INSTITUT KURD E DE PARIS Information and liaison bulletin N°324 march 2012 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 Information and liaison bulletin Kurdish Institute of Paris Bulletin N° 324 March 2012 CONTENTS • TURKEY: NEWROZ IS CELEBRATED IN VIOLENCE THIS YEAR . • IRAQI KURDISTAN: TENSION IS RISING BETWEEN IRBIL AND BAGHDAD . • SYRIA: A KURDISH NEWROZ AND A SYRIAN SPRING. • TURKEY: THE ACAT REPORT ON TORTURE . • CULTURE: “ I WILL NOT STAND ALONE ” A NEW CD ALBUM BY KAYHAN KALHOR . TURKEY: NEWROZ IS CELEBRATED IN VIOLENCE THIS YEAR very year, the degree to trial of strength between the gov - equinox, it can, depending on which Newroz, the ernment and the Kurdish popula - the year, occur on the 20th or the Kurdish New Year, is tion than a celebration of the 21st, in all countries where it is E accepted by the Turkish arrival of Spring. an official public holiday, be it in authorities is a pretty Iran, Iraqi Kurdistan, Georgia certain indictor of the way the Indeed, this year the celebrations and a number of countries in the Kurdish question will be treated by were “limited” by the governor of Caucasus and Central Asia. As the government, which has alter - Diyarbekir, to the date of 21 for the Spring holidays and cele - nated, since 2000, between periods March, which was a Wednesday, brations, they can last a lot of openness and repression. whereas the Kurdish municipali - longer, stretching from one to ties and organisations, had most - three weeks in Iraqi Kurdistan or Since 2011 and the beginning of ly planned to organise concerts Iran. 2012 have seen a worsening of and rallies on the 18th, a Sunday, breaches of human rights and of which is not a working day. However, the ban was main - armed violence, as well as police However, the Turkish authorities, tained by the local authorities and judicial intimidation directed stating that Newroz is just on the while the BDP party stuck my its against Kurdish elected represen - 21st, used this date lag to ban any programme. Unsurprisingly tatives and political activists, earlier demonstrations. there were outbreaks of violence. intellectuals, journalists and aca - In Diyarbekir, the police used demics, it is not surprising that Yet, since Newroz is specifically tear gas grenades and water can - the 2012 Newroz was more like a set on the day of the spring nons against groups of demon - • 2 • Information and liaison bulletin n° 324 • March 2012 strators who were waving the increasing use of police in this Raci Bilici also pointed out the Kurdish flag and trying to reach kind of military operation, hith - increase recourse to torture and the esplanade near the city erto undertaken by troops and ill treatment in the prisons. The walls. They were unable to stop the gendarmerie. State is also accused of having the 5,000 strong march, accord - provided insufficient aid to the ing to AFP correspondents on A few days later, 15 women, all homeless people and other vic - the spot. Several clashes took PKK fighters, were killed during tims of the Van earthquake, place in the surrounding neigh - clashes with “village guardians” whereas the inhabitants had bourhoods and Molotov cock - (pro-government militia) at received considerable assistance tails were thrown at the police. Bitlis. from the Regional Government of Iraqi Kurdistan. In Istanbul, groups of Kurdish The outcome of this Spring cele - activists were stopped by the bration thus marks the end of The figures of the IHD report for police as they were trying to the AKP governments moderate 2011 are as follows: reach Kazlicesm Square, where “opening” to the Kurdish ques - - 149 members of the security the Peace and Democracy Party tion and rather would announce forces killed and 295 wound - (BDP, the main Kurdish political the renewal of military strategies ed by bullets organisation in Turkey) had and police repression in Turkish - 189 PKK fighters are said to planned to organise the celebra - Kurdistan. have been killed and 6 tions. In response, many set up wounded. barricades and threw stones at In any case, the year 2011 was a - regarding civilian victims, the police. A group of BDP very black one for human rights 129 people were killed and Members of Parliament were in Turkey. On 2 March, the 259 wounded in attacks by dispersed by tear gas and water Diyarbekir office of the Human “persons unknown”, extra- cannons. The Governor of Rights Association (IHD) pub - judicial executions and vio - Istanbul, Huseyin Avni Mutlu lished a report on Human Rights lence with firearms. Mines reported 7 injured, including 2 violations committed at local and bomb attacks caused police and 106 arrests. level. In the course of 2011, another 6 deaths and 49 29,366 such violations occurred injured. Clashes continued throughout as against 23,520 in 2010. The - 45 people died of wounds Newroz week . On 20 March, in report notes the market increase through neglect or faults by Batman, violent clashes between in the use of firearms against the State by the organs. police and demonstrators caused civilians and a spectacular - 1917 people were jailed and 15 injured, one of them serious - increase in the number of arrests 6306 taken into detention. ly. At Cizre (Sirnak Province) and of the use of torture and - 1555 cases of torture or inhu - and at Yuksekova, several police inhuman treatment. man treatment have been came under fire from assault recorded rifles and one of them, seriously The Secretary of the Diyarbekir - 1421 cases of breaches of the wounded, died in hospital. IHD, Raci Bilici, described the human rights of prisoners year 2011 as one of “ intensified have been recorded, 932 peo - However, these acts of violence war ” instead of a search for a ple were wounded by the were not limited to street fight - peaceful solution to the police during demonstra - ing as on 21 March other police Kurdish problem. The present tions. forces were confronted by PKK climate reminds him of the - 4496 asylum seekers and fighters near Mount Cudî 1990s, in which the Kurdish immigrants have been (Sirnak Province): 6 of them regions had become “ a concen - detained were killed and 5 others wound - tration camp ” for the politi - - 4 villages have been burnt ed. This was during mountain cians, journalists, lawyers, stu - down and forcibly evacuated mopping up operations carried dents, trade unionists and - inally complaints have been out jointly by the army and the human rights defenders, nearly registered regarding 1699 police, with air and helicopter all of whom ended up behind people who have “disap - support. Political commentators bars if they were not simply peared” or been found in 111 stressed, in this connection, the assassinated. mass graves. n° 324 • March 2012 Information and liaison bulletin • 3• IRAQI KURDISTAN: TENSION IS RISING BETWEEN IRBIL AND BAGHDAD he interminable conflict “Kurdistan is part of Iraq and many Iraqi governments attitude to the between Iraq and the firms are investing in Iraqi Kurds’ successes: Kurdish Region over Kurdistan, so I do not see why Total T oil operations is contin - cannot do the same. We are thus look - “The leaders in the central govern - uing and following the ing at opportunities, we are dis - ment who refuse to accept these con - lines of the overall political and cussing, but we have not yet finalised tracts are failures who have been diplomatic relations between Irbil anything ”. unable to give Iraq what we are giv - and Baghdad — which have also ing in Kurdistan. They want us tended to become more acrimo - He also, moreover, indicated that down to their level. The problem is nious. he was considering making not these contracts nor is it the agreements with companies Constitution but just that they do not Last autumn a major US compa - already having permits to explore want the region to develop ”. ny, Exxon Mobile, had triggered for hydrocarbons in Kurdistan so off a sharp controversy by as to take part in their prospect - Two days later, an Iraqi govern - announcing it had signed a con - ing projects but “ in all cases, the ment spokesman announced that tract with Iraqi Kurdistan cover - agreement of the Kurdistan govern - Exxon, in a letter to the Iraqi Oil ing exploratory drilling of six oil - ment is needed ”. Ministry, was giving up the con - fields, without sought prior tract signed wit h the Kurds. agreement from the Baghdad, On 15 March, the President of the However, this news was straight which the central government Kurdish Region, Massud Barzani, away denied by the Kurdish always demands. The latter had accused Iraq, in a communiqué Presidency, through its General threatened the to cancel a contract on his official web site, of min - Secretary Fuad Hussein, who between Exxon and Iraq regard - imising oil exports from Iraqi pointed out, to AFP, that “ the ing the West Qurna oilfield in Kurdistan. ExxonMibile oil company is still Southern Iraq. working in Kurdistan and has made “Kurdistan has been exporting not statement to the Kurdish govern - The Americans had adopted a 90,000 to 100,000 barrels a day since ment regarding any freezing of its cautious and indecisive attitude, the start of the year, but Baghdad activity in Kurdistan.