for a political solution of the Kurdish QuestionEmail: estella24@tiscali.co.uk <mailto:estella24@tiscali.co.uk>
www.peaceinkurdistancampaign.wordpress.com
Contacts Estella Schmid 020 7586 5892 & Melanie Sirinathsingh - Tel: 020 7272 7890
Fax: 020 7263 0596
Patrons: Lord Avebury, Lord Rea, Lord Dholakia, Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP, Jill Evans MEP, Jean Lambert MEP, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Hywel Williams MP, Elfyn Llwyd MP, Conor Murphy MP, John Austin, Bruce Kent, Gareth Peirce, Julie Christie, Noam Chomsky, John Berger, Edward Albee, Margaret Owen OBE, Prof Mary Davis, Mark Thomas
Kurdish News Weekly Briefing, 19 - 25 October 2013
1. Öcalan: Second phase should be deeper and more comprehensive
22 October 2013 / ANFPKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) leader Abdullah Öcalan's brother Mehmet Öcalan spoke to DIHA (Dicle News Agency) about the meeting he had with the Kurdish leader on Monday. Mehmet Öcalan said the Kurdish leader talked about the peace process, approaching local elections and the HDP (People's Democratic Party) Congress to take place in capital Ankara on 27 October. The Kurdish leader said he has received the letters KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) executives in Kandil have recently sent to him. Öcalan- his brother said- expressed his appreciation for the non-conflict environment maintained for one year now, but added that the first phase of the democratic resolution process ended on 15 October from his point of view. "In the current phase I cannot estimate the direction of the process but the second phase should be deeper and more comprehensive", Öcalan quoted the Kurdish leader as saying.
http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/ocalan-second-phase-should-be-deeper-and-more-comprehensive.htm<http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/ocalan-second-phase-should-be-deeper-and-more-comprehensive.htm>
2. Kurdish rebels threaten new fight in Turkey as Syria clashes intensify
22 October 2013 / ReutersKurdish rebels are ready to re-enter Turkey from northern Iraq, the head of the group's political wing said at his mountain hideout, threatening to rekindle an insurgency unless Ankara resuscitates their peace process soon. Accusing Turkey of waging a proxy war against Kurds in Syria by backing Islamist rebels fighting them in the north, Cemil Bayik, a founding member of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) told Reuters the group had the right to retaliate. Syria's civil war has complicated Turkey's efforts to make peace with Kurdish militants, but Ankara strongly denies backing any rebel faction against Kurds in Syria and has held regular talks with the head of a Syrian Kurdish group close to the PKK.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/10/22/uk-turkey-kurds-pkk-idUKBRE99L06920131022 <http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/10/22/uk-turkey-kurds-pkk-idUKBRE99L06920131022>
3. Deputy PKK Commander: Turkey Has Stopped the Peace Process
19 October 2013 / RudawMustafa Karasu, deputy commander of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) said on Friday that Turkey “has literally stopped the peace process.” “We did what we had to do,” said Karasu. “But now we have stopped withdrawing our guerrillas. We will not give up our struggle on mere words from Turkey.” Karasu, an ethnic Turk who is also known as Huseyin Ali, reacted to a decision by Turkey’s Ministry of Justice last week that barred Selahattin Demirtas, co-chairman of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) from visiting the jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. “The BDP is an important party in Turkey and its leader cannot be removed from the delegation list just because he has criticized Turkey,” said Karasu.
http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/turkey/19102013 <http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/turkey/19102013>
4. Mass graves in Kurdish Turkey may hide chemical weapon victims
21 October 2013 / Voice of RussiaSome 300 mass graves have been discovered in eastern Turkey. Kurds, who died in an armed struggle between the Turkish army and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, are supposedly buried there. They may have been victims of chemical attacks, Raci Bilici, head of the Diyarbakir branch of the Human Rights Association, said in an interview with the Voice of Russia. According to Raci Bilici, human rights activists will insist on sending international experts to the site for a thorough investigation: “We did a colossal job to discover mass graves in Turkey’s Kurd-populated areas. We found around 300 mass graves containing the remains of thousands of people. Our work is continuing and the number of discovered graves is increasing. This is our part of an investigation.”
http://voiceofrussia.com/2013_10_21/Chemical-weapons-attacks-victims-might-be-buried-in-Kurdish-areas-of-Turkey-4745/<http://voiceofrussia.com/2013_10_21/Chemical-weapons-attacks-victims-might-be-buried-in-Kurdish-areas-of-Turkey-4745/>
5. Kurdish Women's Movement held 6th Assembly
21 October 2013 / ANFKurdish Women's Movement (KJB-Koma Jinen Blind) has held its sixth General Assembly in Media Defense Areas. The general assembly which was attended by 120 delegates ended with a decision to initiate a new process of activity under the motto 'Women on Action for Their Leader and Freedom'. In a statement released on Monday, KJB Coordination vowed commitment to the memory of all martyrs of Kurdish women's freedom struggle. KJB stated that the General Assembly ended with an agreement to establish a joint struggle platform with other women's movements in the region.
The Coordination stressed that is was an urgent duty for women to form a self-defense mechanism against all kinds of attacks targeting women and children.
http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/kurdish-women-s-movement-held-6th-assembly.htm <http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/kurdish-women-s-movement-held-6th-assembly.htm>
6. Turkey PM lashes out at Ocalan and BDP leader
21 October 2013 / KurdpressTurkey Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashed out at the recent remarks by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan and Selahattin Demirtas, the co-leader of Peace and Democracy Party (BDP).
In response to recent critical remarks from Demirtas about not being allowed to be visit Ocalan as part of the ongoing settlement process and Ocalan’s remark who said the BDP delegation should decide who should meet him, Erdogan said at a party meeting on Tuesday: “It is the government that has the authority to decide on that. No one has the right to set a direction for the government or the Ministry of Justice.”
“When [the government] deems it suitable, it will agree to send [a delegation to Imrali]. When it doesn't deem it suitable, it won't. Everyone needs to know his place,” Erdogan said in his speech at the party meeting.
http://tinyurl.com/oosnt6u
7. Whoever ends Kurdish bid will pay the price: Turkish PM Erdoğan
25 October 2013 / HurriyetWhichever side breaks the ongoing Kurdish peace bid will “pay the price for its actions,” Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said, pledging never to be the one to end the process. “We’re determined to keep the solution process going,” Erdoğan told a group of journalists in the plane on way back from his visit to Kosovo. “The side to break the process will pay the price. We will never be the side to break it.” Erdoğan’s vow to maintain determination over the ongoing process to end the three-decade-long conflict came amid Kurds’ rising skepticism of the government’s keenness to sustain the dialogue, with increasingly loud remonstrations coming from Kurdish political actors.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/whoever-ends-kurdish-bid-to-pay-price-says-turkish-pm-erdogan.aspx?pageID=238&nID=56817&NewsCatID=338
8. EU to restart Turkey membership talks in move to encourage reforms
21 October 2013 / GuardianThe European Union is to reopen membership talks with Turkey, more than three years after freezing negotiations, in an attempt to boost the prospects for democratic reforms amid fears that the country is taking an authoritarian lurch under its prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. EU foreign ministers will formally decide on Tuesday to resume negotiations in two weeks' time, senior diplomats said, following a U-turn by Germany, which, until last month's election, favoured shelving the talks. Germany is generally opposed to Turkey joining the EU, along with France and several others. The last obstacle to re-engaging with Turkey was overcome on Monday at the meeting of foreign ministers in Luxembourg when the Dutch shifted position.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/21/turkey-eu-membership-talks-restart-reforms
9. 3 ECHR Convictions in 3 Weeks
23 October 2013 / BianetThe European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) convicted Turkey of violating the freedom of expression in the case of Bülent Kaya. The applicant was convicted by a Turkish court of “praising crime and criminals” due to his public speech as the audience was shouting slogans favoring PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan. The ruling was issued on October 22, which said that Turkey violated Convention Article 10 regarding the freedom of expression. Turkey was ordered to pay 860 euros for pecuniary damages, 4,000 euros for non-pecuniary damages and 500 for court expenses. In 2003, Bülent Kaya made a public speech at a protest organized by a political party. A criminal court convicted Kaya of “praising crime and criminals”, sentencing him to 3 months of prison. In 2008, the sentence was commuted to a fine of 2,000 liras. Kaya reportedly paid the fine in July 2008.
http://www.bianet.org/english/freedom-of-expression/150746-3-echr-convictions-in-3-weeks <http://www.bianet.org/english/freedom-of-expression/150746-3-echr-convictions-in-3-weeks>
10. Three new hydroelectric power plants on the Dicle
24 October 2013 / ANFDespite reactions to the ongoing construction of hydroelectric power plants (HES) in Amed's Kulp and Silvan districts, the Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning and the General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works (DSİ) have taken action for building three new hydroelectric power plants on the Dicle River passing through the city of Amed. The hydroelectric power plants are planned to be built among neighborhoods and villages located 3 to 30 kilometers to the city centre. The building of the dams for the plants, projected by Eser Energy and Electricity Generation Incorporated Company, is planned to be finished within the next two years. The Environmental Impact Assessment (ÇED) report has already been approved for the first HES dam, Dicle-l, to be built in the Sarılı neighborhood of Yenişehir district, in an area between İlbaş, Sivritepe and Tanışık villages. The cost of the project is planned to reach TL 57,945 million.
http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/three-new-hydroelectric-power-plants-on-the-dicle.htm <http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/three-new-hydroelectric-power-plants-on-the-dicle.htm>
11. Sırrı Önder speaks about HDP
24 October 2013 / ANFSırrı Süreyya Önder - a BDP MP from Istanbul – sat down with reporters from DİHA in order to talk about the newly formed HDP (Peoples’ Democratic Party), its goals, and his reasons for joining. Önder, along with four other MPs from the BDP, will officially join the HPD during the upcoming party conference. The HDP and the BDP will run in an alliance, with the former running candidates in the West of the country and the latter running candidates in Kurdish regions. Önder, who sat down for the interview following his last meeting with the BDP group of MPs, explained among other things why he made the decision to change parties. One the main reasons, he said, was the insistence of Abdullah Öcalan: “Every since we have been meeting with Mr. Öcalan he has always underlined this insistently. Because he was strongly emphasizing the fact that we had taken the enthusiasm of resistance from them [the established opposition].
http://en.firatnews.com/news/features/sirri-onder-speaks-about-hdp.htm <http://en.firatnews.com/news/features/sirri-onder-speaks-about-hdp.htm>
12. Ocalan: PJAK and Iran should enter negotiation to solve the Kurdish question
21 October 2013 / RojhelatIn his recent meeting with the dispatched board of Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) the Kurdish national leader Abdullah Ocalan stated that the cease fire between Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK) and Islamic Republic of Iran is not enough. PJAK’s aim, he said, should be focused on advancing the current procedure toward negotiation with the government for solving the Kurdish question politically. Idris Baluken the Vice President of BDP faction in Turkey’s parliament who held a meeting on Monday, October 14 with Ocalan in Imrali, in an interview with the Ozgur Gundem newspaper revealed new information from the meeting. According Mr. Baluken the Kurdish national leader in the meeting expressed his hopefulness about the Kurdish issue in Eastern Kurdistan and suggested that the PJAK and Islamic Republic of Iran should attempt to solve the Kurdish question through negotiation.
http://rojhelat.info/en/?p=6503 <http://rojhelat.info/en/?p=6503>
13. “Hostages of the peace process”: UK lawyers condemn Turkey’s anti-terror law
25 October 2013 / Peace in Kurdistan CampaignTurkey’s anti-terror legislation has come under fire once again as five lawyers who recently returned from Istanbul gave a damning critique of one of Turkey’s now notorious ‘KCK trials’ at a public event held a Garden Court Chambers.
The lawyers formed part of a 6-person strong delegation that observed the trial of 46 Kurdish lawyers, who are being prosecuted for their work defending imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan. What they witnessed, they told the meeting, was a political show trial taking place in the context of peace talks between Ocalan and the Turkish government that reveals far more about authoritarianism in Turkey than the supposed criminality of the defendants. The meeting was chaired by Bill Bowring, Professor of Law at Birkbeck University.
http://peaceinkurdistancampaign.wordpress.com/2013/10/25/hostages-of-the-peace-process-uk-lawyers-condemn-turkeys-anti-terror-law/
14. Lift that ban!
25 October 2013 / ANFTatort Kurdistan, an association of German activists, have organized a demo to take place in the German capital Berlin on 16 November to demand the removal of the ban the German state has imposed on the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) for 20 years now.
During the demo which will be joined by Kurds living in Germany as well as German NGOs and individuals, demonstrators will call on the German government to support the democratic resolution process and to end its criminalization policy against Kurds.
On 26 November 1993, German Interior Minister Manfred Kanther of the Helmut Kohl government announced the ban on the PKK with a special bulletin prepared by the federal prosecution office. Dozens of Kurdish associations and establishments were closed and a systematic criminalization policy against Kurds was put into effect after the introduction of the ban on the party.
http://en.firatnews.com/news/features/lift-that-ban.htm
15. Insight - French investigation into Kurdish murders eyes Turkey connections
23 October 2013 / ReutersFrench investigators trying to solve the murder of three Kurdish activists in Paris have collected evidence about the chief suspect's connections to Turkey, four sources with knowledge of the investigation told Reuters. Police sources told Reuters the magistrate in charge of the case was about to lodge a formal appeal for information to Turkey about Omer Guney, a Turkish immigrant placed under formal investigation for the triple murder eight months ago. The move could mark a turning point in the case, which has become a rallying cry for Europe's large population of ethnic Kurds. It comes after disclosures that Guney took at least three trips to Turkey and made dozens of phone calls to contacts there in the months before the killings, lawyers with access to investigation files told Reuters.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/10/23/uk-france-kurds-insight-idUKBRE99M03M20131023 <http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/10/23/uk-france-kurds-insight-idUKBRE99M03M20131023>
16. PYD: On the ground activities in western Kurdistan and Syria
23 October 2013 / Support Kurds in Syria
Media center for the people protection unit, YPG, issued a statement about the bombing carried out by armed groups in Demhat martyr camp outside Tirbespîyê. Two YPG members lost their life, together with two members of a cultural association, one civilian from northern Kurdistan (southeast Turkey) and one civilian from west Kurdistan (northern Syria). The statement assured that YPG are capable to push back all attempts of aggression against our people and that they will prevail. The statement added that this was a desperate attempt since the radical islamist groups experienced heavy losses during the Eid celebration.
http://supportkurds.org/news/wednesday-23-october-2013/ <http://supportkurds.org/news/wednesday-23-october-2013/> 17. Syrian Kurdish Leaders Want Erbil at Geneva II Talks
24 October 2013 / RudawSyrian Kurdish leaders say it would help their cause if the Kurdistan Region attends the much delayed Geneva II conference, where a political settlement will be sought to end the crisis in Syria after more than two years of civil war. “The participation of the Kurdistan Region will be highly significant for Syrian Kurds," says Mustafa Cuma, head of the Democratic Freedom Party of Syria. A delegation at the presidential level would strengthen the Kurdish position at the conference, he says. "The Kurdistan Region is linked to Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava)," Cuma says. "It enjoys great influence there and has stood by Rojava." The Geneva II peace conference is an initiative of the United Nations, with the aim of ending the war in Syria through a political solution. The conference has been delayed several times, and there is still no firm date for when it could take place.
http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/241020131
18. Kurds and Islamic-Jihadists clash in Syrian Kurdistan, near Iraq border
24 October 2013 / eKurdFierce clashes erupted in Syria overnight between Kurdish fighters and Arab-Islamic jihadists near the Iraqi border, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Thursday.
"The clashes began around midnight (2100 GMT Wednesday) and lasted around 12 hours, with the Kurds advancing in the direction of Al-Yaarubia, an area controlled by the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) and other jihadist groups," the Britain-based monitor said. "The Kurds have managed to take two villages controlled by the jihadists but it will be difficult to capture Al-Yaarubia from ISIS," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. The Al-Yaarubia border crossing with Iraq is seen as a key supply route for arms and fighters. ISIS has carried out attacks on both sides of the border. Also clashes broke out between the Kurdish People's Defense Units (YPG) and ISIS near the Kurdish city of Efrin of in Syrian Kurdistan on Thursday, Firat news reported.
http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2013/10/syriakurd927.htm<http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2013/10/syriakurd927.htm>
COMMENT, OPINION AND ANALYSIS
19. Turkey’s Kurdish Peace Effort At Crossroads
24 October 2013 / Al MonitorIt all began on March 21, 2013, when a message from Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan, imprisoned for life on Imrali Island, was read to a massive crowd of Kurds who had come to celebrate the Newroz holiday in Diyarbakir’s main square. Ocalan declared the end of the armed struggle era and called on PKK militants to leave Turkey. As expected, the PKK complied and the withdrawal process began soon after. But it didn’t take long before both the Turkish government and the PKK began expressing a lack of confidence toward the other side, accusing each other of undermining the process.
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/10/turkey-kurd-peace-crisis-violence.html
20. INTERVIEW-Kurdish rebels threaten new fight in Turkey as Syria clashes intensify
22 October 2013 / Thomson ReutersKurdish rebels are ready to re-enter Turkey from northern Iraq, the head of the group's political wing said at his mountain hideout, threatening to rekindle an insurgency unless Ankara resuscitates their peace process soon. Accusing Turkey of waging a proxy war against Kurds in Syria by backing Islamist rebels fighting them in the north, Cemil Bayik, a founding member of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) told Reuters the group had the right to retaliate. Syria's civil war has complicated Turkey's efforts to make peace with Kurdish militants, but Ankara strongly denies backing any rebel faction against Kurds in Syria and has held regular talks with the head of a Syrian Kurdish group close to the PKK.
http://www.trust.org/item/20131022061010-sh9jm <http://www.trust.org/item/20131022061010-sh9jm>
21. The politics of Kurdish identity in Turkey
October 2013 / Your Middle EastThere are two major options for Turkey, either it assumes multiculturalism as business as usual where the dominance of Turkishness remains intact, or it engages in a serious dialogue with the Kurds that necessarily entails the relinquishment of naturalized and unearned Turkish privileges, writes Barzoo Eliassi. When Kurds are discussed in academic and journalistic contexts, they are mainly referred to as a “minority” with claims and politics that challenge the authority of the four nation-states Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria.
http://www.yourmiddleeast.com/opinion/barzoo-eliassi-the-politics-of-kurdish-identity-in-turkey_18927
22. Doubts rise over Turkey’s ties to the west
21 October 2013 / Financial TimesHas Turkey, a member of Nato for 61 years, parted company with the west? It is a question Turkey’s allies have begun to face. Three issues have converged to create the doubt: Ankara’s decision to buy a Chinese missile defence system; its alleged ambivalence towards al-Qaeda affiliated fighters in Syria; and, most recently, allegations that Turkey betrayed Iranians spying for Israel to Tehran. US officials have been most vocal about Ankara’s decision to buy missile defence from a Chinese group subject to Treasury sanctions for $3.4bn, in preference to US-made Patriot missiles or a system sold by an Italo-French consortium.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c3e9f4ea-3814-11e3-8668-00144feab7de.html#axzz2iMP1zw4X <http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c3e9f4ea-3814-11e3-8668-00144feab7de.html#axzz2iMP1zw4X>
23. The Kurdish Malala
19 October 2013 / RudawThe world knows Malala Yousafzai, the 15-year-old Pakistani girl shot in the head by Taliban terrorists because she advocated education rights for girls. The world should know Medya Ormek, a 14-year-old Kurdish girl who defied Turkish bigotry and risked prison for wanting to teach in her native language. Malala Yousafzai’s book deal has earned her family $3 million. The United Nations lionized her in the General Assembly, as did President Obama at the White House. But very few know Medya Ormek, the Kurdish girl barely ten years old when Sadi Gegin, a Turkish prosecutor, threatened to jail her in 2009. Her crime: she wanted to preserve Kurdish language by teaching it in her home.
http://rudaw.net/english/opinion/19102013 <http://rudaw.net/english/opinion/19102013>
24. Ankara’s Wall is (and always has been) Illegitimate
21 October 2013 / Rojava ReportIn a new article from Özgür Gündem, the paper talks about the history of the division of Northern and Western Kurdistan, and the growing illegitimacy of Ankara’s policies surrounding the border. Among other issues, the article discusses the history of the border. Until the break-up of the Ottoman Empire, Kurdish communities lived undivided in the region. The current border came into existence on October 21st, 1921, when Franklin Bouillon and Yusuf Kemal Bey signed the Ankara Treaty on behalf of the French Empire and the Turkish Provisional Government, after which French forces were forced to withdraw from positions north of the current border.
http://rojavareport.wordpress.com/2013/10/21/ankaras-wall-is-and-always-has-been-illegitimate/<http://rojavareport.wordpress.com/2013/10/21/ankaras-wall-is-and-always-has-been-illegitimate/>
25. Cause and catalysts of the civil war in Syria
23 October 2013 / Peace and Conflict MonitorThe causes and catalysts of the current civil war in Syria are many and varied, including narratives that range across religion, poverty, past repression, and ideology. Understanding why the conflict began is only possible when these causes are considered together as a holistic whole rather than as stand-alone explanations. However, this is not to deny that some causes and catalysts have been more significant than others. Whilst early triumphs of civil society movements in Tunisia and Egypt greatly helped to catalyse opposition to the government in Syria, they only serve to mask the critical and much more important underlying change in the social dynamic created by the ideological drift of the Ba’ath Party
http://www.monitor.upeace.org/innerpg.cfm?id_article=1017
26. Photos: Between Syria and Iraq: a refugee's point of viewMore than 2,1 Million Syrians are currently registered as refugees, according to the UN's Refugee Agency. For many Syrians fleeing civil war, neighboring Iraq is just a short boat ride away.
http://www.dw.de/between-syria-and-iraq-a-refugees-point-of-view/g-17167310 <http://www.dw.de/between-syria-and-iraq-a-refugees-point-of-view/g-17167310>
27. Syrian Kurdish Leader Discusses Son's Killing by Jihadists
23 October 2013 / Al MonitorSalih Muslim, the co-chair of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) in Syria, gave an interview to Taraf only days after his youngest son, Shervan, was killed while fighting in the ranks of the People's Protection Units (YPG) against radical Islamists in Syria. Muslim, who buried his son in Kobani, had been expected to be angry. But on the contrary, we found him to be in a calm and thoughtful mood.
Taraf: My condolences. It’s a hard time for you. Could you tell us how the tragic incident occurred?
Muslim: You know that my children have been involved [in the struggle]. Shervan was the youngest — I mean, my youngest son — 21 years old. I have a daughter, Pervin, who is actually the youngest of all, only 19 years old. Shervan had been taking part in regular clashes since the attacks against us began one and a half years ago. Two months ago, he started fighting in the front lines to avenge Dilovan, his friend and also a relative of ours, who was martyred.
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/politics/2013/10/turkey-syria-pyd-salih-muslim-interview.html
28. Plans for Redrawing the Middle East: The Project for a “New Middle East”
21 October 2013 / Global ResearchThe term “New Middle East” was introduced to the world in June 2006 in Tel Aviv by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (who was credited by the Western media for coining the term) in replacement of the older and more imposing term, the “Greater Middle East.”
This shift in foreign policy phraseology coincided with the inauguration of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) Oil Terminal in the Eastern Mediterranean. The term and conceptualization of the “New Middle East,” was subsequently heralded by the U.S. Secretary of State and the Israeli Prime Minister at the height of the Anglo-American sponsored Israeli siege of Lebanon. Prime Minister Olmert and Secretary Rice had informed the international media that a project for a “New Middle East” was being launched from Lebanon.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/plans-for-redrawing-the-middle-east-the-project-for-a-new-middle-east/3882
22 October 2013 / ANFPKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) leader Abdullah Öcalan's brother Mehmet Öcalan spoke to DIHA (Dicle News Agency) about the meeting he had with the Kurdish leader on Monday. Mehmet Öcalan said the Kurdish leader talked about the peace process, approaching local elections and the HDP (People's Democratic Party) Congress to take place in capital Ankara on 27 October. The Kurdish leader said he has received the letters KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) executives in Kandil have recently sent to him. Öcalan- his brother said- expressed his appreciation for the non-conflict environment maintained for one year now, but added that the first phase of the democratic resolution process ended on 15 October from his point of view. "In the current phase I cannot estimate the direction of the process but the second phase should be deeper and more comprehensive", Öcalan quoted the Kurdish leader as saying.
http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/ocalan-second-phase-should-be-deeper-and-more-comprehensive.htm<http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/ocalan-second-phase-should-be-deeper-and-more-comprehensive.htm>
2. Kurdish rebels threaten new fight in Turkey as Syria clashes intensify
22 October 2013 / ReutersKurdish rebels are ready to re-enter Turkey from northern Iraq, the head of the group's political wing said at his mountain hideout, threatening to rekindle an insurgency unless Ankara resuscitates their peace process soon. Accusing Turkey of waging a proxy war against Kurds in Syria by backing Islamist rebels fighting them in the north, Cemil Bayik, a founding member of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) told Reuters the group had the right to retaliate. Syria's civil war has complicated Turkey's efforts to make peace with Kurdish militants, but Ankara strongly denies backing any rebel faction against Kurds in Syria and has held regular talks with the head of a Syrian Kurdish group close to the PKK.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/10/22/uk-turkey-kurds-pkk-idUKBRE99L06920131022 <http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/10/22/uk-turkey-kurds-pkk-idUKBRE99L06920131022>
3. Deputy PKK Commander: Turkey Has Stopped the Peace Process
19 October 2013 / RudawMustafa Karasu, deputy commander of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) said on Friday that Turkey “has literally stopped the peace process.” “We did what we had to do,” said Karasu. “But now we have stopped withdrawing our guerrillas. We will not give up our struggle on mere words from Turkey.” Karasu, an ethnic Turk who is also known as Huseyin Ali, reacted to a decision by Turkey’s Ministry of Justice last week that barred Selahattin Demirtas, co-chairman of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) from visiting the jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. “The BDP is an important party in Turkey and its leader cannot be removed from the delegation list just because he has criticized Turkey,” said Karasu.
http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/turkey/19102013 <http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/turkey/19102013>
4. Mass graves in Kurdish Turkey may hide chemical weapon victims
21 October 2013 / Voice of RussiaSome 300 mass graves have been discovered in eastern Turkey. Kurds, who died in an armed struggle between the Turkish army and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, are supposedly buried there. They may have been victims of chemical attacks, Raci Bilici, head of the Diyarbakir branch of the Human Rights Association, said in an interview with the Voice of Russia. According to Raci Bilici, human rights activists will insist on sending international experts to the site for a thorough investigation: “We did a colossal job to discover mass graves in Turkey’s Kurd-populated areas. We found around 300 mass graves containing the remains of thousands of people. Our work is continuing and the number of discovered graves is increasing. This is our part of an investigation.”
http://voiceofrussia.com/2013_10_21/Chemical-weapons-attacks-victims-might-be-buried-in-Kurdish-areas-of-Turkey-4745/<http://voiceofrussia.com/2013_10_21/Chemical-weapons-attacks-victims-might-be-buried-in-Kurdish-areas-of-Turkey-4745/>
5. Kurdish Women's Movement held 6th Assembly
21 October 2013 / ANFKurdish Women's Movement (KJB-Koma Jinen Blind) has held its sixth General Assembly in Media Defense Areas. The general assembly which was attended by 120 delegates ended with a decision to initiate a new process of activity under the motto 'Women on Action for Their Leader and Freedom'. In a statement released on Monday, KJB Coordination vowed commitment to the memory of all martyrs of Kurdish women's freedom struggle. KJB stated that the General Assembly ended with an agreement to establish a joint struggle platform with other women's movements in the region.
The Coordination stressed that is was an urgent duty for women to form a self-defense mechanism against all kinds of attacks targeting women and children.
http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/kurdish-women-s-movement-held-6th-assembly.htm <http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/kurdish-women-s-movement-held-6th-assembly.htm>
6. Turkey PM lashes out at Ocalan and BDP leader
21 October 2013 / KurdpressTurkey Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashed out at the recent remarks by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan and Selahattin Demirtas, the co-leader of Peace and Democracy Party (BDP).
In response to recent critical remarks from Demirtas about not being allowed to be visit Ocalan as part of the ongoing settlement process and Ocalan’s remark who said the BDP delegation should decide who should meet him, Erdogan said at a party meeting on Tuesday: “It is the government that has the authority to decide on that. No one has the right to set a direction for the government or the Ministry of Justice.”
“When [the government] deems it suitable, it will agree to send [a delegation to Imrali]. When it doesn't deem it suitable, it won't. Everyone needs to know his place,” Erdogan said in his speech at the party meeting.
http://tinyurl.com/oosnt6u
7. Whoever ends Kurdish bid will pay the price: Turkish PM Erdoğan
25 October 2013 / HurriyetWhichever side breaks the ongoing Kurdish peace bid will “pay the price for its actions,” Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said, pledging never to be the one to end the process. “We’re determined to keep the solution process going,” Erdoğan told a group of journalists in the plane on way back from his visit to Kosovo. “The side to break the process will pay the price. We will never be the side to break it.” Erdoğan’s vow to maintain determination over the ongoing process to end the three-decade-long conflict came amid Kurds’ rising skepticism of the government’s keenness to sustain the dialogue, with increasingly loud remonstrations coming from Kurdish political actors.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/whoever-ends-kurdish-bid-to-pay-price-says-turkish-pm-erdogan.aspx?pageID=238&nID=56817&NewsCatID=338
8. EU to restart Turkey membership talks in move to encourage reforms
21 October 2013 / GuardianThe European Union is to reopen membership talks with Turkey, more than three years after freezing negotiations, in an attempt to boost the prospects for democratic reforms amid fears that the country is taking an authoritarian lurch under its prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. EU foreign ministers will formally decide on Tuesday to resume negotiations in two weeks' time, senior diplomats said, following a U-turn by Germany, which, until last month's election, favoured shelving the talks. Germany is generally opposed to Turkey joining the EU, along with France and several others. The last obstacle to re-engaging with Turkey was overcome on Monday at the meeting of foreign ministers in Luxembourg when the Dutch shifted position.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/21/turkey-eu-membership-talks-restart-reforms
9. 3 ECHR Convictions in 3 Weeks
23 October 2013 / BianetThe European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) convicted Turkey of violating the freedom of expression in the case of Bülent Kaya. The applicant was convicted by a Turkish court of “praising crime and criminals” due to his public speech as the audience was shouting slogans favoring PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan. The ruling was issued on October 22, which said that Turkey violated Convention Article 10 regarding the freedom of expression. Turkey was ordered to pay 860 euros for pecuniary damages, 4,000 euros for non-pecuniary damages and 500 for court expenses. In 2003, Bülent Kaya made a public speech at a protest organized by a political party. A criminal court convicted Kaya of “praising crime and criminals”, sentencing him to 3 months of prison. In 2008, the sentence was commuted to a fine of 2,000 liras. Kaya reportedly paid the fine in July 2008.
http://www.bianet.org/english/freedom-of-expression/150746-3-echr-convictions-in-3-weeks <http://www.bianet.org/english/freedom-of-expression/150746-3-echr-convictions-in-3-weeks>
10. Three new hydroelectric power plants on the Dicle
24 October 2013 / ANFDespite reactions to the ongoing construction of hydroelectric power plants (HES) in Amed's Kulp and Silvan districts, the Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning and the General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works (DSİ) have taken action for building three new hydroelectric power plants on the Dicle River passing through the city of Amed. The hydroelectric power plants are planned to be built among neighborhoods and villages located 3 to 30 kilometers to the city centre. The building of the dams for the plants, projected by Eser Energy and Electricity Generation Incorporated Company, is planned to be finished within the next two years. The Environmental Impact Assessment (ÇED) report has already been approved for the first HES dam, Dicle-l, to be built in the Sarılı neighborhood of Yenişehir district, in an area between İlbaş, Sivritepe and Tanışık villages. The cost of the project is planned to reach TL 57,945 million.
http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/three-new-hydroelectric-power-plants-on-the-dicle.htm <http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/three-new-hydroelectric-power-plants-on-the-dicle.htm>
11. Sırrı Önder speaks about HDP
24 October 2013 / ANFSırrı Süreyya Önder - a BDP MP from Istanbul – sat down with reporters from DİHA in order to talk about the newly formed HDP (Peoples’ Democratic Party), its goals, and his reasons for joining. Önder, along with four other MPs from the BDP, will officially join the HPD during the upcoming party conference. The HDP and the BDP will run in an alliance, with the former running candidates in the West of the country and the latter running candidates in Kurdish regions. Önder, who sat down for the interview following his last meeting with the BDP group of MPs, explained among other things why he made the decision to change parties. One the main reasons, he said, was the insistence of Abdullah Öcalan: “Every since we have been meeting with Mr. Öcalan he has always underlined this insistently. Because he was strongly emphasizing the fact that we had taken the enthusiasm of resistance from them [the established opposition].
http://en.firatnews.com/news/features/sirri-onder-speaks-about-hdp.htm <http://en.firatnews.com/news/features/sirri-onder-speaks-about-hdp.htm>
12. Ocalan: PJAK and Iran should enter negotiation to solve the Kurdish question
21 October 2013 / RojhelatIn his recent meeting with the dispatched board of Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) the Kurdish national leader Abdullah Ocalan stated that the cease fire between Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK) and Islamic Republic of Iran is not enough. PJAK’s aim, he said, should be focused on advancing the current procedure toward negotiation with the government for solving the Kurdish question politically. Idris Baluken the Vice President of BDP faction in Turkey’s parliament who held a meeting on Monday, October 14 with Ocalan in Imrali, in an interview with the Ozgur Gundem newspaper revealed new information from the meeting. According Mr. Baluken the Kurdish national leader in the meeting expressed his hopefulness about the Kurdish issue in Eastern Kurdistan and suggested that the PJAK and Islamic Republic of Iran should attempt to solve the Kurdish question through negotiation.
http://rojhelat.info/en/?p=6503 <http://rojhelat.info/en/?p=6503>
13. “Hostages of the peace process”: UK lawyers condemn Turkey’s anti-terror law
25 October 2013 / Peace in Kurdistan CampaignTurkey’s anti-terror legislation has come under fire once again as five lawyers who recently returned from Istanbul gave a damning critique of one of Turkey’s now notorious ‘KCK trials’ at a public event held a Garden Court Chambers.
The lawyers formed part of a 6-person strong delegation that observed the trial of 46 Kurdish lawyers, who are being prosecuted for their work defending imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan. What they witnessed, they told the meeting, was a political show trial taking place in the context of peace talks between Ocalan and the Turkish government that reveals far more about authoritarianism in Turkey than the supposed criminality of the defendants. The meeting was chaired by Bill Bowring, Professor of Law at Birkbeck University.
http://peaceinkurdistancampaign.wordpress.com/2013/10/25/hostages-of-the-peace-process-uk-lawyers-condemn-turkeys-anti-terror-law/
14. Lift that ban!
25 October 2013 / ANFTatort Kurdistan, an association of German activists, have organized a demo to take place in the German capital Berlin on 16 November to demand the removal of the ban the German state has imposed on the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) for 20 years now.
During the demo which will be joined by Kurds living in Germany as well as German NGOs and individuals, demonstrators will call on the German government to support the democratic resolution process and to end its criminalization policy against Kurds.
On 26 November 1993, German Interior Minister Manfred Kanther of the Helmut Kohl government announced the ban on the PKK with a special bulletin prepared by the federal prosecution office. Dozens of Kurdish associations and establishments were closed and a systematic criminalization policy against Kurds was put into effect after the introduction of the ban on the party.
http://en.firatnews.com/news/features/lift-that-ban.htm
15. Insight - French investigation into Kurdish murders eyes Turkey connections
23 October 2013 / ReutersFrench investigators trying to solve the murder of three Kurdish activists in Paris have collected evidence about the chief suspect's connections to Turkey, four sources with knowledge of the investigation told Reuters. Police sources told Reuters the magistrate in charge of the case was about to lodge a formal appeal for information to Turkey about Omer Guney, a Turkish immigrant placed under formal investigation for the triple murder eight months ago. The move could mark a turning point in the case, which has become a rallying cry for Europe's large population of ethnic Kurds. It comes after disclosures that Guney took at least three trips to Turkey and made dozens of phone calls to contacts there in the months before the killings, lawyers with access to investigation files told Reuters.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/10/23/uk-france-kurds-insight-idUKBRE99M03M20131023 <http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/10/23/uk-france-kurds-insight-idUKBRE99M03M20131023>
16. PYD: On the ground activities in western Kurdistan and Syria
23 October 2013 / Support Kurds in Syria
- People Protection Units (YPG) campaign
- Armed groups affiliated to Islamic State of Iraq and Sham & Al-nusra front
- Shame wall between Rojava and north Kurdistan
- Hundreds of people come back to their homes in Rojava
- Cultural & educational activities
Media center for the people protection unit, YPG, issued a statement about the bombing carried out by armed groups in Demhat martyr camp outside Tirbespîyê. Two YPG members lost their life, together with two members of a cultural association, one civilian from northern Kurdistan (southeast Turkey) and one civilian from west Kurdistan (northern Syria). The statement assured that YPG are capable to push back all attempts of aggression against our people and that they will prevail. The statement added that this was a desperate attempt since the radical islamist groups experienced heavy losses during the Eid celebration.
http://supportkurds.org/news/wednesday-23-october-2013/ <http://supportkurds.org/news/wednesday-23-october-2013/> 17. Syrian Kurdish Leaders Want Erbil at Geneva II Talks
24 October 2013 / RudawSyrian Kurdish leaders say it would help their cause if the Kurdistan Region attends the much delayed Geneva II conference, where a political settlement will be sought to end the crisis in Syria after more than two years of civil war. “The participation of the Kurdistan Region will be highly significant for Syrian Kurds," says Mustafa Cuma, head of the Democratic Freedom Party of Syria. A delegation at the presidential level would strengthen the Kurdish position at the conference, he says. "The Kurdistan Region is linked to Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava)," Cuma says. "It enjoys great influence there and has stood by Rojava." The Geneva II peace conference is an initiative of the United Nations, with the aim of ending the war in Syria through a political solution. The conference has been delayed several times, and there is still no firm date for when it could take place.
http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/241020131
18. Kurds and Islamic-Jihadists clash in Syrian Kurdistan, near Iraq border
24 October 2013 / eKurdFierce clashes erupted in Syria overnight between Kurdish fighters and Arab-Islamic jihadists near the Iraqi border, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Thursday.
"The clashes began around midnight (2100 GMT Wednesday) and lasted around 12 hours, with the Kurds advancing in the direction of Al-Yaarubia, an area controlled by the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) and other jihadist groups," the Britain-based monitor said. "The Kurds have managed to take two villages controlled by the jihadists but it will be difficult to capture Al-Yaarubia from ISIS," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. The Al-Yaarubia border crossing with Iraq is seen as a key supply route for arms and fighters. ISIS has carried out attacks on both sides of the border. Also clashes broke out between the Kurdish People's Defense Units (YPG) and ISIS near the Kurdish city of Efrin of in Syrian Kurdistan on Thursday, Firat news reported.
http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2013/10/syriakurd927.htm<http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2013/10/syriakurd927.htm>
COMMENT, OPINION AND ANALYSIS
19. Turkey’s Kurdish Peace Effort At Crossroads
24 October 2013 / Al MonitorIt all began on March 21, 2013, when a message from Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan, imprisoned for life on Imrali Island, was read to a massive crowd of Kurds who had come to celebrate the Newroz holiday in Diyarbakir’s main square. Ocalan declared the end of the armed struggle era and called on PKK militants to leave Turkey. As expected, the PKK complied and the withdrawal process began soon after. But it didn’t take long before both the Turkish government and the PKK began expressing a lack of confidence toward the other side, accusing each other of undermining the process.
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/10/turkey-kurd-peace-crisis-violence.html
20. INTERVIEW-Kurdish rebels threaten new fight in Turkey as Syria clashes intensify
22 October 2013 / Thomson ReutersKurdish rebels are ready to re-enter Turkey from northern Iraq, the head of the group's political wing said at his mountain hideout, threatening to rekindle an insurgency unless Ankara resuscitates their peace process soon. Accusing Turkey of waging a proxy war against Kurds in Syria by backing Islamist rebels fighting them in the north, Cemil Bayik, a founding member of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) told Reuters the group had the right to retaliate. Syria's civil war has complicated Turkey's efforts to make peace with Kurdish militants, but Ankara strongly denies backing any rebel faction against Kurds in Syria and has held regular talks with the head of a Syrian Kurdish group close to the PKK.
http://www.trust.org/item/20131022061010-sh9jm <http://www.trust.org/item/20131022061010-sh9jm>
21. The politics of Kurdish identity in Turkey
October 2013 / Your Middle EastThere are two major options for Turkey, either it assumes multiculturalism as business as usual where the dominance of Turkishness remains intact, or it engages in a serious dialogue with the Kurds that necessarily entails the relinquishment of naturalized and unearned Turkish privileges, writes Barzoo Eliassi. When Kurds are discussed in academic and journalistic contexts, they are mainly referred to as a “minority” with claims and politics that challenge the authority of the four nation-states Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria.
http://www.yourmiddleeast.com/opinion/barzoo-eliassi-the-politics-of-kurdish-identity-in-turkey_18927
22. Doubts rise over Turkey’s ties to the west
21 October 2013 / Financial TimesHas Turkey, a member of Nato for 61 years, parted company with the west? It is a question Turkey’s allies have begun to face. Three issues have converged to create the doubt: Ankara’s decision to buy a Chinese missile defence system; its alleged ambivalence towards al-Qaeda affiliated fighters in Syria; and, most recently, allegations that Turkey betrayed Iranians spying for Israel to Tehran. US officials have been most vocal about Ankara’s decision to buy missile defence from a Chinese group subject to Treasury sanctions for $3.4bn, in preference to US-made Patriot missiles or a system sold by an Italo-French consortium.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c3e9f4ea-3814-11e3-8668-00144feab7de.html#axzz2iMP1zw4X <http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c3e9f4ea-3814-11e3-8668-00144feab7de.html#axzz2iMP1zw4X>
23. The Kurdish Malala
19 October 2013 / RudawThe world knows Malala Yousafzai, the 15-year-old Pakistani girl shot in the head by Taliban terrorists because she advocated education rights for girls. The world should know Medya Ormek, a 14-year-old Kurdish girl who defied Turkish bigotry and risked prison for wanting to teach in her native language. Malala Yousafzai’s book deal has earned her family $3 million. The United Nations lionized her in the General Assembly, as did President Obama at the White House. But very few know Medya Ormek, the Kurdish girl barely ten years old when Sadi Gegin, a Turkish prosecutor, threatened to jail her in 2009. Her crime: she wanted to preserve Kurdish language by teaching it in her home.
http://rudaw.net/english/opinion/19102013 <http://rudaw.net/english/opinion/19102013>
24. Ankara’s Wall is (and always has been) Illegitimate
21 October 2013 / Rojava ReportIn a new article from Özgür Gündem, the paper talks about the history of the division of Northern and Western Kurdistan, and the growing illegitimacy of Ankara’s policies surrounding the border. Among other issues, the article discusses the history of the border. Until the break-up of the Ottoman Empire, Kurdish communities lived undivided in the region. The current border came into existence on October 21st, 1921, when Franklin Bouillon and Yusuf Kemal Bey signed the Ankara Treaty on behalf of the French Empire and the Turkish Provisional Government, after which French forces were forced to withdraw from positions north of the current border.
http://rojavareport.wordpress.com/2013/10/21/ankaras-wall-is-and-always-has-been-illegitimate/<http://rojavareport.wordpress.com/2013/10/21/ankaras-wall-is-and-always-has-been-illegitimate/>
25. Cause and catalysts of the civil war in Syria
23 October 2013 / Peace and Conflict MonitorThe causes and catalysts of the current civil war in Syria are many and varied, including narratives that range across religion, poverty, past repression, and ideology. Understanding why the conflict began is only possible when these causes are considered together as a holistic whole rather than as stand-alone explanations. However, this is not to deny that some causes and catalysts have been more significant than others. Whilst early triumphs of civil society movements in Tunisia and Egypt greatly helped to catalyse opposition to the government in Syria, they only serve to mask the critical and much more important underlying change in the social dynamic created by the ideological drift of the Ba’ath Party
http://www.monitor.upeace.org/innerpg.cfm?id_article=1017
26. Photos: Between Syria and Iraq: a refugee's point of viewMore than 2,1 Million Syrians are currently registered as refugees, according to the UN's Refugee Agency. For many Syrians fleeing civil war, neighboring Iraq is just a short boat ride away.
http://www.dw.de/between-syria-and-iraq-a-refugees-point-of-view/g-17167310 <http://www.dw.de/between-syria-and-iraq-a-refugees-point-of-view/g-17167310>
27. Syrian Kurdish Leader Discusses Son's Killing by Jihadists
23 October 2013 / Al MonitorSalih Muslim, the co-chair of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) in Syria, gave an interview to Taraf only days after his youngest son, Shervan, was killed while fighting in the ranks of the People's Protection Units (YPG) against radical Islamists in Syria. Muslim, who buried his son in Kobani, had been expected to be angry. But on the contrary, we found him to be in a calm and thoughtful mood.
Taraf: My condolences. It’s a hard time for you. Could you tell us how the tragic incident occurred?
Muslim: You know that my children have been involved [in the struggle]. Shervan was the youngest — I mean, my youngest son — 21 years old. I have a daughter, Pervin, who is actually the youngest of all, only 19 years old. Shervan had been taking part in regular clashes since the attacks against us began one and a half years ago. Two months ago, he started fighting in the front lines to avenge Dilovan, his friend and also a relative of ours, who was martyred.
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/politics/2013/10/turkey-syria-pyd-salih-muslim-interview.html
28. Plans for Redrawing the Middle East: The Project for a “New Middle East”
21 October 2013 / Global ResearchThe term “New Middle East” was introduced to the world in June 2006 in Tel Aviv by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (who was credited by the Western media for coining the term) in replacement of the older and more imposing term, the “Greater Middle East.”
This shift in foreign policy phraseology coincided with the inauguration of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) Oil Terminal in the Eastern Mediterranean. The term and conceptualization of the “New Middle East,” was subsequently heralded by the U.S. Secretary of State and the Israeli Prime Minister at the height of the Anglo-American sponsored Israeli siege of Lebanon. Prime Minister Olmert and Secretary Rice had informed the international media that a project for a “New Middle East” was being launched from Lebanon.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/plans-for-redrawing-the-middle-east-the-project-for-a-new-middle-east/3882
Meeting Report: Hostages of the peace process: UK lawyers condemn Turkey's anti-terror law
Meeting Report
“Hostages of the peace process”: UK lawyers condemn Turkey’s anti-terror law
24 October 2013
http://peaceinkurdistancampaign.wordpress.com/2013/10/25/hostages-of-the-peace-process-uk-lawyers-condemn-turkeys-anti-terror-law/
Turkey’s anti-terror legislation has come under fire once again as five lawyers who recently returned from Istanbul gave a damning critique of one of Turkey’s now notorious ‘KCK trials’ at a public event held a Garden Court Chambers.
The lawyers formed part of a 6-person strong delegation that observed the trial of 46 Kurdish lawyers, who are being prosecuted for their work defending imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan. What they witnessed, they told the meeting, was a political show trial taking place in the context of peace talks between Ocalan and the Turkish government that reveals far more about authoritarianism in Turkey than the supposed criminality of the defendants. The meeting was chaired by Bill Bowring, Professor of Law at Birkbeck University.
The Kurdish lawyers have been made to face a justice system which is ‘quite incapable of delivering justice according to international standards’, said human rights barrister Margaret Owen. 16 of the 46 lawyers initially arrested have not been granted bail, with no explanation given as to why that might be, and they have only seen six days in court since their arrest in November 2011.
As barrister and trial monitor Bronwen Jones explained in detail, the use of intercept evidence and illegally recorded privileged conversations with their client in the prosecution case was further evidence of human rights violations and broke international standards on the rights and role of the lawyer. Indeed, the evidence presented is largely based on subjective police opinion and [1]
The trial is taking place in the largest courthouse in Europe, the Silivri prison complex outside Istanbul. Mark Jones, barrister at St Ives Chambers, revealed the courthouse was the size of a rugby pitch and had space for 240 lawyers and over 200 defendants at a time, which ‘begged the question, why would a country build a courtroom that size?” It certainly gives an idea of how Turkey plans to go about dispensing justice.
But with between 10,000 - 12,000 people imprisoned under Turkish anti-terror law since 2009 in the name of investigations into the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), one can presume that Turkey views courthouses such as this as quite necessary. In another trial, over 200 politicians and elected officials of the pro-Kurdish party, the BDP, are being tried together in a lengthy and arduous case that has been going on for over two years. Trade unionists, journalists, students, human rights defenders and members of Kurdish civil society have been arrested and tried in their hundreds.
All of this has resulted in Turkey having a third of the world’s prisoners classified as ‘terrorist’. As Mark Jones explained, this is ‘an assault on basic human rights of a scale not seen anywhere in the world’.
London-based solicitor Ali Has, who has been monitoring the trial since it began in 2012, went on to say that ‘“terrorist” is now the easiest profession to attain in Turkey’. Turkey’s current anti-terror law (TMY), which is excessively vague and open to arbitrary application, has been used to prosecute offences such as holding up a victory sign at a demonstration, throwing stones at the police, and protesting limitations on the right to protest.
Even speaking in the British parliament against Turkey’s human rights record has led to an indictment for well-known human rights barrister and writer Muharrem Erbey. Like the lawyers and the other thousands, he has also accused of ‘membership of an illegal organisation’ under the TMY.
After the speakers had finishing presenting, the open discussion began with an inevitable question, ‘How can these trials be happening alongside the peace process?’ And the answer came also from the floor: Perhaps precisely because they are an integral part of the peace process.
Indeed, the arrests began soon after local elections in 2009 that resulted in massive gains for the BDP. They have continued throughout this period of peace talks – which took place at first in secret and then later publicly – with the members of the Turkish intelligence organisation (MIT) and Ocalan.
Whilst it was acknowledged that democratic reforms have been introduced during this period, many expressed concern that these are little more than cultural concessions, intended not to empower but to pacify the Kurdish population while their political and civil movement is being dismantled. This sentiment has been echoed by PKK leader Cemil Bayik this week, who said that the reforms “didn’t even touch the anti-terror laws have out thousands of people behind bars”. "We silenced our weapons so that politics could speak, but now we see that politics is in prison", he continued.[2] Indeed, the same question was raised at the meeting: how can the peace process continue with Ocalan and his lawyers still behind bars?
But with no internationally agreed definition of ‘terrorism’, Saleh Mamon of CAMPACC explained, legislation is often vague, broad, and as such too useful a political tool for repressive governments.
Furthermore, ever-more complex and sophisticated counter-terrorism strategies used by the West and its allies in the name of the war on terror means that an equally coordinated effort is required to fight against the abuse of such legislation, Peace in Kurdistan Campaign’s Estella Schmid argued. Turkey’s unique role in this global war must be exposed, particularly given Turkish support for Al Qaeda affiliated groups involved in violent clashes with Syrian Kurdish defence forces, the YPG.
---This event, Anti-Terror Law and the Obstruction of Justice: The Implications of Mass Trials in Turkey for the Peace Process with the Kurds, took place in Garden Court Chambers on 9 October 2013. It was organised by Peace in Kurdistan Campaign, CAMPACC, Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers, and the European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and Human Rights (ELDH). We would like to thank all the speakers for their contributions, as well as Professor Bill Bowring for chairing the meeting. ---
Notes.
[1] Bronwen Jones’ report on the trial can be found here: http://peaceinkurdistancampaign.wordpress.com/2013/10/15/bronwen-jones-reports-on-6th-hearing-of-kck-lawyers-trial/
[2] http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/10/22/uk-turkey-kurds-pkk-idUKBRE99L06920131022
Peace in Kurdistan Campaign for a political solution of the Kurdish QuestionEmail: estella24@tiscali.co.uk <mailto:estella24@tiscali.co.uk>
www.peaceinkurdistancampaign.wordpress.com
Contacts Estella Schmid 020 7586 5892 & Melanie Sirinathsingh - Tel: 020 7272 7890
Fax: 020 7263 0596
Patrons: Lord Avebury, Lord Rea, Lord Dholakia, Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP, Jill Evans MEP, Jean Lambert MEP, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Hywel Williams MP, Elfyn Llwyd MP, Conor Murphy MP, John Austin, Bruce Kent, Gareth Peirce, Julie Christie, Noam Chomsky, John Berger, Edward Albee, Margaret Owen OBE, Prof Mary Davis, Mark Thomas
“Hostages of the peace process”: UK lawyers condemn Turkey’s anti-terror law
24 October 2013
http://peaceinkurdistancampaign.wordpress.com/2013/10/25/hostages-of-the-peace-process-uk-lawyers-condemn-turkeys-anti-terror-law/
Turkey’s anti-terror legislation has come under fire once again as five lawyers who recently returned from Istanbul gave a damning critique of one of Turkey’s now notorious ‘KCK trials’ at a public event held a Garden Court Chambers.
The lawyers formed part of a 6-person strong delegation that observed the trial of 46 Kurdish lawyers, who are being prosecuted for their work defending imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan. What they witnessed, they told the meeting, was a political show trial taking place in the context of peace talks between Ocalan and the Turkish government that reveals far more about authoritarianism in Turkey than the supposed criminality of the defendants. The meeting was chaired by Bill Bowring, Professor of Law at Birkbeck University.
The Kurdish lawyers have been made to face a justice system which is ‘quite incapable of delivering justice according to international standards’, said human rights barrister Margaret Owen. 16 of the 46 lawyers initially arrested have not been granted bail, with no explanation given as to why that might be, and they have only seen six days in court since their arrest in November 2011.
As barrister and trial monitor Bronwen Jones explained in detail, the use of intercept evidence and illegally recorded privileged conversations with their client in the prosecution case was further evidence of human rights violations and broke international standards on the rights and role of the lawyer. Indeed, the evidence presented is largely based on subjective police opinion and [1]
The trial is taking place in the largest courthouse in Europe, the Silivri prison complex outside Istanbul. Mark Jones, barrister at St Ives Chambers, revealed the courthouse was the size of a rugby pitch and had space for 240 lawyers and over 200 defendants at a time, which ‘begged the question, why would a country build a courtroom that size?” It certainly gives an idea of how Turkey plans to go about dispensing justice.
But with between 10,000 - 12,000 people imprisoned under Turkish anti-terror law since 2009 in the name of investigations into the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), one can presume that Turkey views courthouses such as this as quite necessary. In another trial, over 200 politicians and elected officials of the pro-Kurdish party, the BDP, are being tried together in a lengthy and arduous case that has been going on for over two years. Trade unionists, journalists, students, human rights defenders and members of Kurdish civil society have been arrested and tried in their hundreds.
All of this has resulted in Turkey having a third of the world’s prisoners classified as ‘terrorist’. As Mark Jones explained, this is ‘an assault on basic human rights of a scale not seen anywhere in the world’.
London-based solicitor Ali Has, who has been monitoring the trial since it began in 2012, went on to say that ‘“terrorist” is now the easiest profession to attain in Turkey’. Turkey’s current anti-terror law (TMY), which is excessively vague and open to arbitrary application, has been used to prosecute offences such as holding up a victory sign at a demonstration, throwing stones at the police, and protesting limitations on the right to protest.
Even speaking in the British parliament against Turkey’s human rights record has led to an indictment for well-known human rights barrister and writer Muharrem Erbey. Like the lawyers and the other thousands, he has also accused of ‘membership of an illegal organisation’ under the TMY.
After the speakers had finishing presenting, the open discussion began with an inevitable question, ‘How can these trials be happening alongside the peace process?’ And the answer came also from the floor: Perhaps precisely because they are an integral part of the peace process.
Indeed, the arrests began soon after local elections in 2009 that resulted in massive gains for the BDP. They have continued throughout this period of peace talks – which took place at first in secret and then later publicly – with the members of the Turkish intelligence organisation (MIT) and Ocalan.
Whilst it was acknowledged that democratic reforms have been introduced during this period, many expressed concern that these are little more than cultural concessions, intended not to empower but to pacify the Kurdish population while their political and civil movement is being dismantled. This sentiment has been echoed by PKK leader Cemil Bayik this week, who said that the reforms “didn’t even touch the anti-terror laws have out thousands of people behind bars”. "We silenced our weapons so that politics could speak, but now we see that politics is in prison", he continued.[2] Indeed, the same question was raised at the meeting: how can the peace process continue with Ocalan and his lawyers still behind bars?
But with no internationally agreed definition of ‘terrorism’, Saleh Mamon of CAMPACC explained, legislation is often vague, broad, and as such too useful a political tool for repressive governments.
Furthermore, ever-more complex and sophisticated counter-terrorism strategies used by the West and its allies in the name of the war on terror means that an equally coordinated effort is required to fight against the abuse of such legislation, Peace in Kurdistan Campaign’s Estella Schmid argued. Turkey’s unique role in this global war must be exposed, particularly given Turkish support for Al Qaeda affiliated groups involved in violent clashes with Syrian Kurdish defence forces, the YPG.
---This event, Anti-Terror Law and the Obstruction of Justice: The Implications of Mass Trials in Turkey for the Peace Process with the Kurds, took place in Garden Court Chambers on 9 October 2013. It was organised by Peace in Kurdistan Campaign, CAMPACC, Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers, and the European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and Human Rights (ELDH). We would like to thank all the speakers for their contributions, as well as Professor Bill Bowring for chairing the meeting. ---
Notes.
[1] Bronwen Jones’ report on the trial can be found here: http://peaceinkurdistancampaign.wordpress.com/2013/10/15/bronwen-jones-reports-on-6th-hearing-of-kck-lawyers-trial/
[2] http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/10/22/uk-turkey-kurds-pkk-idUKBRE99L06920131022
Peace in Kurdistan Campaign for a political solution of the Kurdish QuestionEmail: estella24@tiscali.co.uk <mailto:estella24@tiscali.co.uk>
www.peaceinkurdistancampaign.wordpress.com
Contacts Estella Schmid 020 7586 5892 & Melanie Sirinathsingh - Tel: 020 7272 7890
Fax: 020 7263 0596
Patrons: Lord Avebury, Lord Rea, Lord Dholakia, Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP, Jill Evans MEP, Jean Lambert MEP, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Hywel Williams MP, Elfyn Llwyd MP, Conor Murphy MP, John Austin, Bruce Kent, Gareth Peirce, Julie Christie, Noam Chomsky, John Berger, Edward Albee, Margaret Owen OBE, Prof Mary Davis, Mark Thomas
Kurdish News Weekly Briefing, 11 - 18 October 2013
1. BDP kicked off electoral campaign
8 October 2013 / ANFThe BDP and HPD have officially kicked off their campaign for the 2014 Turkish Municipal Elections to be held this coming March. The two parties are running in an alliance, with the BDP running candidates in Kurdish provinces in the East of the country and the HDP in the West. In complying with party statues, a large percentage of the candidates will be women. According to a report by DİHA, the parties will run under the slogan “Moving toward Democratic Liberation and Construction of a Free Life, Lets Build Our Own Genuine Systems of Self-Government.” In a statement issued by the BDP leadership, the party emphasized that their “measure of success would be a strategic approach to the elections.”
http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/bdp-kicked-off-electoral-campaign.htm <http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/bdp-kicked-off-electoral-campaign.htm>
2. Journalists and Media Gripped By Government-Police
10 October 2013 / BianetBia Media Monitoring July-August-September 2013: Throughout the Gezi Resistance protests, police broke up demonstrators with tear gas and water cannons, rubber bullets as well as by dragging on the ground and assaulting. 48 journalists were injured while reporting news under these circumstances and at least 11 were detained. Government policies during Gezi Resistance marked the prominent factor in the drafting of BIA Media Monitoring July-August-September 2013.
While journalists were targetted by policemen in urban sqaures, the Turkish government led by by PM Recep Tayyip Erdoğan were giving directives towards media authorities. Result: At least 10 journalists and 1 academician were forced to resignation because of their opinions on Gezi Resistance. At least 11 journalists and 6 academicians were laid off. In an environment where auto-censure ruled the media, editorial freedom and reader’s right to be informed almost shot down.
http://www.bianet.org/english/media/150562-journalists-and-media-gripped-by-government-police<http://www.bianet.org/english/media/150562-journalists-and-media-gripped-by-government-police>
3. BDP Opposes Proposed Electoral Reforms, Despite Supposed Benefits
15 October 2013 / RudawChanges to Turkey’s electoral system proposed by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will favor the Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), analysts say, but the party itself says that is not true. Erdogan announced a “democratization package” last month which includes a proposal to lower the threshold for a political party to enter parliament to 5 percent of the national vote, instead of the current 10 percent which is among the highest in the world. The higher threshold has kept Kurdish groupings out of parliament. Dr Seyfettin Gursel,a prominent academic known for his extensive work on electoral system reform in Turkey, said that with the lower threshold the BDP can look to occupy more than 30 seats in parliament.
http://rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/15102013
4. Öcalan still hopeful process can progress
17 October 2013 / ANFExtending her bairam greetings to the people in the province of Iğdır on Wednesday, BDP (Peace and Democracy Party) parliamentary group deputy chair Pervin Buldan talked about the most recent meeting she, together with İdris Baluken, held with Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan in İmralı prison. According to Öcalan - Buldan said - the fact that no life has been loss, due to the unilateral PKK ceasefire, has been the only positive side of the resolution process going on for the last one year now. Buldan said Öcalan believed the Turkish state and government should form the necessary legal ground if they want guerrillas to lay arms down and to get back into the society. “I still feel hopeful about this process which however requires some urgent legal arrangements from the government's side.
http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/ocalan-still-hopeful-process-can-progress.htm <http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/ocalan-still-hopeful-process-can-progress.htm>
5. Police to be given more powers
7 October 2013 / ANFAccording to a new regulation to be run jointly between the Interior and Justice Ministries, police could detain anyone who they suspect "could hold or organize a protest" for up to 24 hours without any court decision. A judge will also be able to extend the 24-hour detention period should he find it appropriate. At present a judge’s or prosecutor’s order is necessary to detain people in such cases. And organizations considered known or likely to "hold protests" will be monitored while their members could be detained by police if intelligence reports suggest they are planning to organize a demonstration or action. At the same time, penalties for resistance to police and damaging public properties will also increase.
http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/police-to-be-given-more-powers.htm <http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/police-to-be-given-more-powers.htm>
6. Protest against "wall of shame"
17 October 2013 / ANFExecutives and members of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) staged a demonstration against the 'wall of shame' currently being built between Mardin's Nusaybin district and the Qamishlo city in West Kurdistan. The demo was joined by a large number of civilians and politicians including BDP Mardin deputy Erol Dora, DTK (Democratic Society Congress) permanent council member Osman Özçelik, mayors of Mardin's Kızıltepe and Nusaybin districts, city council members and BDP and HDP (People's Democratic Party) Mardin executives.
http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/protest-against-wall-of-shame.htm <http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/protest-against-wall-of-shame.htm>
7. Turkey's wall plans face Kurdish opposition
16 October 2013 / Al JazeeraThere is a controversy on Turkey’s border with Syria’s biggest Kurdish city of Alqamishly. It started early October when Turkish military excavators started construction work here. Now the people of Nusaibin, who are also Kurds, accuse the government of digging the foundations to build a wall. They call it the wall of shame … some even compared it to the Berlin Wall. Others bluntly say that this is an attempt aimed at dividing the Kurds on the two sides of the borders. Work stopped. Not clear why or if it will resume again. The mayor of Nusaybin is quite clear that she and her Peace and Democracy Party, the biggest Kurdish party in Turkey, will not allow that to happen. "This is political … there are no attacks coming from Rojava (or Western Kurdistan, a name Kurds give to Kurdish areas in Syria)" says Ayse Gokkan.
http://blogs.aljazeera.com/blog/middle-east/turkeys-wall-plans-face-kurdish-opposition <http://blogs.aljazeera.com/blog/middle-east/turkeys-wall-plans-face-kurdish-opposition>
8. Thousands of soldiers deployed on South Kurdistan border
11 October 2013 / ANFThousands of soldiers from the 48th infantry brigade in Şırnak's Sêgirk (Şenoba) town have been deployed on South Kurdistan border on Friday.
Gendarmerie units have recently withdrawn from the South Kurdistan border after the transfer of the “border protection” authority from the general commandership of gendarmerie to the land forces command. Caravans have reportedly been sent to the border region where soldiers are currently staying in tents. The military deployment on South Kurdistan border came after the Turkish parliament has recently extended the government's authorization for one more year to launch cross-border operations in the guerrilla controlled Media Defense Areas.
http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/thousands-of-soldiers-deployed-on-south-kurdistan-border.htm<http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/thousands-of-soldiers-deployed-on-south-kurdistan-border.htm>
10. Turkey returns fire at Syria militants’ targets
16 October 2013 / Press TVOn Tuesday, the Turkish soldiers shot four rounds from self-propelled artillery guns at positions in the border town of Azaz under the control of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the army said on Wednesday. There were no immediate reports of any possible casualties or damage. After fighting with forces of the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA) on September 18, the Takfiri militants overran the northwestern town, a former commercial and industrial hub located five kilometers (two miles) from Syria’s border with Turkey. This is the first time for Turkey to get engaged in such an attack. The Turkish government has itself been blamed for supporting al-Qaeda-linked groups fighting against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/10/16/329762/turkey-returns-fire-at-syria-militants/
11. HRW calls on Turkey to avoid being a safe haven for human rights abusers
11 October 2013 / ANFArmed opposition groups in Syria killed at least 190 civilians and seized over 200 as hostages during a military offensive that began in rural Latakia governorate on August 4, 2013, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. At least 67 of the victims were executed or unlawfully killed in the operation around pro-government Alawite villages, HRW highlighted. The 105-page report, “You Can Still See Their Blood: Executions, Indiscriminate Shootings, and Hostage Taking by Opposition Forces in Latakia Countryside" presents evidence that the civilians were killed on August 4, the first day of the operation. Two opposition groups that took part in the offensive, the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham and Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar, are still holding the hostages, the vast majority women and children.
http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/hrw-calls-on-turkey-to-avoid-being-a-safe-haven-for-human-rights-abusers.htm<http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/hrw-calls-on-turkey-to-avoid-being-a-safe-haven-for-human-rights-abusers.htm>
12. Thousands bid farewell to Sherzan Muslim
11 October 2013 / ANFShervan Mislim Mohamed, the son of PYD (Democratic Union Party) co-chair Salih Mislim Mohamed, was laid to rest following a ceremony joined by thousands in the city of Kobane in West Kurdistan. Shervan had died following clashes between YPG (People's Defense Units) and militants from al-Qaeda linked ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Levant) in Tal Abyad, some 15 km from the city of Kobani on Wednesday. Shervan was buried in the Martyrs Graveyard following a military ceremony by YPG fighters. His coffin was covered with a YPG flag.
http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/thousands-bid-farewell-to-sherzan-muslim.htm <http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/thousands-bid-farewell-to-sherzan-muslim.htm>
13. Syrian Kurds fight off jihadist rebels, and protect oil fields
16 October 2013 / Digital JournalThe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that Kurdish fighters are engaged in fierce conflict with jihadist fighters in the oil-rich Hasake province of Syria.
At least 41 fighters have been killed in violent clashes pitting Kurds against jihadists and Islamist rebels in northeastern Syria, a monitoring group said on Wednesday. The Observatory claims: "At least 41 fighters were killed, including 29 ISIL, Al-Nusra Front and Islamist fighters," 12 Kurdish fighters were also reported killed. Both the the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL) sometimes called the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) as well as Al-Nusra front are radical Al Qaeda-linked jihadist groups. The ISIL is trying to crush competition from all other armed groups and gain new territory. There are oil resources in the area.
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/360353 <http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/360353>
14. Syrian Arab Village Welcomes Kurdish Fighters
13 October 2013 / Al MonitorIn the northeast of Syria, near the border with Turkey, Kurdish fighters of the People’s Defence Units (YPG) captured the Arab village of Alouk, close to the Kurdish-Arab inhabited city of Ras al-Ain (in Kurdish known as Serekaniye) from al-Qaeda-linked groups after on Sept. 14-18. The Arab villagers are thankful for the YPG support. “If there was no YPG, none of us would be here,” said villager Abu Hamza Kamal. The mixed city of Ras al-Ain was taken over by YPG fighters July 16, after days of tension between Islamist fighters and the Kurds. The city was divided in a YPG- and an Islamist-controlled zone after agreement was reached Feb. 17 between the different factions. After the YPG took over, Turkey closed the border and sealed it off.
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/10/syria-welcomes-kurdish-fighters.html
15. PYD: News Briefing Regarding Events in West Kurdistan (Northern Syria)
17 October 2013 / Peace in Kurdistan campaignLatest news briefing from the PYD media and public affairs office – Europe.http://peaceinkurdistancampaign.wordpress.com/2013/10/17/pyd-news-briefing-regarding-events-in-west-kurdistan-northern-syria/
16. Syria’s Kurds Divided Over Geneva II Conference
9 October 2013 / Al MonitorRepresentatives of the Syrian Kurdish parties visited Turkey on Oct. 8 to discuss border issues and Kurdish participation in the Geneva II peace talks, which will most likely take place in mid-November. However, the Syrian Kurdish parties are divided on how to participate. They all want to be represented independently from the opposition, but not necessarily together. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the Kurds should be part of Geneva II. “We would like the opposition to represent the entire spectrum of the opponents of the regime, including the opposition which is active inside Syria such as the National Coordinating Committee and the Supreme Kurdish Council,” he said.
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/10/syrian-kurds-divided-over-geneva-ii-conference.html#ixzz2hbeoCsrK <http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/10/syrian-kurds-divided-over-geneva-ii-conference.html#ixzz2hbeoCsrK>
17. Lawyers of Rojava: We Have Freed Ourselves From The Dirty Law Of the Regime
16 October 2013 / Rojava ReportOne of the most significant developments of the revolutionary struggle in Rojava has been the institution of a new system of law and the opening of people’s courts. The Rojava Kurds did not have any legal rights, and now they are laying the groundwork for an alternative system of law that would fairly represent their rights and demands. The lawyers of Rojava explained the new legal system in a report by DİHA.
Rojava Law Committee member Emina Omer said that they are founding a new system in Rojava, which they hope to base on a true and fair legal system. The law committee, Omer said, has female lawyers, as well as representatives of the people: “We are constantly in touch with other NGOs (…) women’s organizations, institutions of public order, municipalities, and human rights organizations in Rojava. When there are legal problems, we try to solve them.”
http://rojavareport.wordpress.com/2013/10/17/lawyers-of-rojava-we-have-freed-ourselves-from-the-dirty-law-of-the-regime/
COMMENT, OPINION AND ANALYSIS
18. Abdullah Ocalan: the Kurdish Leader's Life's Work Is at a Critical Crossroads
10 October 2013 / OpEd NewsRecent nominations for the next Nobel Peace Prize range from a Pakistani school girl to superpower leader Vladimir Putin. Some scientists and whistle blowers of note have also been mentioned. But a significant Middle Eastern peacemaker listed in Time Magazine's ranking of the most influential figures of the year failed to make the grade. Because he heads an organization branded by Middle Eastern power brokers such as the U.S., the EU and Israel as anything but peaceful, it is not surprising that imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan is not a Peace Prize nominee. Confined on the Turkish Island of Imrali off the coast of Istanbul for the last fifteen years, Ocalan has provided ideological support for millions of Kurds and their guerrilla army of men and women who fight to realize the elusive dream of an independent Kurdistan, committed both to self-determination and human rights.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Abdullah-Ocalan-the-Kurdi-by-Hamma-Mirwaisi-Books_Kurd_PKK_Peace-131011-105.html<http://www.opednews.com/articles/Abdullah-Ocalan-the-Kurdi-by-Hamma-Mirwaisi-Books_Kurd_PKK_Peace-131011-105.html>
19. Kurdish Question
14 October 2013 / HurriyetThe BDP and KCK expressed their disappointment with the latest “democracy package” and stated that this may be “the end of so-called peace process.” This is so not because they had high expectations, I think. In fact, they were not assuming that the package would promise some radical chances concerning political autonomy and Kurdish-language public education. Nevertheless, they were expecting positive hints concerning the future of the peace process. First of all, the basic problem is still about the negotiation process. From the beginning, Öcalan has been demanding better conditions to play a role, yet nothing has changed concerning the “conditions” apart from betterment of his individual wellbeing. It was not what he meant by “better conditions,” he rather means to have channels of communication not only with the KCK and BDP, but also with intellectuals, NGO’s and all independent platforms.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/kurdish-question.aspx?pageID=238&nID=56185&NewsCatID=406<http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/kurdish-question.aspx?pageID=238&nID=56185&NewsCatID=406>
20. The EU's Mixed Report on Turkey
16 October 2013 / Al MonitorA half century since Turkey's relationship with the European Union actually began, Turkey's volatile relations with Europe keep its foreign policy agenda under a tense grip. Today, Oct. 16, the European Commission released its eagerly anticipated progress report, raising new questions and concerns, while cautiously praising some reforms. Overall, the report's findings are not expected to help accelerate Turkey's membership process into the EU, but should be seen as a balancing act to keep the process from derailing. Not surprisingly, the report has been received in a cool fashion by Ankara. Egemen Bagis, Turkey's chief EU negotiator, refused to comment on the report, complaining that the commission insisted on releasing it during the Muslim holiday, Eid al-Adha. http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/10/progress-report-shows-relations-eu-turkey.html <http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/10/progress-report-shows-relations-eu-turkey.html>
21. Turkey: Do Ankara’s Reforms Go Far Enough for EU?
16 October 2013 / EurasianetTurkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan described his recent “democratization package” of reforms as an “historical moment” for Turkey. But his failure to revamp controversial anti-terror laws is complicating relations with the European Union.
On October 16, the EU published its annual membership progress report on Turkey. The text contained no surprise criticisms. At the same time, it foreshadowed difficulties for EU-Turkish relations. Officials in Brussels are wrestling with the idea of proceeding on the regional policy aspect of membership talks with Turkey as a way to reanimate the currently moribund accession process. According to an EU status report issued in August, membership talks have been “stalemated” for at least the past 18 months.
http://www.eurasianet.org/node/67639 <http://www.eurasianet.org/node/67639>
22. Turkey's Spymaster Plots Own Course on Syria
10 October 2013 / Wall Street JournalOn a rainy May day, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan led two of his closest advisers into the Oval Office for what both sides knew would be a difficult meeting.
It was the first face-to-face between Mr. Erdogan and President Barack Obama in almost a year. Mr. Obama delivered what U.S. officials describe as an unusually blunt message: The U.S. believed Turkey was letting arms and fighters flow into Syria indiscriminately and sometimes to the wrong rebels, including anti-Western jihadists. Seated at Mr. Erdogan's side was the man at the center of what caused the U.S.'s unease, Hakan Fidan, Turkey's powerful spymaster and a driving force behind its efforts to supply the rebels and topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303643304579107373585228330<http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303643304579107373585228330>
23. Dark Affairs Across Turkey's Border
15 October 2013 / Al MonitorPoet-author Bijan Matour tweeted the other day, “The martyrdom of [Democratic Union Party (PYD) head] Saleh Muslim’s son is proof of the dignity of the resistance at Rojava. Everyone is at the front lines and all are fighting for their land.” This sad testimony of dignity is the death of Shervan Muslim, the son of Saleh Muslim. He died as result of gunfire by an al-Qaeda extension near Tel Abyad, while his father was abroad making contacts for Syrian Kurds. Saleh Muslim hails from Kobani [in northern Syria], a bit west of the location where he lost his son, just opposite the Turkish region of Suruc-Mursitpinar. I remember that when I asked Saleh Muslim where he was from, he responded, “Urfa” [a Turkish border province], instead of Kobani. He was right. Kobani is as close to Urfa as Suruc. The nearest place you can call a town near Kobani is Urfa.
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/security/2013/10/turkey-syria-policy-isis-al-qaeda.html
24. Pressure Mounts on Turkey Over Radical Groups in Syria
15 October 2013 / Al MonitorTurkey continues to deny that it is lenient with radical groups fighting to establish an Islamic regime in Syria, let alone actively supporting them, and the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is now much more open in its criticism of these groups than was initially the case. The Erdogan government also announced measures in the Official Gazette on Oct. 10 freezing the financial assets of 349 people and 67 legal entities said by the UN Security Council to be linked to al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Despite these steps, however, Ankara continues to be accused of turning a blind eye as members of these groups use Turkish territory for various purposes in their fight not just against the Assad regime, but also the moderate elements of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and the Syrian Kurds.
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/10/turkey-must-control-jihadists-entering-syria.html?utm_source=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=8376#ixzz2hvloHYDS
25. Pale eyed portraits of Kurdistan: Haunting photographs offer insight into the lives of refugees forced from their homes by the conflict in Syria
16 October 2013 / Daily MailStaring into the camera, the girl's striking blue eyes are full of unshed tears. And she isn't alone. The girl in the polka dot headscarf and her family are just some of the thousands of people who have crossed the border into Iraq in a bid to escape the slaughter in Syria. Although the raging civil war has cost her family their home, the girl is luckier than most. An ethnic Kurd, she has managed to escape the fighting that has taken the lives of thousands of her compatriots as well as the bouts of ethnic violence that have taken the lives of Kurds in Syria, Iraq, Turkey and Iran over the last century.
Now she and other Kurdish refugees are the subject of a series of stunning photographs by French snapper Eric Lafforgue who travelled to Iraq last month to meet them.
26. Syria's first Kurdish-language newspaper
18 October 2013 / Al JazeeraAt first glance, nothing makes Nu Dem - "New time" in Kurdish - stand out from any other newspaper. Only its staff knows the extreme challenges that the first Kurdish-language newspaper in Syria faces: hardly any electricity, no Internet, no rotary press, and not even a salary. "Publishing an edition every 15 days is a real challenge for all of us. That is our contribution to society in these war times," said Qadir Agid, the editor-in-chief, from Nu Dem's headquarters in Qamishli, 680 kilometres northeast of Damascus.
Agid, a teacher in a nearby village, has taken time away from his family to work on the newspaper, launched this May with a circulation of 3,000 copies. The ruling Assad family - first Hafez and then his son, Bashar - has long taken harsh policies towards the Kurds: forbidding the use of the Kurdish language, forced population displacements, and denial of citizenship to thousands of them amid aggressive Arabisation campaigns.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/10/syria-first-kurdish-language-newspaper-20131013124859345177.html
27. Syrian Kurdish Leader Urges Turkey To End Support for Salafists
9 October 2013 / Al MonitorSaleh Muslim, co-chair of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) — which controls a string of mainly Kurdish-populated towns and villages in northern Syria and administers them through "popular councils" — has a few tempered messages for Turkey in an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor on Oct. 7. A few days later, on Oct. 9, as this article was about to be published, news emerged that Muslim's son Shervan, a fighter with the Popular Defense Units (YPG), had been shot and killed in the town of Tel Abyad by a sniper from the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). Muslim could not be reached for comment.
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/10/syrian-kurdish-leader-calls-turkey-shut-down-salafists.html <http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/10/syrian-kurdish-leader-calls-turkey-shut-down-salafists.html>
28. Kurds Build Bridges At Last
13 October 2013 / IPSAfter fleeing the war three months ago, Gulnaz is headed back for Syria to bury her brother within the 24 hours Islam stipulates. But it is far from easy to take the coffin across the Syrian-Iraqi border. Located 460 northwest of Baghdad, the Kurdish town Peshkhabur has witnessed unusual traffic of people over the last months. Most are refugees coming from Syria but there are also those forced to go back to the war-torn land they left behind. Gulnaz is devastated so it’s her companion who provides the details. “After the Islamists’ offensive in July we moved to Erbil (the administrative capital of Iraqi Kurdistan 390 km north of Baghdad) but in pure bad luck her brother died in a car accident,” he tells IPS as they wait patiently for the Kurdish border officials on the Iraqi side to check their documents.
http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/10/kurds-build-bridges-at-last/ <http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/10/kurds-build-bridges-at-last/>
8 October 2013 / ANFThe BDP and HPD have officially kicked off their campaign for the 2014 Turkish Municipal Elections to be held this coming March. The two parties are running in an alliance, with the BDP running candidates in Kurdish provinces in the East of the country and the HDP in the West. In complying with party statues, a large percentage of the candidates will be women. According to a report by DİHA, the parties will run under the slogan “Moving toward Democratic Liberation and Construction of a Free Life, Lets Build Our Own Genuine Systems of Self-Government.” In a statement issued by the BDP leadership, the party emphasized that their “measure of success would be a strategic approach to the elections.”
http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/bdp-kicked-off-electoral-campaign.htm <http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/bdp-kicked-off-electoral-campaign.htm>
2. Journalists and Media Gripped By Government-Police
10 October 2013 / BianetBia Media Monitoring July-August-September 2013: Throughout the Gezi Resistance protests, police broke up demonstrators with tear gas and water cannons, rubber bullets as well as by dragging on the ground and assaulting. 48 journalists were injured while reporting news under these circumstances and at least 11 were detained. Government policies during Gezi Resistance marked the prominent factor in the drafting of BIA Media Monitoring July-August-September 2013.
While journalists were targetted by policemen in urban sqaures, the Turkish government led by by PM Recep Tayyip Erdoğan were giving directives towards media authorities. Result: At least 10 journalists and 1 academician were forced to resignation because of their opinions on Gezi Resistance. At least 11 journalists and 6 academicians were laid off. In an environment where auto-censure ruled the media, editorial freedom and reader’s right to be informed almost shot down.
http://www.bianet.org/english/media/150562-journalists-and-media-gripped-by-government-police<http://www.bianet.org/english/media/150562-journalists-and-media-gripped-by-government-police>
3. BDP Opposes Proposed Electoral Reforms, Despite Supposed Benefits
15 October 2013 / RudawChanges to Turkey’s electoral system proposed by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will favor the Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), analysts say, but the party itself says that is not true. Erdogan announced a “democratization package” last month which includes a proposal to lower the threshold for a political party to enter parliament to 5 percent of the national vote, instead of the current 10 percent which is among the highest in the world. The higher threshold has kept Kurdish groupings out of parliament. Dr Seyfettin Gursel,a prominent academic known for his extensive work on electoral system reform in Turkey, said that with the lower threshold the BDP can look to occupy more than 30 seats in parliament.
http://rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/15102013
4. Öcalan still hopeful process can progress
17 October 2013 / ANFExtending her bairam greetings to the people in the province of Iğdır on Wednesday, BDP (Peace and Democracy Party) parliamentary group deputy chair Pervin Buldan talked about the most recent meeting she, together with İdris Baluken, held with Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan in İmralı prison. According to Öcalan - Buldan said - the fact that no life has been loss, due to the unilateral PKK ceasefire, has been the only positive side of the resolution process going on for the last one year now. Buldan said Öcalan believed the Turkish state and government should form the necessary legal ground if they want guerrillas to lay arms down and to get back into the society. “I still feel hopeful about this process which however requires some urgent legal arrangements from the government's side.
http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/ocalan-still-hopeful-process-can-progress.htm <http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/ocalan-still-hopeful-process-can-progress.htm>
5. Police to be given more powers
7 October 2013 / ANFAccording to a new regulation to be run jointly between the Interior and Justice Ministries, police could detain anyone who they suspect "could hold or organize a protest" for up to 24 hours without any court decision. A judge will also be able to extend the 24-hour detention period should he find it appropriate. At present a judge’s or prosecutor’s order is necessary to detain people in such cases. And organizations considered known or likely to "hold protests" will be monitored while their members could be detained by police if intelligence reports suggest they are planning to organize a demonstration or action. At the same time, penalties for resistance to police and damaging public properties will also increase.
http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/police-to-be-given-more-powers.htm <http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/police-to-be-given-more-powers.htm>
6. Protest against "wall of shame"
17 October 2013 / ANFExecutives and members of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) staged a demonstration against the 'wall of shame' currently being built between Mardin's Nusaybin district and the Qamishlo city in West Kurdistan. The demo was joined by a large number of civilians and politicians including BDP Mardin deputy Erol Dora, DTK (Democratic Society Congress) permanent council member Osman Özçelik, mayors of Mardin's Kızıltepe and Nusaybin districts, city council members and BDP and HDP (People's Democratic Party) Mardin executives.
http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/protest-against-wall-of-shame.htm <http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/protest-against-wall-of-shame.htm>
7. Turkey's wall plans face Kurdish opposition
16 October 2013 / Al JazeeraThere is a controversy on Turkey’s border with Syria’s biggest Kurdish city of Alqamishly. It started early October when Turkish military excavators started construction work here. Now the people of Nusaibin, who are also Kurds, accuse the government of digging the foundations to build a wall. They call it the wall of shame … some even compared it to the Berlin Wall. Others bluntly say that this is an attempt aimed at dividing the Kurds on the two sides of the borders. Work stopped. Not clear why or if it will resume again. The mayor of Nusaybin is quite clear that she and her Peace and Democracy Party, the biggest Kurdish party in Turkey, will not allow that to happen. "This is political … there are no attacks coming from Rojava (or Western Kurdistan, a name Kurds give to Kurdish areas in Syria)" says Ayse Gokkan.
http://blogs.aljazeera.com/blog/middle-east/turkeys-wall-plans-face-kurdish-opposition <http://blogs.aljazeera.com/blog/middle-east/turkeys-wall-plans-face-kurdish-opposition>
8. Thousands of soldiers deployed on South Kurdistan border
11 October 2013 / ANFThousands of soldiers from the 48th infantry brigade in Şırnak's Sêgirk (Şenoba) town have been deployed on South Kurdistan border on Friday.
Gendarmerie units have recently withdrawn from the South Kurdistan border after the transfer of the “border protection” authority from the general commandership of gendarmerie to the land forces command. Caravans have reportedly been sent to the border region where soldiers are currently staying in tents. The military deployment on South Kurdistan border came after the Turkish parliament has recently extended the government's authorization for one more year to launch cross-border operations in the guerrilla controlled Media Defense Areas.
http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/thousands-of-soldiers-deployed-on-south-kurdistan-border.htm<http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/thousands-of-soldiers-deployed-on-south-kurdistan-border.htm>
10. Turkey returns fire at Syria militants’ targets
16 October 2013 / Press TVOn Tuesday, the Turkish soldiers shot four rounds from self-propelled artillery guns at positions in the border town of Azaz under the control of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the army said on Wednesday. There were no immediate reports of any possible casualties or damage. After fighting with forces of the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA) on September 18, the Takfiri militants overran the northwestern town, a former commercial and industrial hub located five kilometers (two miles) from Syria’s border with Turkey. This is the first time for Turkey to get engaged in such an attack. The Turkish government has itself been blamed for supporting al-Qaeda-linked groups fighting against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/10/16/329762/turkey-returns-fire-at-syria-militants/
11. HRW calls on Turkey to avoid being a safe haven for human rights abusers
11 October 2013 / ANFArmed opposition groups in Syria killed at least 190 civilians and seized over 200 as hostages during a military offensive that began in rural Latakia governorate on August 4, 2013, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. At least 67 of the victims were executed or unlawfully killed in the operation around pro-government Alawite villages, HRW highlighted. The 105-page report, “You Can Still See Their Blood: Executions, Indiscriminate Shootings, and Hostage Taking by Opposition Forces in Latakia Countryside" presents evidence that the civilians were killed on August 4, the first day of the operation. Two opposition groups that took part in the offensive, the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham and Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar, are still holding the hostages, the vast majority women and children.
http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/hrw-calls-on-turkey-to-avoid-being-a-safe-haven-for-human-rights-abusers.htm<http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/hrw-calls-on-turkey-to-avoid-being-a-safe-haven-for-human-rights-abusers.htm>
12. Thousands bid farewell to Sherzan Muslim
11 October 2013 / ANFShervan Mislim Mohamed, the son of PYD (Democratic Union Party) co-chair Salih Mislim Mohamed, was laid to rest following a ceremony joined by thousands in the city of Kobane in West Kurdistan. Shervan had died following clashes between YPG (People's Defense Units) and militants from al-Qaeda linked ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Levant) in Tal Abyad, some 15 km from the city of Kobani on Wednesday. Shervan was buried in the Martyrs Graveyard following a military ceremony by YPG fighters. His coffin was covered with a YPG flag.
http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/thousands-bid-farewell-to-sherzan-muslim.htm <http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/thousands-bid-farewell-to-sherzan-muslim.htm>
13. Syrian Kurds fight off jihadist rebels, and protect oil fields
16 October 2013 / Digital JournalThe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that Kurdish fighters are engaged in fierce conflict with jihadist fighters in the oil-rich Hasake province of Syria.
At least 41 fighters have been killed in violent clashes pitting Kurds against jihadists and Islamist rebels in northeastern Syria, a monitoring group said on Wednesday. The Observatory claims: "At least 41 fighters were killed, including 29 ISIL, Al-Nusra Front and Islamist fighters," 12 Kurdish fighters were also reported killed. Both the the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL) sometimes called the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) as well as Al-Nusra front are radical Al Qaeda-linked jihadist groups. The ISIL is trying to crush competition from all other armed groups and gain new territory. There are oil resources in the area.
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/360353 <http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/360353>
14. Syrian Arab Village Welcomes Kurdish Fighters
13 October 2013 / Al MonitorIn the northeast of Syria, near the border with Turkey, Kurdish fighters of the People’s Defence Units (YPG) captured the Arab village of Alouk, close to the Kurdish-Arab inhabited city of Ras al-Ain (in Kurdish known as Serekaniye) from al-Qaeda-linked groups after on Sept. 14-18. The Arab villagers are thankful for the YPG support. “If there was no YPG, none of us would be here,” said villager Abu Hamza Kamal. The mixed city of Ras al-Ain was taken over by YPG fighters July 16, after days of tension between Islamist fighters and the Kurds. The city was divided in a YPG- and an Islamist-controlled zone after agreement was reached Feb. 17 between the different factions. After the YPG took over, Turkey closed the border and sealed it off.
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/10/syria-welcomes-kurdish-fighters.html
15. PYD: News Briefing Regarding Events in West Kurdistan (Northern Syria)
17 October 2013 / Peace in Kurdistan campaignLatest news briefing from the PYD media and public affairs office – Europe.http://peaceinkurdistancampaign.wordpress.com/2013/10/17/pyd-news-briefing-regarding-events-in-west-kurdistan-northern-syria/
16. Syria’s Kurds Divided Over Geneva II Conference
9 October 2013 / Al MonitorRepresentatives of the Syrian Kurdish parties visited Turkey on Oct. 8 to discuss border issues and Kurdish participation in the Geneva II peace talks, which will most likely take place in mid-November. However, the Syrian Kurdish parties are divided on how to participate. They all want to be represented independently from the opposition, but not necessarily together. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the Kurds should be part of Geneva II. “We would like the opposition to represent the entire spectrum of the opponents of the regime, including the opposition which is active inside Syria such as the National Coordinating Committee and the Supreme Kurdish Council,” he said.
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/10/syrian-kurds-divided-over-geneva-ii-conference.html#ixzz2hbeoCsrK <http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/10/syrian-kurds-divided-over-geneva-ii-conference.html#ixzz2hbeoCsrK>
17. Lawyers of Rojava: We Have Freed Ourselves From The Dirty Law Of the Regime
16 October 2013 / Rojava ReportOne of the most significant developments of the revolutionary struggle in Rojava has been the institution of a new system of law and the opening of people’s courts. The Rojava Kurds did not have any legal rights, and now they are laying the groundwork for an alternative system of law that would fairly represent their rights and demands. The lawyers of Rojava explained the new legal system in a report by DİHA.
Rojava Law Committee member Emina Omer said that they are founding a new system in Rojava, which they hope to base on a true and fair legal system. The law committee, Omer said, has female lawyers, as well as representatives of the people: “We are constantly in touch with other NGOs (…) women’s organizations, institutions of public order, municipalities, and human rights organizations in Rojava. When there are legal problems, we try to solve them.”
http://rojavareport.wordpress.com/2013/10/17/lawyers-of-rojava-we-have-freed-ourselves-from-the-dirty-law-of-the-regime/
COMMENT, OPINION AND ANALYSIS
18. Abdullah Ocalan: the Kurdish Leader's Life's Work Is at a Critical Crossroads
10 October 2013 / OpEd NewsRecent nominations for the next Nobel Peace Prize range from a Pakistani school girl to superpower leader Vladimir Putin. Some scientists and whistle blowers of note have also been mentioned. But a significant Middle Eastern peacemaker listed in Time Magazine's ranking of the most influential figures of the year failed to make the grade. Because he heads an organization branded by Middle Eastern power brokers such as the U.S., the EU and Israel as anything but peaceful, it is not surprising that imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan is not a Peace Prize nominee. Confined on the Turkish Island of Imrali off the coast of Istanbul for the last fifteen years, Ocalan has provided ideological support for millions of Kurds and their guerrilla army of men and women who fight to realize the elusive dream of an independent Kurdistan, committed both to self-determination and human rights.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Abdullah-Ocalan-the-Kurdi-by-Hamma-Mirwaisi-Books_Kurd_PKK_Peace-131011-105.html<http://www.opednews.com/articles/Abdullah-Ocalan-the-Kurdi-by-Hamma-Mirwaisi-Books_Kurd_PKK_Peace-131011-105.html>
19. Kurdish Question
14 October 2013 / HurriyetThe BDP and KCK expressed their disappointment with the latest “democracy package” and stated that this may be “the end of so-called peace process.” This is so not because they had high expectations, I think. In fact, they were not assuming that the package would promise some radical chances concerning political autonomy and Kurdish-language public education. Nevertheless, they were expecting positive hints concerning the future of the peace process. First of all, the basic problem is still about the negotiation process. From the beginning, Öcalan has been demanding better conditions to play a role, yet nothing has changed concerning the “conditions” apart from betterment of his individual wellbeing. It was not what he meant by “better conditions,” he rather means to have channels of communication not only with the KCK and BDP, but also with intellectuals, NGO’s and all independent platforms.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/kurdish-question.aspx?pageID=238&nID=56185&NewsCatID=406<http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/kurdish-question.aspx?pageID=238&nID=56185&NewsCatID=406>
20. The EU's Mixed Report on Turkey
16 October 2013 / Al MonitorA half century since Turkey's relationship with the European Union actually began, Turkey's volatile relations with Europe keep its foreign policy agenda under a tense grip. Today, Oct. 16, the European Commission released its eagerly anticipated progress report, raising new questions and concerns, while cautiously praising some reforms. Overall, the report's findings are not expected to help accelerate Turkey's membership process into the EU, but should be seen as a balancing act to keep the process from derailing. Not surprisingly, the report has been received in a cool fashion by Ankara. Egemen Bagis, Turkey's chief EU negotiator, refused to comment on the report, complaining that the commission insisted on releasing it during the Muslim holiday, Eid al-Adha. http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/10/progress-report-shows-relations-eu-turkey.html <http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/10/progress-report-shows-relations-eu-turkey.html>
21. Turkey: Do Ankara’s Reforms Go Far Enough for EU?
16 October 2013 / EurasianetTurkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan described his recent “democratization package” of reforms as an “historical moment” for Turkey. But his failure to revamp controversial anti-terror laws is complicating relations with the European Union.
On October 16, the EU published its annual membership progress report on Turkey. The text contained no surprise criticisms. At the same time, it foreshadowed difficulties for EU-Turkish relations. Officials in Brussels are wrestling with the idea of proceeding on the regional policy aspect of membership talks with Turkey as a way to reanimate the currently moribund accession process. According to an EU status report issued in August, membership talks have been “stalemated” for at least the past 18 months.
http://www.eurasianet.org/node/67639 <http://www.eurasianet.org/node/67639>
22. Turkey's Spymaster Plots Own Course on Syria
10 October 2013 / Wall Street JournalOn a rainy May day, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan led two of his closest advisers into the Oval Office for what both sides knew would be a difficult meeting.
It was the first face-to-face between Mr. Erdogan and President Barack Obama in almost a year. Mr. Obama delivered what U.S. officials describe as an unusually blunt message: The U.S. believed Turkey was letting arms and fighters flow into Syria indiscriminately and sometimes to the wrong rebels, including anti-Western jihadists. Seated at Mr. Erdogan's side was the man at the center of what caused the U.S.'s unease, Hakan Fidan, Turkey's powerful spymaster and a driving force behind its efforts to supply the rebels and topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303643304579107373585228330<http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303643304579107373585228330>
23. Dark Affairs Across Turkey's Border
15 October 2013 / Al MonitorPoet-author Bijan Matour tweeted the other day, “The martyrdom of [Democratic Union Party (PYD) head] Saleh Muslim’s son is proof of the dignity of the resistance at Rojava. Everyone is at the front lines and all are fighting for their land.” This sad testimony of dignity is the death of Shervan Muslim, the son of Saleh Muslim. He died as result of gunfire by an al-Qaeda extension near Tel Abyad, while his father was abroad making contacts for Syrian Kurds. Saleh Muslim hails from Kobani [in northern Syria], a bit west of the location where he lost his son, just opposite the Turkish region of Suruc-Mursitpinar. I remember that when I asked Saleh Muslim where he was from, he responded, “Urfa” [a Turkish border province], instead of Kobani. He was right. Kobani is as close to Urfa as Suruc. The nearest place you can call a town near Kobani is Urfa.
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/security/2013/10/turkey-syria-policy-isis-al-qaeda.html
24. Pressure Mounts on Turkey Over Radical Groups in Syria
15 October 2013 / Al MonitorTurkey continues to deny that it is lenient with radical groups fighting to establish an Islamic regime in Syria, let alone actively supporting them, and the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is now much more open in its criticism of these groups than was initially the case. The Erdogan government also announced measures in the Official Gazette on Oct. 10 freezing the financial assets of 349 people and 67 legal entities said by the UN Security Council to be linked to al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Despite these steps, however, Ankara continues to be accused of turning a blind eye as members of these groups use Turkish territory for various purposes in their fight not just against the Assad regime, but also the moderate elements of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and the Syrian Kurds.
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/10/turkey-must-control-jihadists-entering-syria.html?utm_source=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=8376#ixzz2hvloHYDS
25. Pale eyed portraits of Kurdistan: Haunting photographs offer insight into the lives of refugees forced from their homes by the conflict in Syria
16 October 2013 / Daily MailStaring into the camera, the girl's striking blue eyes are full of unshed tears. And she isn't alone. The girl in the polka dot headscarf and her family are just some of the thousands of people who have crossed the border into Iraq in a bid to escape the slaughter in Syria. Although the raging civil war has cost her family their home, the girl is luckier than most. An ethnic Kurd, she has managed to escape the fighting that has taken the lives of thousands of her compatriots as well as the bouts of ethnic violence that have taken the lives of Kurds in Syria, Iraq, Turkey and Iran over the last century.
Now she and other Kurdish refugees are the subject of a series of stunning photographs by French snapper Eric Lafforgue who travelled to Iraq last month to meet them.
26. Syria's first Kurdish-language newspaper
18 October 2013 / Al JazeeraAt first glance, nothing makes Nu Dem - "New time" in Kurdish - stand out from any other newspaper. Only its staff knows the extreme challenges that the first Kurdish-language newspaper in Syria faces: hardly any electricity, no Internet, no rotary press, and not even a salary. "Publishing an edition every 15 days is a real challenge for all of us. That is our contribution to society in these war times," said Qadir Agid, the editor-in-chief, from Nu Dem's headquarters in Qamishli, 680 kilometres northeast of Damascus.
Agid, a teacher in a nearby village, has taken time away from his family to work on the newspaper, launched this May with a circulation of 3,000 copies. The ruling Assad family - first Hafez and then his son, Bashar - has long taken harsh policies towards the Kurds: forbidding the use of the Kurdish language, forced population displacements, and denial of citizenship to thousands of them amid aggressive Arabisation campaigns.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/10/syria-first-kurdish-language-newspaper-20131013124859345177.html
27. Syrian Kurdish Leader Urges Turkey To End Support for Salafists
9 October 2013 / Al MonitorSaleh Muslim, co-chair of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) — which controls a string of mainly Kurdish-populated towns and villages in northern Syria and administers them through "popular councils" — has a few tempered messages for Turkey in an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor on Oct. 7. A few days later, on Oct. 9, as this article was about to be published, news emerged that Muslim's son Shervan, a fighter with the Popular Defense Units (YPG), had been shot and killed in the town of Tel Abyad by a sniper from the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). Muslim could not be reached for comment.
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/10/syrian-kurdish-leader-calls-turkey-shut-down-salafists.html <http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/10/syrian-kurdish-leader-calls-turkey-shut-down-salafists.html>
28. Kurds Build Bridges At Last
13 October 2013 / IPSAfter fleeing the war three months ago, Gulnaz is headed back for Syria to bury her brother within the 24 hours Islam stipulates. But it is far from easy to take the coffin across the Syrian-Iraqi border. Located 460 northwest of Baghdad, the Kurdish town Peshkhabur has witnessed unusual traffic of people over the last months. Most are refugees coming from Syria but there are also those forced to go back to the war-torn land they left behind. Gulnaz is devastated so it’s her companion who provides the details. “After the Islamists’ offensive in July we moved to Erbil (the administrative capital of Iraqi Kurdistan 390 km north of Baghdad) but in pure bad luck her brother died in a car accident,” he tells IPS as they wait patiently for the Kurdish border officials on the Iraqi side to check their documents.
http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/10/kurds-build-bridges-at-last/ <http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/10/kurds-build-bridges-at-last/>
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)