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Information and Liaison Bulletin INSTITUT KUDE RPARD IS E Information and liaison bulletin N°288 MARCH 2009 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: [email protected] Contents • MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS IN TURKEY: A DROP IN AKP VOTES, DTP GAINS IN THE KURDISH REGIONS • SYRIA: A BLOODY NEWROZ AND SERIOUS ATTACKS ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION • TURKEY: KURDISH LANGUAGE TEACHING IS IMPOSSIBLE ACCORDING TO ERDOGAN • IRAQ: THE FIRST VISIT OF A TURKISH HEAD OF STATE TO IRAQ FOR 34 YEARS • TURKEY: BRINGING THE “DEATH PITS” TO LIGHT RE- OPENS THE OLD WOUNDS OF THE DIRTY WAR • FILMS: “ I SAW THE SUN “ IS NOW BEING SCREENED IN TURKEY MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS IN TURKEY: A DROP IN AKP VOTES, DTP GAINS IN THE KURDISH REGIONS ith just over 31% of the declared that he would consider very popular, despite the vote the justice and anything less than 47% of the government’s declared intention W development party vote (the score he won in the of capturing this symbolic (AKP) remains the 2007 general elections) a setback. stronghold of Kurdish dominant party in “That’s not enough “ the Prime resistance. Another important Turkey, followed by the People’s Minister admitted on hearing town won by DTP, is Tunceli Republican Party ((CHP) the the results, “ We should learn a (Dersim) which elected the DTP principal opposition force in lesson from this “. at 30%, beating a local parliament that secured 23.3% of independent (24%). Note should, the vote and the nationalist In the Kurdish regions, the AKP however, be taken of the AKP action party (MHP) with 16.1% even lost ground to the DTP, score, (21%), in an Alevi region of the vote. which has won the city of Van, where distrust of Moslems, even and held on to Diyarbekir, where Kurdish ones, remains very This victory is, in fact, a semi the sitting mayor Osman persistent. defeat for the Prime Minister, Baydemir, won 65.43%. This Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had was not unexpected, as he is In Batman, the DTP had the • 2 • Information and liaison bulletin n° 288 • March 2009 same overwhelming victory, SHP, returned to the DTP fold voted mainly AKP (49%) and the with Necdet Atalay’s 59%, the with 51.84% of the vote as DTP won little support (5%), far AKP only managing to win in against 40.77% to the AKP. behind the Islamic Party (SP), 36%. At Siirt the DTP won 49%, the CHP and even the ultra- followed by the AKP with 45%. However, other important towns nationalist MHP (6%). Elazig, The most crushing victory won with Kurdish majorities were voted, unsurprisingly, AKP by the pro-Kurdish party was at won or held by the AKP: Mardin (47.76%) but the government Hakkari, with 79%. The (which also contains many party at least succeeded in candidate here, moreover, was a Arabs and from which the ousting the MHP (23%) that has woman, very new to the political Syriacs, i.e. Nestorian Christians, always been well established scene, who gave the AKP a bitter have left in mass) voted AKP by there. In Karamanmarash, lesson since it only won 15% of 45% as against 36% for the DTP; formerly an Alevi region but the votes this time, although it Bitlis chose the AKP by 43.1% seriously decimated by had won the Parliamentary seat against 34.43% for the DTP. At pogroms, the AKP overwhelmed in the 2007 general election. Mush, the AKPs soundly beat the MHP by 65.31% to 21.97 %. the DTP, with 51% as against Sirnak, another town that had 39%; similarly at Bingol, with suffered particularly badly from 42% for AKP against 34% for One election surprise was at the war and the JITM’s violent DTP. At Agri, there was less of a Urfa, which voted neither AKP abuses of power and which has difference: 39% for AKP as nor DTP but re-elected its again recently been shaken by against 32% for the DTP. At outgoing mayor by 44% against the discovery of mass graves, Kilis, a small region where the 39% for the AKP and only 10% also voted DTP with 53% against Syrian border cuts the Kurds for the DTP. He was standing as AKP’s 42%. Igdir, a Kurdish living there from their kinsmen an independent against the town at the foot of Mount in Afrin (Syrian Kurdistan), the official AKP candidate, pitch - Ararat, on the Armenian border, AKP beat MHP with 48%, and forked in from outside the area . gave the DTP 36.47% and the the DTP came virtually nowhere. AKP 32.33%. Finally there is Finally, in Istanbul Akin Birdal, Van, a major city that was lost by With regard to mixed Turkish- former President of the Human DTP in 2004 because of its Kurdish towns or ones with Rights Association, standing on unfortunate alliance with the Kurdish minorities: Adiyaman a DTP ticket, only won 4%. SYRIA: A BLOODY NEWROZ AND SERIOUS ATTACKS ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION he Kurdish Yekiti The reaction of the security On 16 March, the Security (Unity) party, services was almost immediate. Services kidnapped two Kurds T announced in a Ten minutes after the in the streets of Damascus, the communiqué the arrest demonstration had started, 26 of capital. Once again there is no of 26 of its members those taking part had been news of their fate. They are Fuad during a silent demonstration on arrested and carried of to Hassan Hussein, born 1982 in 28 February, in the Kurdish town detention. the town of Durbassa and Maher of Al-Jezira against the newly Hussein, a geography student at promulgated decree that forbids Yeketi also reported acts of Damascus University. anyone inhabiting the “borders repression against demonstrations, regions” (essentially the Kurdish all through the month. On 12 However, the climax of Syria’s regions) from buying, renting or March 30 Aleppo students tried repression of the Kurds remains building on their land on their to commemorate the 5 th the events at Newroz. This year, own land. This measure has Anniversary of the repression of the Kurdish political leaders had seriously damaged the economy the 2004 Newroz celebrations in been warned by the authorities of Syrian Kurdistan. The Kurds Qamishlo. They were arrested that they should not attend the see it as an underhand renewal and since then there has been no New Year celebrations. Those of the old plan of “Arabising” news of 4 of them: Bahzad warned included Abdul Hamid their region — a plan that was Muslim, Kawa Deqo, Alan Darwish, Secretary of the “frozen” but not repealed in the Hussein and Abdi Rami have Kurdish Progressive Democratic 70s. simply disappeared. Party and Ismail Omar, General n° 288 • March 2009 Information and liaison bulletin • 3• Secretary of the Kurdish festivities. Those who were guilty of independent and transparent Democratic Union, who then such useless acts of deadly enquiry ”. warned party’s’ against taking repression must be brought to part in the demonstrations. trial ”. Human Rights Watch recalls Other Kurdish movements, that, with regard to however, encouraged their Witnesses told Human Rights demonstrations, the security members not to give in to Watch (HRW) that about 200 forces should conform to United intimidation. people had gathered in a street Nations basic principals about in the Western part of Qamishlo the use of force and firearms. On 20 March, six people were around 6.30 pm. They lit candles These international criteria arrested at Hassaké, including along both sides of the street and recommend that police officers Osman Oso, a leader of the a bonfire in the middle around use non-violent means before Yekiti party’s Political which they started a Kurdish resorting to force and that even Committee. He was preparing folk dance. “ It was just a Newroz then it should be in proportion the Newroz celebrations with celebration, not a political to the seriousness of the other Kurds when about a demonstration ”, stated one of aggression. Security forces hundred police and Army these witnesses to the Human should only use lethal weapons officers suddenly appeared and Rights defence organisation. to protect their lives. destroyed the platform with bulldozers. Amongst them the The fire brigade then rushed up In Syria, repression covers any Kurds present recognised extinguish the fire while the form of open opposition, even General Yassar Selman al-Shofi. police and plain-clothes offices peaceful, and is also used In other towns, such as Turbaspi, threw tear gas at the celebrants against the media. Thus, a report Amude, Drik, Koban and and fired real bullets into the air by the Institute for War and Peace Romelan, the platforms to disperse them. Two of the on the situation of independent prepared for the celebrations witnesses told HRW that, when news in Syria gives a very tepid were similarly destroyed. the crowd refused to disperse, assessment on the liberalisation some men, in plain clothes of this in the country: ““While, In the Sheikh Maqsud and driving a pick-up of the same in the last eight years, the Ashrafié quarters of Aleppo, kind as commonly used by the Baathist regime has authorised a 10,000 police and security secret services, opened fire on certain amount of private media officers were deployed in the the crowd with rifles: “ without to appear, the strict limitations evening of 20 March and any warning, at ground level not in on the right of expression have arrested 120 Kurds who had lit the air and completely at random ”.
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