19. December 2001

1. "Turkey pays compensation to two men beaten up in custody", Turkey has ageed to pay compensation in a friendly settlement to two men who were tortured in custody, the European Court of Human Rights said on Tuesday.

2. "We must be united", participated in a publicy gathering in Sofia by telephone, PKK Council of Leaders member Osman Ocalan said that Kurds must be united especially in this period.

3. "Kurdish militant gets three years in German jail", a German court sentenced a high-ranking member of the banned Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) to three years and three months in jail Wednesday for occupying a Greek consulate in 1999 in protests over the arrest of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan.

4. "How close are we?", columnist Sami Kohen comments on Turkish-EU relations.

5. "Survey: Freedom gap between Muslim, non-Muslim world", there is a "dramatic gap" in the level of freedom between Islamic nations, particularly in the Arab world, and other countries, according to an annual study of world freedom released Tuesday.

6. "Turkey leads in NATO defence equipment spending", Turkey leads in NATO defence equipment spending.

1. - AFP -"Turkey pays compensation to two men beaten up in custody":

STRASBOURG

Turkey has ageed to pay compensation in a friendly settlement to two men who were tortured in custody, the European Court of Human Rights said on Tuesday. The men, Nimet Acar and Kamal Gundu, will receive 28,660 euros (25,881 dollars) and 29,118 euros each as compensation after complaining that they were hit, electrocuted, had the soles of their feet beaten and cigarettes stubbed out on them.

Medical evidence supported their claims. They had been arrested on suspicion of being members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in February 1994 with 40 other men, and said they were tortured until they admitted having links with the PKK. In a statement issued at the same time as the settlement was announced Turkey said it, "regrets the occurrence, as in the case in question, of individual examples of ill-treatment of people in police custody by the authorities, notwithstanding the Turkish legislation in place and the Governments determination to prevent such events."

It continues: "The Government accepts that subjecting detainees to torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment breaches Article 3 of the Convention (on Human Rights), and they undertake to issue appropriate instructions and to adopt all necessary measures to ensure future compliance with the prohibition of such types of ill-treatment - which implies an obligation to conduct effective investigations." Police officers put on trial in Turkey when the offences came to light were found not guilty.

2. - Kurdish Observer - "We must be united":

Participated in a publicy gathering in Sofia by telephone, PKK Council of Leaders member Osman Ocalan said that Kurds must be united especially in this period.

MHA BULGARIA

Kurdish Cultural Center in Sofia, capital city of Bulgaria, organized a public gathering with the participation of 150 people. And Osman Ocalan, PKK Council of Leaders member, participated in the meeting by telephone, making comments on the recent political situation. Ocalan said that the most important problem of the Kurdish people is whether it would have a place in the new divided world system.

Ocalan stated that PKK had political, military and organizational power necessary for surviving, and it would continue its efforts for unity and a common strategy.

The Kurdish leader emphasized that the defense statement in the European Human Rights Court case of PKK President Abdullah Ocalan had showed what their stnce in the new period would be, adding that Kurds living in Bulgaria had certainly a lot of responsibilities.

Let's congratulate like serhildan

Ocalan noted that February 15 and Newroz should be congratulated like a serhildan (popular uprising), adding the following: "Our President continue his struggle under grave conditions in Imrali. State officials want him be teared off the outside world. But we know that our President hear us, feel us." Ocalan concluded his sppech by saying "Biji Serok Apo-Long Live President Apo".

And the Bulgaria representative of Kurdish Democratic People Defense (YDK) said that Kurds should make action without interruption and strengthen their organisations.

3. - AFP - "Kurdish militant gets three years in German jail":

DUESSELDORF

A German court sentenced a high-ranking member of the banned Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) to three years and three months in jail Wednesday for occupying a Greek consulate in 1999 in protests over the arrest of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan.

Mehmet Tanboga, 44, was sentenced for disturbing public order with the occupation of the consulate in Duesseldorf in western Germany and for belonging to a criminal organization. The man had admitted during his trial in Duesseldorf that the occupation of Greek and Israeli diplomatic missions throughout Europe in February 1999 had been organized by the PKK to protest the arrest of Ocalan, who was seized by Turkish agents in Nairobi and taken to Turkey that February. Tanboga admitted to having organized the protest in Duesseldorf.

4. - Milliyet - "How close are we?":

Columnist Sami Kohen comments on Turkish-EU relations. A summary of his broadcast is as follows:

" The EU stance displayed at the Laeken summit can be regarded as a holiday gift. In the Laeken declaration released last Saturday, two points reflecting EU views regarding Turkey were stated. First, there was the paragraph which mentioned that the time to begin accession negotiations with Turkey was getting closer. Second, a decision was made which envisaged Turkey's equal participation in the convention to form the future of EU.

What may be reason behind such a stance? How close is Turkey to EU today? There are a series of factors in reaching such a point in relations with the EU. Among these factors, there is the determination displayed by Turkey in carrying out certain reforms, including the amendments to the Constitution, and the efforts it exerted for the resumption of talks in in Cyprus and reaching an agreement on ESDP can be cited. The EU circles view these developments as displaying the seriousness of Turkey's intention to integrate with the EU. In addition, there are two other factors regarded as important by the EU, such as the increasing geostrategic importance of Turkey following the Sept. 11 attacks.

Europeans are taking the role Turkey wants to play as an important world power into consideration. Meanwhile, the EU is trying to complete the negotiation process with 10 countries within the enlargement plan. The trend to consider Turkey together with Romania and Bulgaria is gaining ground.

Even if it may be stated in the EU declaration that Turkey's membership process is getting closer, Turkey should not take it for granted. Furthermore, no certain date has been pronounced. If the factors leading EU to declare its new intention are still there, that is, if Turkey continues its reform policies, carries out the expected changes, and if progress is seen in the Cyprus problem, the decision to begin membership accession talks may be issued at the end of 2002 or at the beginning of 2003. It is a great opportunity to have Spain as term pesident during the first six months of the new year. In brief, how close we are to our goal will be determined by continuing to display the same resolution and speed we have shown recently."

5. - CNN - "Survey: Freedom gap between Muslim, non-Muslim world":

NEW YORK

There is a "dramatic gap" in the level of freedom between Islamic nations, particularly in the Arab world, and other countries, according to an annual study of world freedom released Tuesday.

"Islamic terrorism and the popularity of extremist ideas among segments of the international Muslim community posed a serious threat to the spread of political freedom in the Islamic world," said The Freedom House, which rated 192 countries and 17 territories.

Freedom House was founded nearly 60 years ago by Eleanor Roosevelt, Wendell Willkie, and other Americans concerned about peace and democracy. It is nonprofit and nonpartisan.

Among countries where there is an Islamic majority, only one nation is ranked as free -- the African nation of Mali. Eighteen are rated partly free and 28 are not free. In contrast, among the non-Islamic countries, 85 are free, 40 are partly free and 20 are not free.

The gap between the non-Islamic and the Islamic world has widened, The Freedom House said.

"While the countries of Latin America, Africa, East-Central Europe, and South and East Asia experienced significant gains for democracy and freedom over the last 20 years, the countries of the Islamic world experienced an equally significant increase in repressive regimes," the report said.

Developing democracy

On the other hand, the report notes the existence of democratic movements in the non-Arabic Islamic world.

"Democratic politics are now found in Albania, Bangladesh, Djibouti, the Gambia, Indonesia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Turkey. Notably, none of these Islamic democracies has a majority Arab population, and all are found in the Islamic periphery in South and East Asia, on the border of Europe and the Caucasus and in Northern and Central Africa," said the report. It also noted inroads, "though halting and inconsistent" toward democratic reform in several Arab nations.

The survey says factors contributing to the weakness of democracy and freedom in parts of the Muslim world include corruption, cronyism and "statist economies that have been unaffected by the market reforms that have swept the rest of the world."

Other factors leading to repression in the Muslim world include an interpretation of Islam that makes women second-class citizens, the Islamic tradition of merging religion and state, and the "corrosive power of oil and natural gas."

In all, the survey lists 86 free countries, 58 partly free countries and 48 not free countries around the globe.

The worst-rated countries are Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), Cuba, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria and Turkmenistan, seven of which are Muslim countries. The two worst-rated disputed territories are Chechnya in Russia and Tibet in China.

'Not free'

Countries with substantial setbacks in freedom are Argentina, Belize, Benin, the Central African Republic, Egypt, Eritrea, Haiti, Jamaica, Jordan, Liberia, Macedonia, Malawi, Morocco, Nigeria, Trinidad and Tobago, Yemen, and Zimbabwe, the survey said.

Israel is the only nation ranked free in the Middle East. However, Israeli-administered territories are ranked not free. The lands administered by the Palestinian Authority also are ranked not free.

Those countries making advances include Peru, which entered the ranks of free countries, and Mauritania, which improved from not free to partly free. Other improvements were found in Albania, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, East Timor, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Grenada, and Yugoslavia.

The survey examined a country's record in two areas: political rights and civil liberties.

"A country grants its citizens political rights when it permits them to form political parties that represent a significant range of voter choice and whose leaders can openly compete for and be elected to positions of power in government.

"A country upholds its citizens' civil liberties when it respects and protects their religious, ethnic, economic, linguistic, and other rights, including gender and family rights, personal freedoms, and freedoms of the press, belief, and association," Freedom House said.

6. - MSNBC - "Turkey leads in NATO defence equipment spending":

Turkey leads in NATO defence equipment spending

The Turkish armed forces are the second largest in the alliance, with nearly 800,000 personnel. Turkey has been ranked first among members of the NATO alliance in regards of the share of its defence budget allocated to the purchasing of equipment.

Turkey allocates 40 percent of its defence expenditures on personnel, and 36.7 percent to equipment. A further 5.7 percent of Turkey's defence cost are dedicated to infrastructure needs, according to statistics released during Tuesday's meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels.

Turkey is also ranked second overall in terms of manpower within NATO, with 795,000 troops under arms. The US is the alliance's leading country with regard to personnel in uniform, with 1,482,000, with Italy a long way back in third spot with 374,000. In total, NATO can count on 4.45 million troops.

Turkey also allocates 5.0 percent of its gross National Product (GNP) to defence expenditure, with neighbouring Greece dedicating 4.8 percent to defence costs.