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The Struggle for Human Rights in the Kurdish Regions Continues

During this Human Rights Week, a week devoted to commemorating and upholding the values and principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Kurdish Human Rights Project calls for international recognition of and commitment to the basic human rights of all the people living in the Kurdish Regions.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights holds that all every person has the right to live in security, free from the fear of torture, persecution, death or other punishment. However today, Kurds face systematic and serious assaults on their fundamental human rights on a daily basis with governments of the Kurdish regions denying them peace in their multi-ethnic nation-states: Iraq , Iran , Syria , and Turkey . Regimes to which Kurds are subject have sought to counter perceived threats to their territorial integrity by forcibly destroying Kurdish identity. This is in addition to horrific violence carried out by armed opposition groups, bent on perpetuating the cycle of violence.

KHRP welcomes Secretary General Kofi Annan's call on Friday 8 th December for states to give real meaning to the principle of ‘Responsibility to Protect' and for states' security concerns not simply to pay ‘lip service' to the defence of human rights, but to be built on it. In the Kurdish Regions, sadly, this is far from being the case:

In Iraq, violence continues to plague the country, threatening to engulf the Kurdish north, severely hampering the region's development, and making daily life increasingly unsafe for the region's inhabitants;

In Iran , human rights defenders are being harassed, threatened with arbitrary detention, and are suffering torture and inhuman treatment;

In Syria , thousands of Kurds cannot vote or own property. They are being denied access even to basic rights, such as healthcare and housing.

In Turkey , as the violence during this past year has evidenced, heavy-handedness and indiscriminate use of force by the Turkish police and security forces have yet to become a thing of the past. Tens of thousands of Kurds continue to be internally displaced within Turkey , with measures for compensation and resettlement hopelessly inadequate. Kurds in Turkey continue to be deprived of the basic rights of freedom of expression, and freedom of association, facing prosecution and imprisonment on charges of ‘disseminating terrorist propaganda' for simply discussing the existence of ‘the Kurdish issue', or making public addresses in Kurdish.

The reform process within the Turkish state has slowed considerably, as has been recognised by the recent European Commission Progress Report on Turkey 's accession bid. KHRP is pleased to observe the EU demonstrating that it is serious about the implementation of accession criteria during the current impasse over Cyprus . It is unfortunate, however, that while EU ministers are meeting tomorrow to discuss this economic issue, the opportunity is being missed also to highlight failures by Turkey to meet accession criteria relating to human rights. In failing to flag the issue of human rights at this juncture, the EU has failed to address an issue that is central to the bloc's reason for being, while sending the unfortunate message that economic concerns far outweigh the concern for human rights in the accession process. This, sadly, reflects a general failure on the part of the international community to live up to its responsibilities:

It has made no visible move to support the path to peace in the Kurdish regions and counter moves towards violence and continued repression.

It has not insisted, nor used available incentives to persuade, repressive governments fully to adhere to internationally agreed upon standards of human rights.

Nor has it supported all states' efforts to redress past wrongs and unequivocally speak out against violence wherever it originates.

By failing to recognise the link between violations wrought against Kurds in all regions and the overarching problem of the failure of states' to comply with international human rights norms and legislation, the international community is refusing to fully appreciate the wider context and origins of the conflict. Instead it consistently reacts with a myopic view, treating each incident, or each country, as an isolated event and separate from each other. This week, KHRP calls on the international community to take a real stand for peace by addressing the roots and scope of this conflict.

As part of humanity, we are duty-bound to fulfil our obligations to these oft-neglected people by applying pressure and naming the violations and their causes. Peace comes through active dialogue, not passive response. During this Human Rights Week, join KHRP in renewing your commitment to human rights in the Kurdish regions.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

Kurdish Human Rights Project
11 Guilford Street, London, WC1N 1DH
Tel: 020 7405 3835
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it www.khrp.org

European Commission Recognises ‘the Kurdish Issue’, but Insufficiently Fulfils its Role as ...

European Commission Recognises ‘the Kurdish Issue', but Insufficiently Fulfils its Role as ‘Implementer'

On the day of the release by the European Commission of 2006 Turkey Progress Report, the Kerim Yildiz, Executive Director of the Kurdish Human Rights Project welcomed the Commission’s direct acknowledgement of the plight of Turkey’s Kurdish people in its report. By stating for the first time in recent years that a comprehensive strategy should be pursued in order to achieve the ‘establishment of conditions for the Kurdish population to enjoy full rights and freedoms’, the Commission has made a positive step forward in recognizing that the Kurdish minority in Turkey face daily discrimination because of their ethnicity.

KHRP also welcomes its direct criticism of the barriers religious minorities face. Nonetheless, while the Commission Report confirms that there has been a slowdown in the reform process in Turkey — particularly in relation to the highly controversial Article 301 in the Turkish Penal Code and the provisions of the new Anti-Terror Law— its criticism in relation to fundamental human rights and the protection of minorities remains halting, cautious and ambiguous.

In citing example after example of the lack of progress, (e.g. 2100 new cases filed at the European Court of Human Rights, with over 70% claiming a violation of the right to a fair trial, to property a right to life or of the prohibition of torture or ill-treatment; no progress made on Turkey’s approach towards minority rights; little change in the situation as regards rights of the child and right to education especially for women and girls), the European Commission failed in its duty to call Turkey to account for lack of compliance with the Copenhagen Criteria.

The Commission expresses special concern in relation to the situation internationally displaced people (IDPs), and concludes that there has been no further progress in this regard. The Kurdish Human Rights projects welcomes the Commission’s criticism of the Turkish government on this point, but regrets the Commission’s failure to recognise the problem as an international issue, and the direct role it could and should play in bringing redress and relief to those displaced.

The conclusion of the 2006 Progress Report is that the Turkish reform process has slowed down (maintaining the principle of ‘sufficient fulfilment’ of the Copenhagen Criteria as the standard by which the Commission should measure progress). By not unequivocally condemning Turkey’s violation of fundamental freedoms and human rights, KHRP finds the Report insufficient.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

Rachel Bernu, Rebecca Sammut or Kerim Yildiz
Kurdish Human Rights Project
11 Guilford Street, London, WC1N 1DH
Tel: 020 7405 3835
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
www.khrp.org

Sustained and Renewed Action is Needed

European Parliament, Brussels, 16 - 17 October 2006

The Third International Conference on the EU, Turkey and the Kurds closed today with renewed commitment and calls for genuine progress in the field of human rights in Turkey through implementation and the re-evaluation of reforms so far enacted.

The conference heard from academics, politicians, human rights advocates and experts from around the world discussing the varied aspects of the human and minority rights aspects of the Kurdish question in Turkey. Speakers included esteemed lawyer Eren Keskin, Mayor Osman Baydemir, Richard Howitt MEP and Sinasi Haxnedar of Mazlum-Der. The situation of women and IDPs; Turkey’s Anti-Terror law; the revised penal code and its influence on freedom of expression, association and press freedom; and the prospects for peace and reconciliation created by the EU accession process, were amongst the topics discussed.

The conference ends today with the declaration of resolutions from the EU, Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC). The resolutions include a message of support for the month-old ceasefire declared by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party. A full text of the resolutions will be available from www.eutcc.org.

About the EUTCC

In November 2004 the Rafto Foundation, Kurdish Human Rights Project and Medico International hosted the first conference on EU Turkey and the Kurds in the European Parliament. As an outcome of this historic event, these organisations and the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales established a standing Civic Commission, the EU-Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC). Due to the vibrancy of the dialogue of the 2004 conference, a second EUTCC conference was held in September 2005.

The EUTCC is in favour of Turkish EU membership because the EU route remains the greatest hope for securing a civilised, democratic and pluralist Turkey in which a negotiated political solution to the Kurdish question is realised, but only if progress towards membership is based on tangible improvements in the protection of human rights and freedoms and the tackling of the plight of the Kurds is firmly integrated into accession negotiations.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

Kariane Westrheim, Chair of the Board of Directors, EUTCC, Tel: +47 555 88 797 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Jon Rud, Secretary General, EUTCC, Tel: +34.965846645 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Kerim Yildiz , Treasurer, EUTCC, Tel: +44 (0) 207 405 3835 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Hege Ekeland, Project Assistant, EUTCC, Tel: +47 93 22 17 36 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Diverse Voices Agree: The EU & Turkey Must Do More

Since the opening of accession talks in October 2005, the pace of political reforms has slowed, and in some cases regressed. Kerim Yildiz , Executive Director of Kurdish Human Rights Project, opened the Third International Conference on the EU, Turkey and the Kurds at the European Parliament in Brussels on 16 October 2006 . Yildiz spoke of Turkey 's accession to the EU, the need for a radical change in attitude from the Turkish government in order to implement real changes on the ground, and the potential role of the EU in the resolution of the Kurdish issue in Turkey .

The conference also heard from several other human rights advocates, esteemed lawyers, politicians from across Europe and Turkey , and academics such as Eren Keskin, Francis Wurtz MEP and Professor Dogu Ergil. Speeches were made on topics as diverse as linguistic rights, Turkey 's Anti-Terror laws, citizenship and democracy.

The conference continues on 17 October 2006 with speeches from international experts such as Margaret Owen, Mayor Osman Baydemir, Mark Muller and Joost Lagendijk, Co-Chair of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee, on topics such as the obstacle to peace posed by the ‘deep-state', the implementation of reforms, political representation of the Kurds, freedom of expression and association, promoting cultural, social and economic rights through decentralisation and local governance and the situation of IDPs and women. The conference will conclude with the announcement of resolutions.

Click here for full opening speech by Kerim Yildiz (pdf)

Click here for background paper to the Conference (pdf)

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Kerim Yildiz / Rachel Bernu

11 Guilford Street , London , UK

+44 (0)207 405 3835

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

www.khrp.org

Steps taken by Turkey only ‘scratch the surface'

Today, in the European Parliament in Brussels , academics, Turkish, Kurdish and European politicians, influential lawyers, human rights defenders and writers will gather to discuss the human rights and minority rights dimensions of Turkey 's accession to the EU.

The Director of the Kurdish Human Rights Project, Kerim Yildiz gave the opening speech where he asserted ‘the steps taken so far by the Turkish government have only scratched the surface', in reference to bringing the country in line with European human rights standards.

The Third International Conference on the EU, Turkey and the Kurds, is supported by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, Dr. Shirin Ebadi, Bianca Jagger, Harold Pinter, Noam Chomsky and Mehmed Uzun.

The Conference is providing a democratic platform for the discussion of the critical role the EU should play in establishing the parameters of peaceful dialogue with all the stakeholders in the resolution of the Kurdish issue and greater democratisation in Turkey .

At this time of upheaval and social unrest in Turkey , the Conference represents a great opportunity for dialogue concerning the steps Turkey and the EU need to take for the smooth progression of the accession process.

The findings of the conference will be published and presented to the European Commission and thus present an opportunity for NGOs and individuals with regional expertise to highlight to decision-makers the successes and failures of the Turkish Government's reforms.

About the EUTCC

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

Kariane Westrheim, Chair of the Board of Directors, EUTCC, Tel: +47 555 88 797 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Jon Rud, Secretary General, EUTCC, Tel: +34.965846645 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Kerim Yildiz , Treasurer, EUTCC, Tel: +44 (0) 207 405 3835 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Hege Ekeland, Project Assistant, EUTCC, Tel: +47 93 22 17 36 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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