INSTITUT KUDE RPARD IS E Information and liaison bulletin N°314 MAY 2011 The publication of this Bulletin enjoys a subsidy from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DGCID) aqnd the Fonds d’action et de soutien pour l’intégration et la lutte contre les discriminations (The Fund for action and support of integration and the struggle against discrimination) This bulletin is issued in French and English Price per issue : France: 6 € — Abroad : 7,5 € Annual subscribtion (12 issues) France : 60 € — Elsewhere : 75 € Monthly review Directeur de la publication : Mohamad HASSAN Numéro de la Commission Paritaire : 659 15 A.S. ISBN 0761 1285 INSTITUT KURDE, 106, rue La Fayette - 75010 PARIS Tel. : 01-48 24 64 64 - Fax : 01-48 24 64 66 www.fikp.org E-mail: bulletin@fikp.org Contents • TURKEY: A BLOODY CAMPAIGN FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION. • SYRIA: THE KURDS DIVIDED BETWEEN HOPE FOR A CHANGE AND CAUTION. • IRAQI KURDISTAN: THE SECOND INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF KURDISH STUDIES TAKES PLACE IN DUHOK. • CULTURE: A PROJECT FOR A “BEDIR KHAN” ENCYCLOPAEDIA IS LAUNCHED IN IRBIL. TURKEY: A BLOODY CAMPAIGN FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION. he campaign for the cers were beaten and a fourth by a six-man PKK commando, a Turkish General Elections injured with a knife. charge taken up by two other T was far from being dailies, Milliyet and Sabah . peaceful, punctuated The next day, on 5 May, it was However, the authorities did not as it was by bomb Prime Minister Recep Tayyip make any specific charges, attacks, bloody demonstrations Erdogan’s own car that was tar - although usually prompt at accus - and clashes between the Army geted by an attack that was not ing the PKK as responsible for any and the PKK. claimed by any group. While in attacks, real or imaginary, that the middle of a campaign tour, the take place on Turkish soil. This Thus, on May 4, in the course the Prime Minister was subjected to time the Prime Minister merely funerals of four guerrilla fighters fire from a submachine gun and a mentioned vaguely “associated of in Diyarbekir, a procession of grenade. The ambush occurred a terrorist organisation”. It should several thousands of Kurds soon after the vehicle had left the be mentioned that the Black Sea clashed with the police who town of Kastamonu, (Black Sea region is not usually the theatre of fired in the air to disperse them. region). The daily paper Taraf stat - PKK operations. Thus the Turkish A police vehicle was attacked by ed that, according to security police accused some extreme Left the crowd and three police offi - sources, the attack was carried out organisations of acting on behalf • 2 • Information and liaison bulletin n° 314 • May 2011 of the Kurdish guerrilla outside its considered that the BDP state - hundreds of demonstrators territory. However, the Black Sea ment about a possible boycott of crossed the border to collect the region is also a stronghold of the the elections should be taken bodies of the fallen fighters and Turkish extreme Right, and har - seriously: “ This would throw take them to their families for bours many sympathisers of the doubts on the legitimacy of the elec - burial. The security forces inter - Grey Wolves (MHP). tions ” and Mr Erdogan would be vened and succeeded in taking very embarrassed, since he over four bodies being carried On the same day, the Kurdish wants to demonstrate a demo - by the demonstrators. At party (BDP), in a campaign cratic election in which everyone Diyarbekir, Siirt, Istanbul and in meeting at Diyarbekir, con - takes part. However, two parties Batman province, there were demned the military operations are getting some advantage from several clashes with the police. of the previous few days, the this tension on the Kurdish ques - arrests of several activists and tion. Erdogan want to steal votes On 23 May, another attack threatened to boycott the elec - from the ultra-nationalist MHP, against the Prime Minister was tions. The Turkish Prime so he is conducting a nationalist foiled, this time while he was Minister immediately reacted by campaign as attacks the Kurds, conducting a campaign tour in saying: “ The BDP is trying to who are accused of threatening the Kurdish region. A remote attain its objectives with the sup - national unity. As for the pro- controlled bomb containing 26 port of terrorists ”. Kurdish BDP party, “ it is flexing Kg of explosives was found and its muscles to show that it is defend - defused under a bridge, in Finally, on 6 May, the attack on ing its community ” (AFP Sirnak province, which the the Prime Minister’s cortège was prime Minister was due to cross claimed in a PKK communiqué: The clashes with the army are on his way to make an election “as a reprisal for the terror being continuing, with two PKK mem - speech. On 26 May a bomb exercised by the police of the bers shot down in Mardin, one attack took place, this time in Kurdish people ” (Firat News) stat - policeman killed and another Istanbul, causing 8 injured, two ing, oddly enough, that the tar - seriously injured during an of the seriously. The bomb was get was not the Prime Minster attack by the Kurdish movement placed on a two-wheeler and but the police. at Silopi on 7 May. exploded at 9 am under a bridge, near a bus stop, in a posh quar - At the same time, the PKK lead - On 13 May, twelve Kurdish ter on the European bank. “ The er, Abdullah Ocalan, threatened, guerrillas were killed while a explosion cost one woman her foot from his prison cell: “ Either seri - commando was trying to cross an another is suffering from burns ous negotiations will begin after 15 the Iraqi Kurdistan border near in the breathing system ” (Anatolia June or a great war will begin ”. Sirnak. On 14 May, a Turkish sol - News Agency). According to the However, as this is not the first dier was killed by a mine during security services, “ the fact that the time that this kind of ultimatum a sweep in the Hakkari explosion occurred near a police is made prior to an extension of Mountains. On 16 May, there school suggests that it probably was the cease-fire, the threat had lit - were demonstrations in several targeted at the police ”. Once again tle effect on the Turkish political towns throughout Turkish the Prime Minister implied that scene. As against this, the edito - Kurdistan to protest at the death the PKK could have been behind rial writer Mehmet Ali Birand, of these twelve Kurds, while this attack. SYRIA: THE KURDS DIVIDED BETWEEN HOPE FOR A CHANGE AND CAUTION till trying to put an Amude, but continued in other bring them if they have no rights? end to the demonstra - towns like Hassaké. Indeed, The neglect by the UN Security S tions taking place in some people consider that this Council and some Human Rights Syria by alternating measure is insufficient. Thus the Organisations regarding the use of force and “polit - Kurdish singer, Omar San, born Kurdish people’s rights is very ical gestures”, President Bashar in Afrin, declared on the regrettable ”. al-Assad officially restored their AKNews site that Syrian citizen - citizenship to 300,000 “stateless” ship alone is meaningless: “ The Similarly the Kurdish activist, Kurds on 2 May. When this was Kurds need many other things, Aras Yussuf considered that the announced, demonstrations going from electricity to health care. Kurds must see full recognition stopped at Qamishlo and What will this “hollow citizenship” all their rights as citizens living n° 314 • Mai 2011 Information and liaison bulletin • 3• in Syria. He pointed out that the As to the attitude of the Syrian Syria is facing heavy international granting of Syrian nationality Kurds towards the Syrian Arab pressure and the fact that many was only part of these rights. revolts, Reber considers that Kurds live on the other side of its Regarding the ending of demon - opinions are divided as the borders, either in Iraqi Kurdistan strations in Qamishlo and Kurds are waiting to see the way or Turkey and dissuaded it from Amude, Aras Yussuf also point - things develop. Having been adding another r flow of refugees ed out that as all the mobile tele - politically organised for decades who, in this case, would meet phone networks and other in Syria, most of them are mem - with support from compatriots as means of communications have bers of some organisation, either well as from Kurds living outside been cut, this alone could have political or of in defence of the Middle East. put a brake on street demonstra - human rights, they can easily tions. mobilise several thousands in Another sign of this “ Kurdish dis - the course of a day to demon - tancing ” with regard to the Arab However, even if Internet access strate in the towns. However the opposition is the announcement is even more restricted than in aims of the Syrian revolution of a boycott by Syrian Kurdish other Arab countries, a form of raise Kurdish expectations as a opposition groups of a meeting, resistance using Facebook and minority that is suspicious of that began on 31 May at Antalya, Tweetter does exist, and the Web both the Arab world and the of the principal Syrian Arab sites of free Kurdish organisa - Islamic fundamentalists. opposition groups — “spon - tions, be they from Iraqi sored” by Turkey. Kurdistan or the diaspora, relay Questioned by AKnews about this. Thus Kurdish Rights.org the fact that, for the first time The declared aims of this meet - gets round the censorship and ever, these Kurdish demonstra - ing are “ unite the energies ” of all supervision of the web to dis - tors were waving the Syrian flag Syrians, whatever be their ethnic play regularly the latest news and not that of Kurdistan, Reber or religious affiliations or politi - about demonstrations.