7 February 2006

1. "Turkey Kurdish mayor Osman Baydemir visiting USA", according to Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) WebPages, Osman Baydemir, the mayor of Diyarbakir, is scheduled to visit the U.S. accompanied by six businessmen starting yesterday and lasting through Feb. 16.

2. "Turkey Prosecutes More Writers, Jeopardizing EU Bid", five of Turkey's best-known columnists went on trial at an Istanbul court today, in a freedom-of-speech case that threatens to derail the country's bid to join the European Union.

3. "Turkey tries writers for 'insult'", five journalists have gone on trial in Turkey in a case that is seen as a further test of the country's freedom of expression.

4. "Police arrest suspect in priest's killing in Turkey", Turkish police arrested a 16-year-old student on Tuesday on suspicion he is the gunman who shot an Italian Catholic priest to death, officials said.

5. "In Turkey there are 80 conscientious objectors", Mr. Dogan Ozkan, who is a conscientious objector of the military service, says that in order to make this right a law; a public opposition should develop.

6. "Turn Your Back On The Bitter Realities And Start Living In A Virtual World", so when you can’t solve any problems or you do not want to face the bitter realities of the world simply switch to the virtual world and satisfy yourself with dreams. This is what is happening to Turks these days.

1. - The New Anatolien - "Turkey Kurdish mayor Osman Baydemir visiting USA":

6 February 2006

According to Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) WebPages, Osman Baydemir, the mayor of Diyarbakir, is scheduled to visit the U.S. accompanied by six businessmen starting yesterday and lasting through Feb. 16.

The webpage reported that Baydemir is going to attend various meetings at United Nations headquarters in New York. In addition Baydemir will visit Nashville, Tennessee for two days, which has the largest Kurdish community in the U.S. known as 'mini Kurdistan'. This visit is planned to develop a sister-city project between Diyarbakir and Nashville. During the last five days of his program Baydemir and the six businessmen will visit Washington D.C.

What makes Baydemir's visit interesting is the timing and the places to be visited. For those who follow the Kurdish issue in Turkey, it's no a secret that there are two key figures who've dominated the Kurdish debate lately: PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan and Baydemir.

Unlike other pro-PKK, Democratic Society Party (DTP) mayors, what makes Baydemir hit the headlines in the pro-PKK media is his stubborn and intolerant opposition to Turkish state policies. For instance, against the government's will, Baydemir led the other DTP mayors to write a letter to the Danish government asking that the Danish-based, pro-PKK satellite TV channel Roj-TV not be banned.

In addition, not only did he visit the families of 'Kurdish freedom fighters' who were killed in gun battles between Turkish security forces and the PKK organization, he also sent official ambulances, which belong to the municipality, to pick up the Kurdish rebels bodies. Lately, although the law strictly bans the use of local languages for official purposes, he didn't hesitate to use Kurdish in his official celebration letters.

It's also no secret that on Feb. 15, the seventh anniversary of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan's capture, the PKK, and its extension the DTP, will organize large-scale demonstrations in Diyarbakir, Mersin (Kurdistan-Turkey) and other cities in Turkey to protest the arrest. It's expected that the protest in Diyarbakir will be the largest compared to other cities. It's also expected that the U.S. will be condemned by the demonstrators for the help it provided in the process that led up to to the capture of Ocalan.

These two points make Baydemir's U.S. visit more interesting. As usual, as a vocal leader of the Kurdish "opposition," one would expect Baydemir to lead the demonstration in Diyarbakir. However he chose not to do so and instead decided to travel to the U.S. Experts believe that Baydemir's visit is a strategic move.

After the Iraq liberation, the U.S. has become an active player in regional politics. The Kurdish issue occupies an important part of the agenda of regional politics.

The timing of the visit is also interesting in terms of international political dynamics. If we consider that the U.S. is desperately searching for local allies to support its policies on Iran, Baydemir's visit can be considered a strategic move. From this perspective Baydemir's agenda also gives the impression that he planned this visit for strategic purposes to establish contacts in Washington D.C. For instance, the visit to Nashville, besides the sister-city project, is most likely planned to establish such connections because Nashville is the city with the largest Kurdish community.

In the Nashville Kurdish community there are people, including American professors, who work extensively on the Kurdish issue and advise Iraqi Kurdistan regional government President Massoud Barzani, whom Baydemir is most likely to meet, and are very influential in Washington. After the Nashville visit, the five-day program in Washington D.C. also is an indicator of his aim to establish contacts with influential Washingtonians.

If we take all these factors into consideration, Baydemir's visit could be a turning point for the Kurdish issue, assuming that it wasn't encouraged by Abdullah Ocalan himself to discuss the PKK's possible help to the U.S. in an anticipated strike against Iran.

2. - Bloomberg - "Turkey Prosecutes More Writers, Jeopardizing EU Bid":

7 February 2006

Five of Turkey's best-known columnists went on trial at an Istanbul court today, in a freedom-of-speech case that threatens to derail the country's bid to join the European Union.

Hasan Cemal of the Milliyet newspaper and Ismet Berkan, Murat Belge, Haluk Sahin and Erol Katircioglu of the daily Radikal face up to 10 years in prison. They criticized a judge for halting a September conference to discuss Armenian claims of genocide by Ottoman Turks in 1915.

``These curbs are unacceptable if Turkey wants to prove that it's democratic,'' said Oktay Eksi, head of the Turkish Press Council, in an interview on Feb. 2. ``We will continue to fight these restrictions until we, or the EU, persuade the government to abolish them.''

European Union officials say Turkey must conform to Western norms of free expression so as not to jeopardize membership talks that started on Oct. 3. Turkey last month dropped charges against prize-winning novelist Orhan Pamuk, who had questioned Turkey's role in the killing of more than 1 million Armenians nine decades ago.

Cemal and his colleagues are appearing at Istanbul's Bagcilar court of first instance for ``insulting the judiciary.'' The Armenian conference was to have taken place at the city's Bosphorus University on Sept. 23. Organizers later moved the event to neighboring Bilgi University.

Membership Talks

Turkey's progress toward building a Western-style democracy has slackened since the membership talks began, making 2006 a crucial test year for its quest to join the EU, Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said on Jan. 12. The accession process will probably last a decade or more.

``This case is one of the bumps on the road to the EU,'' Cemal told reporters at the Istanbul court before the trial. ``I don't expect a negative verdict. The reaction against freedom of expression in Turkey isn't as violent as it used to be.''

The European Court of Human Rights last year found Turkey in violation of laws governing freedom of speech 39 times, double the total in 2004. The Strasbourg-based court ruled against the EU's 25 members seven times in total.

Failure to win EU membership would jeopardize the Turkish government's efforts to pull in foreign investment and reduce debt equivalent to 80 percent of economic output.

The nation's bid to become the EU's first Muslim member is welcomed by only 31 percent of Europe's 450 million citizens, a poll sponsored by the EU shows. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has backed a looser ``privileged partnership'' for Turkey.

Penal Code

Rehn says the trial of the five columnists and similar legal proceedings are being sought by ``nationalist-minded'' prosecutors who are seeking to punish people for challenging state policy.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has turned down the EU's appeals to alter the nation's penal code, steps the bloc has requested in order to guarantee freedom of speech in the nation of 72 million people.

Turkey's democracy ``will not be built on solid foundations'' unless the legal changes are made, Camiel Eurlings, a Dutch member of the EU Parliament's foreign affairs committee, said on Jan. 23.

EU officials have vowed to monitor scores of other cases brought against lesser-known individuals for criticizing Turkish policy on issues including Armenia and treatment of the nation's 12 million Kurds. Twenty-seven are due by June, Jonathan Sugden, Turkey researcher for New York-based Human Rights Watch, said in a telephone interview on Feb. 3.

EU Skeptics

``Skeptics within the EU shouldn't be given an excuse for chilling even further their attitude toward Turkey's candidacy,'' Sugden said. ``We need to have more leadership from the government on this. It almost looks like these prosecutors are looking for a fight, picking out cases to express their dissatisfaction and anger with the EU process.''

Turkey rejects claims that the Ottoman Empire committed genocide against Armenians, saying the deaths can be attributed to wider ethnic clashes. EU members including France and Italy have approved resolutions recognizing the atrocities.

Turkish officials say they are concerned Armenians would seek to reclaim land they or their family members once owned in Turkey and file with international courts for compensation, if the government admitted the persecutions.

Even the EU's politicians are not immune from prosecution in Turkey. An Istanbul court in December opened an investigation against European Parliament member Joost Lagendijk on charges of insulting the Turkish military. The probe was dropped on Feb. 3, NTV television reported.

``Unfortunately there are some people who are intent on destroying the system in Turkey,'' Kerem Kerincsiz, a director of the Hukukcular Birligi, an Istanbul-based lawyers' group that filed complaints with prosecutors against Lagendijk and the five newspaper columnists, told reporters before today's trial.

Recognizing the damage that the court cases might inflict on Turkey's EU bid, the Justice Ministry last month issued a circular reminding judges that European human rights legislation must take precedence over Turkish law, a requirement written into the constitution two years ago.

Ethnic Minorities

A Turkish prosecutor in November charged two Turkish professors with insulting the judiciary and ``encouraging criminal activity'' after they called for more rights for Turkey's ethnic minorities. A guilty verdict at their trial, due to begin in Ankara on Feb. 15, carries a five-year jail term.

Professors Ibrahim Kaboglu and Baskin Oran made the call in a report on Turkey's democracy requested by Erdogan himself.

``I'll accuse the prosecutor of violating human rights in Turkey, of neglecting and misusing his position and violating the Turkish Constitution,'' Oran said in a telephone interview Feb. 2. ``Turkey needs better human rights so its citizens can be treated like human beings. That's what we're fighting for.''

3. - BBC - "Turkey tries writers for 'insult'":

7 January 2006

Five journalists have gone on trial in Turkey in a case that is seen as a further test of the country's freedom of expression.
The five have been charged over comments they made about the killing of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire during World War I.

A similar case against well-known writer Orhan Pamuk for "insulting Turkishness" was dropped in January.

The cases have been criticised by the EU, which Turkey hopes to join.

The journalists, who write for Turkey's leading newspapers, wrote articles criticising a court decision to ban a conference on the killing of Armenians between 1915 and 1917.

The men are being tried under article 301 of Turkey's penal code, which makes it illegal to insult any organ of state. They face six months to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Taboo subject

One of the journalists, Hasan Cemal, urged the government to observe EU standards on human rights.

"I did nothing but enjoy my right to freedom of expression by saying that the... conference was necessary and that the court was hampering the proper functioning of democracy," he told the AFP news agency.

The other four defendants are Murat Belge, Ismet Berkan, Haluk Sahin and Erol Katircioglu.

Last year, internationally renowned writer Orhan Pamuk was tried under article 301 for comments he made on the killing of Armenians, but charges against him were dropped in January.

The mass killings have been a taboo subject in Turkey.

Ankara says the deaths of Armenians in conflicts during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire were not part of a genocidal campaign.

4. - AP - "Police arrest suspect in priest's killing in Turkey":

ANKARA / 7 January 2006

Turkish police arrested a 16-year-old student on Tuesday on suspicion he is the gunman who shot an Italian Catholic priest to death, officials said.

NTV television, citing police officials, reported that the suspect told interrogators he killed the Rev. Andrea Santoro to avenge the publication in European newspapers of provocative cartoons depicting Islam's most revered prophet as a terrorist.

Police would not immediately comment on the report.

Santoro, 60, was shot dead on Sunday while praying in his church along the Black Sea coast. Witnesses say the killer screamed ``Allahu Akbar,'' Arabic for ``God is great,'' before firing two bullets into Santoro's back as he kneeled to pray inside the Santa Maria Church in the port city of Trabzon.

Prosecutor Burhan Cobanoglu identified the suspect only by the initials O.A. and said he was captured while hiding at a relative's home in Trabzon, NTV reported.

The high school student was under interrogation at police headquarters, it said. He is expected to be brought to a court later in the day, the station added.

Police also seized a 9mm handgun during the raid, the semiofficial Anatolia news agency said. The gun would be sent to a laboratory for ballistic tests, it added.

The police on Monday distributed a computer-generated sketch of the suspect, a clean-shaven teenager, wearing a woolen hat.

The priest's body was flown back to Italy on a military plane from Istanbul Tuesday, authorities said. A funeral for Santoro was planned for later in the week at Rome's main basilica, St. John Lateran, Italian news reports said.

Santoro's work with prostitutes in the area also may have been a motive for the killer. The priest had also received threats for allegedly proselytizing, Trabzon's Governor said.

Monsignor Luigi Padovese, the Apostolic Vicar of Anatolia, who presided over the memorial service for Santoro on Monday, refused to speculate on the killer's motives.

``But unfortunately,'' he said, ``the event happened during these days. Maybe this person, because he was a fanatic, was incited by these reports on the news, and did this for revenge, did it against a Christian presence in Turkey.''

5. - DIHA - "In Turkey there are 80 conscientious objectors":

ISTANBUL / 6 February 2006

Mr. Dogan Ozkan, who is a conscientious objector of the military service, says that in order to make this right a law; a public opposition should develop.

Turkey, which is waiting for European Council’s General Assembly’s approval, is going to be affected to a high extent with such a law. Being mentioned in the Progress Report on Turkey, the argument of conscientious objection in the military service was revived again in Ankara.

Stressing that he doesn’t wan to be a part of the inner war that lasted for 20 years, “That’s why I chosen the conscientious objection of the military service.” Said Mr. Dogan Ozkan.

Showing reaction to the words of one of the deputies who was once a military judge: “Turkey is surrounded by 13 inimical nations”, he said: “Such types of propaganda stand in the way of democratization and Human Rights.”. “There are no 13 inimical nations surrounding Turkey. It’s obvious that this is one of the ideological hypotheses of the government.” Added Mr. Ozkan.

‘In England, 3 thousand people were shot to death’

Expressing that the argument taking place in Turkey now, took place in England once.

He said: “During the World War I, England put 3000 persons in prison because they were conscientious objectors; many of them were shot to death. But now, there is no obligatory military service in England.” Said Mr. Dogan Ozkan.

“By making views like, ‘our country is surrounded by enemies, and our country is under attack’ they took the lives of most of those 3000.” Added Mr. Ozkan. Saying that Turkey lived in such a time, he stressed that: “in order to change that, we need time. Ultimately, we have to change this mentality.” He added.

With inner opposition, the conscientious objection becomes a law’

Stressing that only 80 people used their right of conscientious objection, he said that if there is a pressure from the public, this right will become a law. “If the number of people using this right goes up, it will turn into a law even faster.” He said. “If Turkey does this, the issue won’t be a point of pressure from the EU on Turkey.”

‘I don’t go out of my village’

Halil Savda, who said that he doesn’t go out of his village because he used the right of conscientious objection, complained about the limitation of the freedom to travel. Because there are no law reforms concerning this issue, he is faced with trouble; “For example, if I wanted to travel somewhere, I wouldn’t be able to, I cannot move from where I live. Everyone who used this right is faced with the outlaw treatment, his freedom is limited.” He said. He stressed that because of choosing to use this right, he is faced with prison or an outlaw’s life. He said in order to have this right for everyone; more people should choose the right of conscientious objection.

The Attorney, Mr. Keskin: The refusal of fighting and killing

The president of the Human Rights Association ((ÝHD)’s, Ýstanbul branch, Mrs. Eren Keskin, stressing that conscientious objection is one of the human rights as a whole, he said: “To express the right of conscientious objection is very natural. It means that he is a person who refuses to use a weapon and kill someone”. Expressing that conscientious objection is shown as a right in the Copenhagen Criteria, “this is imposed as a duty by the governments, but there is a statement that says the governments should put the right of conscientious objection on the agenda.” He said.

‘Millions may use it’

Saying that the number one objector to the right of conscientious objection is The Turkish Military Force, he stressed that if the right of conscientious objection becomes a law, millions of people will choose not to do the military service. “Because of the military service, one year of the human’s life is stolen”, “In many countries in Europe, the people who choose not to use weapons, can take part in one of the organizations that offer voluntary services. Turkey can’t tolerate even to offer this.” Said Mrs. Keskin.

6. - The New Anatolien - "Turn Your Back On The Bitter Realities And Start Living In A Virtual World":

7 February 2006 / by Ilnur Cevik

So when you can’t solve any problems or you do not want to face the bitter realities of the world simply switch to the virtual world and satisfy yourself with dreams. This is what is happening to Turks these days.

A few years ago, just after the fall of Saddam Hussein, American soldiers raided the liaison offices of the Turkish military in the northern Iraqi city of Sulaimaniyah and arrested eleven Turkish soldiers claiming that they were involved in a plot to kill the governor of Kirkuk. The soldiers were humiliated by the Americans who tried their hands and put hoods over their heads … The Turkish public was up in arms despite the fact that soon after the soldiers were released.

At the time it was claimed that some Turkish soldiers were trying to manipulate the Turkmens of northern Iraq and thus were rebuffed by the Americans…

The incident created deep resentment among Turks. The soldiers and their commanders, who were the untouchables of the “Special Forces,” were either reprimanded or fired. Since then the conservatives in Turkey have never forgotten this incident. Some have demanded revenge but no one has had the courage to take the Americans on.

It is no secret that the Turkish masses opposed America's intervention in Iraq. It is also no secret that anti-American feelings have always been ripe in Turkey and things have not improved as years go by. There is deep resentment about the policies of the Bush administration.

In the past year we have seen some signs that some people are trying to capitalize on the anti-American sentiments in Turkey through books and movies. The work of fiction “Metal Storm” that turned out to be a bestseller last year suggested an all-out war between the Turks and the Americans where the Turks eventually won … Now we have the movie “Valley of the Wolves, Iraq” where anti-Americanism reaches new peaks … The film shows how some Turkish agents eventually kill “cruel American soldiers” in northern Iraq and at last take revenge for the Sulaimaniyah incident. We have been told that when the film ends Turks start applauding. Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc and Emine Erdogan who watched the movie later on both told journalists “we are proud of our boys.”
It seems many people, including Arinc and Mr. Erdogan, have started thinking that what they were watching was real and not the work of movie makers …

So Turks have started shutting their eyes to reality and are living in a virtual world. This is good because it could well be a form of therapy for some people … But we also have to warn them that the real world and real politics are different to what the movie makers suggest.

It is good that these Americans are pragmatic people and are not offended by our tantrums. If one of their film makers had made such an anti-Turkish movie we would be deeply offended and would raise such hell that the issue would be turned into a political crisis between Ankara and Washington.

But the fact that some of us live with our fantasies and that we have created a virtual world for ourselves does not change the fact that anti-Americanism is making money in Turkey.

While the mature Americans would not be offended by a box-office hit or a bestseller the fact remains that the sentiments that are involved would catch the attention of some American legislators who may well not be as cool headed as the U.S. diplomats in Turkey or in Washington.