‘The Kurdish Question in Turkey’ – Conference Report

“On Wednesday 17 April 2013 the Law School and the ISCTSJ at Queen’s University Belfast hosted a one-day conference entitled ‘The Kurdish Question in Turkey’. The aim of this multi-disciplinary conference was to bring together legal experts, academics, politicians, journalists and grass-roots activists to ignite debate on the Kurdish question in Turkey, particularly from a human rights perspective. The ‘question’ concerns the Turkish-Kurdish conflict. A dispute concerning the rights of Kurds in Turkey, which has spanned over three decades and involved systematic violations of civil, political and socio-economic rights.
The conference dealt with three issues – ‘Democracy Deferred, the Continuing Challenges – Political Trials, Identity and Human Rights’, ‘Victimization of Kurds by the Current Turkish Law’ and ‘Constructive and Peaceful Solution to the Kurdish Question in Turkey’. Eleven speakers presented on these issues to an audience of over 80 participants. The conference, which occurred within weeks of the latest PKK ceasefire, came at a particularly propitious time, thus leading to a number of lively discussions.”

Participants included Peace in Kurdistan patron Margaret Owen OBE, distinguished lawyer from Turkey Ercan Kanar, and head of the BDP Foreign Affairs Commission Nasmi Gur – plus may more.

The report is available for download.

Also, audio-visual recordings from the conference are available at the HR Conference QUB Youtube Channel. The recordings are also gradually being uploaded to the HR Conference QUB Vimeo channel, which we hope to have completed by the end of May.

If you have any further queries you can contact Dennis Arbet Nejbir and Hannah Russell from the organising commmittee at this address queenshrconference@gmail.com.

Kurdish News Weekly Briefing, 3 – 9 May 2013

URGENT ACTIONS THIS WEEK

As you probably know, the International Initiative is continuing its campaign to free Ocalan from prison so that he can fulfil his role as legitimate representative of the Kurdish people during the peace talks. Thousands of signatures have been collected but the campaign needs more!

It is easy to sign – just click on Ocalan’s picture to the right and follow the link.

And we also want to remind you that our campaign to free another political prisoner, activist and politician Adem Uzun, from prison in Paris where he has been held since October last year with no sign of a trial date being set, is ongoing. We are appealing to everyone to write a letter to him to show solidarity and offer support. More details of how to write can be found here.

NEWS
1. Kurdish rebels begin withdrawal from Turkey
2. PKK Rebels Start Withdrawal From Turkey, Officials Says
3. Kurds start to pull out from Turkey
4. Tweeting Turkey’s Kurdish peace process
5. Erdogan: Terror won’t forestall peace with Kurds

New book on Kurdish Spring about to be published

A new book co-edited by Michael M. Gunter, Professor of Political Science at the University of Tennessee and specialist on the Kurdish Question, will soon be published.  The Kurdish Spring: Geopolitical Changes and the Kurds features contributions scholarly experts such as Michael B. Bishku, Ofra Bengio and Joost Jongerden, who analyse the ‘Kurdish Spring’ as a long-running and growing movement for democracy, cultural, social and political rights and self-determination across Syria, Turkey, Iran and Iraq.

The summary reads:

In the midst of all the changes the Arab Spring has brought in Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya, among others, the intelligent lay, media, and policy worlds have paid much less attention to what might be called the Kurdish Spring: Demands for meaningful democracy along with cultural, social, and political rights and their immediate implementation. Or as Ofra Bengio recently described it: “The Kurdish movement is now crystallized in almost all parts of Kurdistan. The weakening of the relevant states, alongside the tectonic sociopolitical changes taking place in the region as a whole, may end up changing the strategic map of the Middle East. Forged by the Great Powers after World War I, the borders separating the Kurds of Iraq, Turkey, Syria and Iran no longer appear as sacred or secure as they once did.”

Set Journalists Free in Turkey: EFJ campaign update

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) pursues its international campaign to Set Free Journalists in Turkey.

Please find below the latest news on the matter: the last week has been eventful in Turkey with the clashes on May day, the many activities focusing on Turkey on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day on 3 May as well as the latest developments in the KCK and Ergenekon cases.

•  10 May 2013 – EFJ urges authorities to free journalists in Ergenekon court hearing, EFJ website

• 7 May 2013 – Police violence against journalists covering dispersal of protesters, Reuters

• 6 May 2013 – Picture gallery of Kite Flying for World Press Freedom Day in Turkey, EFJ website

• 3 May 2013 – BBC Turkey report for World Press Freedom Day, BBC

Sign the petition to free Ocalan!

Sign the petition online HERE!

Dear friends,

The armed conflict between the Turkish and the Kurdish freedom movement that has raged for nearly three decades appears now to have reached an historic turning point. It would be a fair assessment to predict that the achievement of a political solution to this conflict will have a positive impact on the process of change in the entire Middle East.

An important step forward will take place on 8 May when the PKK will start to withdraw its forces from Turkey to Northern Iraq. This is part of an agreement that has been the result of months of painstaking negotiations between representatives of the Turkish state and the imprisoned leader of the PKK, Abdullah Ocalan.

Write to Adem Uzun!

Earlier in the year, Peace in Kurdistan campaign and CAMPACC began a number of initiatives to demand the release of Brussels-based Kurdish activist Adem Uzun, who was arrested in Paris last October. He was denied bail and he has now spent seven months in prison without a trial date set.

Read more about Adem, the political nature of his arrest and our campaigns to release him.

In February we sent an open letter to the French Justice Minister, Christiane Taubira, which was signed by over 200 campaigners, politicians, academics and community activists, urging the French authorities to release him. Anyone who missed their chance to sign the open letter can still get involved – we also designed and printed cards that YOU can send off her. The more that arrive on her desk the better, so get in touch if you’d like some to send.

Most importantly, we are appealing to everyone to write directly to Adem. It is often said that the most frightening thing for prisoners is the fear of being forgotten. We want to make sure that Adem is not forgotten, and a simple letter from you could break the isolation he must undoubtedly feel at this time. We believe and act of solidarity like this will provide him with great comfort and strength.

Lawsuit against Istanbul Bar President to begin on 17 May

On 17 May 2013, the President of the Istanbul Bar Association Ümit Kocasakal and nine other board members will appear in court having been charged with attempting to influence the judicial process in the Bayloz (‘Slegehammer’) case.

Below we reproduce a press release published in February by the Istanbul Bar Association in reaction to the charges. And we have also made a number of related documents available for download: the full indictment against the lawyers; a press release by the Presidency of the Istanbul Bar; the final resolution from the Bar’s General Assembly, which took place on 17 March 2013; and a document of  selected articles from the Turkish Criminal Code of relevance to the case.

Kurdish News Weekly Briefing, 26 April – 2 May 2013

NEWS
1. Erdogan hails Kurd rebel pullout as end of “dark era” for Turkey
2. Turkey says forces will take ‘care’ during Kurdish PKK rebels pullback
3. Parliamentary report to guide Kurdish settlement process
4. Panel Discusses Turkey’s Fragile Opportunity for Peace with the Kurds
5. Karayılan: We should be able to go to Imralı
6. Interview with Karayilan: ‘Our Withdrawal Comes When Struggle is at Peak’
7. Turkey’s New Anti-Terror Laws Do Not Benefit Kurds, Observers Say
8. The message of Abdullah Ocalan to the women congress
9. Justice key to Kurdish peace process
10. No winner in dirty war, Turkish PM says

BHRC launches latest report into KCK lawyers trial

Melanie Gingell, barrister from Tooks Chambers and member of the Bar Human Rights Committee, has written a report into the fourth hearing of the ongoing KCK  trial of 46 lawyers in Istanbul, which took place on 28 March 2013. Further observations of the hearing have already been provided by Margaret Owen and Tony Fisher, who joined Melanie at the Silivri court house as international monitors.

The report has been published on the BHRC website, where it is available for download.

The trials continues on 20 June 2013.

EUTCC statement on the withdrawal of troops from Turkey

Press release: for immediate release

26 April 2013

PKK’S HISTORICAL MOVE FOR PEACE

It is with great appreciation that the EUTCC received the message from Kurdish Communities Union (KCK) Executive Council President Murat Karayilan that the PKK withdraws its forces gradually from Turkey starting 8 May, 2013. The withdrawal is a result of the ongoing peace talks between the PKK’s leader Mr. Abdullah Öcalan and the Turkish government and emerged following letter exchanges between the mountain and the leader. The withdrawal is the first phase in a process that hopefully leads to lasting peace.