REPAK Information File: Women of Resistance targeted by the state

Below is an excerpt from the latest information file published by the Kurdish Women’s Relations Office (REPAK. It details how women have been targeted by the Turkish state over the last several months.

You can download the full report here

Information File:

‘Women of Resistance Targeted By the State’
Turkish State Terror in Kurdistan and Feminicide

As of 11 January 2016

Contents

I. ‘Fight against terrorism’ or state terror against the people? Political evaluation and call

II. Chronology: Curfews

III. ‘Shoot the women first!’ List of women killed during curfews or by extralegal execution

HDP releases information file on latest wave of attacks

The HDP has released an information file on the violence in Turkey since late July. This is an important dossier which contains detailed information on how the AKP government is attempting to break the HDP’s political power and undermine the peace process. The introduction to the file is below, and you can download the full pdf here.

PEOPLES’ DEMOCRATIC PARTY: FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMISSION

INFORMATION FILE ON VIOLENCE IN TURKEY

INTRODUCTION

After the General Elections on June 7th 2015, Peoples’ Democratic Party (Halkların Demokratik Partisi or HDP) became one of the most significant political actors in Turkey. In particular, Kurds, socialists, Alawites, Non-Muslim groups, democratic conservatives, social democrats, ecologists and other historically marginalized or oppressed identities in Turkey have supported the HDP in the search for expanded collective rights in Turkey’s political and judiciary system.

Shilan Ozcelik trial begins at the Old Bailey*) in first PKK trial in over a decade

PRESS RELEASE

7 September 2015

 

The trial against Kurdish woman Shilan Ozcelik, who was arrested in January for allegedly attempting to join the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), will appear in court on Monday 7 September, 2pm, for the first day of her trial.

The 18 year old was charged with ‘engaging in conduct in preparation to for giving an effect to an intention to commit acts of terrorism’ under section 5 (10) (a) of the Terrorism Act 2006 and has been held on remand in Holloway prison since early March.

EDM tabled in UK parliament expresses ‘concern’ about state censorship and arrests in Turkey

An early day motion (EDM) has been tabled in the UK parliament calling for the release of Turkish journalists arrested in the latest police crackdown on the press. You can encourage your MP to sign the EDM by writing to them with your own message, or you can use our model letter which you can download here.

Early Day Motion 719: Restrictions On Press Freedom In Turkey

That this House is concerned about widespread reports of state censorship, and the firing, imprisonment and wiretapping of journalists in Turkey; notes that about 20 journalists were arrested in a series of dawn raids in Turkey in mid-December 2014; further notes that one of the journalists arrested in December, television presenter Sedef Kabas, is facing a prison sentence of up to five years for a tweet about a corruption probe involving high profile names; welcomes the statement by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and the EU Commissioner for Enlargement Negotiations that the latest crackdown is against the European values and standards Turkey aspires to be part of; calls on Turkish authorities to remove the travel bans imposed on the journalists, drop all criminal charges against them and release all other journalists behind bars in the country; and further calls on Ministers in the UK Government to raise these concerns with their counterparts in Turkey.

Sponsors: Clwyd, Ann/ Osborne, Sandra / Corbyn, Jeremy / Farrelly, Paul / Durkan, Mark / Russell, Bob    /   House of Commons: 21.01.2015

KCK Statement on the killing of Bemal Tokcu

KCK-INFO

Kurdistan Democratic Communities’ Union -Info Koma Civaken Kurdistan – Info

For any questions or suggestions please contact us: Contact No.: (00964) (0) 750 237 28 63 E-mail: zagroskckinfo@gmail.com

 

TO OUR PEOPLES AND THE PUBLIC OPINION

With the killing of Bêmal Tokçu, the number of the crimes committed by the Turkish police raised to three. We convey our condolences to the family of Bêmal Tokçu and all the Kurdish People. Those who committed these murders will certainly be held accountable for them. The AKP administration has normalized the crimes committed by the police in Kurdistan and Turkey. No police crime undergoes trial, just as the killers are left unpunished. The police heartened by this indifference are easily showering bullets on the people.

EFJ writes to EU commissioner condemning Turkey media arrests

The President of the European Federation of Journalists, which for over a year has been running the Set journalists free in Turkey campaign, recently sent a letter to the Commissioner for EU Enlargement, Stefan Fule, with an urgent call for action to end media clampdowns in Turkey.

You can read the letter below, and here is a response written by Stefan Fule, available to download (pdf).

TO:
Commissioner Štefan Füle
DG Enlargement
European Commission

Re: Urgent Call for Action to End Media Clampdown in Turkey

18 June 2013

Dear Commissioner Füle,

We are writing as Presidents of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the world’s largest organisation representing more than 600.000 journalists and its regional group, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) to bring to your attention the serious developments for our colleagues in Turkey.

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

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.

EUTCC calls for the release of Yilmaz Orkan

27 March, 2013

Press release: for immediate release

The deputy head of the Confederation of Kurdish Associations in Europe (KON-KURD) and a member of KNK, Mr. Yilmaz Orkan, were arrested yesterday morning at the Zaventem airport in Brussels by Belgian police on behalf of their Spanish colleagues.

Yilmaz Orkan was on his way to Tunisia and the World Social Forum (WSF) which provides a platform that enables encounters between women and the men who struggle to build democracy, equality for all, solidarity, justice and peace, to protect the environment and commons. Orkan’s work, his diplomatic efforts and lobbying for a peaceful solution to the Kurdish question are well known to the European Parliament, the European Council and the international community. It seems that despite the ongoing political peace talks between Mr. Abdullah Öcalan and the Turkish government, dark political forces swipe Europe. Orkan’s arrest is just another attempt to curry favor to the campaign against the PKK and its so-called “terrorism” in Europe. The arrest of Yilmaz Orkan follows the case of the imprisoned Kurdish diplomat Adem Uzun who was detained in Paris October 2012.

KON-KURD condemns arrest of Yilmaz Orkan

CONFEDERATION OF KURDISH ASSOCIATIONS IN EUROPE (KON-KURD)
RELEASE KURDISH DIPLOMAT MR YILMAZ ORKAN

Press Release: for immediate release, 27 March 2013

We condemn the arrest of Mr Yilmaz Orkan, the vice president of the Confederation of Kurdish Associations in Europe (KON-KURD) which has 12 federations and 165 associations in Europe, Australia, and Canada. Mr Orkan is a deputy head for the last three years and also a member of the Kurdish National Congress (KNK). Mr Orkan was detained on 24 March 2013 in the Zaventem Airport/Brussels and then put in Belgium Forest Prison by the Belgian police at the request of Spain’s National Court. Mr Orkan was on his way to Tunisia to attend to the World Social Forum 2013.