Friday, June 11, 2010

17 Turkish soldiers wounded in explosion



Dersim- Northern Kurdistan: According to the local news reporters a roadside bomb went off when a military vehicle passed by and wounded 17 soldiers. Some reports put the number of injured people at 14.

The remote controlled explosion hit one military vehicle which was carrying discharged soldiers from military service on the road between Dersim and Mazgirt.

Also yesterday PKK guerrillas in Dersim stopped and set a transport vehicle on fire which was carrying supplies to a military outpost.

Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) guerrillas escalated attacks against Turkish military since June 1, the end date for 17 month old unilateral ceasefire.

The Kurdistan Worker Party (PKK) was founded in 1973 as the result of the continuous and systematic oppressions and the denial of the Kurdish nation by the occupying powers of Kurdistan. The PKK took up arm in 1984 since all the possible political and diplomatic means applied for 11 years in between 1973-84 proved exhausted. The PKK however declared its first unilateral ceasefire in 1993 since it believed the arm struggle had hit its targets. Since 1993 to date the PKK has declared 6 unilateral ceasefires in 6 different occasions and called upon Ankara to solve the Kurdish problem in a peaceful democratic way.

Despite the facts that the PKK has declared 6 unilateral ceasefires and also it sent peace groups in two different occasions yet the PKK is considered as a 'terrorist' organization by Ankara and the US. It also continues to be on the blacklist in EU despite the court ruling, which overturned the decision to place the Kurdish freedom movement on the EU's terror list. “By labelling PKK as a terrorist organisation, the EU and the US are giving Turkey a green light to target its civilians. They gave the Turkish government a free hand to do what it will, a mother of Kurdish martyr said”.

It should be noted that after 1954, apart from the Korean War in1949-52 and the invasion of Cyprus in 1974, the Turkish Army operations have continued to be exclusively against the Kurds.

Indonesian denounced Iranian execution of the Kurds



Indonesia- According to the local news, many Indonesian political activists especially the workers and teachers’ unions denounced the Iranian regime for the execution of dissidents especially the Kurds.

The aim of the demonstration was specified to the execution of 5 political activists who were hanged by the Iranian fascist regime on 9th May in Evin Prison. Most of demonstrators wore t-shirts which had the photos of the 5 martyrs mainly Farzad Kamanger’s on.

On 9th of May 2010, five political activists, four of whom were Kurdish political activists named Farzad kamangar, Shirin Alam Holi, Ali Haidaryan, Farhad Wakili and a Bluch activist named Mehdi Eslamyan were hanged.

After this painful mass execution, demonstrations have been placed in many countries throughout the world especially in Europe against Iran’s inhuman policies.

Iranian regime hangs hundreds of activists especially the Kurds every year whose offence is only their identity.

Kurdish “Peace Mother” sentenced to 6 years in prison



Izmir- Northern Kurdistan: Turkish High Court sentenced 61 year old Kurdish “Peace Mother” Sultan Acibuca to 6 years and 3 months in prison for her speech at 8th March Women’s International Day celebrations in Izmir.

Izmir 10th High Criminal Court sentenced Acibuca on the grounds of being a member of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

The only evidence against Acibuca was her speech at Women’s International Day celebrations in Izmir. In her speech Acibuca called the PKK and Turkish Army to lay down arms and end the 30 year of armed conflict. Her last words were “Enough is enough! We don’t want war”.

The Kurdistan Worker Party (PKK) was founded in 1973 as the result of the continuous and systematic oppressions and the denial of the Kurdish nation by the occupying powers of Kurdistan. The PKK took up arm in 1984 since all the possible political and diplomatic means applied for 11 years in between 1973-84 proved exhausted. The PKK however declared its first unilateral ceasefire in 1993 since it believed the arm struggle had hit its targets. Since 1993 to date the PKK has declared 6 unilateral ceasefires in 6 different occasions and called upon Ankara to solve the Kurdish problem in a peaceful democratic way.

Despite the facts that the PKK has declared 6 unilateral ceasefires and also it sent peace groups in two different occasions yet the PKK is considered as a 'terrorist' organization by Ankara and the US. It also continues to be on the blacklist in EU despite the court ruling, which overturned the decision to place the Kurdish freedom movement on the EU's terror list. “By labelling PKK as a terrorist organisation, the EU and the US are giving Turkey a green light to target its civilians. They gave the Turkish government a free hand to do what it will, a mother of Kurdish martyr said”.

It should be noted that after 1954, apart from the Korean War in1949-52 and the invasion of Cyprus in 1974, the Turkish Army operations have continued to be exclusively against the Kurds.

Freedom House: ‘The World’s Most Repressive Societies – Syria’



Freedom House has prepared this report as a companion to our annual survey on the state of global political rights and civil liberties, Freedom in the World. We are publishing this report to assist policymakers, human rights organizations, democracy advocates, and others who are working to advance freedom around the world. We also hope that the report will be useful to the work of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

The reports are excerpted from Freedom in the World 2010, which surveys the state of freedom in 194 countries and 14 select territories. The ratings and accompanying essays are based on events from January 1, 2009, through December 31, 2009. The 17 countries and 3 territories profiled in this report are drawn from the total of 47 countries and 7 territories that are considered to be Not Free, and whose citizens endure systematic and pervasive human rights violations.

Included in this report are nine countries judged to have the worst human rights conditions: Burma, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Also included is one territory, Tibet, whose inhabitants suffer similarly intense repression. These states and territories received the Freedom House survey’s lowest ratings: 7 for political rights and 7 for civil liberties (based on a 1 to 7 scale, with 1 representing the most free and 7 the least free). Within these entities, state control over daily life is pervasive, independent organizations and political opposition are banned or suppressed, and fear of retribution for independent thought and action is ubiquitous.

The report also includes eight additional countries near the bottom of Freedom House’s ratings scale: Belarus, Chad, China, Cuba, Guinea, Laos, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. The two territories of South Ossetia and Western Sahara are also included in this group. These countries and territories—all of which received ratings of 7 for political rights and 6 for civil liberties—offer very limited scope for private discussion while severely suppressing opposition political activity, impeding independent organizing, and censoring or punishing criticism of the state.

Syria (Syrian Arab Republic)

Political Rights: 7

Civil Liberties: 6

Status: Not Free

Population: 21,906,000

Capital: Damascus

Ten-Year Ratings Timeline for Year under Review

(Political Rights, Civil Liberties, Status)

Year Under Review 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Rating 7,7,NF 7,7,NF 7,7,NF 7,7,NF 7,7,NF 7,7,NF 7,6,NF 7,6,NF 7,6,NF 7,6,NF

2009 Key Developments: Freedoms of expression, association, and assembly remained tightly restricted throughout 2009, especially with regard to certain groups, such as the Kurdish minority. Syria’s opposition in exile split during the year, ending an uneasy alliance between Islamists and secularists. On the international front, Syria and Lebanon exchanged ambassadors, and although the United States announced that it would send an ambassador to Damascus, none had been named by year’s end.

Political Rights: Syria is not an electoral democracy. The president is nominated by the ruling Baath Party and approved by popular referendum. In practice, these referendums are orchestrated by the regime, as are elections for the 250-seat, unicameral People’s Council, whose members serve four-year terms and hold little independent legislative power. Almost all power rests in the executive branch. The only legal political parties are the Baath Party and its several small coalition partners in the ruling National Progressive Front. Corruption is widespread, and bribery is often necessary to navigate the bureaucracy.

Civil Liberties: Freedom of expression is heavily restricted. It is illegal to publish material that harms national unity, tarnishes the image of the state, or threatens the “goals of the revolution.” Most broadcast media are state owned, and private print outlets are required to submit all material to government censors. Journalists in Syria are subject to harassment and intimidation in the form of short jail terms, travel bans, and confiscations of their notes. Syrians access the internet only through state-run servers, which block more than 160 sites. However, satellite dishes are common, giving most Syrians access to foreign broadcasts. More than a dozen privately owned newspapers and magazines have sprouted up in recent years, and criticism of government policy is tolerated, provided it is nuanced and does not criticize the president. A dozen cyberdissidents are currently imprisoned. In September 2009, blogger Karim Antoine Arabji, who had written about corruption, was sentenced to three years in prison after already serving nearly two years in pretrial detention.

Although the constitution requires that the president be a Muslim, there is no state religion in Syria, and freedom of worship is generally respected. Academic freedom is heavily restricted. Public demonstrations are illegal without official permission, which is typically granted only to progovernment groups. All nongovernmental organizations must register with the government, which generally denies registration to reformist or human rights groups. Leaders of unlicensed human rights groups have frequently been jailed for publicizing state abuses.

The state of emergency in force since 1963 gives the security agencies virtually unlimited authority to arrest suspects and hold them incommunicado for prolonged periods without charge. Many of the estimated 2,500 to 3,000 political prisoners in Syria have never been tried. The security agencies, which operate independently of the judiciary, routinely extract confessions by torturing suspects and detaining their family members.

The Kurdish minority faces severe restrictions on cultural and linguistic expression. Opposition figures, human rights activists, and relatives of exiled dissidents are prevented from traveling abroad, and many ordinary Kurds lack the requisite documents to leave the country.

The government provides women with equal access to education and appoints women to senior positions, but many discriminatory laws remain in force.

[Note: The following document is an excerpt from the Freedom House report 'Worst of the Worst 2010: The World's Most Repressive Societies'. The full report is available at http://www.freedomhouse.org/uploads…WorstOfTheWorst2010.pdf]

Take action on "Free Abdullah Ocalan" - Online Petition - Sign now!



The Kurdish Human Rights Action Group, under the leadership of Justice Essa Moosa, is stepping up its efforts to secure the release of Kurdish national leader Mr. Abdullah Ocalan who has been held in a solitary confinement for the last 11 years, and to bring about a resolution to the Kurdish question through peaceful negotiation. In recent months, many human rights activists have put their weight behind this cause and linked up with similar groups around the world.

Please read, sign and circulate among family, friends and associates. At most, it will take a few minutes of your time. But for Abdullah Ocalan, hundreds of political prisoners and millions of Kurdish people, it could make the world of difference.

Sign online: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/free-abdullah-ocalan

Ocalan: without the Kurds, Israel would not be able to exist in the region



Friday, 11 June 2010

Imrali Island Prison- Turkey: Kurdish National Leader Mr. Abdullah Ocalan had his weekly meeting with lawyers and as usual he provided his analysis of Kurdish conflict in the Middle East. In his latest meeting he said; “If a solution is not developing soon the Turkish-Kurdish conflict will remain on the agenda. Nobody is aware of this danger”. He also indicated that recently Turkey had insulted the Kurdish people in the person of Barzani, the president of Kurdistan regional government, similar to the way Israel had insulted Turks.

Highlighting the Gaza crisis between Turkey and Israel, Ocalan said: “The issue is not really Gaza; the issue is Kurdistan and the strategies that are being determined around it."

The Kurdish National Leader underlined that "Gaza is a mask; it is being used to cover the games being played around Kurdistan. The political storm created is about Kurdistan. From time to time I mention Urfa because it is a typical example and one that I know well. Urfa alone amounts to hundreds of Gaza. Thousands of women and children from Urfa are exiled to the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions every day. Fertile lands in Urfa that could feed millions have been left without water and people are being forced to migrate (looking for work). The suffering of these people is a hundred times worse than Gaza."

Going further in his analysis the Kurdish National Leader added that "without the Kurds, Israel would not be able to exist in this region, it would drown. For this reason Israel has been implementing a project for the past ten years. It is helping to form a nation-state in the south (Kurdistan), they need this. Turkey has only recently comprehended this. When the rulers of Turkey grasped this they became very angry.”

THE AKP IS AN OBSTACLE IN THE WAY OF A SOLUTION

Stating that the AKP government clearly represents an obstacle in the search of a solution, Ocalan commented, “There is a belief amongst liberal intellectuals that the AKP will create a solution. However on the contrary, the AKP is an obstacle. The AKP are in fear for their own future, this is why they are trying to form their own hegemonic power, the change in constitution is to open the path for this, and it is not done for democracy. The AKP have nothing to do with democracy, this needs to be fully understood.”

THE AKP ARE FORMING THEIR HEGEMONY USING FASCISM

Ocalan also noted that the AKP is trying to consolidate its hegemony using methods belonging to fascism and added: “The CHP (Republican People’s Party) established their 80 year hegemony by changing the 1921 constitution to the 1924 constitution, the AKP has been trying to do this since 2002. They are trying to achieve in 8 years what the CHP achieved in 80 years. In other words the AKP are a poor imitation of the CHP.”

The Kurdish National Leader went on adding that “the preservation of hegemonic power is only possible using fascism; this is what the AKP is doing. They are doing this with the support of Konya-Kayseri based Saudi capital and also global capital. Their essence is the same, only the form has changed.”

And commenting on the proposed Constitutional changes

Ocalan underlined that “there is no democratic content and nothing regarding the improvement of Kurdish rights. Not even the minimum conditions for democracy are in there. The removal of the 10% election threshold and inner-party democracy would have been a step, but even that isn’t in the proposal. In other words no steps were taken for a solution and the AKP made sure of this from the beginning and was an obstacle.”

EUROPE PREVENTED THE SOLUTION

Indicating that Europe had indeed prevented reaching a solution, Ocalan said: “In 2001-2002 Bülent Ecevit (then PM) wanted to solve the problem, people came on his behalf and also from the Chief of Staff. We had reached the point of resolution, there was going to be an amnesty when the ‘war lobby’ intervened and they discharged Ecevit. Exactly at that point, the EU declared the PKK a ‘terrorist organisation!’ Those who had not declared the PKK a ‘terrorist organisation’ during 20 years of war, decided to declare them as ‘terrorists’ on the eve of a peace solution! This is not a coincidence. Then they changed the amnesty to only include judicial criminals.”

A TURKISH-KURDISH CONFLICT MAY BE ON THE AGENDA

Highlighting that a Turkish-Kurdish conflict may be on the agenda if a solution does not develop, Ocalan warned: “The AKP has agreed with the Armed Forces to deadlock this issue. If a process for dialogue and a solution does not develop then the Turkish-Kurdish conflict they desire may come on to the agenda. Nobody is aware of this danger. I resemble this to the 1918 events in Russia and the civil war period (1791) in France following 1789. As is well known, a lot of blood was shed in these events. The Turkish-Kurdish conflict may deepen; I am carrying out my historical duty and warning everyone.”

IF IT CONTINUES IN THIS WAY SEMI-INDEPENDENT KURDISTAN WILL BE DECLARED

Recalling the PKK’s (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) target of declaring autonomy if the situation continues in this manner, Ocalan indicated: “The next step after this (declaring autonomy) could, with the support of Iran, Syria and other powers, lead to the declaration of a semi-independent Kurdistan, which would open the path for a very violent and bloody period where many people would die. They (Turkish state) are saying ‘we have a million of soldiers, we are strong, invincible, and we can beat them’ and they might, but I know the PKK, they will resist, they will not lose. However, this is not my choice. I want a democratic republic, a democratic nation, democratic homeland and democratic constitution. I prefer a democratic constitutional solution without bloodshed. Even if there is a lot of bloodshed, the result will have to be a solution; a solution will prevail in the end. I am struggling for a solution without bloodshed and pain. This is why I am calling on the BDP (Peace & Democracy Party) to develop and strengthen their democratic constitution initiative. They have to meet and discuss this with everyone, (all parties and political, intellectual circles.) An alliance can be formed with anyone that is principled regarding a democratic constitution.”