House of Commons 27 July Meeting Report - two versions on Turkey's political state
Solidarity with the Victims of All Genocides (SVAG)
" Human Rights abuses in Turkey are intimately linked to Genocide Denial"
c/o The Temple of Peace, King Edward viii Ave ,Cardiff
eilian@talktalk.net 07718982732
PM David Cameron's brazen courtship in Ankara of Turkish State terror exposed on the same day in the House of Commons
Two contradictory descriptions of Turkey were made on Tuesday, this week (27th July).on the eve of the beginning of a new wave of new trials against Turkish writers and lawyers. The first , by UK Prime Minister David Cameron in Ankara involved sweeping statements on the value of Turkey tom the UK, ignoring the totality its Human Rights issues. On the same day in a meeting hosted by Angus MacNeil MP (Scottish National Party) in the House of Commons, London, three speakers, backed by well researched material, made scathing criticisms of Turkish State terrorism and Human Rights abuses. The speakers were writer Des Fernandes, Alex Fitch of the Campaign against Criminalising Communities and Sinan Ersoy of the International Platform against Isolation. Prior to the Commons meeting, members of the Platform and of SVAG participated in a vociferous vigil outside the Turkish Embassy in Belgrave Square
Sinan Ersoy concentrated on the trial in Ankara of Selcuk Kozagacli (member of the Ankara Bar Association and chair of the Contemporary Jurists Association). Alex Fitch analyzed the wider international significance of Turkey's crimes. He said that the former British ambassador to Armenia David Miller has stated that the Foreign Office is well aware of the Armenian Genocide from its own archives.He puts the failure to speak out on the matter as being down to the UK's record of appeasing dictatorships and powerful states in its national interests (Their contributions will be available soon)
Angus Macneil MP (the sponsor) promised his support for all non -violent efforts for the promotion of Human Rights in Turkey and , by his intervention, recognised that this process is linked to Genocide recognition.He had greeted the meeting in his own Gaelic language and he proposed several questions which he would ask the Prime Minister
"Why does Turkey persist in persecuting her intellectuals, her publishers, her lawyers and her 'Minorities', and why is the UK government silent?" - Speaker Desmond Fernandes.
Firstly, I just wanted to highlight the FACT that Turkey persists in persecuting “her intellectuals, her publishers, her lawyers and her 'minorities'”[1][1] by providing recent examples: As we will see, the reason for the targeting stems from the fact that the state ideology around which the constitution has been formulated – as well as the governing party and sections of the 'deep state' - still perceives those who ask for/or expect multicultural and democratic rights, or an end to the Kurdish conflict; indeed, rights even enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, or who seek to debate the repressive actions of the government and state, as “ENEMIES” to be criminalised, terrorised and where possible, isolated, so that their voices are not heard in Turkey or internationally lest opposition successfully develop to challenge its oppressive nature.
Who are the 'Others' that are being targeted? (One would be hard put to find 'them' being meaningfully considered in PM David Cameron's public speeches in Turkey today): Kurds, Armenians, Assyrians, Arameans, Greeks; 'perceived non-Ataturkist leftists' and political prisoners [many placed in isolation] and their families who strive to highlight the repressive nature of the state; trade unionists advocating collective bargaining and working rights; journalists; intellectuals, academics, musicians; relatives of the disappeared, peace campaigners (such as the Peace Mothers) and lawyers defending the above; youth groups, the list goes on ...
And if we look at “the intellectuals” - i.e. writers, journalists, academics; indeed, even leading musicians such as Ferhat Tunc (facing up to 15 years imprisonment in a trial beginning tomorrow) in this category - and “publishers” and “lawyers”: we can see these wider issues and concerns highlighted. For example, concerning:
1) ISMAIL BESIKCI, who has been imprisoned in Turkey for 17 years for 'thought crime' for documenting the nature of Turkish state terror and the genocide of the Kurds in the 'international colony' of Kurdistan (divided mainly between the nation states of Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria), and who at one point was facing 202 years imprisonment for 'thought crime' for documenting aspects pertaining to these issues during the 1990's. A charge has been brought against him by the attorney general of Istanbul following the publication of his article entitled, ‘The rights of the nations to self-determination and the Kurds’, which appeared in the prestigious Association of Contemporary Lawyers’ journal. As the Ankara Initiative for Freedom of Thought has noted:
What the attorney general demands to be penalised is not “PKK propaganda” but freedom of thought and expression; and this demonstrates clearly, once again, how willing the ruling class is to violate the limited frame of rights and liberties it has agreed to accept...
Any conviction will be in breach of Turkey's commitments under Article 19 of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights. As the academic Van Bruinessen has noted of the scholar who has conducted research into the nature of oppression and genocide of the Kurds: “No other writer in Turkish history has had to face such an endless series of trials and prison sentences for almost every public utterance as Beşikçi has.[2][2] The odyssey of Beşikçi's encounters with Turkey's legal system shows, more eloquently than any abstract political or legal analysis could, what is wrong with the system, and it demonstrates effectively how the officially proclaimed human rights and democratic values become null and void where the Kurdish question is involved. Continuing to write and speak in spite of all attempts to silence him, Beşikçi has become a powerful and important symbol for the Kurds and for the human rights movement of Turkey”.
In Besikci's case, to merely debate and discuss the moral and legal RIGHT of Kurds in international law to seek self-determination in the face of a racist and oppressive – and, indeed, genocidal regime as he has shown in his other work – in the prestigious Association of Contemporary Lawyers’ journal is to court being labeled a 'criminal' under so-called Anti-Terror laws. What exposes the “terrorist labeling” and the wider anti-Kurdish agendas of the genocidal and repressive state is the following, as noted by the Ankara Initiative for Freedom of Thought in its recent statement:
Ismail Besikçi Is Being Tried Once More …Enough! Each and every part of the regime seems to have sworn to plague the life of the Kurds and defenders of the brotherhood of peoples on the basis of equality and freedom, after the fiasco of the “democratisation” attempts of the party in power, the Party of Justice and Development.
The banning of the Kurdish party, the Party of Democratic Society; the broadcasted imprisonment of the elected local representatives of the Kurds; cases against Kurdish elementary school students on charges of “adherence to a terrorist organisation”; the implacable persecution of Kurdish magazines and papers; the spreading of a mentality that treats each and every Kurd as a “potential terrorist”, are all alarming signs which signify that the country is headed towards a new … hell.
And these signs show that the target is not the PKK (as claimed on every occasion by those who govern), but the rights of Kurds to exist as they are: Kurds. The last of these signs is the charge brought by the attorney general of Istanbul against Dr. Ismail Besikci for “PKK propaganda” following the publication of his article entitled, “The rights of the nations to self-determination and the Kurds”, in the “Association of Contemporary Lawyers” journal.
The attorney general of Istanbul claimed that Ismail … was 'propagating the PKK cause' when he wrote: “The Kurds have been fighting for freedom, for a free land for the last 200 years; and they are paying the price … Syria, Iran, and Turkey are dominating over the Kurds with an iron hand… The states that dominate over the Kurds were always able to unite their political, ideological, diplomatic, and military powers against them. It is obvious that this common control does not create justice but is a constant violation of it. In these conditions, resistance against oppression is a legitimate right …”
The absurdity of accusing someone who has openly criticised the leadership of the PKK of “PKK propaganda” aside, the fact that such a case has been opened demonstrates the threat against freedom and expression of thought in Turkey … Our [protest] is against the calcified reflexes of this regime, whose immediate reaction is to imprison those who do not agree with its dogmas
- and, as I have shown elsewhere in my books and related articles,[3][3] these dogmas have genocidal repercussions as far as the “Other” in Turkey is concerned -
those divergent voices. [We are] against the unceasing recounting of the same horror by the rulers, while “prisoners of conscience” have reached the fifth generation in this country. [We are] against the incompetent despotism of the non-discussion of every alternative proposition on the accumulated problems of this country.
So, for instance, to merely critically examine the texts and statements of the PKK and KCK concerning a peaceful resolution to the current conflict – where they have made a number of propositions calling for a clear end to any armed conflict if basic cultural and political rights of Kurds can be assured – is to also court criminalisation and targeting.
Under Articles 6 and 7 of the Anti-Terror Law, for example, Turkish publisher Ragip Zarakolu [from Belge Press] and Kurdish writer N. Mehmet Guler are being tried for “spreading propaganda of the Kurdish Workers Party and separatism”, because of writing and publishing a book with the title, KCK File/Global State and Kurds without State. “The book was immediately banned and confiscated in May 2010, after being published and launched during the ... Book Fair in Diyarbakir. Prosecutor Hakan Karaali sent his indictment to İstanbul Major Criminal Court No 10. .. and demanded up to 8 years. Publisher Zarakolu and writer Guler do not accept the accusations. They clarified that they wanted to help with a peaceful solution of the Kurdish question and to help with understanding and empathy between two communities.
“Ragıp told the prosecutor that he is a member of International Freedom to Publish Committee and has been writing freedom of expression reports for 15 years for the Turkish Publishers Association”:[4][4] As he said: “Without information, it is not possible to understand and find a solution to the question. Citizens have a right to be informed about all aspects of the question. Nobody has a right to impose [upon one] to write [only within the bounds of] state discourse … To define [our] research” and academic “book as propaganda, at 250 pages, WITH A PRINT RUN OF JUST 1000 COPIES, is ridiculous”.[5][5]
Writer N. Mehmed Güler said: “I worked on the Regional Kurdish Assemblies objectively and tried to give a short history of the Kurdish question ... It is a current problem now. Legal Kurdish parties were closed, over one thousand Kurdish mayors, ex-MP’s, community leaders, political activists, members of city councils were arrested during the last year. All citizens have a right to have information about what is happening. I tried to be objective [in all this]”.[6][6]
N. Mehmed Güler, incidentally, has also just received a 15 month conviction in June 2010 for a Kurdish novel he wrote (called "More difficult decisions than death" - relating to the Kurdish struggle against oppression in Turkey), due to conversations that took place between his imaginary characters who had the names "Sıti", "Sabri" and "Şiyar". Concerning that very recent trial, “International Pen and the International Publishers Association condemned the prison sentence imposed on writer Güler in a joint statement signed by IPA president Bjorn Smith-Simonsen and International PEN Secretary General Schoulgin. In the statement, the Turkish officials were urged to act in accordance with the commitments stipulated in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Civil Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights signed by Turkey”.[7][7]
Looking at another example – and I am not detailing the case of Selcuk Kozagacli, the chair of the Contemporary Lawyers Association (CHD), only because I know that my colleague Sinan Ersoy from the International Platform Against Isolation (IPAI) will be detailing his case specifically after my presentation - we see the way in which “the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), [has] expresse[d] its deepest concerns following the arrest of Mr. Muharrem Erbey, General Vice Chairperson of the Human Rights Association (İnsan Haklari Derneği - İHD) and Chairperson of its Diyarbakir Province Branch, and the arbitrary search of IHD’s offices in Diyarbakır.
“On December 24, 2009, in the morning, the police officers belonging to the 'anti-terrorism' branch launched an operation in at least 11 provinces in Turkey following an order issued by the Diyarbakir Chief Public Prosecution Office that led to the arrest of dozens of Kurdish opposition members, journalists and civil society activists including human rights defender Mr. Muharrem Erbey. Human rights lawyer Muharrem Erbey was then remanded into custody and charged by the Diyarbakır Special Heavy Penal Court on December 26, 2009 of 'being a member of an illegal organisation' [and] ... detained in Diyarbakir D Type Prison”.[8][8]
As the International Federation for Human Rights clarifies:
Mr. Muharrem Erbey is wrongly accused of being the international affairs representative of the illegal armed organisation called the Community of Kurdish Society (Koma Civaken Kurdistan - KCK) after having participated in the preparations of a workshop organised in Diyarbakır in September 2009 to discuss constitutional amendments aimed at ensuring a greater respect of minorities’ rights, [and after he] made a statement on the rights of the Kurdish minority in Turkey before the parliaments of Belgium, Sweden and England, [and after he] participated [in] the “Kurdish Film Festival” in Italy in the summer of 2009 and [acted as] the legal adviser [to] the [Kurdish] Mayor of Diyarbakir.
Furthermore, simultaneously, the police attempted to raid IHD’s offices in Diyarbakir without a warrant. Following objections by IHD staff, they obtained a court order within five minutes and proceeded to the search and confiscation of IHD’s computers and documentation. Documents confiscated included in particular archives which had been collected during 21 years documenting serious human rights violations like politically motivated killings by unknown assailants, forced disappearance and torture cases.
The Observatory recalls that the Human Rights Association (IHD) has played a vital role in the promotion of human rights and democracy in Turkey. The Observatory is more generally concerned with the intensified crackdown faced by the IHD and its members and more particularly by the detention of its General Vice Chairperson, which merely aims at sanctioning his human rights activities in violation of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 9, 1998.The Observatory
- as with English PEN and others have -
called upon the Turkish authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Mr. Erbey as well as all other detained human rights defenders.[9][9]
But human rights defenders, “writers, intellectuals, lawyers, publishers, journalists, musicians” continue to be criminalised and persecuted for daring to address human rights concerns about violations of the most basic kind that relate to the targeting of so many “Others” in Turkey. And it is more than unfortunate that David Cameron PM has failed to publicly address and confront these pressing issues meaningfully whilst in Turkey. Meanwhile - even as he glosses over these 'details' publicly – genocide (as defined in at least 2 articles of the UN Genocide Convention),[10][10] war crimes; torture in prisons and by state forces; persecution of human rights defenders, writers, artists and musicians; prosecution of children under the Anti-Terror laws; isolation of political prisoners depriving them of basic human protected rights guarantees (together with the targeting of those who seek to support their cause); mutilation of corpses of Kurdish guerrillas by state forces; burning of forests alongside Kurdish settlements and collaboration between the Turkish and Iranian and allegedly Syrian states[11][11] and with US-NATO forces[12][12] that has resulted in intensifying bombardment of Kurdish zones in northern Iraq (south Kurdistan) and Syria and Iran, continues.
The International Platform Against Isolation (IPAI) notes that: “On 15th June 2010, houses and democratic associations in 3 different cities of Turkey (Ankara, Izmir, Istanbul) were raided by the police. 28 people were taken into custody, 17 of them [were] imprisoned … Most of them were members of the prisoners family association TAYAD … [The] TAYAD [members were] … arrested under the pretext that they had opposed the murder of ill prisoners in isolation cells [in Turkey]; protested against the AKP-government, which is responsible for the murder of exactly 309 prisoners in the years from 2000-2009 and participated in the funeral of the killed cancer-ill [prisoner] Guler Zere. These arrests”, notes IPAI, “are unjust, illegitimate and arbitrary. It can’t be seen as a crime to support ill prisoners. We demand the immediate release of the 17 TAYAD members and an end to [the policy of] isolation”.
In June 2010, “the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) ... condemned as 'punitive and intolerant' the ruling of a court in Turkey which sentenced journalist Irfan Aktan of The Express newspaper to one year and three months in jail. His crime was to quote in his article a member of the Turkish workers' party, the PKK, and the Özgür Halk (Free People) magazine … 'This is an outrageous decision which is punitive and intolerant and aims at striking fear in Turkish journalists', said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. 'This case has exposed further how anti terror laws are being used to crackdown on free expression' ... 'These provisions in the penal code and anti-terror law are like a sword of Damocles over the journalists', said Ercan Ipekci, President of the Türkiye Gazeteciler Sendikasi (TGS), an IFJ affiliate”.[13][13]
“A publisher ... was [also] sentenced to five months in prison in January 2009 by an appeal court”, notes International PEN, which was “converted to a YTL 3,000 fine (c. €2,000). He had been offered a more lenient sentence but had refused to comply with the demand that he promise not to commit a similar crime in future. He was convicted for a book that” - correctly - “suggested that the state had links to the mafia and that there had been massacres of Kurds in the past, referring to 'fascist dictatorships'”.[14][14]
Those advocating peace are finding themselves criminalised. To take but one example:
● “61 year old Peace Mother Sultan Acıbuca was given a prison term of 6 years and 3 months because of what she said in İzmir on 8 March 2008, World Women’s day. İzmir High Criminal Court number 10 condemned her [of] 'membership [of the] PKK' and sentenced her to 6 years and 3 months”.[15][15] And what were the grounds for this accusation and sentence?: “Acıbuca was condemned for “condemning the murder of Hrant Dink, attending the 1st September World Peace Day rally, and demanding Peace at the Women’s Day rally”.[16][16]
“The court based the conviction on article 314/2 of the Turkish Criminal Court (TCK) and article 5 of the Anti-Terror Law (TMK) which prescribes an increase of punishment … Acıbuca's condemning of the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink”
- editor of the Istanbul based Armenian paper Agos, who had recognised the Armenian genocide as 'genocide' and was facing charges because of that, before his assassination -
“was evaluated as a criminal offence as well as her attendance of a meeting on the occasion of the World Peace Day on 1 September, her call for peace at the International Labour Women's Day and attending three press releases as a spectator. Acıbuca's lawyer Nezahat Paşa Bayraktar presented his client's defence in the hearing on 9 June [2010]. He stated that Acıbuca's attendance of the press releases was under legal guarantee of domestic law and of the European Convention of Human Rights. He said that the activities on subject did not constitute a crime. Punishing a mother because she defended peace did not accord with the law, Bayraktar claimed. He drew attention to the fact that Turkey was convicted of violating freedom of thought and expression countless times by the European Court of Human Rights. Based on the example of the case Incal vs. Turkey, the lawyer demanded the acquittal of his client since her actions did not constitute any crime”.[17][17]
In late June 2010, 98 organizations from Diyarbakır issued a joint statement. Signed by “the Bar Association, non-governmental organisations, professional organisations, rights organisations and trade unions, [it] was read out … by [the] … President of the Diyarbakır Chamber for Trade and Industry (DTSO) … The organisations pointed out”, amongst other issues, that obstacles to freedom of thought, freedom of expression and freedom of association had still not been removed in Turkey even “although they prevented free discussions of the Kurdish question in all its dimensions”.[18][18] Discussions of 'Other' questions have also been prevented in a shocking way, as this presentation and those of my colleagues tonight clearly indicates.
Regarding the question as to “why” the UK government is so shamefully silent publicly on so many of these pressing concerns, even during PM David Cameron's visit to Turkey at this moment in time, I can offer a few suggestions:
1) The US government wants and requires UK support for Turkey, irrespective of the situation and any ethical concerns.
2) Turkey is a “NATO ally” and has received US-UK and NATO support in its 'dirty' past and ongoing genocidal wars against the 'Other' in Turkey.[19][19]
3) Turkey is part of the US driven 'War on Terror' Coalition, so it is 'excused' – so long as the US government deems it to be the case - of any particular 'excesses' (as defined by the US administration, which the UK government will take note of). This can be evidenced by PM Cameron's assertion in Ankara that: “Turkey is a great NATO ally and Turkey shares our determination to fight terrorism in all its forms, whether from al-Qaeda or from the PKK”.[20][20] As this presentation shows, 'terrorism in all its forms', as determined by Turkey, has resulted in an assault on the most basic freedoms of expression one can imagine [often using the cover of the 'war against KCK-PKK terrorism'].
4) It offers lucrative trade with the UK, not least in the arms and oil industry (eg. the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline which crucially runs through Turkey “is owned by a consortium of energy companies and BP, the operator of the pipeline. The shareholders of the consortium [comprise] BP" with the leading share of 30.1%).[21][21]
5) The UK has never really been “moral” or “ethical” in its foreign policy deliberations, as John Pilger, Mark Curtis – in The Ambiguities of Power: British Foreign Policy since 1945 (Zed, 1995), The Great Deception: Anglo-American Power and World Order (Pluto, 1998) and Web of Deceit: Britain's Real Role in the World (Vintage, 2003) – and Robert Fisk (referring to the British government's ongoing Armenian genocide denialism policy at the behest of Turkey) have clearly demonstrated. We have to recognise this fact and oppose such an orientation if we wish to see meaningful change.
These Messages of support were read
● “We, as the members of the Ankara Initiative convey our warm salutations to the participants of the parliamentary meeting, and stress that international solidarity is vital in facing the government's aggression
against freedom of expression ...” - The Ankara Initiative for Freedom of Thought.
● “Re the 27th July event: I am very supportive of the Kurdish freedom struggle and oppose the attacks on freedom of expression. Sadly, I already have engagements on 27 July. Please give my apologies and solidarity to the meeting. I wish the campaign every success” - Peter Tatchell.
The Petitions below were signed by the participants
:Petition 1 For the attention of Republic of Turkey Ministry of Justice
We, the participants of the meeting "Why does Turkey persist in persecuting her intellectuals, her publishers, her lawyers and her 'Minorities'", which took place at the House of Commons (UK Parliament) in London on the 27th July 2010, strongly condemn the persecution of Dr. Ismail Besikci and ask that the charges that have been brought against him by the attorney general of Istanbul - for “PKK propaganda”, following the publication of his article entitled, 'The rights of the nations to self-determination and the Kurds', in the journal of the Association of Contemporary Lawyers – be dropped.
The charges which he faces on 28th July at the 11th High Criminal Court of Istanbul clearly violate Dr Besikci's right to freedom of expression and are in contravention of international standards safeguarding the right to freedom of expression. Any conviction will be in breach of Turkey's commitments under both Article 19 of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights .
Ministry of Justice of TurkeyMr. Sadullah Ergin
Fax: 0090 312 417 71 13E-mail: sadullahergin@adalet.gov.tr
Petition 2 For the attention of Republic of Turkey Ministry of Justice
We, the participants of the meeting "Why does Turkey persist in persecuting her intellectuals, her publishers, her lawyers and her 'Minorities'", which took place at the House of Commons (UK Parliament) in London on the 27th July 2010, strongly condemn the persecution of publisher Ragip Zarakolu and author Mehmet Güler and ask that the charges that were brought against them on 20 July by the Istanbul Public Prosecutor - under Article 7 of the Anti Terror law for the book The KCK file/The Global State and Kurds Without a State – be dropped.
We, like English PEN, are extremely disappointed to learn that Ragip Zarakolu and Mehmet Güler are once again being tried in contravention of international standards safeguarding the right to freedom of expression. Any conviction will be in breach of Turkey's commitments under both Article 19 of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights .
Ministry of Justice of TurkeyMr. Sadullah Ergin
Fax: 0090 312 417 71 13E-mail: sadullahergin@adalet.gov.tr
Petition 3 For the attention of Republic of Turkey Ministry of Justice
We, the participants of the meeting "Why does Turkey persist in persecuting her intellectuals, her publishers, her lawyers and her 'Minorities'", which took place at the House of Commons (UK Parliament) in London on the 27th July 2010, strongly condemn the persecution of artist and musician Ferhat Tunç, who is facing a 15 year jail sentence because of a speech he gave at the Eruh-Çirav Festival. .
Due to be tried on July 28th 2010 in Diyarbakır, under article 7/2 of the Anti-Terrorism Law (TMY), we endorse Freemuse's stated concerns that: ”We are deeply worried about the continuous harassment of our colleague by Turkish Authorities. We regret that criminalisation of opinion remains a key obstacle to the protection of human rights and Turkey continues censoring and prosecuting its artists during a time when Turkey’s Human Rights and Free Expression records are under international scrutiny. Ferhat Tunç has at numerous events expressed his belief in a peaceful solution. He has always defended freedom of expression in accordance [with] the international conventions on human rights. We respectfully request immediate dismissal of the case against Mr. Ferhat Tunç”.
Ministry of Justice of TurkeyMr. Sadullah Ergin
Fax: 0090 312 417 71 13E-mail: sadullahergin@adalet.gov.tr
Petition 4 : For the attention of Republic of Turkey Ministry of Justice and Turkish National Assembly, Human Rights Investigative Commission
We, the participants of the meeting "Why does Turkey persist in persecuting her intellectuals, her publishers, her lawyers and her 'Minorities'", which took place at the House of Commons (UK Parliament) in London on the 27th July 2010, strongly condemn the persecution of the chair of the Contemporary Lawyers Association (CHD), lawyer Selcuk Kozagacli, because of his engagement to try those responsible for the military assault in the prisons on 19th December 2000.
Selcuk Kozagacli was called on to make amends and has court proceedings initiated against him, just because he said: "As long as the individuals responsible for this massacre in the prisons have not been brought to light, the representatives of judicial and political authorities will bear responsibility for this crime".
It cannot be a crime to demand the persecution of responsible ones for such a big crime, in which 29 prisoners lost their lives.
We demand that charges against Selcuk Kozagacli are dropped immediately as this is a pure attack and disrespect of freedom of speech and thought.
"Don't judge Selcuk Kozagacli, judge those who are responsible for the murder of the prisoners".
Ministry of Justice of TurkeyMr. Sadullah Ergin
Fax: 0090 312 417 71 13E-mail: sadullahergin@adalet.gov.tr
Turkish National Assembly, Human Rights Investigative Commission
Mr. Zafer Üskül
Fax: 0090 312 420 53 94 [1][1] In the Kurdish context, it should also be noted that Kurds demographically constitute the majority of the population in south-east Turkey (north west Kurdistan) today.
[2][2] For further details, see Munoz, E. (1998) Scientists Clash With The State in Turkey (The American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1998 – Accessed at: http://shr.aaas.org/scws/cs4.htm ). As she noted in that report: “The case of sociologist Ismail Besikci is a tragic example of how limits to freedom of expression in Turkey affect social scientists … Besikci's legal conflicts at the commencement of his career set the pattern for a litany of prosecutions that continue to this day … At the time of writing this report (1998), Turkish authorities had launched at least thirty-seven trials against Besikci in connection with almost all of his books and articles … The prosecution, imprisonment, ill-treatment, and levying of fines against Ismail Besikci, and his dismissal from Erzurum Ataturk University for publishing his scientific studies on the southeast of Turkey and the peaceful expression of his views constitute serious violations of academic freedom and fundamental human rights. The government's actions also infringe on his right to carry out his professional sociological studies. Besikci's prosecution for exercising his right to freedom of expression conflicts with Turkey's obligations to recognise the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; the right to freedom of expression; and the right to freedom of assembly and freedom of association as delineated by the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Turkey is bound by international law to guarantee these rights and to respect the basic principles of human rights enumerated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights”.
[3][3] Refer to my books Modernity, 'Modernisation' and the Genocide of Kurds and 'Others' (Apec, Stockholm, 2010) and The Kurdish and Armenian Genocides: From Censorship and Denial to Recognition? (Apec, Stockholm, 2007). For related articles, see Skutnabb-Kangas, T. and Fernandes, D. (2008) 'Kurds in Turkey and in (Iraqi) Kurdistan - A Comparison of Educational Linguistic Human Rights in Two Situations of Occupation', Genocide Studies and Prevention [the official journal of the International Association of Genocide Scholars], Vol. 3[1].
[4][4] Belge Press Release, 21 July 2010.
[5][5] Belge Press Release, 21 July 2010.
[6][6] Belge Press Release, 21 July 2010.
[7][7] Onderoglu, E. (2010) 'LITERATURE CONVICTED UNDER ANTI-TERROR LAW: Author Güler Sentenced on Behalf of Novel Characters', Bia News, 11 June 2010 (Accessed at: http://bianet.org/english/freedom-of-expression/122661-author-guler-sentenced-on-behalf-of-novel-characters).
[8][8] FIDH (2010) 'The Human Rights Association Remains in the Firing Line', FIDH, 29 December 2009 (Accessed at: http://www.fidh.org/The-Human-Rights-Association-IHD-remains-in-the ).
[9][9] FIDH (2010) 'The Human Rights Association Remains in the Firing Line', FIDH, 29 December 2009 (Accessed at: http://www.fidh.org/The-Human-Rights-Association-IHD-remains-in-the ).
[10][10] For an extensive examination and analysis of this issue, refer to several articles by Tove Skutnabb-Kangas, as well as my Modernity, 'Modernisation' and the Genocide of Kurds and 'Others' (Apec, Stockholm, 2010), The Kurdish and Armenian Genocides: From Censorship and Denial to Recognition? (Apec, Stockholm, 2007), and Skutnabb-Kangas, T. and Fernandes, D. (2008) 'Kurds in Turkey and in (Iraqi) Kurdistan - A Comparison of Educational Linguistic Human Rights in Two Situations of Occupation', Genocide Studies and Prevention [the official journal of the International Association of Genocide Scholars], Vol. 3[1].
[11][11] See Debka File (2010) 'Syria massacres Kurds aided by Turkey's Israel-made drones', Debka File, 17 July 2010 (Accessed at: http://www.debka.com/article/8916/ ). This report claims that: “Syrian troops and Kurdish tribesman are locked in fierce battle since the Syrian army blasted four northeastern Kurdish towns and neighborhoods at the end of June, DEBKAfile's military and intelligence sources report. Hundreds of Kurds are reported dead. The Syrian campaign is backed by Heron (Eitan) spy drones Israel sold Turkey, made accessible on the personal say-so of Prime Minister Tayyip Recep Erdogan”. See also Ergil, D.(2010) 'Russia, Syria and the Kurds', Today's Zaman, 21 July 2010 where he notes: “Hundreds of Kurds are reported dead. This may be a routine reflex by the Syrian armed forces. What is new is that the Syrian campaign is backed by Heron spy drones Israel sold Turkey, reportedly made accessible on the personal orders of Prime Minister Tayyip Recep Erdogan … The drones are being used to track Kurds in their movements across Syria’s borders. The unmanned aerial vehicles’ assistance to Damascus is said to be in breach of the Israel-Turkish sales contract, which barred their use in the service of hostile states or entities … It is ironic that the states in the Middle East with Kurdish enclaves can only come up with military methods to deal with their Kurdish 'problem'. How much more manpower (lives), material sources and time this method will consume is unknown ...”.
[12][12] See my Modernity, 'Modernisation' and the Genocide of Kurds and 'Others' (Apec, Stockholm, 2010).
[13][13] IFJ (2010) 'IFJ Condemns Jailing of Journalist in Turkey', Info Turk, June 2010 (Accessed at: http://www.info-turk.be/382.htm#Last ).
[14][14] International PEN, International Publishers Association, and Index on Censorship (2009) 'NGO in Consultative Status with ECOSOC: Contribution to the Universal Periodic Review Mechanism, 8th session of the Working Group of the Universal Periodic Review, Submission on Turkey, 9 November 2009', International PEN, International Publishers Association, and Index on Censorship, p. 4 (Accessed at: http://www.internationalpublishers.org/images/stories/MembersOnly/FTPC/UPR/turkey%20upr%20_3_.pdf ).
[15][15] Freedom of Expression Weekly Bulletin (2010) 'Peace Mother gets 6 years and 3 months of prison sentence', Info Turk, Issue 24/10, June 11, 2010 (Accessed at: http://www.info-turk.be/382.htm#Last).
[16][16] Freedom of Expression Weekly Bulletin (2010) 'Peace Mother gets 6 years and 3 months of prison sentence', Info Turk, Issue 24/10, June 11, 2010 (Accessed at: http://www.info-turk.be/382.htm#Last).
[17][17] Freedom of Expression Weekly Bulletin (2010) 'Peace Mother gets 6 years and 3 months of prison sentence', Freedom of Expression Weekly Bulletin, Issue 24/10, June 11, 2010 (Accessed at: http://www.info-turk.be/382.htm#Mother).
[18][18] 98 NGOs Call for End of Violence - PKK Refuse Unilateral Ceasefire BIA, Tolga Korkut - Erhan Üstündağ, 29 June 2010 http://www.info-turk.be/383.html#censors
[19][19] See my Modernity, 'Modernisation' and the Genocide of Kurds and 'Others' (Apec, Stockholm, 2010); United States, German, British, Israeli and NATO Inspired 'Psychological Warfare Operations' Against the 'Kurdish Threat' in Turkey and Northern Iraq (Apec, Stockholm, forthcoming); 'Turkey's US Backed “War on Terror”', Variant: Cross Currents in Culture, No. 27, Winter 2006 and 'United States and NATO Inspired Psychological Warfare Operations Against the “Kurdish Communist Threat” in Turkey', Variant: Cross Currents in Culture, Vol. 2, Number 12, Spring, p. 10-16 (Co-authored by Iskender Ozden).
[20][20] Quote also confirmed in an article a day after this parliamentary meeting – See Frum, D. (2010) 'David Cameron Favours Turkey With Flattering Lies', The National Post, 28 July 2010.
[21][21] Wikipedia (2010) 'Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline', Wikipedia (Accessed at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan_pipeline ).
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