8 January 2007

1. "Turkish PM blasts US, Iraq for not hitting Kurd rebels", Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Washington and Baghdad of failing to keep promises to curb Turkish Kurd rebels based in neighboring northern Iraq, newspapers reported Thursday.

2. "Human Rights at Halt in 2006", human rights activists evaluate 2006 as a "lost year" for their causes: Kurdish conflict undermine all struggle as it's not possible to speak freely where weapons talk. Social rights are at stake as global capitalist system degenerate existing schemes.

3. "European Human Rights Commission urges Turkish reform", in a letter to the Turkish Foreign minister, the European Human Rights Commissioner urged Turkey's government to revise the country's criminal code, terrorism law, use of force during protests and prison isolation practices.

4. "Turkey's South East Diyarbakir District Goes Bilingual", a municipal council decision to offer municipal services in both Turkish and Kurdish has been approved by the Sur district Municipality of the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, reports said yesterday.

5. "Petition for Peace on Kurdish Conflict", 322 prominent writer, academic, artist, activist and politicians issue a petition today calling all parties to work towards peace on the Kurdish conflict. Petitioners urge for policies centered around human life instead of violence, militarism and hatred.

6. "Iraq's Kurds say Saddam's hanging robs them of justice", Kurdish officials should not have allowed this to happen.

1. - AFP - "Turkish PM blasts US, Iraq for not hitting Kurd rebels":

ANKARA / 4 January 2007

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Washington and Baghdad of failing to keep promises to curb Turkish Kurd rebels based in neighboring northern Iraq, newspapers reported Thursday.

Erdogan said the mission led by US envoy Joseph W. Ralston, appointed in August to coordinate efforts against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), had failed to bear fruit.

"There has been no positive development," Erdogan told journalists accompanying him on a trip to Lebanon Wednesday, the Sabah daily reported.

"We were to make joint efforts against the terrorist organization with the United States and Iraq. This has not materialized," he said.

Erdogan said Washington and Baghdad argued that they were overwhelmed by violence in other parts of Iraq.

"Is this a tactic to distract us? We want concrete results," he said.

Erdogan charged that the US had failed to keep pledges to cut off channels for PKK financing, and that PKK offices in Iraq remained open despite a September announcement by Baghdad that they would be all closed.

The prime minister also alleged that some PKK militants infiltrating Turkey carried US-made weapons and bombs.

Turkey has threatened cross-border operations into northern Iraq to hunt down the rebels if Iraq and the United States fail to take action against PKK rebels, which have for years found safe haven in the mountainous, Kurdish-run region.

Ankara says northern Iraq has become a training ground for the PKK, where the rebels enjoy unrestricted movement as well as easy access to weapons and explosives.

Ralston's Turkish counterpart, Edip Baser, said Ankara would wait until late February or early March to see the outcome of the US envoy's efforts.

"If no concrete steps are taken, we may end the mission of the coordinators," he told the Vatan newspaper.

The PKK declared a unilateral truce from October 1, saying it wanted to pave the way for a dialogue to resolve the conflict.

The ceasefire, like previous ones called by the group, was quickly rejected by Ankara, but violence in the mainly Kurdish southeast has decreased markedly since then.

The Kurdish conflict has claimed more than 37,000 lives since 1984 when the PKK took up arms for self-rule in the southeast.

2. - Bianet - "Human Rights at Halt in 2006":

Human rights activists evaluate 2006 as a "lost year" for their causes: Kurdish conflict undermine all struggle as it's not possible to speak freely where weapons talk. Social rights are at stake as global capitalist system degenerate existing schemes.

ISTANBUL / 4 January 2006 / by Tolga Korkut

While women rest hopeful, human rights activists say 2006 was a year of losses and apathy on their behalf and they have no positive insight into 2007 either.

Social peace, struggle against the reigning culture of violence and fight for social rights are among the priorities for them in 2007.

International Federation of Human Rights vice chair Akin Birdal, Human Rights Association (IHD) chair Yusuf Alatas, The Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TIHV) chair Yavuz Onen, Association for Human Rights and Solidarity with the Oppressed (MAZLUMDER) chair Ayhan Bilgen, Helsinki Citizens' Assembly director of immigrants support programme Ozlem Dalkiran and IHD executive committee member Feray Salman summoned up the developments to bianet as we leave 2006 behind.

Birdal: Kurdish conflict must be solved

Birdal starts of by saying that the unsolved Kurdish problem continues to lay the ground for rights violations.

"Promoting, protecting and improving human rights is possible only in an environment where there's no violence. Only by then we can start talking, discussing freely", he adds.

Globalization's having a negative affect on rights related issues says Birdal, noting the escalating wave of violence in the Middle East. He warns that upcoming presidential and general elections in Turkey may cause political crises and this may hinder the democratic process.

"Because the individual, political rights and freedoms are defied, we can't even begin discussing on cultural, economic and social rights. However, all research show us that -especially in Eastern Turkey- poverty is frighteningly paramount".

Bilgen: Reform of prison facilities

Bilgen presents an optimist view: the ceasefire declared by the pro-Kurdish guerillas and the series of acquittals on freedom of expression cases could be noted with smiling faces in 2006.

On the other hand, the continuing hunger strikes and demands of reform in prison facilities needs urgent attention. Bilgen says, a reform on electoral procedures, which would allow a fairer representation in the parliament, is also needed.

Alatas: Social rights neglected

Alatas says that 2006 was lost with regard to human rights and he listed the priorities in 2007 as follows:

* We have to interrogate the reasons why social peace isn't established. We need to find ways to voice peace as loud as the ones that fight because peace is a problem of people, not governments.

* Society as a whole must begin a struggle against violence. That is domestic violence, violence on the streets, violence towards children as well.

"While there's not a hierachy between human rights, when everybody's concerned about their very livelihood in an environment of conflict, poverty, hunger, injustices are neglected. All NGO's and organizations must collaborate for social rights".

Anti-capitalist struggle

Feray Salman agrees: "In 2007, we need for and most a political will committed to human rights. Without such, all steps are doomed to be pragmatic, unsustainable. We've to approach our problems on rights bases".

Evaluating developments on a global scale as well as national, Yavuz Onen thinks 2006 led to the clarification of sides on the scale of freedoms and human rights.

In consequence, 2007 will witness a harsh struggle to shift the balance between those powers, those sides.

Onen approaches the issue with a critical look on global capitalism, noting that abondoning the social welfare state and replacing it with plain market economy took all rights as back as possible.

"Capitalism neglects right to education, health or environmental issues. We've to bring forward waht's neglected and a political organization is urgent to this end".

Finally, Ozlem Dalkiran mentions two positive developments in 2006: UN's initiative to put into force the International Treaty on the Commerce of Weapons and legislative precautions against violence towards women and children.

"Government is trying to take some steps but they have to work with rights organizations on this road"

3. - Turkish Daily News - "European Human Rights Commission urges Turkish reform":

ISTANBUL / 4 January 2007

In a letter to the Turkish Foreign minister, the European Human Rights Commissioner urged Turkey's government to revise the country's criminal code, terrorism law, use of force during protests and prison isolation practices.

The letter, dated two weeks ago -- a copy of which has been obtained by the Turkish Daily News -- praised Turkey's reform in recent years to improve fundamental rights and freedoms and its continued campaign against violence to women.

Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg requested that Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül keep him informed on Turkey's reassurances to amend or repeal Article 301 of the Penal Code (TCK) which, as he wrote “has led to numerous prosecutions for the mere expression of peaceful opinion”.

The commissioner also asked for clarification on the disbarment of Van Regional Prosecutor Ferhat Sarikaya after he implicated the current Chief of General Staff Yasar Büyükanit in the November 2005 bombing of a bookshop in the southeastern border down of Semdinli. The charges against Büyükanit were later dropped.

Referring to a Turkish hunger striker's protest against prison isolation practices, the letter called on Gül to consider the recommendations to Turkey made last year by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture. One week later Turkish Parliament Speaker Bülent Arinç met with the family of the striker and promised to meet with the justice minister about conditions in Turkey's F-1 type prisons. No such meeting has yet been announced.

Hammarberg underlined the commission's concern that Turkey's expansion of its terrorism law “continues to be broad and unclear” and threatens the legal justification required for criminal law. The letter also warned that any practice of detaining suspects “incommunicado” for the first 24 hours and restricting their right to immediate legal counsel may reverse Turkey's successful efforts in reducing torture and ill treatment in detention sites.

Turkey's support to the United States in its war against terrorism was not being reciprocated, Erdogan was quoted as saying.

"Give us support in the same way that we support you in your fight against terrorism," CNN-Turk quoted Erdogan as saying.

The PKK declared a unilateral cease-fire, which came into effect on Oct. 1, following a surge of violence that left more than a dozen soldiers and policemen dead and injured tourists over a period of a few weeks. Turkey has ignored the truce, however, and has vowed to fight on until all rebels surrendered or were killed.

4. - The New Anatolian - "Turkey's South East Diyarbakir District Goes Bilingual":

ANKARA / 5 January 2007

A municipal council decision to offer municipal services in both Turkish and Kurdish has been approved by the Sur district Municipality of the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, reports said yesterday.

The decision is likely to fuel tension in the region, as it is clearly in violation of the Constitution, according to several political commentators.

Sur Mayor Abdullah Demirbas last year faced prosecution for defending multilingual municipal services at an international conference in Vienna. Charges against him were dropped on the grounds of freedom of expression, but the Interior Ministry severely criticized the move by Demirbas.

It is said that the Sur Municipality as well as the Diyarbakir Greater Municipality started multilingual services last year without an official decision to ease transactions by Kurdish people in the city.

Speaking at a press conference organized by the Sur Municipality, Demirbas touted the news while arguing that Turkey, in practice, is not monolingual but multilingual.

He also underlined that the decision was taken by a majority vote. "We don't have only one identity but multiple identities, we have to live considering this fact," he explained. "We'll give services taking all studies and scientific data into account as we aim to contribute to democracy in the region and the country."

Demirbas also said that they took the decision based on the belief that municipalities and local administrations are also "schools for further democracy."

Kurdish politicians in the region, spearheaded by Diyarbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir, fiercely advocate further rights for local administrations, which sporadically find support from the government. The ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party had a long-term project to invest further rights to local authorities, reducing the power and authority of the central administration, but it has failed to implement necessary phases of this project during its four years in office.

"I hope this decision will be an example for Parliament," Demirbas said. "I believe that Parliament will regard the multilingual and multicultural structure of Turkey and take a decision that will contribute to peace and democracy in the country. We think that democracy will improve on a local basis."

The mayor added that through their decision, which is a first in Turkey, municipal services will reach the public easier. "Both Turkish and Kurdish have been used in the municipality before. In order to give a better service we'll give Kurdish, Turkish, English, Armenian and Assyrian courses to personnel," Demirbas said.

Sociologist Aslan Ozdemir stated that they conducted a survey upon the request of the Sur Municipality. According to the survey results, 24 percent of the residents speak Turkish, while 72 percent speak Kurdish. "Therefore, the municipal services should be given in various languages apart from Turkish," Ozdemir said.

5. - Bianet - "Petition for Peace on Kurdish Conflict":

322 prominent writer, academic, artist, activist and politicians issue a petition today calling all parties to work towards peace on the Kurdish conflict. Petitioners urge for policies centered around human life instead of violence, militarism and hatred.

ISTANBUL / 25 December 2006

322 intellectual, activist, artist, academic and politicians released a petition today, demanding immediate peace in Turkey's Kurdish conflict.

Saying that violence wouldn't solve problems, the petitioners called on all parties to end militarist policies and push forward with civic proposals.

Guerillas back to social life

Seeing the ceasefire declared by Kurdish guerillas as an opportunity, the text includes urgent demands:

* We demand a step from state institutions, which will place human life instead of conflict and death, in the center of politics. The responsibility of resolution is on politicians in power.

* Legal arrangements are needed to get the guerillas back into social life. This is also indispensable to save the lives of soldiers doing their military duty region.

* 10 percent national electoral barrier should be lowered to ensure a fair political representation.

* All legal obstacles keeping the free social involvement of the Kurdish language and culture at stake should be abolished.

* Freedom of expression and right to organization should be fully implemented.

* A new initiative to eliminate social and economic injustices between regions should come into effect.

PKK declared ceasefire in October

The petitioners asked everybody who strives for a free and secure life to dwell on the reasons that create the violence in the country.

Kurdish guerilla movement, Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), unilaterally declared a ceasefire as of October 1.

It coincided with a public communiqué issued by more than 200 Turkish and Kurdish intellectuals demanding the PKK to end all armed acts unconditionally.

6. - Reuters - "Iraq's Kurds say Saddam's hanging robs them of justice":

SULAIMANIYA / 7 January 2007

Sarwa Omar, a 26-year-old Iraqi Kurdish housekeeper whose father died in Kurdistan's killing fields in the 1980s, cried tears of anger when Saddam Hussein was hanged last week.

"I didn't cry because I liked him. I cried because he didn't get hanged for the Anfal case," said Omar, referring to Saddam's 1988 military campaign against ethnic Kurds in which prosecutors say 180,000 people were killed, many of them gassed.

"Kurdish officials should not have allowed this to happen."

Some Kurds said Saddam's execution on Dec. 30 for crimes against humanity in the killing of 148 Shi'ites robbed them of the historic opportunity of trying the deposed leader for the graver crime of genocide when the Anfal case resumes in a Baghdad courtroom on Monday.

Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki rushed the execution of his former enemy despite calls from U.S. officials for a delay and reservations from Maliki's Kurdish coalition partners, who had expected the appeal process to run for months to allow more time to have their grievances heard.

"Why didn't they wait until the Anfal case was finished to execute him?" said Satar Karim, 63, who had three brothers killed in Anfal.

"The government killed him because they are underestimating what happened in Anfal. Who is going to compensate us now?"

Adala Omar, a civil servant in the Kurdish city of Arbil, said majority Shi'ites, in power since a U.S. invasion ended Saddam's Sunni-dominated rule, steamrolled the case to win a political victory to the detriment of the judicial process.

Kurds had expected to try Saddam on other charges, including a chemical gas attack on the Kurdish town of Halabja that killed 5,000 people in 1988.

"I think Saddam's execution in the Dujail case is a political decision," Omar said. "The Shi'ites are the strongest part in the government and they imposed their will in choosing the timing."

Saddam's fellow Sunni Arabs have been angered by the hanging after a clandestine video showed Shi'ite officials taunting him with sectarian slogans on the gallows.

"CHEMICAL ALI"

But other Kurds, while lamenting that Saddam will no longer sit in the dock, said they will feel vindicated if they win guilty sentences for the former president's six co-defendants, including Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali" and considered the main enforcer of Anfal.

Anfal, or Spoils of War, was named after a chapter in the Koran. Kurds accuse Majid of playing a key role in the killing of tens of thousands with chemical gas attacks, summary executions, torture and destruction of hundreds of villages. He faces genocide charges, as did Saddam.

"Saddam is dead but the hero of the Anfal operation is still alive," said Abdul Ghani Yahya, a man in his 60s. "The Anfal case is still going on and I will follow it."

Some fear the absence of Saddam, whose frequent tirades against the U.S.-backed court enthralled television audiences, will diminish interest in the Anfal proceedings.

Prosecutors in Anfal have gathered thousands of documents and U.S.-backed forensic experts have spent months unearthing mass graves they have said they will present as evidence.

"After the execution of Saddam the court will lose its importance," said Abdul Rahman Zebari, a lawyer for civil plaintiffs in the case. "The media won't care anymore."

Shamse Khader, 50, whose husband and one son disappeared after being rounded up by Saddam's soldiers in 1988, said that with Saddam's death she had buried all her hopes.

"I waited all these years to hear something about them. Now, I have lost all hope."