KHRAG NEWS KURDISH HUMAN RIGHTS ACTION GROUP SOUTH AFRICA www.khrag.org VOLUME 4 | ISSUE 4 DECEMBER 2011 EDITORIAL Genuine peace talks the only option The prospect of a peaceful negotiated settlement of the Kurdish question has dimmed in recent months, with the Turk- ish army launching wave after wave of attacks against Kurdish guerrillas in the Kandil Mountains. This has added to the 40 000 death toll of the 27-year armed conflict between the in protest outside the court in where Kurdish TV station is Turkish State and the Kurdish Workers Party. charged in terms of anti-terror laws. State repression is intensifying on many fronts. The most disturbing has been claims that the Turkish army used chemi- Critical voices muzzled cals during attacks in the mountains be- The detention and prosecution of hu- asked an Istanbul court on 14 October to sen- tween 22 and 24 October, killing many man rights activists, journalists and Kurdish tence them to seven and a half years in prison. guerrillas as well as plants and animals. politicians continues unabated in . Prosecutors at the same court are preparing These claims are being investigated. Ragip Zarakolu, the chairman of the Publish- to try the journalist Ertugrul Mavioglu over a Various charges are being brought ers Association Freedom to Publish Commit- report in Radikal in October 2010 that con- against Kurdish politicians and activists. tee of Turkey, was detained during a large- tained an interview with Murat Karayilan, one Close to 1 000 are currently on trial on a of the leaders of the Union of Com- range of charges and many are denied scale action against activists on 28 October. bail. Earlier that day, Professor Büşra Ersanlı, a munities (KCK), regarded as PKK’s urban wing. A third case of repression relates to a co- constitutional law expert and a member of A seven-and-a-half-year sentence has ordinated attempt to muzzle or shut down the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party’s also been requested for Recep Okuyucu, Kurdish media in Europe. Last month, a (BDP) intra-party constitutional commission, Taraf’s correspondent in the southeastern representative of KHRAG attended a court was detained along with close to 40 others. province of Batman and editor of the local case in Denmark where a Kurdish TV sta- Scores of journalists have either been de- newspaper Batman Medya. The prosecu- tion, ROJ TV, is facing charges in terms tained or charged and in Dyarbakir a two- tor’s office in the nearby city of Diyarbakir of anti-terror laws. The station stands ac- year trial against 151 Kurdish politicians claims that he connected 53,848 times to cused of promoting the banned PKK and and activists is still proceeding. The charges the Firat News Agency website which the inciting violence and unrest. against accused related to their alleged authorities have blocked because they ac- In Niu Isenberg, near Frankfurt in Ger- links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), cuse it of relaying PKK propaganda. Okuy- many, Yeni Ozgur Politieka, the only daily taking part in demonstrations, criticising ucu’s defence is that, as a journalist, he has Kurdish newspaper in Europe, faces simi- the state policies and participating in other to check a wide range of websites every day. lar charges in a case which is likely to start peaceful activities. At least six Kurdish mem- story continued on page 3 in the new year. bers of parliament are in prison in Turkey. These are all disturbing developments Zarakolu’s detention has been condemned by which do huge harm to the ideal of a just the International Publishers Association and peace for the Kurds and the Turks. several intellectuals and academics have be- The Turkish government must show lead- ership and get the negotiations project gun a petition to secure the release of Ersanli. back on track. Banned organisations must Meanwhile the organisation Reporters With- be unbanned, the trials against Kurdish out Borders (RSF) has expressed concern over politicians must be halted, the hostilities the clampdown against journalists. Below in the mountains must cease immedi- are just a few of the many cases of action ately and all political prisoners must be against journalists, documented by the RSF. released, including PKK leader Abdullah Nese Düzel, a journalist with the liberal daily Ocalan, who is imprisoned on the island Taraf, and his editor, Adnan Demir, are being of Imrali in Turkey. prosecuted for two April 2010 reports con- Negotiations must then commence in taining interviews with former PKK leaders earnest. There is very little alternative. Zübeyir Aydar and Remzi Kartal. A prosecutor Ragip Zarakolu www.khrag.org Newsletter 1 Kurdish Media under threat Allegations of chemical attacks investigated ‘Challenge to democratic values’

The political motives that he refers to emerges from a Wikileaks diplomatic ca- ble which refers to a claim by a Turkish representative that, “as part of the 2009 POTUS-brokered deal that had overcome Turkish objections to the appointment of Anders Fogh Rasmussen (former Danish Prime Minister) as Nato Secretary General, Denmark had promised to clarify its legal requirements prerequisite to acceding to Turkey’s request for the closure of ROJ TV.” Kurdish people do a folk dance outside the court where the ROJ TV trial was taking ROJ TV is licenced in Demark and has studi- place on 10 October os in Denderleeuw, about 30km from Brus- sels. The station broadcasts to more than The on going court case in Denmark and freedom of expression in Europe’. 20 million viewers in over 70 countries, in against a Kurdish TV station, Roj TV, consti- Former president of plaid Cymru in Wales, a multitude of languages, tuted a serious challenge to democratic free- Dafydd Iwan, said: “I believe the ROJ-TV trial Meanwhile Yeni Ozgur Politieka, a Kurd- doms, according to human rights activists. is of very great significance. I cannot think ish daily paper based near Frankfurt, also The court case against ROJ TV started in of another case where the freedom of the faces charges in terms of anti-terror laws. August this year. According to the Peace press, and the public’s right to information, The paper was previously closed down for in Kurdistan campaign, the broadcaster is has been so starkly challenged. And the fact three months in 2005. They went to court accused of being in breach of article 114 that it is so politically motivated makes it all to enable them to resume operations. of the Danish penal code by ‘promoting the more worrying. One of the fundamental The court case against ROJ TV and the terrorist activity’, namely, promoting the principles of democratic freedom is that the legal proceedings against Yeni Ozgur actions of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party legal system is completely independent of Politieka are not isolated actions. The deci- (PKK), an organisation that was put onto political influence, and it seems to me bla- sion to take the matter of the newspaper the EU’s list of terrorist groups in 2002. tantly obvious that there is no case in law to the High Court in Germany took place Turkey has lobbied vigorously for the for closing down a TV service like ROJ-TV.” the same week that the ROJ TV case com- closure of ROJ TV, claiming it is a mouth- He added: “The fact that Den- menced. piece for the PKK. The Turkish authori- mark, a country noted for its open- Other repressive actions have taken place ties have made many complaints to the ness and freedom of thought, has against Kurdish media in Europe which in- Danish Radio and Television Board over been caught up in this political attempt at cludes the seizure of equipment of Roj TV the years, but none have been upheld. silencing what is essentially the voice of in Wuppertal in German and in Dender- Judge Essa Moosa, the Chairperson of the Kurdish people is particularly sad. It is leeuw near Brussels. the Kurdish Human Rights Action Group my fervent hope that the Danish judicial Meanwhile Turkey, who has exerted pres- (KHRAG) in South Africa has cautioned system will prevail on the side of free- sure for action against Kurdish media, has against the muzzling of important Kurd- dom and the right to public information.” among the worst press freedom records in ish voices and expressed his concern over the world. There is widespread censorship the threat to media freedom in Europe. of media in Turkey and repression against “Khrag sent a representative to Eu- journalists. There are currently 57 journal- rope in October with a view to sup- ists in Turkish prison, the highest number porting an international campaign in the world. This is according to a report aimed at stopping the clampdown on by the Organization for Security and Co- the Kurdish media in Europe,” he said. operation in Europe. There are about 1 000 Swedish Member of Parliament Hans other cases pending against journalists. Linde said that the trial represented ‘a litmus test for the freedom of the press Daffyd Iwan

mote human rights for all citizens in Tur- Tutu to open conference on Kurds key, respect and protection of minori- The European Union Turkey Civic Com- Leyla Zana who was recently elected to the ties and a peaceful, democratic and du- mission (EUTCC) is organising its 8th In- Turkish parliament. She visited South Africa rable solution to the Kurdish question. ternational Conference on EU, Turkey and as the guest of KHRAG about two years ago. A number of prominent Turks, Kurds, Aca- the Kurds in Brussels on 7 and 8 December KHRAG chairperson Judge Essa Moo- demics, Journalists, Writers,Human Rights 2011. The theme of the conference is “The sa will be delivering a paper entitled: Experts, Politicians and Activists are usu- Quest for Democracy in Turkey - Universal “The South African Experience of the ally invited to participate in the conference. Rights and Kurdish Self-Determination and Right to Self-Determination from Apart- This conference is taking place with turmoil the Struggles over the New Constitution”. heid to Democracy”. The Conference will in the and North Africa in their It is expected that the Conference will be take place at the European Parliament. quest for genuine democracy and resistance opened by its chief patron Archbishop Emer- The objectives of EUTCC are very much against foreign domination and exploitation.” itus Desmond Tutu. Another patron is Ms similar to that of KHRAG and are to pro-

www.khrag.org Newsletter 2 Allegations of chemical attacks investigated Claims that Turkish forces made use of claim to show evidence of Ankara’s chemical weeping relatives nearby.” chemical weapons during attacks against warfare against the rebels.” The IHD has taken chemical samples from Kurdish guerrillas in October, are being He continues: “Lawmakers from the pro-Kurd- plants in the area as well as from the clothes probed by human rights organisations. ish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) and the of 13 of those killed. During a visit to the G20 in Cannes early Turkish Human Rights Association (IHD) are More than 10 000 Turkish soldiers are engaged in November, the Turkish Prime Minis- taking the charges seriously and activists are in an offensive against the Kurdish Work- ter Recep Tayyip Erdogan has rubbished circulating gruesome pictures of some of the ers Party in the South Eastern regions of the the claims as ‘slander’.Mahmoud Abu Kurdish rebels killed in the Kazan Valley during country. At least 49 PKK guerrillas were killed Ghosh reports in Indy News Israel that: air raids that began on October 19. Blackened in October, include those who are alleged to “Graphic pictures of blackened and dis- and dismembered, the corpses lie in a have died in chemical attacks. About 24 Turk- membered corpses of over 24 members morgue in a nearby town with ish soldiers were killed in guerrilla attacks. of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) Who are the Kurdish people?

The Kurds are a people inhabiting the mountainous region that overlaps parts of , Turkey, and . The Kurds speak Kurdish which is a language belonging to the Indo-European Family. The Kurds were origi- nally pastoralists who led a nomadic life in the mountainous region that is today known as Kurdistan. Saladin, the military leader who defeated the Crusaders was a Kurd as is the Subsequent struggles for autonomy and The script in use depends on the geo- current President of Iraq, Jalal Talabani. independence was brutally suppressed in graphic location. In Iran and Iraq, The Kurds have been described by some all four countries. for instance, the language is written using as a people without a nation. Scattered over While the principal religion of the Kurds a modified Arabic script, while, in Turkey many countries, the is is Sunni , there are significant Shiite, and Syria, the Latin script is used. In the one of subjugation and resistance. Histori- Christian and Jewish minorities. erstwhile Soviet Union, Kurdish was written cally, the Kurds have been identified with the or the “cult of the angels” is also a minor using the Cyrillic alphabet. Karduchi, an ancient mountainous people. In faith. Over the centuries, the Kurds have devel- the 7th century the Kurds were conquered by The Kurds speak a language that belongs oped their own distinct music and dance the Arabs which resulted in the adoption of to the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-Eu- forms. . Newroz, the Kurdish New Year is an Sunni Islam. Later, the Kurds would be under ropean Language important festival that is celebrated with the sway of the Seljuk Turks, the Mongols and As a symbol of Kurdish identity, the lan- great fervour, coinciding with the spring finally under the Ottoman Turkish Empire. guage has been vigorously suppressed in solstice which falls generally on March 21st. Following the defeat of the Ottoman Turkish almost all the countries the Kurds live in. There are different figures available on Empire in the First World War and its subse- Restrictions relating to its use and radio the number of Kurdish people in the world, quent dismemberment, the Kurds sought to and TV broadcasting exist in almost all but they could number about 40 million in establish an independent homeland. Howev- these countries. However today, in Iraq, un- total. 15 to 20 million Kurds live in Turkey, er, the dream would not materialise owing to der the new constitution, the language has about 7 to 8 million in Iraq, more than 5 mil- a resurgent Turkey under Kemal Ataturk and been granted official status. lion in Iran and 3 million in Syria. Another 3 lack of interest amongst the victorious pow- The Kurdish language has numerous dia- million Kurds are to found in the diaspora, ers. Consequently, Kurdistan or the land of lects, each of which has individual names. mainly in Europe, but also in other parts of the Kurds was divided between Turkey, Iraq, There is no universal script for the Kurdish the world. Syria and Iran. language

story continued.... Charges were finally presented at the end Turkish army operations. Alkan is also ac- of September against two journalists with cused in connection with his coverage of the the pro-Kurdish news agency Diha (Dicle trial of a “village guard” (member of a militia Haber Ajansi) – Kadri Kaya, its Diyarbakir bu- that supports the army) on a charge of sexu- reau chief, and Erdogan Alkan, its Batman ally abusing a minor in Batman. According correspondent – who have been held since to prosecutors, his coverage aimed to “deni- 15 April and will appear in court for the first grate the security forces in society’s eyes.” time on 2 November in Diyarbakir. They are While detentions and trials are ongoing, facing a possible 20-year jail sentence on the armed conflict between the Turkish state charges of collaborating with the PKK and and Kurdish guerrillas has intensified in the publishing propaganda on its behalf in their last three months, leading to many deaths. coverage of Kurdish demonstrations and Busra Esanli

www.khrag.org Newsletter 3 Lawyers file war crimes complaint

Lawyers in Germany have filed criminal complaints sociation for Democracy and Interna- tralegal executions, killing of com- against Turkish Prime Minister Racep Erdogan tional Law in Cologne, the complaint re- batatants after taking them prisoner, and Turkey’s army Chiefs of Staff for alleged war lated to ‘war crimes and crimes against torture, post-mortal mutilation and crimes committed against the . humanity between 2003 and today, even the use of prohibited chemi- The complaint was lodged during Erdog- which are outlawed by laws of war’. cal weapons. Presented are the re- an’s visit to Germany at the end of October. The media release states: spective facts and circumstance with According to a media release of the As “The criminal complaint is based on names, dates and means of evidence. the German International Criminal “The complaint is filed in the name of Code which has been existing since relatives of the victims of war crimes. 2002. It enables an international pros- The human rights organisation MAF- ecution of outlawed war crimes for DAD, Association for Democracy and which military commanders and po- International Law in Cologne, the writer litical superiors are responsible – even Doris Gercke (Bella Block), professor of if the “crime scene” is not in Germany. international law Norman Paech, MP “The complaint contains 10 exemplary Harald Weinberg (DIE LINKE), Dr med ‘cases’ from recent years, which have been Gisela Penteker (IPPNW), city council compiled on the basis of comprehensive member of Nuremberg Marion Padua research, the analysis of materials of the and sociologist Martin Dolzer are also Turkish justice system and reports of among the plaintiffs. The complaint respected human rights organisations. was filed by lawyer Britta Eder and Prime Minister Racep Tayyip Erdogan “Among others there are cases of ex lawyer Dr Heinz-Jurgen Schneider.” KHRAG IN ACTION In recent months, KHRAG has been very are scheduled for 4 and 18 December. To make contact with KHRAG, email active. KHRAG secretary Razia Bha Below is a s ummary of some areas of work. International Structures – KHRAG chair roochi or deputy chairperson Matt Fundraising – A successful Salsa Festival was Judge Essa Moosa visited Europe in Sep- Esau at HYPERLINK “mailto:admin@khrag. held in September, which tember for a meeting of the European Un- org” [email protected] raised over R3 000. Two fundraisers ion Commission on Turkey. To support fundraising events, con- tact Mansoor Jaffer at HYPERLINK Threats against Kurdish Media – a mem- “mailto:[email protected]” man- ber of KHRAG went to Europe to express [email protected] solidarity with Kurdish media under threat To assist with the signature campaign, and lay the foundation for a Save the Media contact Hoosain Adam at HYPERLINK campaign. “mailto:[email protected]” adamh@ hostic7.co.za Media – the newsletter is regularly pro- To provide information for use on our duced and distributed around the world. media platforms, contact Sakeena Bock at The website is being developed. HYPERLINK “mailto:sakeena@smartstag- Signature campaign – this is ongoing. Over ingsolutions.co.za” sakeena@smartstag- Dancers perform at the September fundraiser 6 000 signatures have been collected. ingsolutions.co.za of KHRAG

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www.khrag.org Newsletter 4