"We accuse Turkey of Crimes against Humanity"-
----- Original Message -----Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2011 9:24 PMSubject: Re: ReSolidarity with the Victims of All Genocides
The Hrant Dink Commemorative Conference
(sponsored by Baroness Finlay of Llandaff and Baroness Cox)
The Persecution of Indigenous Peoples, Unrepresented and/or Occupied Nations, Minorities and 'Others'
(in Turkey, Pakistan, South America and Iraq)
18th January 2011 (eve of Hrant Dink Day)
1 Will the UK government abandon Asia Bibi?2 Pakistani State Terrorism in Baluchistan exposed3 Turkish Human Rights abusesIn the Moses Room, the House of Lords, on the 18th January,2011, the life Hrant Dink (the Armenian Journalist assassinated on 19th January 2007 for mentioning the 1915 Genocide of his people) was marked by representatives from Colonized Nations and Minorities from across the world. Of particular urgency eas the case of Asia Bibi, under sentence of death under the discrminatory Blasphemy Laws in PakistanRepresentatives of the British Pakistani Christian Association (Alex and Wilson Choudhry) and the Centre for Legal Aid and Settlement ( Rev Alwin Samuel) gave accounts of persecution of Christians in Pakistan, focusing on the case of Asia Bibi, who now faces possible execution.Wilson Choudhry stated that she had not blasphemed the prophet Mohammed, but that it is all too easy for any Pakistani Moslem with a grudge against a Christian to make false claims of blasphemy.Mrs. Bibi has spent the last year-and-a-half in gaol following an argument on 19th June 2009 with other women who were working with her in a field near Lahore. The Muslim women had refused to drink water that Mrs. Bibi had fetched because she was a Christian and they considered her and referred to her as “filth”. The refusal led to a discussion about religion, during which she is said to have compared the relative merits of Christianity and Islam. It is also said that the women had put her under pressure to renounce her Christian faith and embrace Islam.
No derogatory remarks were made regarding the Prophet Muhammad, apart from her observation that Muhammad was not crucified for their sins like Jesus Christ. Mrs. Bibi then asked what Muhammad had done for them. Such discussions amongst the adherents of different religions are an essential part of freedom of expression, as well as freedom of religion.
It was felt that the UK government should urgently seek her (and her familly's )transfer to the UK as when and if she is freed, she will be in even more danger.Reynaldo Mariqueo, General Secretary of Mapuche International Link, gave an account of the terrible genocide suffered by the Mapuche and Tehuelche Indigenous Peoples of Argentina and Chile during the 1870's until 1881, and subsequent years. Reynaldo's own grandmother was taken over the Andes to Chile and comparative safety in 1881.
The persecution of Christians in Pakistan was also documented, and the current plight of Asia Bibi, who is now in prison, facing possible execution, was detailed. Wilson Chowdhry highlighted the desperate situation that exists, and many participants felt that the UK government should seek Asia Bibi's, and her family's, safe transfer to the UK.
Faiz Baluch provided a catalogue of examples of Pakistani state terrorism, with one hundred Baluchi activists tortured to death in custody in Pakistan in 2010, without a murmur of protest from the politicians of the West. The division and nature of occupation of Baluchistan was, participants noted and recognised, an international crime.
. He said"The Baloch have always protected the Hindus, Christians and others. The state of Pakistan and its intelligence agencies are involved in abducting Hindus and other religious parties. Since July, 2010 the Pakistan Military intelligence started to kill and dump Baloch political activists.We want the British government to stop supporting Pakistan unless Balochistan's issue is resolved. We also urge the British government to take notice of atrocities against the people of Balochistan. The Baloch are a Nation and their struggle is to regain their independence."Saad Tokatly spoke of the continued persecution and victimisation of Iraqi 'minorities'. Adnan Kochar of the Centre of Halabja (CHAK) presented a thoughtful paper on 'Autonomy and a Genocide Recognition in Iraq. A Solution to the suffering of Minorities?' whilst Desmond Fernandes (a genocide scholar) and Haci Ozdemir (of the International Committee Against Disappearances – ICAD) also spoke. Haci read out the 6th International Conference Against Disappearances' ("Wars, National Movements and Disappearances") conference declaration that was made in December 2010 (see attachment). Eilian Williams presented a thought-provoking paper, 'It's time to face our own taboos'.
The English version of Martin Dolzer's Report of the Human Rights Delegation from Brussels, Berlin, North Rhine-Westphalia and Hamburg to Turkey (15 October-25 October 2010) was released and made available at the conference [and it is attached with this press release]. Due to unforseen and unfortunate scheduling complications, Kasim Agpak's (of FED-BIR, the Kurdish Federation in the UK) and the International Platform Against Isolation's (IPAI's) presentations did not take place but their presentations, alongside Eilian Williams', Haci Ozdemir's and Desmond Fernandes' presentations, appear below. Abdul Hameed Khan sent a message of solidarity from the Balawari National Union, representing Gilgit-Baltistan, a country under Pakistani occupation. The Conference was sponsored by Baroness Finlay of Llandaff and Baroness Cox. A vigil was held outside the Turkish Embassy, Belgrave Sq, on 19th January, Hrant Dink Day. The banner stated: "Rest in Peace Hrant, Victim of Deep State Terror".
PRESENTATIONS
● Eilian Williams: “It's time to face our own Taboos".
On the eve of Hrant Dink Day, let us, disheartened by all that has passed, ponder on where Humanity has gone astray. The concrete monument to Turkish-Armenian friendship built by Kars municipality of two figures with an outstretched arm in friendship, stands unfinished because of the opposition and rage of Prime Minister Erdogan. One hand lies on the ground. Perhaps this is a suitable monument to Hrant, with his hand - extended out in friendship to the Turkish state - cut off , as his lifeblood was cut off four years ago. The Deep State that killed Hrant is no longer below the surface but manifests itself openly in the State apparatus.
Today, the Silenced Minorities of the world remember Hrant: these Minorities are not part of the present World Order. This World Order made of 192 so-called "sovereign" UN member States are not the moral conscience of Humanity. Many of these states established their borders by force and violence, and committed unpunished Crimes of Genocide.
Today, a myriad of Minorities struggle to overcome being silenced by Criminal States. Who will be a voice for them? For those tortured in Pakistani prisons, for those hunted in the Burmese jungle, for those who live in fear of religious and ethnic sectarian terror, without the protestation of a "Sovereign" State? You may ask what relevance are these causes to Armenians? Does not the person of Hrant now exist across the prisons of Pakistan, the reservations of America, the dangerous cities of Mosul and Baghdad and Alexandria and other places as a host of minorities claim this Day to express their own voices?
Perhaps on Hrant Dink Day, what the UK government could do constructively is to recognise its own Crimes of Genocide in Tasmania, India and other places. That may serve to help Turkey face its own taboos.
Faiz Baluch quoted extensively from this appeal:
: Baloch Human Rights Council (UK) Appeal for British Intervention in Balochistan
: Appeal for British Intervention in Balochistan
We would like to draw your attention to the cold blooded murders of Baloch political activists by the Pakistani Military in recent months. According to verifiable reports from different human rights organizations, the Pakistani Military Intelligence and Inter Services Intelligence agencies picked dozens of political activists and took them to unknown destinations. They were tortured whilst under military detention. After some days their dead bodies were thrown over desolate places. The Asian Human Rights Commission in its report issued on 24th of this month has given the horrifying details of extrajudicial killings and other brutalities being perpetrated by the Pakistani army in Balochistan.
Whereabouts of thousands of the Baloch are still unknown. Pakistani govt. officials have accepted of more than 1000 missing person themselves last year and we genuinely believe that their lives are in grave danger. Abductions of students, doctors, teachers, journalists and human rights activists are going on daily basis in Balochistan. The Chief Minister of Balochistan, the Governor of Balochistan, the Prime Minister of Pakistan and the President of Pakistan have admitted the worsening human rights situation in Balochistan and have shown their helplessness against Pakistani army and its notorious Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and Military Intelligence (MI) agencies. The Pakistani military establishment has created numerous religious terrorist organizations as proxy “Hit Squads” and with the help of these organizations consisting of dacoits and robbers and working with different nomenclatures is fully determined to physically eliminate the Baloch political and human rights activists. A large number of prominent Baloch social, intellectual and political figures have been targeted and eliminated by these hit squads.
Baloch are facing the cruelest state oppression in the contemporary history. The religious fundamentalist states of Pakistan and Iran have been reacting to the genuine Baloch demands for cultural, economic and political emancipation with the use of crude military prowess. Kidnappings, torture, solitary confinement and extra judicial killings of the Baloch by state intelligence agencies are the usual ways adopted by the Pakistani and Iranian States. The situation for the Baloch is alarming.
The Baloch Human Rights Council (UK) requests your immediate intervention. We strongly request you to press the Pakistani State establishment to stop all atrocities against the Baloch political, social and human rights activists and civilians. Your immediate intervention could save not only countless innocent lives but could also prevent the present situation from developing into a total genocide of the defenceless Baloch people.
Keeping in mind the extensive links of this country with the Pakistani State Establishment, we believe that the British government is well aware of the heinous crimes being committed by the Pakistani State establishment in Balochistan. The Baloch are facing a systematic genocide. They need urgent help from the civilized and democratic world. We hope that the honorable Prime Minister may kindly take a personal interest in pushing for a thorough and independent international investigation into the cold-blooded murders of the Baloch nationalist leaders and other serious abuses of human rights and humanitarian laws by the Pakistani Army in Balochistan.
We believe that no individual or state should be above International Laws. Those who are responsible for grave violation of human rights must be held accountable. We demand that in order to bring justice to the Baloch people the Government of Great Britain should use its influence for the stationing of an international peacekeeping force in Balochistan to save a whole nation from being wiped out systematically. Failing to do so is letting down a people who are being minced under the powerful jaws of the military establishment of a recognized rogue state.
We request that this petition be taken as an urgent humanitarian appeal".
by Samad Baloch
General Secretary
Baloch Human Rights Council (UK)Saad TokatlyWhen will Iraq become a country of law, order and opportunities ?
Attacks on churches, mosques, synagogues, temples and other religious sites around the world, as well as targeted attacks against individuals, should act as a wake-up call to all of us,,,,, this situation ignites a signal to the entire world. States and human rights organisations should respond urgently to these tragic human disasters
Recent deadly attacks on religious groups in various countries particularly the barbaric attack in Iraq at the Our Lady of Salvation, the Syriac Catholic Church in Baghdad, left tens of families in deep crisis, limbo and thousands of Iraqis searching for a new safe place to start theire lives again.
Freedom of religion should be protected for all. I am concerned that divisive or weak state laws and policies in many countries foster the religious discrimination that feeds extremism. It is also vital that authorities discourage the exploitation of religions for political agendas.
The Iraqi authority should encourage conditions for the expression and promotion of the identity of minorities and remove obstacles to the establishment of such conditions in line with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities and other key international standards and not departing from the norms of law, order and opportunities.
I believe all minorities should be given security, treated equally without any obstacles like any other religious sectors ruling the country. Also equal opportunities should be given to ethnic minorities for job opportunities and government duties, these procedures will treat everybody equally and prevent religious discrimination. At the same time, we kindly urge the western countries, at least temporarily, to welcome Iraqi Christians and other ethnic people, who have left their countries. Also, western countries must apply political pressure on the government of Baghdad to tend and respect Christians and other minorities
We ask the members of the Parliament, the House of Lords, the peace-loving governments, human Rights organizations and individuals to help the Christians of Iraq.
We extend our great gratitude and appreciation to you, to all who believe in peace, justice and love
● Desmond Fernandes: 'The targeting of Kurds and “Others” in Turkey'.
As Charlie Pottins observes:
Hrant Dink often spoke and wrote about the problems of democratisation in Turkey, defending other authors such as Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk and novelist Perihan Mağden1 who came under criticism and prosecution for their opinions. In a speech Hrant Dink delivered on May 19, 2006, ... he said:
"I think the fundamental problems in Turkey exist for the majority as well. Therefore, ..., I will speak for the majority, including myself in it and dwell on where, we, as Turkey, are headed".Dink hoped his questioning would pave the way for peace between the two [indeed, all] peoples:
"If I write about the [Armenian] genocide, it angers the Turkish generals. I want to write and ask how we can change this historical conflict into peace. They don’t know how to solve the Armenian problem” [i.e. in a democratic, non-violent, non-repressive manner].Active in various democratic platforms and civil society organisations, Hrant Dink emphasised the need for democratisation in Turkey and focused on the issues of free speech, minority rights, civic rights and issues pertaining to the Armenian community in Turkey … [Targeted under Article 301, Hrant had stated of the targeting of Armenians]: “Of course I'm saying it's a genocide, because its consequences show it to be true and label it so. We see that people who had lived on this soil for 4,000 years were exterminated by these events".2Hrant's successor as Agos editor-in-chief, Robert Kopta, notes the way that Hrant “was touching every critical issue of Turkey. He became a bridge between these ethnic groups - Kurds, Turks, Armenians” and, indeed, 'Others'.3 But four years after his assassination, Kurds and 'Others' - Armenians, Assyrians, Pontic Greeks, Alevis, many political prisoners in isolation, trade unionists, workers addressing basic rights, lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgendered people,4 lawyers, students, investigative journalists, writers and academics addressing these democratisation and genocide issues related to the targeting of the 'Other'5 - scandalously continue to be targeted, as my other colleagues today will be highlighting in detail. The nature and intensity of this targeting – which needs to be exposed and opposed - has scandalously been glossed over in several UK parliamentary debates (see, most recently, the debate on 13th January 2011, which can be accessed at:http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201011/ldhansrd/text/110113-0001.htm).Ragip Zarakolu of Belge Press, for example, today faces further court cases for publishing materials addressing these issues and concerns. The court cases not only serve to to intimidate journalists and publishing houses, they are also aimed at financially destroying the capacities of publishing houses and writers to pursue their professions, engage in freedom of expression and human rights work. Journalists Day, 10th January this year, was celebrated with news that “more than 50 journalists [are] in prison and the[re are] roughly 4,000 ongoing cases involving journalists”.6 “Emine Demir, former editor of [a] Kurdish language newspaper, Azadiya Welat”, has just been “sentenced to 138 years in prison”.7 “Freedom of expression and media is a key democratic right not only for people working in the media sector, but also for the general public, which has the right to be informed and learn the truth, İpekçi [chair of Turkey’s Journalists Union], said”.8The Human Rights Association (IHD), in early January 2011, emphasising the gravity of the situation, issued its Human Rights Report 2010 for Turkey, in which it graded the country with a 'zero' rating. IHD Istanbul Branch President Boğa reported that there was “injustice in legal procedures, violations of the right to a fair trial, deprivation from the right to access health services in prisons and detention houses, the rejection of the right to education in the mother tongue, violence against women, impunity of murders based on hatred and discrimination, the refusal to acknowledge the right to conscientious objection, proceeding without considering the demands of the Alevis, the destruction of the environment, losses of economic and social rights, interventions against the right to assembly and association”.9 He added: “'Peace did not come in 2010 either … The number of children who died from shooting, explosives, torture in police custody, bombing of villages or being run over by a combat car rose to 376'. Boğa pointed to lynch attempts against Kurds in Hatay/Dörtyol (south-east) and Bursa/İnegöl (north-west) as well as to racism against Roma in Manisa/Selendi (western Turkey) and said that the year 2010 saw an increase of hate speech. He emphasised that the 2007 amendments of the Police Duty and Authority Law (PVSK) in fact 'institutionalised' police violence. Key points of the report:* The deaths of 20 soldiers were registered as alleged ‘suicide’ in 2010, most of them were Kurds, Alevi and socialists.* 103 critically ill prison inmates are still waiting for their release. In 2010, 182 detainees applied to us in writing by reasons of physical violence and maltreatment.* 38 journalists were continuously detained in 2010.* … Women applied to the association on the grounds of rape and domestic violence.* Compulsory religious education is still being continued despite an according decision by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The status of Cem houses, Alevi places of worship and assembly, has not been recognised as places of worship.* Discrimination of Non-Muslims was continued in laws and applications.* The construction of about 2,000 Hydro-Electric Power Plants is being continued insistently.* Oppression against socialist parties and publication organisations was being continued by bans and detentions regarding members of the Socialist Democracy Party (SDP), the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) and executives of the İHD amongst others”.10'Others' in Turkey - and this situation all too depressingly applies to so many other countries such as India (refer here to a number of articles by Arundhati Roy and Javed Iqbal, for instance)11 - continue to be persecuted and targeted, not only on ethnic or religious grounds but also on grounds that include their perceived political opposition to the military-industrial-'deep state' complex, imperialism/paleo-imperialism, corporate globalisation and neoliberalism agendas that have their most devastating effects upon indigenous peoples, women, children, the poor, political prisoners (particularly those facing isolation) and those displaced by war and 'development' projects.The Armenian, Assyrian, Greek, Kurdish, Greek Cypriot and 'Other' genocides continue to be officially denied, and the Kurdish genocide (as defined by the Genocide Convention, Raphael Lemkin who coined the term and other genocide scholars and human rights activists), continues to remain “ongoing”, including in its cultural, linguistic and political context – as recognised by a number of genocide scholars, linguists, academics, human rights activists, Abdullah Ocalan and the KCK. Only last year, at this very commemorative event in parliament, Vardan Tadevossian’s presentation also correctly emphasised and explained the nature of the ongoing genocide of Armenians in Turkey and the extent of destruction of Armenia’s heritage.12Going back to a central theme of this conference, it is disturbing to note that Kurds – who represent, according to a number of estimates, around 25% of the population in Turkey (although estimates do vary) – still officially remain an “unrepresented nation” in a number of senses (not least in the sense that they are also stateless). Operations were successfully undertaken in past months to close down the only parliamentary 'pro-Kurdish' party, the Democratic Society Party (DTP – which supported democratic reform within the territorial borders of Turkey), and criminalise its sitting members and party supporters, thereby seeking to deprive Kurds of legal parliamentary representation via a 'pro-Kurdish party' (This strategy suffered a setback as Kurds mobilised to create a new party, the Peace and Democracy Party - BDP). But the attempt at removing the representation of 'pro-Kurdish' parties continues: In November 2010, for example, “nineteen parliamentary deputies of the Peace and Democracy Party, or BDP, face[d] a combined 2,473 years” - ie over 2 millenia - “in prison for 544 cases opened against them. The charges are levelled against every deputy in the party except [the] Istanbul deputy Ufuk Uras … Former leader of the now-defunct BDP-predecessor Democratic Society Party, or DTP, Ahmet Turk and former Diyarbakır deputy, Aysel Tuğluk, also face a total of 139.5 years in prison, separate from the current deputies’ legal woes” (Milliyet 2010:1). Aysel Tuğluk “is facing up to 75 years in prison on the grounds of twelve speeches she delivered on the topic of finding a solution for the Kurdish question” (Belge 2010: 1). 152 Kurdish politicians, human rights defenders, lawyers and representatives of non-governmental organizations are currently facing a “KCK” show trial where they are unable at present, in a representational sense, to formally submit their defence in Kurdish (Fernandes 2010a).Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) deputy parliamentary group chairman, Bengi Yıldız, in November 2010, “criticized the treatment of Kurdish as an unknown language by the Diyarbakır 6th High Criminal Court in the ongoing ['KCK'] trial .... The judges” even “turned off the microphones of the defendants who spoke Kurdish and said 'the defendant spoke in an unknown language', for the record” (ANF 2010: 1). The show trial, itself, represents not just an assault against the Kurdish 'Other', but to many lawyers also an assault on all people in Turkey, as Jeremy Corbyn MP noted after a very recent visit there: “Persistent political harassment of the BDP party and prosecution of its representatives culminated in a roundup of 1,500 members last year. Included in the roundup of prosecutions was Osman Baydemir, for promoting the Kurdish language in official publications … I was one of a number of international observers [to the trial] … The opening day witnessed some ferocious and highly articulate speeches stating that this was a 'show trial' against the Kurdish people ... and that the evidence was all based on hearsay … The judge ruled... that he would not accept any evidence presented other than in Turkish ... Lawyer after lawyer pointed out that the norms of the European Convention of Human Rights are being breached in this trial as well as the norms of collection of evidence and that, in reality, it was the public who were being put on trial by the Turkish state”.13The 7,500 page indictment in the so-called 'Democratic Confederation of Kurdistan - KCK trial' has also refused, in its text, to anywhere acknowledge the existence of a 'Kurdish society'. In the 'MLKP' [Marxist Leninist Communist Party – Turkey/Northern Kurdistan] show trial in December 2010, too, “the 23 defendants standing trial [were] not allowed to present their defence in Kurdish as their mother tongue … The court president hindered [Kurdish] defendant Seyfi Polat from reading out his defence speech that he had prepared in Kurdish” (Ustundag 2010b: 1). Furthermore, “when President Gul was asked”, in December 2010, “about Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) members speaking Kurdish in parliament, he replied that according to the current legislation, this was a potential reason to shut down the Peace and Democracy Party” (Belge 2010b: 1). The academic Ismail Besikci, in a separate trial, is facing criminalisation charges for simply, in academic and legal terms, pointing out the right of Kurds, in 'recognition' terms, to self-determination if they so wish. Recognition of this right (in internal or external self-determination terms) is not forthcoming.Moreover, the extent to which the state, despite its rhetoric, seeks to ensure the non-recognition of the Kurdish nation/people[s], who are indigenous people[s], may be seen by its court case against Besikci. Besikci is currently facing 7.5 years. His crime?: “The Turkish prosecutor believes that [his] use of letters from the Kurdish alphabet [represents] separatist propaganda … Beşikçi published the article 'The rights of the nations to self-determination for the Kurds' in the Journal of Law and Society, where he used the [Kurdish] letter 'Q'. The Turkish prosecutor ... believes that the use of the letter “Q” [in and of itself] represents Kurdish separatist propaganda and a demand for the Kurdish alphabet. The prosecutor asked that Beşikçi and the editor in chief of the magazine ... will be sentenced according to the Turkish anti-terror law” (Lorin and Alasor 2010: 1). In linguistically genocidal terms, currently there are still no plans to allow instruction in Kurdish, or the teaching of Kurdish, even on an optional subject basis, in public schools in Turkey.Martin Dolzer, the author of a recent Report of the Human Rights Delegation from Brussels, Berlin, North Rhine-Westphalia and Hamburg [the English version of which is being being released here and made available today – see file attachment], based on a visit between 15 October-25 October 2010, would have liked to have been here today to detail the delegation's findings. Unfortunately, that is not possible, but, on his behalf, I would like to end by quoting briefly from the key findings of this important report:
The current situation in the Kurdish provinces of Turkey is characterised by grave human rights violations, repression and war crimes committed by the Turkish military and special units of the Gendarmerie … Despite a unilateral ceasefire called by the PKK that has only briefly been interrupted on account of the Turkish state’s ongoing policy of war and repression, military operations and attacks by state forces on the civilian population have been taking place almost daily for several months. In the first six months of 2010, these operations resulted in more than 20 extralegal executions by state and paramilitary forces, and over 650 documented cases of torture. In addition to this, reports of the Turkish military using chemical weapons and mutilating the bodies of the dead have become more common over the last five months. Incidents in which forest fires have been started and toxic defoliants used have also been documented more frequently.
Psychological warfare is used with varying degrees of intensity as an alternative means oprosecuting the conflict. Press freedom is restricted again and again. Torture and mistreatment by the police and the military are particularly common in the provinces of Hakkari, Sirnak, Dersim, Agri and Siirt. Journalists, human rights activists and individuals active in politics are particularly affected by these
practices. Furthermore, the systematic harassment and raping of women by the security forces is a major problem in small towns …
Generally, it is evident that, since the local elections in 2009, the Turkish government has been resorting to a worrying degree to methods that involve the criminalisation of functioning local political structures, the detention of politicians and activists who have an impact on international public opinion or, in the provinces that are increasingly affected by military operations (Hakkari, Sirnak, Dersim, Siirt, Agri), even attacks on the right to life … Major problems are being caused in the provinces of Diyarbakir, Hakkari, Siirt and Dersim due to forest fires started by the military and the use of defoliants. Here too, there is a suspicion that use has been made of illegal chemical
substances.
In Hakkari, for example, Doctors suspect the herbs that grow in the region and are harvested by the population [many of whom are women], from April to June, are heavily contaminated. It may be a consequence of this that the incidence of stomach cancer has risen by 100% in recent years. These herbs were once usedas medicines. Doctors in Ankara and Hakkari have recommended that the herbs no longer be eaten. However, the herbs are so essential to a large proportion of the population that they do not wish to give up gathering them. According to information from doctors in Hakkari, the incidence of diarrhoea
- which can have devastating, even fatal consequences for infants -
has also gone up a great deal. A document setting out the facts that are known has been submitted to the local court. There is a suspicion that the Bercelan Plateau and other locations are heavily
contaminated. This is where the city’s drinking water comes from. The chairman of the [Human RightsAssociation] IHD, Ismael Akbulut, was detained in Bitlis prison a few months ago due to a complaint against the use of chemical weapons by the Turkish military in Bercelan (Hakkari Province) ....
[Concerning the]systematic use of rape ...In recent times, the rape rate has increased massively in Siirt Province and elsewhere. The tip of the iceberg: the deputy headteacher of a school and more
than 20 other suspects, including soldiers, members of the security forces and AKP members, systematically raped at least seven schoolgirls over a period of four years in the headteacher’s office, using threats to coerce their victims. The governor responded to protests from Kurdish women’s organisations by commenting that they should give up demonstrating and turn to prostitution. Rape has been used systematically for years in several regions as a way of enforcing the state’s policy of assimilation and the political suppression of the Kurdish population.
● Kasim Agpak: The Persecution of Indigenous Peoples, Unrepresented Nations, Minorities and ‘Others’.
The title itself clearly describes the entire history of the consequences of a one of the nation states, Turkey. What we have in this history is a systematic oppression and destruction of cultures, language etc., in short, everything that is essential and vital for an existence of a community. This is all done or justified in the name of nation, flag, territory, state etc. It could be said that, what the idea of modernity has brought to communities is nothing but bloodshed, genocide and many other atrocities. This particular event illustrates successfully the very foundation of modernity. ‘According to a well-known anecdote, a German officer visited Picasso in his Paris studio during the Second World War. There he saw Guernica and, shocked at the modernist ‘chaos’ of the painting, asked Picasso: ‘Did you do this?’ Picasso calmly replied: ‘No you did this’. So, since many of the nation states are pretty much identical in their relations and attitudes to ‘others’, Turkey is no exception, in fact, one of the leading oppressive states that tries to cover their bloody hands.
The experiences of the Kurds, Armenians and many others, (I don’t even wish to use word ‘others’ even though it is used in brackets, simply because it serves the discourse of states, rather wish to use natives who are made ‘others’) are precisely the product of implementation of states’ systematic genocidal policies. We could and should turn and say the fact that the thousands of villages burned, thousands disappeared, murdered, tortured is precisely the true result of states’ politics. One thing needs to be mentioned here in relation to the concept of genocide, in my understanding it has shifted from one dimension to another. Article 2 of United Nations Convention on the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide defines Genocide as: "any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life, calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part…” I would argue that this definition is problematic and inadequate. One cannot imprison the concept of genocide in one definition [when] most states justify their actions by employing different techniques or methods ... States do get away with their crimes and genocidal policies. I would like to ask a very naïve question: Have Turkey’s genocidal policies ended? If so, how are we going to define and understand Hrant’s murder then? How are we going to understand the imprisonment of thousands of Kurdish children under terrorism laws? How are we going to make sense and understand, when Hrants’ killer asked for a trial in a juvenile court and Kurdish children are taken to a criminal court? How are we going to make sense or explain, when there are almost two thousand Kurdish politicians, human rights activists and members of NGO’s who were imprisoned and who did not know what they were being accused of for a year or so. These are the people who have done nothing but to use their legal, democratic, civil and political rights. These are the people who are not associated with any violent crimes. And, yet, they are imprisoned with falsified, fictitious and forged (I know they may all mean the same thing, but I really want to address this issue) allegations and claims that they are a member of an illegal organisation named KCK.
It is important to give some examples to illustrate its forgery and falsification. Here are some of the allegations: An architect Heval Erdemli who worked in one of the Kurdish Boroughs has been accused of reading books of terrorist organisations and individuals. The books that MR. Heval Erdemli was accused of are downloaded PDF files of Lenin’s ‘Socialism and War’, Che Guavera’s ‘Notes on the Cuban Revolution’, ‘Socialism and Human’, Huberman’s ‘ABC of Socialism’ etc. In its claims, it says these books and pdf files were to instruct one ‘how to set up the organisation in a country, how to make a revolution, how the organization will move militants',[etc] ... So, according to the accusations, ... Lenin, Che, Huberman's publications are seen [as making their readers] terrorists.
Another important aspect of these trials is that all the evidence presented by the court is based on phone conversations, wiretappings and photos. One of the most hilarious claims is aimed at the Mayor of Diyarbakir, Mr. Osman Baydemir. He is accused of taking and applying orders from a ‘terrorist’ organisation by saying something like Diyarbakir is our home and capital. You may know that there is a significance of Diyarbakir for Kurds as it is seen as the capital of Kurdistan. Some activist phone conversations are also tapped and as a result of this, one particular individual was accused of supplying bombs or mentioning bombs by asking his wife whether she would need any groceries such as tomatoes for dinner. This is claimed to be a coded conversation and has a potential security threat, according to the Turkish Justice system. So be careful and think twice when you ask your partner or wife or husband about, literally anything.
While this is still taking place, the DTK Democratic Society Congress provided a draft called ‘Democratic Autonomy’ of a possible peaceful solution to the Kurdish Question. There it briefly outlined the ways in which the Kurdish question can be resolved. This was an initiation that aimed at having an open debate about the possible solution methods. The reaction from the Turkish state was unbelievably horrendous. Prime Minister Erdogan is most repeated for his famous words stating Turkey was one nation, one state, one flag and one territory, as if someone suggested a partition of Turkey. This attitude, the attitude of not listening, or even considering any recommendations and viewing any attempts as dangerous and aiming at the partition of the state does show the inherent character of the Turkish state. This is a state that in its odd 80 years of history is based on assimilation, atrocities, bans, torture and military coups, etc. This is the same state that released Hezbollah members, who are responsible for hundreds of peoples’ deaths and responsible for many other illegal activities. In conclusion, what we have here is a state that is an enemy of its own people. It sees its own citizens as potential threats. Strips their rights anytime it wishes ..
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● The International Platform Against Isolation (IPAI): "Democracy in Turkey: AKP government - Old repression in new packaging".
Before the referendum, held recently in 2010, the AKP gave those they gathered in the city squares lessons in democracy, painted rosy vistas and promised that after the referendum, "Nothing would be like it was before". After the referendum, all problems would be resolved, paragraphs in the constitution would "settle accounts with September 12", the 1980 military coup date in Turkey. The current constitution was introduced by the putsch generals. Turkey "will achieve stability", national income will grow, according to the AKP. September 12 will be a turning point.
Well, they finally had their referendum and months have passed. In these months, the rose-tinted vista of the AKP has not materialised, nor has democracy been brought to the country. On the contrary, in the last months the AKP government has continued its attacks on large sections of the population.
This is Turkey after the referendum:
- Lynching of those who seek their rights
- Education system run for profit and under the control of police and gendarmes
- Destruction and assimilation of the Kurdish people
- Assimilation and humiliation of Alevis
- The monopolies pile profit on profit – the poor multiply in number
- The dead become more and more numerous in the prisons
- Intimidation and repression of the opposition and critical media
At exactly this point, it is necessary to touch on the different missions that the AKP has been entrusted with.
The AKP continues an ideologically exhausted system with lies, helped by well-drilled turncoats and faint-hearts in its attempts to conceal its anti-democratic face. The AKP has been declared by these sections as being almost a liberating force, presenting a "civil alternative", allowing a "democracy veil" to be drawn over its policies of repression and hostility to the people.
With the 26 paragraphs that were voted on in the referendum, they constantly claimed that "for the first time, civilians shaped the constitution", thus showing what mission is now being entrusted to the AKP. On September 12th, it was the same AKP, on September 13th, it was again the same AKP. Those who even think the AKP will change do not know the system and system parties at all.
Increase of Impoverishment: In the past year, the policies supported by the AKP have created 3,700 new rich people. 3,700 new rich people means millions of new poor people. The AKP, while creating a few new rich people, also acts to increase their wealth. AKP policies increase impoverishment of the people and cause unemployment to grow. According to Turkey’s Institute of Statistics, in 2009, the number of unemployed grew by 860,000, reaching3,471,000. This is the official figure, the real number of unemployed being more like seven or eight million!
Lynch attacks on those who seek their rights: In its eight years in power, never mind granting the people’s demands, the AKP has used right-wing-terror to repress them and tried to intimidate the people. Lynch attacks have been carried out and continue to be carried out with this aim in mind, and the AKP has defended all such lynch attacks. (Note: typically the lynch attacks involve a mob being incited by Turkey’s far right groups against people engaging in public or street activity, by calling them "terrorists".)
In the last six years there have been 47 such lynch attacks. This number does not include various incidents that did not receive press coverage, or did not beyond the "threat" level. At this point it is especially necessary to note that the AKP unleashes lynch attacks against people seeking their rights and demanding their rights. Not only the Kurdish population, who seek their national rights, but all those seeking democratic rights, are targeted.
This process started in Trabzon on April 6, 2005 with a lynch attack on TAYAD supporters distributing leaflets opposing prison isolation and has continued to our day. Most recently, on September 21, 2010, a lynch mob attacked at the opening of an art gallery in Istanbul Tophane. The AKP was so persistent in this that when TAYAD people marched to Ankara, they were continually and repeatedly subjected to lynch attacks. On September 24, a lynch attack happened under police control in Duzce’s Kaynasli district, on September 25 in Bolu, on September 27 in Ankara Kizilcaham, on September 28 in Kazan/Ilcesi, and continued on September 29 in central Ankara.
These lynch attacks happened for days, observed by the police and gendarmerie, and are the true face of the AKP after its promises following September 13 which deceived millions. The AKP is politically responsible for all lynch attacks. In short, lynch attacks have gone on in all four corners of Anatolia over the past six years. And in those six years, not a single person responsible has been jailed, and no trial has been started, not even to put on a show of seeking justice. We should ask the AKP: What is sporadic about this?
Annihilation and assimilation of the Kurdish people: The AKP, which for years has used the manoeuvre of lying that "we will solve the Kurdish question" and used "opening up to the Kurds", has always revealed its true face in the end. The AKP has laid claim to the classic oligarchy policy of annihilation, denial and assimilation, continuing its attacks on Kurdish people to the refrain of "to the last terrorist". The AKP has continued racist and fascist policies towards the Kurdish people throughout the country, inciting working people against the Kurdish people. For months, this policy has been used to place the Kurdish people under siege, announcing the Kurdish people to be "terrorist" and making it a crime for them to put forward their demands.
For months, the AKP has not only not sought to resolve the Kurdish issue, it has not listened to their demands but has attacked, killed and sought to silence the Kurdish people. In recent days, the AKP has announced in the course of the "language debates" that "there will definitely not be education in the native language", thus openly defending bans on the Kurdish language and announcing the continuation of the assimilation policy. While on the one hand a state TV channel now broadcasts in the Kurdish language, singing Kurdish songs on TV can still be punished with imprisonment and fines.
The assimilation and humiliation of the Alevi people: No basic demand of Alevi people has been accepted, and for years a hostile attitude to the Alevi people has been continued in force. For years, the AKP has disputed Madimak with the Alevi people. Let us recall, that the Madimak Hotel in Sivas was burned down in July 1993 by an enraged mob of Sunni bigots, in the course of which large numbers of Alevis died in the hotel. On the subject of Madimak, where people were burned alive, they have not taken even a step, showing that their attitude to the massacre was one of approval. For years they have persisted in making religious lessons compulsory, they have continued to look down on Alevi houses of worship and shown disrespect and condescension to the beliefs of the Alevi people. While on the one hand continuing assimilation, on the other the AKP continues to denigrate the values of the Alevi people. Despite dozens of requests by the Alevi people, in eight years, no request by the Alevi people has been granted.
Circular on martial law in the universities: The AKP has truly done nothing against a product of the September 12 fascist junta like YOK, an institution for political surveillance of universities and schools in Turkey. For the AKP, the problem is not YOK, the problem is actually one of creating places in the education system for their own people. So the AKP’s words about YOK, uttered during its war of position as part of conflicts within the oligarchy, concerning "changing YOK", or "creating a free university", were swiftly forgotten.
The AKP has become the latest practitioner of YOK. It is henceforth the YOK of the AKP that sends in police and special security units against youth who are struggling for democratic demands. Universities are under occupation by the police. Hundreds of students have been subjected to various punishments like being expelled from schools or suspended for seeking their rights or organising alternative events. On August 24, YOK sent a circular to the governor’s offices and rectors in 81 provinces involving carrying out practices in the universities that do not differ from the martial law period.
Universities have been turned into army barracks, and jointly with the police, new repressive practices have been set in motion. The AKP, which could not prevent the struggle of youth with bans and repression, is trying to prevent it with new attacks. The Youth Federation has met with repression, especially because of its democratic demand for free education. Two of its members - Ferhat TUZER and Berna YILMAZ - were arrested after displaying a banner calling for this.
Isolation in the prisons: While the AKP government persists with prison isolation, sick prisoners continue to die because of frequent refusal to grant the appropriate medical treatment. Over the past eight years, coffins have continued to emerge from the prisons. While continuing isolation, the AKP has filled the prisons to overflowing, and brought the number of prisoners to their highest level in 30 years. 52 new prisons have been built and there are plans to build 86 more. According to the Justice Ministry’s official figures, between 2000 and 2010, 1,659 prisoners and convicts died in the prisons.
It will be remembered that, a short time before these figures were issued, between 2000-2009, the number of dead was known to be 309. Even this figure was high, and savage, but it emerged that the true figures were exponentially worse. The large difference in the figures shows us at the same time how much of the massacre in the prisons was kept secret.
There is only one explanation for this: the AKP government is as a conscious policy, killing prisoners and convicts before the eyes of millions. In the prisons, there are 119,000 prisoners and convicts, and only 21 doctors, showing what kind of murder policy has been prepared. And the AKP is continuing to kill prisoners and convicts. Let there be no doubt the figures given above are not mere numbers, each is a human being, a prisoner in the hands of the state.
Every week, in Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara and Antalya, the voice of the prisoners the AKP wants to kill through "silent death", continues to find an echo through democratic NGO's who give them a voice outside the prisons.
Intimidation and repression of the opposition and critical media – TAYAD:
Attacks on democratic opposition continue without interruption. Prime targets are institutions which campaign for political prisoners, such as the TAYAD association. Seventeen of its members were arrested on June 15, 2010 simply for commemorating dead activists at a ceremony in a graveyard, taking part in protests during Newroz (Kurdish New Year) for supporting the campaign for the release of Guler ZERE, a woman prisoner who suffered from cancer, as well as demanding the freedom of other ill prisoners. Sixteen were later released, but one of those detained, Umut SENER, remains in prison. Despite the existence of supposed constitutional rights, it is forbidden to make use of these rights by reading out a press statement, holding a commemoration in a cemetery, campaigning for prisoners etc. TAYAD continues its campaign for the release of the ill prisoners and for the freedom of Umut Sener.
Yuruyus magazine: Although the state in Turkey has signed and recognised international agreements on freedom of thought and expression, and has announced that it guarantees these freedoms for everyone, it attempts to silence opposition publications. In a period in which pressure and control by the political authorities over the media are on the increase, those who criticise government policy are being targeted by unrestrained violence. Heavy fines, the threat of prison, the imprisonment and killing of journalists, the prevention of press organs from continuing to function are all just some of the everyday practices resorted to when it comes to anti-government publications in Turkey.
Yuruyus ("March") magazine has continually been subjected to these attacks. The Serious Crimes Court With Special Competence has started proceedings against the magazine based on its contents, and sentenced it to heavy fines. The same courts, after an interval of time, have issued instructions for the magazine to "cease publication", to make it impossible for it to find printers. The editor has been imprisoned. Distributors of the magazine have been detained and imprisoned on dozens of occasions, and have even been shot on the street, and left handicapped. When the publishing house continued to issue the magazine, despite all repression and attempts to intimidate it, at midnight on December 24, 2010 the police raided and laid waste to it without even bothering with a legal pretext. The magazine archive, computers, library and money were confiscated. The proprietor of the magazine, the editor and magazine workers present at the time were detained and imprisoned.
While it is impossible to close down a magazine that is in conformity with the Press Law, the government seeks illegally to close down Yuruyus. It aims at bringing this about by confiscating all the materials and imprisoning its workers. This is clearly a case of freedom of thought and expression being violated. Facing a magazine whose politics they do not like and which writes the truths they do not want, the political authorities are trying to silence it through illegal methods, rather than conforming to legal obligations. While playing the democracy game on the one hand and on paper adhering to laws and the basic human rights that have been won, on the other hand they want to make press and media outlets illegal by resorting to demagogy about terrorism.
In Turkey, it is not new for press organs which have bar codes, are subject to tax obligations and whose proprietors, responsible editors and places of publication are known to be raided and the workers accused of membership in an armed organisation. But illegality is not legal, even when it is a "judicial habit". The repression ofYuruyus is a clear and serious violation of freedom of thought and expression. These attacks must be ended immediately, the magazine’s materials must be returned and its workers released.
This is at the same time a call to support the independent weekly magazine Yuruyus and to demand the immediate release of its workers. (The magazine proprietor and publishing editor Halit GUDENOGLU, and magazine workers Kaan UNSAL, Cihan GUN, Musa KURT and a guest visiting the office named Naciye YAVUZ).
There have already been protest messages sent by European journalists, MP's and MEP's from Greece. However more pressure needs to be applied. Please send your letters of protest to the Justice Ministry of Turkey:
JUSTICE MINISTRY OF TURKEY
06659 Kizilay/ANKARA
Tel: 90 312 417 77 70
Fax: 90 312 419 33 70
E-mail: info@adalet.gov.tr
The murder of the Hrant Dink in 2007 includes an example of several types of repression that go on in Turkey. First of all the targeting of minorities, such as the Armenians; secondly, the attack on freedom of expression, and thirdly the use of chauvinism. Hrant Dink had been tried for allegedly insulting the Turkish nation. His killers were associated with fascism in Turkey and the police who arrested the youth, who fired the gun on the scene, was allowed by the police to pose with the Turkish flag.There's the responsibility not to forget and to prevent such things from happening again ... Thank you.
Footnotes.
1 Mağden “was prosecuted by the Turkish government in relation to a December 2005 column in the weekly news magazine Yeni Aktuel. In the column, she strongly defended the actions of Mehmet Tarhan, a young Turkish man jailed for his refusal to perform mandatory military service. In this column, titled 'Conscientious Objection is a Human Right', Mağden stated that the United Nations, of which Turkey is a member, acknowledges conscientious objection as a human right. In response to the column, the Turkish military accused her of attempting to turn the Turkish people against military service and filed a complaint against her. A warrant was issued for her prosecution in April 2006 and her trial was in late July; the most severe sentence she could have faced if convicted under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code was three years' imprisonment. Under Turkish law, there is no provision for conscientious objection to mandatory military service. When asked about her situation, Mağden replied: 'It's shocking that they are putting me on trial. I've no idea what will happen. The case could finish tomorrow or it could stretch on and on. The unnerving thing about the courts is they are so unpredictable, it's like a lottery. It's torture'. Her prosecution was criticised by human rights groups around the world and comes several months after a Turkish court dropped a case against Turkish writer Elif Şafak, who had been charged with 'insulting Turkishness' in her novel, The Bastard of Istanbul [because some of her fictional characters referred to the Armenian genocide] … In a show of support for Mağden, newspapers in Turkey have republished the column that led to criminal charges against her. She was acquitted on July 27, 2006” - Wikipedia, 'Perihan Mağden' (Accessed at:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perihan_Ma%C4%9Fden).
2 Pottins, C. (2011) 'Remembering a Murdered Editor', Random Pottins, 9 January 2011(Accessed at: http://randompottins.blogspot.com/2011/01/hrant-dink-murdered-four-years-ago-in.html).
3 Christie-Miller, A. (2010) 'After Hrant Dink: the newspaper at the centre of the story', SETimes, 6 December 2010 (Accessed at:
4 “The 12th Criminal Court of First Instance of Bursa (north-western Turkey) decided to close the Rainbow ('Gökkuşağı') Association down. Rainbow is the Association for the Development of Protection, Solidarity and Cultural Activities for Transvestites, Transsexuals, Gays and Lesbians (LGBT). The Bursa Governorship had filed a criminal complaint about the LGBT organization because of alleged 'prostitution'. It was now learned that the Bursa court brought the case to an end after a two-year trial period with the decision to ban the association. As reported by the Bursa Olay Newspaper on 3 January, Rainbow Association President Öykü Evren Özen said in the final hearing, 'No illegal activities of any kind have been carried out within the association. I reject all charges'. Özen was facing imprisonment of up to three years under charges of 'opposing the Law on Associations' but was eventually acquitted ...'If the decision should be upheld, we will open a new association. Our struggle will never cease', he indicated. The association was raided by the police in 2007 upon the complaint of the governorship. 16 people were taken into custody. The association was not able to run a café because the official licence was denied … The Governorship had previously applied for the closure of the association, putting forward that it was 'opposing the law and morals' … Several trials have been opened against LGBT associations such as LambdaIstanbul, the Black Pink Triangle and other organizations in various cities with the demand to close the organisations down” - Celik, E. (2011) 'Rainbow LGBT Association Closed Down by Court Decision', BIA News, 5 January 2011 (Accessed at: http://www.info-turk.be/389.htm#Proposed).
5 By way of example: “Suzan Zengin, İşçi-Köylü ('Workers-Peasants) newspaper representative of the Kartal office (east of Istanbul) has been detained for a whole year now under charges of 'membership of an illegal organisation'. The first hearing of her case is scheduled for 26 August. Ragıp Zarakolu, President of the Freedom of Publishing Committee of the Turkish Publishers Association”, also proprietor of Belge Press, “said that Zengin should be released. The association held a press conference in the Istanbul branch of the Human Rights Association (IHD) to draw attention to the situation of Zengin and also to demand the release of writer Erdoğan Akhanlı”, who has campaigned for the recognition of genocides, including the Armenian genocide. “He had to leave Turkey in the course of the events around the military coup on 12 September 1980. Akhanlı returned to Turkey 18 years later. He was arrested at the airport and detained in Metris Prison (Istanbul)” and only [safely] deported from Turkey in early January 2011 after an international and national campaign protesting at his targeting. Commenting on all these targeting operations, “Zarakolu criticised the Anti-Terror Law (TMY)”, saying it “is used to oppress the socialist and the Kurdish press: 'A campaign against the TMY has to be initiated. As long as the TMY is in force as it is, arbitrary applications will be imposed on journalists. Zengin is being detained for more than a year without a reason. Akhanlı was tortured and imprisoned because of this struggle against the 12 September [military coup] fascism. It is the irony of history that he is being detained because of the mindset of 12 September just before the referendum on 12 September 2010 [on the constitutional reform package] which is [supposedly] meant to change that very mindset', Zarakolu stated” - Tapan, B. (2010) 'Release Journalist Zengin and Writer Akhanlı', BIA News, 25 August 2010 (Accessed at:http://www.bianet.org/english/freedom-of-expression/124361-release-journalist-zengin-and-writer-akhanli).
6 Hürriyet Daily News (2011) 'Turkey celebrates Journalists Day amid calls for more freedom', Hürriyet Daily News, 10 January 2011 (Accessed at: http://www.info-turk.be/389.htm#marks).
7 Today's Zaman (2011) 'Turkey marks Journalists’ Day under shadow of record sentence', Today's Zaman, 11 January 2011 (Accessed at: http://www.info-turk.be/389.htm#marks).
8Hürriyet Daily News (2011) 'Turkish journalists demand colleagues be released pending trial', Hürriyet Daily News, 10 January 2011 (Accessed at: http://www.info-turk.be/389.htm#marks).
9BIA News (2011) 'IHD Report: Turkey Fails in Human Rights', BIA News, 3 January 2011 (Accessed at: http://www.bianet.org/english/freedom-of-expression/124361-release-journalist-zengin-and-writer-akhanli).
10 BIA News (2011) 'IHD Report: Turkey Fails in Human Rights', BIA News, 3 January 2011 (Accessed at: http://www.bianet.org/english/freedom-of-expression/124361-release-journalist-zengin-and-writer-akhanli).
11 As Arundhati Roy observes: “It’s easier on the liberal conscience to believe that the war in the forests is a war between the Government of India and the Maoists ...The Indian Constitution, the moral underpinning of Indian democracy, was adopted by Parliament in 1950. It was a tragic day for tribal people. The Constitution ratified colonial policy and made the State custodian of tribal homelands. Overnight, it turned the entire tribal population into squatters on their own land. It denied them their traditional rights to forest produce, it criminalised a whole way of life. In exchange for the right to vote, it snatched away their right to livelihood and dignity. Having dispossessed them and pushed them into a downward spiral of indigence, in a cruel sleight of hand, the government began to use their own penury against them. Each time it needed to displace a large population - for dams, irrigation projects, mines - it talked of 'bringing tribals into the mainstream' or of giving them 'the fruits of modern development'. Of the tens of millions of internally displaced people (more than 30 million by big dams alone), refugees of India’s ‘progress’, the great majority are tribal [ie indigenous] people. When the government begins to talk of tribal welfare, it’s time to worry …
“Over the past five years or so, the governments of [4 states alone] Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal have signed hundreds of Memoranda of Understandings (MoU's) with corporate houses, worth several billion dollars, all of them secret, for steel plants, sponge-iron factories, power plants, aluminium refineries, dams and mines. In order for the MoU's to translate into real money, tribal people must be moved. Therefore, this war [and the increased persecution]”. She asks: “When a country that calls itself a democracy openly declares war within its borders, what does that war look like? Does the resistance stand a chance? … An article on the internet says that Israel’s Mossad is training 30 high-ranking Indian police officers in the techniques of targeted assassinations, to render the Maoist organisation 'headless'. There’s talk in the press about the new hardware that has been bought from Israel: laser range-finders, thermal imaging equipment and unmanned drones, so popular with the US army. Perfect weapons to use against the poor.
“The drive from Raipur to Dantewada takes about 10 hours through areas known to be ‘Maoist-infested’. These are not careless words. ‘Infest/infestation’ implies disease/pests. Diseases must be cured. Pests must be exterminated. Maoists must be wiped out.In these creeping, innocuous ways, the language of genocide has entered our vocabulary ...The Salwa Judum was a joint operation by the state government of Chhattisgarh and the Congress party which was in power at the Centre. It could not be allowed to fail. Not when all those MoU's were still waiting ... The government was under tremendous pressure to come up with a new plan. They came up with Operation Green Hunt”. She concludes: “Almost from the moment India became a sovereign nation, it turned into a colonial power, annexing territory, waging war. It has never hesitated to use military interventions to address political problems—Kashmir, Hyderabad, Goa, Nagaland, Manipur, Telangana, Assam, Punjab, the Naxalite uprising in West Bengal, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and now across the tribal areas of Central India. Tens of thousands have been killed with impunity, hundreds of thousands tortured. All of this behind the benign mask of democracy. Who have these wars been waged against? Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Communists, Dalits, Tribals and, most of all, against the poor who dare to question their lot instead of accepting the crumbs that are flung at them. It’s hard not to see that the Indian State is an essentially upper-caste Hindu State (regardless of the party in power) which harbours a reflexive hostility towards the ‘other’. One that, in true colonial fashion, sends the Nagas and Mizos to fight in Chhattisgarh, Sikhs to Kashmir, Kashmiris to Orissa, Tamilians to Assam and so on. If this isn’t protracted war, what is?” - Roy, A. (2010) 'Walking With The Comrades', Outlook, 29 March 2010 (Accessed at: http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?264738-1). For Javed Iqbal, "the story of the slums of Mandala cannot be told without the struggle of her poorest inhabitants against the demolition drives that literally come like the monsoons" – Iqbal, J. (2011) 'Invisible Cities: Part Five: A Place Called Mandala', Moonchasing, 2 January 2011 (Accessed at: http://moonchasing.wordpress.com/). See also his 9 June 2010'Rape As A Weapon Of War' (accessed at: http://moonchasing.wordpress.com/2010/06/09/rape-as-a-weapon-of-war/) as well as other articles on his website.
12 VSAG (2010) 'Hrant Dink Day in the UK Parliament on 19th January 2010', Kurdish Media, 2 February 2010 (Accessed at: http://kurdmedia.com/article.aspx?id=16199).
13 Corbyn, J. 2010. 'Inadmissible evidence: Turkey and the BDP trials', 22 October 2010 (accessed at:
http://www.jeremycorbyn.org.uk/?p=1290).
Abdul Hameed Khan sent a message of solidarity from the Balawari National Union, representing Gilgit-Baltistan, a country under Pakistani occupation"My party BNF and our nationalist alliance of Gilgit Baltistan Democratic Alliance (GBDA)believe in secularism.We respect all the human beings irrespective of their beliefs and colour. There are few Christians and other non-Muslims in Balawaristan (Pakistan and China Occupied Gilgit Baltistan). Ironically we indigenous people of this area are treated as minority by Pakistani occupation regime , although the people of this region are nearky 100% Muslims, but Pakistani Military has created sectarian divisions among the indigenous Shia, Soonni, Ismailia and Noorbakhshi to keep its occupation firmly. We strongly condemn the assassination of Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab Pakistan. We also consider the blasphemy laws against Christians, Hindus, Sikhs and even minority Muslims is un-Islamic. This blasphemy law is propagated by military regime and then followed by successive Pakistani governementst. to terrorise minorities hence forcing them to convert to Islam under fear and force. This draconian law is responsible for reducing 18,000 Kalash families (a non – muslim ethnic tribe of region)to a mere 4000, 14,000 have converted to Islam under this military regime.This systematic conversion is done since Lt. Gen Zia regime in 80’s when he was fighting us holy war ( Jihad) against USSR. All his human crimes were ignored and convientently forgotten by so called civilized world friends particularly USA & UK. This law has never been adopted nor introduced by Prophet Muhammad during his life. The teaching of Islam is, to forgive and tolerance. The teaching of Prophet Muhammad is to remain patient and not abusive against those who use uncivilised words or attitude even against Prophet at that time.
Presently our motherland is under occupation of Pakistan and China. This is the reason that Pakistan Army and its intelligence agencies especially the ISI uses its agents to kill the innocent indigenous people of this land. ISI managed to blast two girls schools and one Ismailia Jamaat Khan (prayer house) in Chilas. This was the aim of Pakistani Army and its ISI to send more and more troops to keep its control more firmly, so nobody of this land could protest or create a hurdle against its proposed Diamar Bhasha Dam in Chilas. Secondly, the Pakistani Army and its ISI wants to get more funds and equipment from USA by showing a Talibaan threat.The . Pakistani Army, the Saudi Arabia Kingdom, China and many other Muslim countries are behind Talibaan, in order to bleed and economically weaken the USA and its Allies.
Abdul Hamid Khan
Chairman
Balawaristan National Front (BNF)
Head Office: Majini Mahla, Gilgit, Balawaristan (Pakistan & China Occupied Gilgit Baltistan)The Blasphemy Laws in Pakistan
Mr Wilson Choudhry's speech
, In this speech we provide evidence of the significant persecution and inequalities that Christians and other minorities face in Pakistan, as a consequence of their faith.
The British Pakistani Christian Association has, been working tirelessly for the last 2 years, trying to improve the situation for those Christians living in Pakistan. To describe every incident of persecution would require completion of a dossier. However for the purposes of this exercise, we will in brief, describe some of the case studies that are within our knowledge.
Gojra:
In a small town called Gojra (near Faisalabad) on August 1st 2009 a Christian community was attacked for a purported desecration of the Quran at a wedding – it was said that torn shreds of the Quran were used for confetti. Eight people were burnt alive, as 60 homes and a church were razed to the ground.
The attack was instigated by a local imam who preached hatred against the local Christians after a reported Quaran desecration was received via a local Muslim.
The aftermath was filmed by BBC South Asia showing the empty shells of burning homes.
Police confirmed after investigation that the allegations were false and several arrests were made. However no-one was brought to justice and little compensation was given to this beleaguered community.
Shazia Bashir:
On the 19th January 2010 Shazia Bashir a domestic servant of only 12 years, was presented to Jinnah Hospital, Lahore by her employers - she was pronounced dead on arrival. An initial medical report indicated she died gradually from a mix of; blows from a blunt instrument, wounds from a sharp-edged weapon, misuse of medicines and malnourishment. It is alleged that the landlord a Muhammed Naeem - former Lahore Bar Association President, offered 30,000 rupees to the family for their silence and informed them that she had an accident falling from the stairs.
Prior to her death Shazia’s parents had been given little access to their daughter and the parents have said on record, the one time they were allowed to see her during her employment she complained that the landlord and his were committing rape. Shazia is also said to have complained that the mother and sisters regularly beat her, that she was often unfed and that she was working excessive hours.
When the parents confronted Mr Naeem, they were thrown out of Mr Naeem’s house under threat of violent repercussions. Their daughter was dragged away by her hair.
When trying to lodge a complaint to local Police they were informed that a case could not be registered against anyone from the legal fraternity. 3 months later they received the offer for their silence.
A court hearing was scheduled in Lahore Session Courts for the 26th January 2010 and was stormed by Muslim lawyers. 300 rampaging lawyers scuffled with journalists and policemen as they embraced Mohammed Naeem, despite a significant Police presence? The judge was unable to proceed with the legal requirements of the case and had to adjourn the hearing.
On 13th February 2010 Muhammed Naeem was granted bail after purportedly fabricated evidence indicated that Shazia Bashir had died of “old wounds”. Muhammed Naeem has now absconded from a scheduled High Court hearing and is a fugitive.
Waris Pura siege:
On the 2nd July 2010 Sajid and Rashid Masih were arrested in Waris Pura (near Faisalabad), for a purported blasphemy. It was alleged that prior to the arrest a hand written leaflet containing offensive writings about Islam and about the Prophet Mohammed, was circulated in the area. The leaflet brought angry reaction among Muslims. The two brothers were accused of writing the leaflet (of which only 1 copy was ever produced). The Court ruled differently and acquitted them from the charge on 19th July 2010. The two brothers were exiting the court in celebration of the justice they had received, when they were shot down by unknown, masked gunmen.
The shooting occurred directly in front of the law courts from which they had only hours earlier, been found not guilty of blasphemy. Police protection was large and ample yet this incident occurred without any arrest made. To date no-one has been brought to justice.
As a consequence of the attack a peaceful protest for justice was held by Christians in Waris Pura. In retaliation the Muslim majority subjected Christians to a night long siege, unable to sleep or relax as gunshot rang around them. Many Christians were chased from their houses and businesses, and beaten in the streets. Prompt Police action prevented this incident becoming a more severe atrocity, however, on return to their homes and places of work, the victims discovered that they had been looted and subjected to vandalism.
Asia Bibi:
The case of Asia Bibi calls for consideration; Mrs. Bibi is a 45-year-old mother of five from Ittanwali (near Lahore) in Punjab province and has become the first Christian woman to be convicted under Pakistan’s blasphemy law. She has four daughters, one of whom is disabled, and a son.
Mrs. Bibi has spent the last year-and-a-half in gaol following an argument on 19th June 2009 with other women who were working with her in a field near Lahore. The Muslim women had refused to drink water that Mrs. Bibi had fetched because she was a Christian and they considered her and referred to her as “filth”. The refusal led to a discussion about religion, during which she is said to have compared the relative merits of Christianity and Islam. It is also said that the women had put her under pressure to renounce her Christian faith and embrace Islam.
No derogatory remarks were made regarding the Prophet Muhammad, apart from her observation that Muhammad was not crucified for their sins like Jesus Christ. Mrs. Bibi then asked what Muhammad had done for them. Such discussions amongst the adherents of different religions are an essential part of freedom of expression, as well as freedom of religion.
The women became very angry and began to beat Mrs. Bibi. She was locked in a room and her children were attacked by an angry mob. Some Christians informed the local police and had her put into protective custody. Later that evening, a blasphemy case under section 295C of the Pakistan Penal Code was registered against her after pressure was placed on the police by local Muslim leaders.
Mrs. Bibi was tried and sentenced to death by hanging by the Sessions Court in Sheikupura on 7th November 2010. The court also fined her £728, which is equivalent to two-and-a half years’ salary for an unskilled worker. A Pakistani Government minister said last week that an initial inquiry into the case found that Mrs. Bibi had not committed blasphemy, but was falsely accused after a quarrel. Following international pressure, Mrs. Bibi’s execution was stayed. She appealed her sentence and requested a pardon, but the Lahore High Court barred President Asif Ali Zardari from pardoning Mrs. Bibi on Monday, 29th November in response to a petition filed by a Pakistani citizen. On Monday, 6th December 2010 the Lahore High Court barred the Federal Government of Pakistan from making any amendments to the blasphemy laws until the Court gives its verdict on the petition in this case.
The British Pakistani Christian Association considers her to be a prisoner of conscience. They created an online petition that was delivered to the Prime Minister and the Pakistani Embassy on Thursday, 18th November. The petition attracted 2,662 signatures in just 8 days. There has been an international outcry about the case and the Pope has asked for clemency.
Until the Pakistan People’s Party implements its manifesto pledge and honour it’s commitment to these freedoms, evidenced in its ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on 23rd June 2010), by abolishing the blasphemy law and the intolerable abuses that are made of it - the occurrence of persecution of minority communities will continue to increase in intensity and frequency.
Above we have listed 4 of the worst cases of Christian persecution, however on March 22nd 2010 a Rashid Masih was axed to death by six Muslims in Miah Channu (Punjab), after refusing to recant the Christian faith and adopt Islam. It is reported that the men who attacked him were jealous of the success of his potato fields. The perpetrators of the crime have escaped justice by absconding and have still not been located.
A Trainee Nurse Magdalene Ashraf at 23 years of age, was purportedly raped and thrown from a hospital window at Ali Jinnah Hospital, Karachi. She was said to have been locked in Doctor Abdul Jabbar Memon’s offices and subjected to 2 days of debauchery. Nurse Magdalene recently refused to identify Dr Memon in a court hearing – after significant threats, that led to his release on Bail on Friday 10th December 2010.
Much of the inequality and prejudices in Pakistan are ingrained and a consequence of the often extremist theocratic society that has developed in the region. In fact when Pakistan was afforded independence it was as a result of a direct campaign by Mohammed Ali Jinnah to create a Muslim nation state. One of the key problems when tackling inequality of Pakistan is the presence of the legal bias created by the Blasphemy Law of Pakistan. The law protects only the prophet Mohammed and the Quran. This renders people of all other faiths second class citizens.
The blasphemy law was originally introduced during British rule, but has been misused a great deal since the fundamentalist dictatorship of Zia-ul-Haq in the 1980s, when it took its present form under pressure from extremists. There is now a mandatory life sentence for desecrating the Qur’an and a mandatory death sentence for “blaspheming” Muhammad. Unlike the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 (UK), which prohibits people from stirring up hatred against religious groups or individuals on religious grounds, the Pakistani blasphemy law protects the Islamic scriptures and the person of Muhammad from criticism or insult. Pakistan’s population of 170 million are subject to the blasphemy law, with religious minority groups making up about 4% of that number.
Members of minority groups such as Christians and Ahmadis are often convicted of the offence of “blasphemy” on scant evidence, including mere hearsay to effect personal revenge or to settle unrelated disputes, such as property ownership. Although convictions for blasphemy are common, the death sentence has never been carried out. Nonetheless, vigilantes have often taken matters into their own hands and killed those who were accused of the offence.
The Pakistani Constitution states:
That “no person can be deprived of life or liberty, save in accordance with law” it goes on to state:
“that on arrest or detention in custody, person is to be told grounds for such action & has the right to consult and be defended by legal practitioner of his/her choice.” And adds:
“arrested person is to be produced before the Magistrate within 24 hours of arrest; any detention beyond this period without the Magistrate’s authority is illegal.”
Time after time, evidence surfaces of illegal imprisonments on all people and especially in cases placed upon Christians. Sentences are commonly above the stipulated 24 hrs quoted above and access to legal representation is frequently denied.
Moreover legal representatives have often been prevented access to their clients at court hearings due to threats and physical attack. Evident recently in the case of Shazia Bashir listed above in our case studies. In Shazia’s case the victims family, friends and Christian Lawyers assigned to prosecute on Miss Bashir’s behalf, were prevented access to the courts by unruly mobs. This prevented effective prosecution and reciprocally justice.
Robert Danish was arrested on 11th September 2009 after it was said that he pushed a local Muslim girl returning from Quranic studies. The momentum from the shove was purported to have resulted in her Quran falling to the ground near a drain, where it was soaked and irreparably damaged. Mr Danish was later found dead in prison on the 15th September 2009 after a false blasphemy charge was placed on him on 11th September 2009.
His arrest occurred after he gave himself up to rescue his father who had been illegally arrested in his place after a violent attack in his home town of Sumbrial near Sialkot. People were beaten by sticks and forced from their homes which were looted. A postmortem stated he had committed suicide yet his body was covered in scars and welts. His family protested that he had been killed in prison to no avail.
Article 11 states:
“slavery, all forms of forced labour and trafficking of human beings are prohibited” and that:
“no child under 14 can work in a factory or a mine or any other hazardous employment.”
In the case of Shazia Bashir we hear that her parents tried to obtain her freedom and were prevented from taking their daughter from the house of the man that raped her and forced her to work in his home.
Basic freedoms are listed in articles 15 -19 of the constitution. Those most pertinent for the purposes of this discussion include;
“all citizens are equal before law and are entitled to equal protection of law”.
I refer you to the initial contact made with the Police in the case of Shazia Bashir. Police involvement was a consequence of a visit from the Minister of Minorities and his subsequent call for action. The Minority Minister Shabhaz Bhatti’s visit was triggered on behest of the President of Pakistan- only after details of the case surfaced on international social networking sites, creating wider media attention.
Amnesty International has made several statements with regards to the persecution of Pakistani Christians. Incidents of persecution have increased on Christian minorities significantly since the war on terror. Many Muslims view the war on terror as a jihad or holy war and believe that Christians are the perpetrators. Innocent victims in Pakistan are an easy target and an opportunity for many to vent their frustrations.
In addition to persecution the BPCA advises that a number of wider inequalities exist in Pakistan. A number of surveys have highlighted that only 7% of people form minority groups attain literacy. As a consequence of this and significant cultural prejudice 80% of Christians work as domestic labour or as sanitary workers. Low paid employment of this type and limited access to good careers for those that are educated, have led to Christian Communities living in poorer regions and subject to the whims of feudal landlords and persecution from the wealthy and powerful. No more evident then in the case of Shazia Bashir and Nurse Magdalene.
We have tried to describe the situation in Pakistan as best we can. There are numerous other incidents of persecution we could have added - all gathered within a short 2 year period. The fact remains that despite the lack of Western knowledge of the situation in Pakistan, persecution has significantly increased for Pakistani Christians and other minority faiths. Only in January the world was shocked when it was revealed that 2 Sikhs had been beheaded by the Taliban in the North West Frontier Provinces.
Aasia Bibi’s case featured on BBC’s International News, has revealed to a much wider audience the concerns that the Christian minorities in particular, have been subjected to in Pakistan. Yet Pakistani Christians and other minorities escaping persecution to the UK are still deported due to a purported lack of evidence.
Mr Alex Choudhry's speech
A way forward.
Reading the above it might seem that peace in Pakistan is an impossibility. Such notions themselves are incorrect when you study how our society her in the UK evolved over a long period of time. It will need strong Governments, leaders and communities to make the change but in time all is feasible.
Some suggestions the BPCA have suggested to various parties include:
A national committment to remove the disparity in education for students from minority groups. Research by CAFOD indicates that only 7% people of minority descent attain an adequate level of literacy. The first priority for the Government should be to introduce measures to level the balance. Issues pertaining to such improvement include:
A need for better subsidised education for the extremely poor.
Return of Christian Schools sequestered during the term of Nawaz Shariff (Hitherto they provided significant discount - supported via external funding)
Removal of Islamic Studies in favour of broad based religious studies; this not only promotes harmony by teaching that which links faiths and removing myth, but also prevents intentional educational neglect from parents fearing proselytisation.
Sponsoring development for higher level Christian/other faith educational courses. Currently only Islamic under and post-graduate courses exist.
With respect to learning more must also be done to create a higher level of literacy throughout the country. Only 40% of the Muslim majority have attained an adequate level of literacy if Government statistics are to be believed. The BPCA believes that this figure has probably been exaggerated. Nevertheless, it still highlights the need for a concerted approach to tackle overall literacy in the country. It is a commonly held belief amongst people of all faiths that the lack of education in Pakistan, has made the general population naïve to the precepts of their faith. This fuels a chronic lack of discernment between good and bad or truth and lies and creates a malleability to the radical preaching’s of extremist religious leaders. Compulsory community cohesion courses and inclusive religious education with better educational facilities and opportunity would fuel a more erudite, conscientious and harmonious society.
The BPCA have been calling for reform of the blasphemy law for the preceding two years. As advocates for change we have endorsed the following points as a framework for improved procedure in Pakistan:
Return of the Blasphemy Law of Pakistan to the pre-islamicised version introduced by the British in 1927, after a Lahore High Court judgment, the British Government introduced section 295-A (to the then Indian Penal Code, 1860) which provided for punishment for “deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs.” It was thought that it would take care of acts, among other things, of insult to the person of the Holy Prophet that should be deemed to be covered under the umbrella of acts intended to outrage religious feelings. This act was universally applicable to all faiths providing protection to all and was subject to little abuse. In fact until 1986 when the Blasphemy law was islamicised only 10 cases were tried in court. I should emphasise here that our overall aim is to see the abolition of the act in its entirety due to its breach of international freedom and equality conventions.
We would also like to see appropriate sentencing under section 153a of the Pakistan Penal Code. Which provides punishment for acts (words, either spoken or written or by visible representations, or otherwise) that promoted feelings of enmity or hatred between different classes.
We are also calling for more scrutiny for Ulema Council’s (Muslim Scholarly boards) preventing the radical indoctrination of mass communities and public calls for persecution of minorities.
The BPCA seek the removal of faith labelling within passports, and Shanakti Cards (ID Cards) as we maintain that this allows for pre-screening for minority groups, preventing access to employment and educational opportunity. Moreover that act itself creates a sense of second class citizenship and flies in the face of international protocol.
To end my speech I will talk a little of the need of ideas to promote positive cultural reform. In recent times we have noticed an increased sense of animosity between Christians and Muslims in the UK and Pakistan. Community bridging projects are required to create a stronger sense of unity. A grassroots application is required that goes beyond the usual political and community meetings. Art has had an intrinsic relationship to cultural reform globally. A monument to the deceased Rashid Masih a caretaker who sacrificed his life grappling with a suicide bomber, to save the 2000 girls in the Islamabad School in which he worked as a caretaker – would provide food for thought and symbolise that people are valuable and can live in harmony for the betterment of each other. A monument to recently deceased Human Rights activist Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer would serve great purpose. Annual Community cohesion events or memorial dates would add to a wider philosophy of integration and peace.
----- Original Message -----Sent: Saturday, January 15, 2011 10:37 PMSubject: ReSolidarity with the Victims of All GenocidesHrant Dink Day 19th January 2011Vigil outside the Turkish Embassy at 1 p.mnearest tube station : Hyde Park StationTel: 07718982732Eve of Hrant Dink DayHrant Dink Commemorative ConferenceYou are warmly invited to this conference onThe Persecution of Indigenous Peoples, Unrepresented and/or Occupied Nations, Minorities and 'Others'(in Turkey, Pakistan, South America and Iraq)on 18th January 2011 (eve of Hrant Dink Day)between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. in Committee Room 2, the House of Lords, Westminster(Free admission - Nearest underground: Westminster)Content :1 Tribute to Hrant Dink and his world-wide significance (Eilian Williams)Perspectives on "Disappearances" worldwide - Haci Ozdemir, The International Committee of Disappearances (UK Section)The targeting of Kurds and 'Others' in Turkey (Desmond Fernandes, genocide scholar; Kasim Agpak - FED-BIR, the Kurdish Federation in the UK, and a representative from the International Platform Against Isolation)2 The 1991 Genocide of the Mapuche and Tehuelche in Argentina and their current persecution in Chile (Reynaldo Mariqueo)3 Tribute to the late Salman Taseer, martyred governor of the PunjabThe treatment of Christians and 'Other' Minorities in PakistanThe case of Asia Bibi - possible solutions (Wilson Chowdhry and Alex Choudhry of the British Pakistani Christian Association; Cllr Raza Anjum on his mission to help Asia Bibi)Revd. Alwin Samuel of CLAAS (Centre for Legal Aid and Settlement)Mushtaq Laharie (Chairman of Third World Solidarity)Pakistan's persecution and possible Genocide of the Baluchis (Baluchi speakers)4 The Persecution of Minorities in Iraq (Saad Tokatly, Iraqi Christian representative)Autonomy and a Genocide Recognition in Iraq. A Solution to the suffering of Minorities?(Adnan Kochar of the Centre of Halabja - CHAK)DiscussionThe Conference is sponsored by Baroness Finlay of Llandaff and Baroness CoxInfo from eilian@talktalk.net07718982732----- Original Message -----Sent: Tuesday, June 01, 2010 5:05 AMSubject: Sorry, I had written 8 p.m. instead of the correct time, 6 p.m.Dear FriendsSorry, I had written 8 p.m. instead of the correct time, 6 p.m.(now corrected on the poster)EilianSolidarity with the Victims of All GenocidesNor Serount Cultural Associationc/o The Temple of Peace, Cathays Park,Cardiff07718982732Dear FriendYou are warmly invited to the following meeting in Portculis House ((Where MPs offices are situated, opposite Big Ben on the corner of Bridge street and the Embankment) RSVP if possible"Re-thinking our Policy on Turkey-did our policy of Appeasment and Collusion with Genocide Denial lead to more Human Rights Abuses? "at 6 p.m. on tuesday, 8th June 2010in the Grimmond Room , Portculis House, The Embankment, WestminsterSpeakers:1 Sait Cevatoglu, (a Genocide Scholar from Turkey, and organizer of the 24th April Conference in Ankara) on "Origins of Denial"2 Desmond Fernandes ( on recent Human Rights abuses and trials in Turkey3 Eilian Williams: "Is Armenia Occupied? " and "Towards a new policy of helping Turkey rebuild Western (or Turkish) Armenia"Sponsor : Nia Griffith MP for Llanelli, WalesThis will be followed by a launch of Des Fernandes' new book on Human Rights in TurkeyParticipants: Professor Khatchatur PilikianAlex Fitch (of Campaign against Criminalizing Communities)
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