Ocalan: Either solution or self-determination

Friday, 30 July 2010

IMPRALI PRISON, Turkey, -- Lawyers of the Kurdish national leader Abdullah Ocalan visited him in his solitary confinement in Imrali Prison on Wednesday 28th July. In the course if his visit Ocalan said that the Kurds have their own alternatives and will be able to manage their own afair if need be. Ocalan also stated that his health condition is deteriorating.

In regard to referendum boycotting of BDP (Kurdish Democracy and Peace Party) Ocalan said what BDP should be arguing as to whether the existence of the Kurds in Turkey is recognized by the Turkish officials and it is the matter of existence or non existence for the Kurds. Ocalan further said that the question must be considered together with its historical background and it should be born in the mind that how the Kurds were deceived after the independence war following the foundation of Turkish Republic.

In relation to the peace talks Ocalan said negotiating has a vital role on the way to the solution. However, suspending the clashes and creating a suitable atmosphere for discussion is equally important. Ocalan reiterated his proposal for gathering the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) armed forces the under supervision of the UN if suitable conditions were met.

Ocalan also stated that his previous warnings about the escalation of the clashes in big cities have been manipulated and launched as threats. He said he was only drawing the attention of the officials about what might happen if the problem remains unsolved. While giving the unrest in Inegol and Dortyol as example Ocalan said the clashes in cities unlike the clashes in the mounts have grave consequences and might claim more lives.

The Kurdish national leader also said that his warnings apply to both the state and the PKK. He added that he is concerned about what might happen in the future. He said neither the PKK nor the Turkish government understand his warnings properly but both sides should see the reality that they are both standing on the sharp side of the knife which will eventually cut both sides.

Ocalan drew the attention on the poverty and hard life that both Turkish and Kurdish people are suffering. He stated that both the Turkish state and the PKK should start negotiating and find a solution for the problem.

From his solitary confinement, Ocalan said that he is still influential over the Kurdish people and the Kurdish guerrillas and he is ready to play his role for the solution if he is given the suitable conditions and opportunity. Ocalan further stated that to play such a role he needs the Turkish parliament to make special legal amendments like it is done in other countries.

Either solution or self-determination

The Kurdish national leader claimed that if a solution does not happen then the Kurds manage their own affair. He is also showing the example of Kosovo which can be an example for the Kurds. Ocalan reminds that the Kurds want to live with Turk under equals conditions however; if they are deprived of their rights then they have right to self-determination.

Ocalan said that the Kurds in Iraq should be aware of the fact that the USA is acting in accordance with its own interest and once they leave Iraq the Kurds will be under danger. Therefore, they should act wisely. In regard to the Kurdish national congress, Ocalan said a Palestine Liberation Organization-like structure will be useful for the Kurds: Not only armed forces but also diplomacy. He also proposed that African National Congress can be inspiring for the Kurds.

Concern over Sadiq Kabodwands health condition...

Friday, 30 July 2010

TEHRAN, Iran, -- Sadiq Kabodwand founder and the president of Kurdistan Human Rights Organization, who was arrested by the Iranian authorities in July 2007, is in critical health condition. According to the Prisoners rights watch Mr Kabodwand is in need of intensive care because of his critical condition.

Mr Kabodwand was sentenced to 11 years imprisonment because of his involvement in Human Rights activities in Eastern Kurdistan and Iran. Since his arrest Mr Kabodwand experienced two heart attacks in the prison, but the Iranian authorities have not had provided proper medical care.

Although the Iranian regimes constitution confers rights to the Iranian people to form civil, Political and Human Rights organization, thousands of Kurdish people and other Iranian ethnic minorities have been executed, imprisoned because of their involvement in constitutionally permitted organizations.

Attack on Rojhelat website

Friday, 30 July 2010

On behalf of Rojhelat staffs we would like to declare that our website was attacked on Wednesday 28th and Thursday 29th July and thus we had difficulty with updating the news.

This is not the first time that our web site is attacked and probably it won’t be the last time either, because freedom of expression and the free press is viewed by dictators as a great threat to their power and authority.

We do apologies for the inconvenient caused by the attack and remind the attacker that blocking the news reflecting the plight of the Kurdish people has not worked and it won’t. In fact it will make us more determined in our work which is nothing more than projection of the oppression of the Kurdish people in the Middle East.

Prisoners of Evin prison on strike

Friday, 30 July 2010

EVIN PRISON, Tehran -- A number of prisoners in Evin notorious prison are on strike due to the dreadful situation of this prison in Tehran.

The prisoners held in compartment number 350 of Evin prison are spending their second day in walkout since Wednesday 28th July 2010. They have declared that they are striking to respond to the awful condition the prisoners are in and also because of sending 16 political prisoners to solitary containment.

According to the reports they have also confirmed that they stay on the strike until the improvements of the situation, apologise from the prison officials are made and the end of the solitary confinement 16 prisoners.

Kurdistan is burning

Friday, 30 July 2010

SHAHO, - Eastern Kurdistan, -- Burning of the Kurdish forests continues. Every day we hear about the fire in Kurdish jungles, this time the forests around Saho Mountains has been set on fire by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

This fire is excessively increased and has reached around Mariwan and Serpel Zahaw cities in Eastern Kurdistan. Meanwhile, the bombardments of the Kurdish villages by the Iranian and Turkish artilleries are constantly underway; therefore, Kurdistan is burning from every side.

In addition, since the last few days, some local collaborators were spotted carrying heavy weapons such as tank from the way between Kamyaran and Senne. Yet, this is not revealed where these military equipments were dispatched to.

It should be noted that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard set fires on the Kurdish forests based on allegation that the Kurdish guerrillas belong to the Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK) are hiding in there.

Turkish court released killers of two Kurds

Thursday, 29 July 2010

TURKISH court released two village guards who opened fire on a demonstration in Bulanik district of Mus in December last year and killed two Kurdish demonstrators. The lawyers of the victims stated that the decision is a clear violation of law and they will resort further legal remedies to challenge the ruling.

Volunteer village guards Turan Bilen and his brother Metin Bilen opened fire on a demonstration held on 15 December 2009 against the ruling from the constitutional court that banned pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP). While 2 demonstrators were killed in the fire ten others were injured.

Puzzle over Iranian nuclear scientist disappearance!

Thursday, 29 July 2010

Soran Khedri

The Iranian nuclear scientist Mr Shahram Amiri was disappeared last year while he was on Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. The Iranian regime made allegations that Mr Amiri has been kidnapped by US central intelligent agency (CIA) while he was performing his religious obligations in Mecca. However, Islamic regime have not clearly illustrated what does they mean by “performing religious obligation”, is it just hajj or they also meant fifth principle of Islam “Jihad” ,which is also religious obligation and could be performed in variety of ways.

Big controversy statements were released over Mr Amiris disappearance by US government and the Iranian regime. Both US and Islamic regime, were accusing each other as usual over his disappearance, but neither US nor Islamic regimes statement were flatly persuasive to the public opinion, particularly to the Iranian people and the opposition movements.

The puzzle of Mr Amiris disappearance still unknown, but it is possible to presume some scenarios with regard to his controversial disappearance. Before starting with the presumed scenarios it is substantively vital to make clear that people such as Mr Amiri “in such sensitive position” within the Islamic regime are prohibited from travelling outside the state controlled boundaries. If it is not for the performance of the revolutionary guards’ mission, he would not have been able to pass airports checkpoint.

The question which should be answered is how he was moved to US, if he really was abducted by CIA why he was freed and returned to his country of return. Mr Amiri is not diplomat to be protected by the immunity jurisdiction, even if he would have been diplomat he should not have been released because of his alleged involvement with Iranian nuclear activities.

Firstly, assume that Mr Amiri was abducted by the CIA in Saudi Arabia. If this assumption to be regarded as true, it means that Mr Amiri is very important figure within the system and he could be one of the regimes key nuclear scientists. Although abduction is ratified as illegal and in breach of international law by International treaties, his release could also amount to the breach of International law and Security Council resolution, because it facilitates the Iranian nuclear activates. In one side US puts pressure on Iran’s neighbouring country and international community to honour Security Council’s sanction over its controversial nuclear activity, which was passed recently. In another side US disregards and breaches UN resolution by allowing Mr Amiri to resume his activity as atomic scientist.

Secondly, if he was not abducted but voluntarily moved to US, how come he never appeared on media or spoke out about the purpose and the achievement of his relocation to USA. He was resurfaced after a year from the date of his disappearance, and immediately claimed that he has been kidnapped by CIA with support of Saudi intelligence services. If Amiri was cooperating with the CIA, why US official issued and ratified his death sentence by revealing statements that he was paid to cooperate with them. The statements made by unnamed US official, countering Amiris assertion that he had been subjected to mental and physical torture, indicates that US is concerned about his secret deals with Islamic totalitarian regime in Iran.

Despite all accusations or allegations from both sides, it is possible to conclude from both sides’ statements that neither USA nor Islamic regimes statements are flatly accurate. If regimes statements to be considered reliable or correct, US government should not have allowed regimes key nuclear scientist to leave USA soul because his return will give Iran further chance to gain nuclear weapon. Nuclear Iran means destruction of Israel and Jewish people who have suffered and oppressed since the era of Babylonian Empire, as it has been the case for the Kurds since the collapse of Med Empire. However, if US official statements “that he was paid to work for CIA” to be considered true and accurate, then Mr Amiri will face death sentence, because his conduct “betraying” is enmity against God. Nevertheless, it is also reasonable to assume that Mr Amiri has been sent back to find out further information about the Iranian regimes Uranium enrichment. And in order to block all suspicious about his disappearance and resurfacing, unknown US official had made such statements, otherwise they would not had said that he has been paid in return for his cooperation.

In either situation there are two possibilities. First that Mr Amiri was doing his task which was planned between US and Islamic regime, and the reason he went to the Haj was to block all the doubts, and set up a scenario of hijacking or abduction. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that he was abducted by CIA. Secondly if Iran executes Mr Amiri because of what they call enmity against God, then it could be said that US official statements were true “that he was working for them return of sum of money”. However, even if he be executed, the puzzle still unanswered because US statements might be deliberate, in order to justify Mr Amiris execution “the only person who knows why he went to USA, and what kind of deals he made instead of the clerics”. In that way the secret of his disappearance will remain unknown to all the people who are concerned with the Iranian politics.

A Facelift for an Ancient Kurdish Citadel

• Time.com

By Charles McDermind

29/07/2010

Its origins are an archaeological riddle worthy of Indiana Jones, but it's also a beacon of an oil-rich future. Welcome to the at least 7,000-year-old Arbil citadel in Iraq's northern Kurdistan region, a stunning walled fortress on a roughly 10-hectare site that some experts say is the oldest continuously inhabited settlement on earth (it's still occupied today, by a single family of 12). After years of stop-start negotiations, the citadel is finally set for a face-lift and likely World Heritage status.

Nobody knows who first built the towering castle-city, but it was already famous when Alexander the Great added it to his empire in 331 B.C. Some 1,500 years later, it took an invading Mongol army two tries and a six-month siege to storm it. (See the top 10 precarious buildings.)

The list of successive ruling cultures is a history lesson in itself — Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Sassanian and Ottoman, among many others — and each left its history behind, adding to an archaeological layer cake now 32 m high.

Despite pleas from scientists going back to the 1930s, the citadel has never been fully excavated. This is all about to change. The renovation of the ancient hilltop city has become the keystone in an ongoing campaign to turn vast archaeological treasures into tourist dollars for Kurdistan, a stable and prospering region that bills itself as "the other Iraq."

Arbil, the capital of the semiautonomous Kurdistan region, is just 340 km north of war-torn Baghdad but may as well lie in a parallel universe. Foreigners can go about freely, crimes and violence against visitors are unheard of, and the most daunting tasks are finding one's way through labyrinthine local bazaars and keeping pace with the legendary Kurdish hospitality.

In Kurdistan, against the backdrop of the snow-capped Qandil Mountains, a frenetic frontier economy is being driven by the promise of petrodollars from the region's estimated 25 billion barrels of proven oil reserves. Development is intense. New hotels, shopping malls and housing tracts are springing up to meet Arbil's surging population of more than 1 million. The bars in Ankawa, the city's laid-back Christian quarter, are a heady admixture of oilmen, contractors, journalists, security teams, aid workers and, increasingly, tourists.

"I really get the sense that they are coming to see for themselves what Kurdistan is about, in contrast to what we all know and see constantly on the news about Iraq," says Shannon Skerritt, who with his brother and a Kurdish partner operates the Sulaymaniyah-based tour company Kurdistan Adventures. "I guess they want to be some of the first to see this area."

The Kurdistan regional government recorded more than 132,000 foreign tourist arrivals in 2009, an almost 150% increase from 2007's figure. The government is bracing for more, opening a $400 million state-of-the-art airport in Arbil and slashing fuel costs to attract airlines. Most regional carriers are making daily flights; Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines fly four and three times a week respectively. Rotana Hotels and Millennium and Copthorne Hotels are developing sites in the city, and a free 10-day tourist visa is available for most countries' citizens.

While all of these developments are sure to attract travelers, local officials feel that archaeology is the ace in the hole for Kurdistan's fledgling tourism sector. "We have amazing archaeological sites that are equal to anything in the world," says Arbil Mayor Nihad Qoja. "If we can vitalize these sites, believe me, each year millions of people will visit Kurdistan."

This is where the citadel comes in. In late June, Kurdish officials and UNESCO representatives inaugurated the first renovations in a multimillion-dollar effort to bring the slumbering city back to life. In a shortlist of possible new World Heritage sites, UNESCO described the citadel as "one of the most dramatic and visually exciting cultural sites not only in the Middle East but also in the world."

The first steps will be small, says Dara Yacoubi, an architect and head of the Kurdish reconstruction team. Initially, a few dozen of the citadel's most valuable houses will be restored. Later, similar work will begin on its three mosques, plus gates, gravesites and a central hammam that dates back to 1775. In three years, Yacoubi expects the citadel to be a significant tourist attraction. Within 10 years, he envisages museums and boutique hotels. Along with the renovations, the first major excavations on the citadel grounds will be conducted. Regular rumors of treasure chambers, temples and royal tombs are still just that, so experts are panting to dig in.

"The Arbil citadel has played a very great role in the history of the city. In fact, for many centuries it was the city," says Kanan Mufti, general director of Kurdistan's Ministry of Culture, who was born in the citadel and traces his family's roots there back 500 years. "It is only fitting that the citadel will have a role in the future of Arbil." Says Mayor Qoja: "The city's future is bright. We have mountains and rivers; we have oil reserves that haven't even been tapped." For him, tourism will be another great boost to the local economy. So while Arbil's walls may have withstood some of history's greatest armies, the hope now is that they will be swarmed by a new generation of invader — the free-spending tourist.

In Memory of Dr. Saeedpour

KurdishMedia.com

By Amir Sharifi

29/07/2010

Dr. VERA BEAUDIN SAEEDPOUR, whom we now dearly know as Vera Saeedpour, passed away on May the 30th May 30 would be indeed a sad day for the Kurds everywhere, particularly in diaspora, as we gather to remember one of the greatest figures in the true history and representation of Kurds in the Western hemisphere.. Born to a Jewish family in 1930, Vera raised five children in a New York house, designed by her first husband, architect Marcel Beaudin. Later on deeply influenced by a family friend, Bernard Barney she embarked on searching for and discovering her Jewish roots. Intellectual inquisitiveness and curiosity took her to higher education as she began to attend the University of Vermont when she was 40, and proved to be an exemplary student with diverse academic interests and research capability that defied compartmentalization. After earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology; she earned a Master’s Degree in Philosophy in 1973, and finally received her Ph.D in Education from Columbia University’s Teachers College in 1976. The quest for truth and justice was her constant preoccupation when she met Homayoun Saeedpour, her second husband in 1976, a Kurdish scholar from Sanandaj. The very word Kurd hardly had an auspicious mention even in the most prestigious dictionaries as she eloquently has put it “On an ordinary day in October 1976, I was busy writing my doctoral dissertation on architecture when my Kurdish husband Homayoun asked the meaning of ‘predatory.’ "A lion is a predator," I replied. "No, it says Kurd," he insisted, handing me the Oxford Concise Dictionary of the English Language. In Oxford was this definition: "Kurd - one of a tall, pastoral and predatory people." But Homayoun, the only Kurd I knew, was neither tall nor predatory. Indeed, from then on Vera awakened to a cruel reality; she wrote a research paper titled “Killing Them Softly” challenging and forcing Oxford and other dictionaries to correct their misrepresentation and discriminatory characterization of Kurds. This was only the beginning of a tireless struggle. After the death of Homayoun, Dr. Saeedpour established the Kurdish Program in 1981 to raise awareness of Kurdish culture; her work was recognized by the Cultural Survival of Harvard dedicated to preserving threatened cultures. She subsequently established the Kurdish library in 1986, whose rare collections increased gradually, now amounting to 2000 books. This was and continues to be, the first Kurdish library in the Western Hemisphere. Dr. Vera Saeedpour opened the Kurdish Museum in 1988, which like the Library served as guardian of the Kurdish culture and a milestone in raising awareness among the public and academic community about the Kurdish plight and aspirations. Her library gradually became a habitat for journalists, scholars, students of Kurdish culture and language, politicians and and more importantly nostalgic and exiled Kurds, who according to Dr.Saeedpour “remain prisoners of their country of origin” because of the brutal regimes that govern them. Dr. Saeedpour wrote letters to editors, published articles in main stream newspapers such as New York Times. Journalists from major publications such as The Christian Science Monitor and New York Times sought her views on Kurdish issues. She was frequently published and cited by the New York Times, and most recently an article about the Kurdish Library had appeared in the "Habitats" section of the Times entitled "The Home as Cultural Refuge.”

Although many may see her as a scholar, those who have followed her life, know that she was also a social activist, passionately committed to discovering truth and awakening the general public about the plight and aspirations of our people. As a humanist she took it upon herself to bring home the complexity of the Kurdish world in its politics and cultural identity with altruism and sacrifice. In her own words “I won’t take any money from any vested interest," she said. "I would rather starve. I do this because I care about the truth." Her work provides an insight into the dual objectives she pursued both as a researcher and an activist, the scientific and the humanistic. One can only admire her ingenuity and resourcefulness in starting the Kurdish Program, which heralded the Kurdish library and the Journal in the same year in 1986 and subsequently Kurdish life in 1991; Dr. Vera Saeedpour began publishing the International Journal of Kurdish Studies in 1997 to collect, preserve, present and represent and disseminate a microcosm of Kurdish language, literature, place names, maps, cultural artifacts-“the stuff of which a culture is made”.. Her abiding interest in discovering the truth and disseminating the Kurdish cultural heritage sought and found scholars both Kurdish and non-Kurdish whose diverse cover a wide spectrum of Kurdish issues in a wide variety of contexts.

As an activist she was an outspoken critic to reckon with, uncompromising, an acute observer in documenting chronicles of policies and practices pertaining to the behavior of politicians and their apologists ;as she had put it “ not a world class scholar‘ but one whose relatives pulled oxcarts” vividly and forcefully, in an insightful and scathing article “Ties that Bind” “ she revealed the repressive policies and practices of the successive Turkish governments and the opportunism of the West and Israel in their selective and reductive policy with respect to Kurds.

It is our intention tο remember and revisit tһе truе history and legacies left in our care, not just for the students of Kurdish history and culture but for the generations that follow in the future. This memorial will not be successful unless it reestablishes the history, legacy and lineage of Dr.Vera Saeedpour as her work is symbolic of our work , arising from a an unabashed Kurdish bias. As a result of her indefatigable work, there are now more students and scholars who were not even aware of the existence, importance, and influence of the Kurdish history and culture let alone the pervasive stereotypical images that existed about Kurds during that time; now they have a keener and deeper understanding of the Kurdish origins and history and their contributions to the human civilization, a proud history that we should pass on to our children in Dr Vera Saeedpour’s words “without a shroud of secrecy and shame.”

Although Dr. Vera Saeedpour had a love affair with the Kurdish culture, as critical thinker , she always clung to her own independent and free views as she became the face and voice of Kurds ; she stood for and called for radical changes in the hearts and minds of her readers while sparking new probing questions about their conscience and consciousness.

Dr.Saeedpour taught her students how to follow a modern, ethical and yet scientifically rigorous approach to the Kurdish issues. Nevertheless she was not always popular with some because she challenged uncritical, flimsy and opportunistic renditions of the Kurdish culture and politics; for this reason she has left an indelible mark on most those who studied with her; her readers even the most critical can not help but admire her tenacity and moral integrity. For kurds, in diaspora she will have an epic aura.

Now, our friend, Vera whose name sounds like the Kurdish word, “Verya “awake” is gone. She is no longer busy, helping visitors with their inquiries; she is not receiving people from all over the world; she is not showing Kurdish intellectuals and politicians around in the Kurdish library and museum any more, she is not answering phone calls, she is not writing anymore., she is not quarrelling with politicians; but as one of the Kurdish proverbs she helped compile in the Kurdish Times says “when the mountain was given death she did not accept it; man did.” And indeed Vera was as formidable and invincible as our mountains; her words have the veracity, authority, and authenticity of a life born of wholehearted dedication to the Kurdish cause…The momentum she has created and our enemies have repeatedly tried to crush, should be continued vigilantly with the knowledge and courage as she has taught us as a teacher. Let us not just hope but follow her path by recognizing and appreciating our common goals and ideals that represent her mission and vision to show the world what the Kurdish buried and distorted history can reveal about human history. Having said what Dr.Vera Saeepour has done for us, let us continue her path.

Amir Sharifi is the president of KAES President.

A Memorial to celebrate the life of Dr. Vera Saeedpour

KurdishMedia.com

29/07/2010

Below is the report of KAES (Kurdish American Education Society) memorial for Dr. Vera saeedpour.

On July 25, 2010; Kurdish American Education Society (KAES) Memorial Committee organized a memorial celebration in honor of Dr.Vera Saeedpour, whom we consider the mother of Kurdish studies in the West. She is best known as an independent scholar who awakened the west to the reality of Kurdish life and culture. We were hoping to have a member of her family to attend this event to make it more memorable; hoping that they could travel from her home in New York. They were gracious enough to send us a message of sympathy and support. Indeed May 30, would be an important day for Kurds, particularly those of us in Diaspora, as we would gather to remember one of the greatest figures in the true representation of Kurds in the Western hemisphere.

The program began at 3 in silence as a PowerPoint presentation provided glimpses of Dr.Saeedpour’s life achievements and contributions to the Kurdish people. Then the President of KAES, Dr. Sharifi introduced by Mr. Ardishir Rashidi Kalhur, spoke about the life and legacy of Dr.Vera Saeedpour. She was described as a passionately committed social activist who enlightened the public on the plight and aspirations of the Kurdish people through her informative interviews, lectures, and writings in the mainstream media. As a scholar, she established the Kurdish Program that heralded the Kurdish library, the Kurdish Museum and the scholarly journals which in turn laid the ground for scholarly research on Kurdish issues on a variety of topics. Dr. Vera Saeedpour was described as the epitome of social responsibility and academic rigor. This scientific aspect and her humanism had combined in a dialectical synthesis to define her indefatigable struggle for the recognition and appreciation of Kurdish fundamental rights and freedoms. He concluded by stating that it is our intention to remember and revisit tһе true history and legacies left in our care, not just for the students of Kurdish history and culture but for the generations that follow in the future.

Mr.Ardishir Rashidi Kalhur highlighted Dr.Saeedpour’s enlightened consciousness about her Jewish roots and the way in which her rich tradition, culture, provided “compelling history and forces that shaped her character and motivated her to do what she has done for humanity, including Kurds and Kurdistan”. He described the union of Dr. Vera Saeedpour and her second husband, Homayoun Saeedpour not only the bond of friendship and companionship between two people, but also history of their own common heritage.” He retraced this common bond in the Biblical story of Abraham’s journey and saga, and spiritual comfort and revelation that he found in ancient Kurdistan in Harran before he moved on. He pointed to the fact that all monotheistic religions trace back their origins to Abraham, whose very name in Kurdish is Ur-Ayam, meaning Adam from Ur, a city in Kurdistan. Mr. Rashidi cited phonological similarities of words such as “Zion” in Hebrew and the Kurdish word “Zayen” denoting “birth and new beginning”; similarly he made references to the terms for “books” Ketawagan in Kurdish, and Ketuvim in Hebrew to further highlight this historical commonality. “He argued that Dr. Vera Saeedpour in her search for her Jewish roots had probably become familiar with these accounts and as a corollary, “her story was tightly intertwined and connected to the history and story of her husband, Homayoun.” He concluded by suggesting this common spiritual life or what Dr.Saeedpour had termed ‘a sadness …a sort of mystical sadness’, “the kind that had overtaken Abraham, and motivated him to change his life and the minds and hearts of the people of his time,” underlay their union.

After recitation of a poem entitled “In Memory of Vera Saeedpour, The Defender of the Kurdish People, by Dr.Sharifi the audience was called upon to share their sentiments and thoughts about Dr.Vera Saeedpour The vice president of KAES, Mr. Hiwa Nezhadian spoke of the deep respect that Kurds have for a woman who during the most difficult times had the courage and political insight to come to the defense of a forsaken people. In his own words “ An American lady who had no knowledge of a people thousands of miles away dedicated her life in gathering artifacts, books and literatures, historical documents and alike after only 5 years of living with her Kurdish husband Mr. Houmayon Saeedpour requires high degree of respect.”He hoped that her legacy and work would continue not only in New York but all U.S major cities in our quest for “her dream of freedom and justice for Kurds.” The Kurdish artist, Sardar Zuhdi, recalled his visiting the Kurdish library and how Dr. Vera Saeedpour’s cozy library had made him feel at home. He played a Kurdish tune on his harmonica, one of Vera’s favorite songs “Baran, Baraneh”, which he had played for her once in his trip to New York. Dr. Kamal Artin, one of the KAES members recalled speaking to Dr. Saeedpour; he described her euphoric style of talking about Kurdish issues. He then read an article in which he argued that those who have experienced or witnessed on a personal, social, cultural or historical level psychological traumas need empathy and guidance , and more importantly, these traumatized communities could provide psychotherapeutic help and support to one another. Marwan Nabo recounted meeting Dr.Vera Saeedpour in the Kurdish library in late 1981’s. He had found her to be a courageous and honest, her looks reminding him of his mother and her courage He added, “I then recalled the Kurdish saying that Kurds have no friends but the mountains to be all wrong as Dr. Vera Saeedpour was a firm friend of Kurds like a mountain. Her love and respect for Kurdish people was far beyond my expectations.” Finally Kurdish musicians. violinist Morad Daslik and pianist Fouad played a few tranquil and meditative Kurdish pieces as a tribute to the memory of Dr.Vera Saeedpour. The program ended with a court yard reception

Shanaz Ibrahim Ahmed - An Apology

KurdishMedia.com

29/07/2010

Kurdishmedia.com and its founder and director, Dr Rebwar Fatah, have today settled the libel dispute brought against them by Shanaz Ibrahim Ahmed by accepting liability and apologising to Ms Ahmed.

Ms Ahmed, the head of the UK office of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan ("PUK"), sued for libel in respect of an article published by KurdishMedia.com on 18 February 2009 headed "PUK accused of attempted murder: London UK". The article repeated a false allegation that the London office of the PUK had attempted to have a RAG supporter murdered in the British town of Bolton.

Kurdishmedia.com and Dr Fatah have accepted that there is no truth whatsoever in this allegation and that the article should not have been published. The full text of the statement made in court is [http://www.kurdmedia.com/article.aspx?id=16413].

KurdishMedia.com and Dr Fatah have also agreed to make a substantial payment to a charity of Ms Ahmed's choice.

Ms Ahmed's solicitor made it clear to the court that it was never Ms Ahmed's intention to stop KurdishMedia.com and others from expressing their views and criticising the PUK. She sued in order to vindicate her reputation in respect of what KurdishMedia.com accepts was a serious and false allegation.

Question in the Houses of Parliament – 27 July 2010

July 28, 2010 by sks

QUESTION

Asked by Lord Hylton

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made, or will make, representations to the government of Syria to establish the fate of 400 persons recently arrested on suspicion of membership of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.[HL1594]

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): Our officials are aware of these reports but have not been able to verify them. However, we are concerned about the human rights situation of the Syrian Kurds. It is a source of particular concern that so many Kurds are denied Syrian citizenship-300,000 out of 1.7 million.

My honourable friend Alistair Burt, the Minister of State for the Middle East, raised human rights privately with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al Muallem during his visit this month to Syria.

We have a firm and frank dialogue with Syria including on human rights issues. We also discuss these issues regularly with EU partners.

Hansard

27 July 2010

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201011/ldhansrd/text/100727w0002.htm#10072736002066

Escalation of Turkish attacks on the Kurds in Dortyol

Wednesday, 28 July 2010

DORTYOL, Turkey, -- A Turkish chauvinist group known as ‘ülkücü’ attacked the office of pro-Kurdish BDP party in Dortyol and set it fire on. The attackers also destroyed 50 Kurdish shops and restaurants in front of Turkish Police forces standing and doing nothing.

Eyewitnesses said that the Turkish chauvinists were chanting slogans like “death to Kurds” and they were searching for the Kurds to kill in the town. The Turkish racist groups not only attacking the shops but also their owners. After destroying the shops they waited until the owner came and they attacked him as well. It is reported that a 20-year old Kurdish youth was injured by fire arms. Father of one of the injured Yunus Hanas (20) said “the aim is to banish the Kurds from Dortyol.”

It is reported that almost 50 shops run by Kurds were attacked 24 of which have completely were burnt down. The situation reminds people of ‘Istanbul Pogrom’ of 1955 in which shops belonged to Christians were attacked, pillaged and arson. While dozens of Greeks were killed in the riots of 6-7 September thousands of them had to flee Greece.

Eyewitnesses stated that police is doing nothing but watching the crowd to attack the Kurds. Turkish Police is not defending the Kurds against the chauvinist attacks and in fact were happy to see the performance of anti-Kurdish sentiments.

Due to the failure of Turkish security forces to protect the Kurds against the chauvinists attacks the Kurds had to defend themselves as they have done in the past. However, the police used tear gas against the clashing groups and some have been injured.

It is reported that the Kurds also gathered and marched in the neighbourhood where they live and chanted pro- PKK and pro-Ocalan slogans.

Clashes between Kurdish guerrilla and Turkish soldiers

Wednesday, 28 July 2010

NORTHERN KURDISTAN, Turkey, -- According to Firat News Agency Guzel Konak Gendarme Station between Shemzinan and Yuksekova was attacked by Kurdish guerrillas at evening hours yesterday 27th July.

The report said that a Turkish soldier was wounded as the result of the attack and was taken to Hakkari Military Hospital while the military operation was under way.

At the same hours, a missile attack was carried out on the military unit in Cukurca. A clash broke out following the attack on the military unit on Kiyariz Hill, the most dominant place in Cukurca. There is no information available concerning the conclusions of the attack and clash

3 more executions in Iran

Wednesday, 28 July 2010

AHWAZ, Iran, -- According to Harana’s news 3 prisoners were executed by the Iranian Authorities yesterday 27th July 2010 in Karon’s prison.

Every year many people from the Iranian diverse nations are hanged by the Iranian regime in order to keep them silent and obedient.

During the last 3 months more than 100 people have been executed and since the beginning of year up till now 146 people have been executed on various different grounds mainly on the ground of “Mohareb”— being the enemy of God.

HRK: A colonel and a soldier killed

Wednesday, 28 July 2010

MERIWAN, Eastern Kurdistan, -- The Defence Forces of Eastern Kurdistan (HRK) released a statement in relation to the latest clash between their forces and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

HRK claimed that as a result of the clash a colonel and a soldier killed and 4 more soldiers were injured in the clash between HRK and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

In the operation which happened on 24th July 2010 one Kurdish guerrilla has lost his life.

Accordingly Iranian regime has been trying to eradicate the Kurds and their political parties mainly PJAK by imposing fatal war, hanging people and burning the jungles of their land.

The Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK) was founded in 2004 as the result of the systematic and continuous oppression of the Kurdish nation by the Iranian government. PJAK upholds the libertarian ideology of Apoism which advocates an ecological-democratic society with gender equality. PJAK’s main goal is to democratise Iranian system and to create a democratic con-federation for the long- oppressed Kurds.

Its initial objective is to limit and change the authority of the Islamic Republic of Iran and to democratise it in four fundamental areas; the nation, society, citizenship and to evolve the state into a self-governing institution able to deliver public services and to maintain public security.

For the past 6 years PJAK has been the most influential organisation of the Kurdish population in the Eastern Kurdistan and has the strongest popular support in this part of the Kurdistan. Three particular dynamics forces namely women, students and the youths have been increasingly joining PJAK with the aims of transforming their society. Women constitute more than 48% PJAK’s membership from the bottom to the leadership of the organisation.

Journalists complain of intimidation in Iraqi Kurdistan

Los Angeles Times-By Asso Ahmed and Ned Parker28/07/2010

In May, journalist Sardasht Osman was kidnapped in Irbil. His body was discovered a few days later in the troubled city of Mosul. No one has been arrested in the killing of the reporter, who had written a satirical column mocking the daughter of the Kurdistan region's president, Massoud Barzani.

To see the article, please click the link below:

Journalists complain of intimidation in Iraqi Kurdistan

Los Angeles Times-By Asso Ahmed and Ned Parker

Kurdish man’s wife and brother imprisoned in his place, in Syria

July 27, 2010 by sks

Filed under News, Syria

Jiyan Fattah, aged 24, married to Abdul Rahman Bashir Ibrahim is the mother of two young children. Her home was raided by Syrian intelligence security on 25 November 2009. She has been arrested because her husband escaped from prison. Her husband made a deal with an official Mahmoud al-Ageel, first assistant in Hassaka prison, that in return for a bribe of $30,000 he would be allowed to escape.

Kurdnas has been informed that Mahmoud al-Ageel reports that the police commander in Hassaka is a major partner, and the mastermind in this deal. The reason given was that Abdul Rahman Bashir Ibrahim needed to see his family in Deyrona Akhe where he was born. When they took him home to collect the money, he and the intelligence security forces with him had a good meal together (not in the deal). He gave the money to the security officials, and he then disappeared and the patrols went back to normal duties as though nothing had happened.

Is it reasonable for his wife, his brother Kadar Ibrahim in his mid-thirties, and his children to be arrested? Jiyan Fattah is still detained without any resource to the law, and is suffering ill-treatment in prison and is not able to see her family, as is Kadar Ibrahim.

It seems that the police commander in Hassaka province wants to prove that there was no deal by making these arrests.

Kurdnas

21 July 2010.

Kurds disappear in the Syrian prison system for nine months

July 27, 2010 by sks

Filed under News, Syria

Syrian Human Rights Committee – MAD reports that on 22 July 2010, Manal Ibrahim and Rojhat Mustafa were transferred to the court of the military judge in Aleppo, following their arrest on 15 October 2009. These women had been unaccounted for since their arrest by the Political Security branch in Aleppo.

Aref Mohammad Shekho, born 1953 in Afrin, was arrested one and a half months ago in the Afrin area, after being summoned by the security forces. His fate is still unknown. He was previously a member of the provincial council.

Syrian Human Rights Committee – MAD condemns the arbitrary arrest and violation of constitution and laws in Syria. We call for the release of these three people, and all prisoners of opinion and conscience in Syrian prisons, for the ending of the state of emergency and the lifting of martial law in the country.

Syrian Human Rights Committee – MAD

26 July 2010

Previous report:

http://supportkurds.org/news/further-detention-of-kurds-in-syria-%E2%80%93-23-october-2009/

Six arrests in ten days in al-Raqqa, Syria July 27, 2010

by sks Filed under News, Syria

According to Syrian Human Rights Committee

Ibrahim Mamed Mahmud

Mohamed Ayoub Tammo

Mohammad Khalil Ayoub

Hajji Rashid Othman

Walid Rashid Othman

Masood Rashid Othman

They were detained after early morning raids, without warrants, and no information was given about which unit the forces came from, or where the detainees were to be taken.

Since the shootings at al-Raqqa at the Newroz event in March 2010, dozens of people have been arrested. Some of them were transferred to the branches of the intelligence services in the capital Damascus, and some to Adra central prison in Damascus. Families of the detainees are not kept informed and cannot find information about where their relatives are being kept, or about their health.

There is information that those who have been transferred to Adra prison are living in very bad conditions, and are being pressured to make false confessions that they were involved in the Newroz events.

No-one has yet been held to account for the shooting in March 2010. There is clearly a vendetta of intimidation and arrests to terrorise Kurds in al-Raqqa.

Syrian Human Rights Committee – MAD, al-Raqqa

23 March 2010

Abdul-Hafiz Abdul al-Rahman is now allowed family visits after 5 months in prison

July 27, 2010 by sks

Filed under News, Syria

Amnesty International reports that Kurdish human rights activist Abdul-Hafiz Abdul al-Rahman is now allowed family visits at Aleppo Central Prison, where he now appears to be receiving adequate medical treatment.

Abdul-Hafiz Abdul al-Rahman was brought before a military judge on 22 June, and charged with two offences relating to his work to promote the human rights of Syria’s Kurds. A prisoner of conscience, if found guilty he could be sentenced to three years in prison

Many thanks to all who sent appeals. Amnesty International will continue to campaign for Abdul-Hafiz Abdul al-Rahman by other means.

This is the first update of UA 64/10 (MDE 24/005/2010).

Previous reports:

http://supportkurds.org/news/judicial-authority-is-not-impartial-in-syria/

http://supportkurds.org/news/%E2%80%98abed-al-hafith-%E2%80%98abed-al-rahman-to-be-on-trial-26-august-2010/

http://supportkurds.org/news/demonstrations-release-syrian-prisoners-of-conscience-uk-london-belgium-brussels-canada-switzerland-france-usa-sat-17-april-2010

http://supportkurds.org/news/urgent-action-syrian-kurdish-human-rights-activist-detained

http://supportkurds.org/reports/appeal-for-the-release-of-kurdish-human-rights-activist-abdul-hafiz-abdul-al-rahman-in-syria/

http://supportkurds.org/news/front-line-call-for-action-regarding-the-detention-of-abdul-hafiz-abdul-al-rahman/

http://supportkurds.org/news/syria-arbitrary-detention-of-leading-human-rights-activist/

A Kurdish prisoner of conscious in hunger strike

Tuesday, 27 July 2010

MEHABAD, Eastern Kurdistan, -- A Kurdish political activist named Rahim Rashi has been in hunger strike since was arbitrarily arrested by Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

According to Harana News Agency, Rahim Rashi was captured on 19 July 2010 arbitrarily and since then he is in strike for protesting his detention. He is one of the Kurdish civil activists which had been under the control of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and had been arrested several times.

Kurdistan’s nature continuously set on fire

Tuesday, 27 July 2010

Eastern Kurdistan – According to Shenidar news agency, most jungles of Kurdistan are incessantly set on fire by the Iranian Authorities with the pretext of having PJAK’S guerrillas hidden in there. As a result of the firing more than 2500 hectares of Sine’s forests have been destroyed; in addition, the jungles of Meriwan and Kamyaran have also been burned in fire.

Despite the fact that the jungles of the most of Kurdish regions have been burned in fire, the Iranian government has not attempted to extinguish and even did not let civilians to quench the fire.

Accordingly, last week some groups such as green savers, students and social activists had endeavoured to oblige the Iranian regime either to extinguish the fire or let these groups to do it. Nevertheless, the Iranian savage regime neither extinguishes the fire nor let the others o do it.

Kurdish Language prohibited

Tuesday, 27 July 2010

URMIE, Eastern Kurdistan, -- Kurdish Journalists from Urmie are not allowed to speak in their mother tongue any more.

Kurdish journalists and the staffs who are working for Urmie’s Media have spoken Kurdish with the local people and have also written their reports in Kurdish; however, the chief of Urmie’s Media have proclaimed that “from this moment on, nobody is allowed to speak in Kurdish”. He added, “for writing the reports and programmes, journalists must use Farsi and some who are not familiar with Farsi language must be fired from their work’.

Consequently, the Kurdish community in the region protested against this decision and this has caused AZARI (another ethnic group who live in Iran) to join the Kurds and protest against this unfair and inhuman decision.

The Iranian classic and malicious dictatorship is trying all methods to suppress the Kurds and never listened to their demands. They are not even prepared to hear the word “Kurd, or Kurdish distinct culture”; worse they label the Kurds as terrorists and separatists!

Obama’s administration less supportive of Kurdish rights

Kurdishaspect.com

By Baqi Barzani

Foreign policies and relations can shift with the rise of new administrations to power.

What composes history and is referred to time and again, is the legacy of each administration.

As regards Iraq, President Gorge W Bush remained behind a legacy that will be extolled for generations to come. No US administration has ever received as much accolade and gratitude among the Kurds and Arabs alike as former US President George W. Bush’s. His unrelenting support for Kurdish rights in Iraq found him a very unrivalled and irreplaceable place in the hearts and minds of myriad Kurds all over the world.

Concisely alluding to just one of the hallmarks of his administration: President Bush devolved power to all Iraqi ethnic and religious groups equally and indoctrinated them the implication of true democracy. He encouraged Iraqis to establish an economic system that uses Iraq's oil resources for the good of all Iraqi people, not a single entity or political party. Steady destruction of terrorists and insurgents networks in Iraq, free and fair elections, drafting of a permanent constitution for Iraqis, overall economic propagation in Iraq, mainly in Kurdistan, and formation of national unity governments are some other milestones that Iraqi citizens permanently remain beholden to him for.

One of the most vocal voices of Kurdish self-rule in the current US administration is Mr. Joe Biden, the vice president. Although, influential figures in both democratic and republican parties constitute members of Kurdish lobby, advocacy groups, sympathizers of Kurdish cause, Obama’s administration seems to have swerved off Democratic Party’s main strategy for Iraq, and turned less supportive of Kurdish territorial, oil and autonomy rights in both in Washington and Bagdad.

After his nomination, President Obama was bequeathed with 2 first former and one recent major drawback in Iraq, which President Bush did not get to accomplish due of his tenure ending. They compromise of:

a determination on the status of Kirkuk and other disputed regions,

a final agreement on oil revenues between Kurdish Regional Government and central government,

Ceasing sovereignty and territorial aggressions by Iraqi neighboring states (Iranian artillery and Turkish hourly aerials bombings).

As of yet, none of these critical issues have been addressed by Obama’s administration. Obama’s strategy is merely centered on pulling US troops out of Iraq, at the earliest feasible, with no interest in the ensuing detrimental impacts and consequences. Ethnic divide and insurgency has already kicked off in Mousel and surrounding province of Nineveh which heralds the beginning of a long bloody war. The significance of afore-cited issues has been underestimated. The Kurds have lost their faith in Obama’s less pro-Kurdish stance.

Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) still remains at loggerhead with Baghdad over such pivotal rights, and if dialogue produces no positive outcome as it turns out to be the case, it will push the Kurds to consider taking unilateral actions.

Most Americans commiserate with the Kurdish national struggle. Most Kurds are grateful to their American friends for their dedications and commitments in Kurdistan. Among some staunch advocates of Kurdish rights in the United States, with whom Kurdish lobby groups should seek to cultivate more bonds, are the constituents of neoconservative party, republicans and leaders of Jewish and Zionist Christian communities.

While endeavoring to influence very US administrations should be the goal of KRG, it does not imply that Kurds should not be seeking patronage from other numerous major European and world powers in mediating issues that are pivotal in shaping their destiny.

Attack on police patrol in Hatay leaves 4 police dead

ANF 27.07.2010-A police patrol in Dortyol district of Hatay province on the Syrian border was attacked last night at 6 pm.While 4 police officers where killed when fire was opened on the patrol car, shortly after the security directorate building was also attacked with long barrelled weapons. No casualties were reported in this attack.It is reported that the police has detained 3 persons regarding the attack however; the eyewitnesses stated that the detainees are the locals who failed to show their driving licenses on the check point at the entrance of the town.

While no one has claimed the responsibility for the attack a group of Turkish nationalists attacked the office of pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) in Dortyol and set fire on the building. Eyewitnesses stated that the anti-Kurd crowd also attacked some businesses run by the Kurds and smashed the glasses.

Chair of local BDP office in Dortyol Halil Baybaris said to ANF that while their office was attacked and set fire on shops and cafes run by the Kurds were also attacked with gas bombs. Baybaris also stated that although they called the police several times they could not get any response and they are afraid of their safety of life as the police seems unlikely to protect the Kurds against lynch attempts.

Chair of BDP provincial office of Hatay Mehmet İnsan said that he spoke to the head of provincial security directorate who wanted him not to go to Dortyol district as the police will not be able to protect him due to unrest in the town.

Insan further stated that he was told by some locals that a Kurd from Urfa was killed by the Turkish nationalist; however he could not get this information confirmed.

International campaign for Hocman Joma, the Kurdish shoe thrower

27/07/2010

Mr. Hocman Joma, 27 years old, a Syrian Kurd who threw a shoe to Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayip Erdogan while was leaving from the city hall in the southern city of Seville, Spain on 22nd February 2010. When he threw his shoe, Joma was chanting ‘Free Kurdistan!

A Spanish court sentenced Mr. Joma for three years imprisonment. He has been in custody since the incident, was found guilty of "an attack against the international community" and also ordered to pay a fine of 408 Euros.

Joma said during the trial that he never intended to hurt the prime minister but only to "draw attention" to the situation of the minority Kurds in Turkey.

Kurds are the largest ethnic group without a state of their own, perceived as posing a separatist threat and without any formal representation on the world stage. They have been subjected to genocide, crimes against humanity and a host of other human rights abuses. Ethnic cleansing programms have been implemented, accompanied by mass killings, displacement and prohibitions on Kurdish culture and language. Over the last thirty years, the Kurdish regions have been the scenes of genocide, crimes against humanity, extra-judicial killings, torture, mass displacement and censorship, among other abuses of international law.

Kurdish problem emerged from the aftermath of the First World War. Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the regional powers signed a peace treaty – the Treaty of Sèvres envisaging, among other provisions, the future establishment of an independent Kurdish state. However, following the Turkish war of independence under Mustafa ‘Kemal’ Atatürk and his followers, the Treaty of Lausanne was enacted instead. That treaty sidelined the Kurdish question altogether and finalised the division of the Kurdish regions between modern-day Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria. Kurdish culture stems back to the migration of indo-European tribes some 4,000 years ago to the Zagros Mountains, now the heart of the Kurdish region. Although no formal censuses exist, there are estimated to be between 25 and 30 million Kurds originating from the mountainous region bordering modern Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria. Despite their cross-border spread and the large number of different languages and religions, Kurds share a strong overarching sense of identity.

Today, millions of Kurds live as internally displaced persons within state borders physically prevented from returning to their former land and livelihoods following armed conflict. Millions more live as migrants, refugees and asylum seekers across the world.

It is an irony that Mr Joma are sentenced to such harsh sentence while in December 2008 an Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at US president George W. Bush during his final visit to Iraq chanting: "This is the farewell kiss you are dog." The 30-year-old was subsequently jailed for nine months.

We understand that Turkey must realize that his attempt of erasing the political natural realities, as the existence of the Kurdish People, by means of indiscriminate prohibitions, removes it from the standard democratic minimums defined in the criteria of Copenhagen, for his incorporation to the European Union.

We, Kurds and human rights supporters call attention of Spanish Justice Ministry to consider Mr. Hojman Joma’s case.

Name/Surname

Profession

Date

Please email your support to: justiciaparajoma@hotmail.com

International campaign for Hocman Joma27/07/2010

Crude oil of Kurdistan to Iran breaking the UN embargo

KurdishMedia.com - By Kamal Chomani27/07/2010

The oil tankers bring crude oil from Tawka oil fields in Zakho and Kalakchi areas in Erbil, a driver of one of the tanker told KurdishMedia.com in Haji Omaran, the main international border point between Iraqi Kurdistan and Islamic Republic of Iran, which is controlled by KDP, led by Barzani.

The driver was not prepare to reveal his name. when I asked him for the reason, he stated to KurdishMedia.com, on condition of anonymity, “We are told not to speak for any journalists.”

“We full the tankers in Tawka oil fields in Zakho, which some oil fields are situated. And also some of the others bring the crude oil from Kalakchi area and some other in Beji in the middle of Iraq.”

The driver underscored that the oil is crude and they transfer it to Iran and to ports in Bandar Abbas, a big Iranian harbor in the south west.

“We transfer the crude oil from Kurdish areas and middle of Iraq; we are more than 800 tankers. Some tankers are from Iran and Turkey as well. It is transport between Iraq and Iran by an ‘Iraqi company’, which owns by Iraqi and Kurdish officials. We are paid 1200 USD for a journey between Iraq and Iran.” said another driver who was an ethnic Arab from Mosul.

Hundreds of smuggled of crude oil tankers are seen in the Hamilton way from Erbil to Haji Omaran every day.

The drivers were very angry on the border point, as most times they have to wait more than a week till the Iranian authority in the Haji Omaran international border allow them to enter Iranian soil.

Haji Omaran is the only main international border which is a district of Erbil governorate, about 180 kilomiters northeast Erbil city. According to Kurdish officials in the border, every day more than 400 vehicles transfer goods from Iran to Iraqi Kurdistan markets. And about 300 people will come and go between Iran and Iraqi Kurdistan.

While the KRG denounced the smuggling of crude oil between Iraqi Kurdistan and Iran, but still hundreds of tankers transfering crude oil to Iran can be seen in Haji Omaran.

An eyewitness in Choman district only 10 kilometers away from Haji Omaran, told KurdishMedia.com that during his trip to Haji Oamaran, he saw many oil tankers on the move.

After the warning of the US forces in Iraq to KRG to stop oil smuggling to Iran as Iran is under the economic sanctions by US and majority of international community, some KRG officials stated that the smuggled oil is not crude oil. However, KurdishMedia.com found contrary from the information provided by the drivers that the oil is 100 percent crude.

“All tankers are full of crude oil; this smuggling is organised between the high officials; and that’s why no one can say a word. Nonetheless, we know it is an illegal smuggling and the money is going to the pockets of some Kurdish and Iraqi high ranking politicians and traders.” said a 29 driver, who did not wish to be named.

The oil smuggling by KDP and PUK estimated to be at millions of US dollars. The smuggling crude oil through Haji Omaran and Bashmakh border gates is in its third year, not a new business.

The smuggling also has an environmental impact. The people of Choman are continuously disturbed by the dust and noise of the tankers and, in recent months, the population announced that they demand for 5 percent of the ‘business’ to be deployed for environmental projects for of Haj Omaran border point, a demand that would not be granted under the current authorities.

KurdishMedia.com - By Kamal Chomani27/07/2010 00:00:00

Blasts in Diyarbakir and Sirnak leave 10 soldiers injured

Monday, 26 July 2010

NORTHERN KURDISTAN, Turkey, -- A remote controlled road side bomb on Lice- Kulp highway in Diyarbakir was detonated while a military vehicle carrying personnel to the operation area passed by.

It is reported that the blast left at least 6 Turkish soldiers injured who were taken to hospital immediately.

It is also reported that another remote controlled bomb in Kupeli Mountain between Cizre and Guclukonak districts of Sirnak province was detonated yesterday during a military operation. According to Turkish officials 4 soldiers were injured, including an officer.

A drift between Iranian Spah and the army

Monday, 26 July 2010

IRAN — Mohammad Ali Jafary, the commander of Spah Pasdaran (Iranian Revolutionary Guards), has admitted for the first time the strong discontents of a group of Spah’s members from the government. Apart from this confession from an official member of the government, Jafary also stated that “making these people satisfied is better than punishing them”.

According to Fars news, an official Iranian news agency, Mohammad Ali Jafary in respond to a question regarding not punishing the Spah’s dissenting members alleged: “these dissenting members have admitted that they were wrong, therefore this is better than punishing them or firing them from their position.”

The Jafary’s confession is important from this dimension that Jafary is an official member of the Iranian government and admits some divergences between the countries officials.

Tension between Iranian government and the parliament

Monday, 26 July 2010

TEHRAN, Iran – Quarrel between the Iranian fabricated parliament and Ahmadinajad’s government escalated to a large extent due to their mutual failure to approve, implement and practice the laws. The parliament’s responsibility is to approve and enact the laws which must be practiced by the government.

Ali Larijani the head of Iranian parliament has fiercely criticised Ahmadinajad’s government

for its failure to implement the laws already enacted by the parliament.

Moreover, Abbas Ali Kedkhody stated that the failure to practice the laws approved by

the parliament is not legal.

These statements were released one day after Muhammad Reza Khabbaz’s accusation of the government for its refusal to implement the laws. Mr Khabaz is a member of parliament’s approval group who has announced that Ahmadnajad, the Iranian President, is not practicing the Iranian constitutional laws.

Accordingly, Ali Larijani has condemned Ahmadinjad for not respecting the laws and informed him if Ahmadinjad insist to continue on this trend, Larijani will expose him to the public.

In the last few months the fissure between the parliament and the government has widened to an extent that has caused Khamanaei, top Iranian leader, to interfere in the countries crises.