Proposed Military Strike on Syria

[John Dolva]

If the US was serious about re-evaluating not only how it fights terrorism but how terrorism is spread, it would begin by looking in the mirror as its counter-terrorism strategy that foments terrorism abroad, geopolitical analyst Eric Draitser told RT.

RT: US President Obama has ordered a review of the US hostage policy after the latest beheading of an American citizen by ISIS. Can we expect some serious changes?

Eric Draitser: There is going to be a review of some of the policies, protocols and procedures, but of course this is yet another hollow review, yet another hollow investigation or probe or whatever the new term they are going to be using. We have a very clear precedent for this - a few months ago President Obama ordered the CIA to conduct an internal investigation into their protocols and procedures with regard to arming so-called “freedom fighters” around the world. The CIA came back with the result showing that in their study they concluded that such a policy is almost always a failure, that it almost always leads to continued problems. Now pass forward three months later with the results of such an investigation what does Obama do? He announces the policy to expand the arming of rebels in Syria. So again, these sorts of investigation, such as the one that is being suggested now, are really for domestic political consumption, they are to give an illusion that the Obama Administration is responsive to the anger and frustration that it feels from a variety of corners, when in reality it is utterly disingenuous. The Obama Administration really has reached new heights of disingenuousness.

RT: Would the situation with taking hostages change for the better? Will there be fewer of them or more actions taken by the US government aimed at freeing hostages?

ED: Likely it will not change, however we should be cautious to remember that the hostages that have been taken – that is not like we have a wave, an epidemic of people coming into the US and taking hostages. These hostages are taken in places where the US is actively aggressive against other nations, be it Iraq, and be it Syria, Afghanistan or what have you. Really what the US should be examining are its own policies – its foreign policy, its political agenda – and how those policies fill into hostage taking, kidnapping, other forms of terrorism. If the US were serious about trying to not only put a stop on hostage taking but in re-evaluating all of its policies, it would begin with its foreign policy.

RT: The beheaded hostages had no connection to military service - they were journalists, aid workers. Who is to blame for their deaths? Is there a direct connection with US-led coalition anti-ISIS strategy?

ED: Absolutely, because of course the US counter-terrorism strategy is to create terrorism, it is to foment terrorism abroad as we have seen this in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. It is also to feed into terror hysteria at home and to use terrorism as yet another tool by which the US can promote and further its agenda, be it political, economic or social agenda. We just saw this week the defeat of the overhaul bill for NSA. The only reason of such a bill to be possibly defeated is fear, fear stoked by the so-called counter-terrorism policy that the US enacts. Again, if the US was serious about re-evaluating not only how it fights terrorism but how terrorism is spread, the US would begin by looking in the mirror because of course it is Washington, it is US policy that is the number one driver of terrorism in the Middle East and around the world.

[John Dolva]

Rojava's Revolution--A beginner's guide for Amercans

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News from the common-front struggle against ISIS and Rojava's revolution

We have not run an up-to-date report from revolutionary Rojava and Kobanê for several days now, and it will not be possible for us to bring readers up to date on all of the events which have taken place since our last report, but we offer the following items.

Today's reports

The YPG (Rojava's heroic People's Defense Units) Press Center has reported that the on-going fighting in Kobanê has continued into the 65th day. The statement said that YPG/YPJ (People's/ Women's Defense Forces) units were continuing their operations against the ISIS groups in and around Kobanê. As the fighting enters the 66th day, YPG and YPJ fighters are resisting on 3 fronts---the eastern, southern and western fronts.

On the eastern front of Kobanê, fighting raged between YPG forces and ISIS groups for a short time. Three gang members were killed in the area southeast of Kobanê. YPG units yesterday hit ISIS groups positioned between the villages of Sheikh Topal and Helinj in this area. An ISIS vehicle was destroyed and 2 ISIS fighters were killed there.

On the southern front, YPG forces captured a number of weapons and ammunition and several explosive devices were defused.

YPG forces also carried out several operations against the ISIS gangs to the west of Kobanê. In the Mazra village YPG units destroyed a vehicle, killed 8 ISIS gang members and injured another one. ISIS gangs attempted a counter-attack on YPG positions but YPG forces were able to repel the offensive.

YPG/YPJ fighters on the southwestern front are continuing to resist ISIS attacks. On this front there are fierce clashes at night while there is constant sniper fire during the day. YPJ fighter Viyan Avareş, who is fighting with 2 sisters in Kobanê, said, “We will resist to the end for Kobanê and victory will be ours.” YPG fighter Zinar Kobanê called on his peers to return to Kobanê to join the struggle.

YPJ fighter Viyan Avareş is on the southwestern front with 2 of her sisters, while their father is working in logistics behind the lines. Viyan Avareş said, "Although the gangs have tried hard to break down our resistance they have not succeeded. We are fighting with high morale, and although the gangs wanted to take Kobanê they have not been able to achieve anything." She added that there has been fighting since 2011, saying, "We were near Tel Abyad. They attacked us with tanks. We responded with our AK47s. We will not abandon Kobanê. We will fight to the last house and victory will be ours.”

Viyan said that some of her friends died before she joined the YPJ. “After they died I could not just sit at home. My father agreed and he took the three of us by the hand and delivered us to the YPJ, wishing us success,” she said.

She also said that it is mainly women fighting on the southwestern front, adding, "When we attack the enemy is frightened by our ululations. We will never abandon this place. Our people who have gone to the North should come back and fight with us. We will triumph.”

Zinar Kobanê, who is fighting side-by-side with Viyan Avareş, said that the situation at the front was good and that the gangs had not been able to achieve anything. He called on his peers who had gone to Iraq and Turkey to return to Kobanê to join the struggle.

Twelve Êzîdî youths at Mount Sinjar have joined the ranks of the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS, Yekîneyên Berxwedana Şengalê) to fight the ISIS gangs that are continuing their attacks in the Sinjar region which they entered on August 3. A military ceremony was held to mark the participation of the new graduates of the Derwêşê Evdî Academy where they were provided with military and ideological instruction organized in the name of Martyr Zinar.

Thirty-three young people have joined the YPG after finishing their training at the Martyr Xebat Academy affiliated to the YPG in Efrîn. A miltary ceremony was held for the new graduates of the Academy where they were provided with military and ideological instruction organized in the name of Martyr Sîwar. The ceremony began with one minute's silence in memory of martyred revolutionaries. A YPG commander drew attention to the attacks and threats that the Rojava Revolution is facing, and called on all young people to fulfill their responsibility to defend their people and lands. The new fighters joined the YPG ranks after taking the pledge of allegiance to the values of the revolution and the people.

Recent news

It was announced yesterday that YPG/YPJ fighters were making effective attacks in the Sukul Hal and Municipality areas. Twenty-three ISIS gang members, including two ISIS leaders known as Ebu Harîf and Seyfûl Îslam, were killed as YPG forces targeted and took control of an area occupied by ISIS in the Municipality Street area. Large quantities of ammunition belonging to the gangs were also seized. Four ISIS fighters were killed in an attack launched by YPG fighters in Sukul Hal region. A YPG attack on the road going to the Celebiye village, 30 km southeast of Kobanê, took the lives of 6 ISIS gang members and 2 vehicles of theirs were blown up and their arms were seized. On the southern front at least 2 gang members were killed. On the western front YPG/ YPJ fighters targeted ISIS forces around the villages of Minaze and Izea in west Kobanê. Seven ISIS fighters were killed there.

Forty-eight-year-old civilian Ehmed Mihemed İsmail was killed when ISIS gangs hit west Kobanî town mid-week. Ehmed Mihemed İsmail, a father of six from the village of Xurxurê, was killed by ISIS heavy weapons fire targeting people. In Kobani's town center and the civilian areas in the Tal Shair region ISIS mortar attacks aimed at civilians killed four civilians, including children, and wounded 16 others early this week.

In fighting around Serêkaniyê an expansive attack was carried out against the ISIS gangs in an area between Alya and Til Temir. Two ISIS vehicles were destroyed and at least 5 ISIS fighters were killed in the attack. Additional clashes followed. Another action aimed at ISIS near Mebruka and Dehma in southwest Serêkaniyê left 1 ISIS gang member dead and 1 other wounded. ISIS emir Ebu al-Khetab was killed in a YPG operation in the Mebrûka town of Serêkaniyê when the YPG forces set a trap in an operation against ISIS in Serêkaniyê and killed 8 ISIS fighters.

The liberation movement's allies

Ebu Leyla, Commander of the Shams Al Shamal Battalion affiliated with the Fajr al-Hurriya brigade under the roof of the Burkan Al Fırat joint operations center, told ANHA (Hawar News Agency) earlier this week that they have joined Burkan Al Fırat for a democratic and free future and the re-establishment of unity among all peoples in Syria. He underlined that ending the terror and creating an honorable life was the purpose of the fight they are waging alongside of the YPG and against the ISIS.

The Commander of the Shams Al Shamal stated that their forces are fighting ISIS in Al-Bab, Minbic, Jarablus, Shirrin, Al-Shıyuz and many other parts of Syria in coordination with the YPG. Ebu Leyla said, "Our forces are fighting the gangs since the establishment of the Burkan Al Fırat Joint Operations Center. We promised to the YPG, who have played a major role in the fight against terror and the defense of the peoples, to never leave Kobanê alone. We will be fighting alongside the YPG till the victory."

Ebu Leyla stated that they have been able to repulse the ISIS attacks thanks to the spirit of unity and determination, and despite restricted opportunities, adding, "We have been standing by the YPG and taking part in the Kobanê resistance for two months now. With kalashnikov rifles and hand grenades, we are repulsing the ISIS attacks with tanks and heavy weapons."

The Burkan Al Fırat Commander called on international powers to support them in the fight against the ISIS and to provide heavy weaponry and ammunition in order to stop ISIS attacks before they cause more damage.

Abu Leyla emphasized that it is crucial to open a border crossing in order to deliver aid to Kobanê's civilians.

The YPG, the defence force of Rojava , the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and certain other armed opposition groups established the Joint Action Center Against ISIS in the Euphrates area in mid-September. The group called "Burkan Al Firat" aims to liberate areas under ISIS control and involves or works with all active forces in the region.

Burkan Al Firat was set up to fight the gangs of Al Baghdadi (the ISIS chief) and includes the Liwa Al Tawhid (East branch), Liwa Al Siwar Al Raka, Shams Al Shamal brigades linked to the Fajr al-Hurriya brigades, People's Defence Units (YPG), YPJ, Seraya Jarablus, Liwa Japhat Al-Akrad, Siwar Umunaa Al Raka, Al Kasas Army and Liwa Al Cihad Fi Sebilillah fighting forces.

The US-led anti-ISIS coalition bombings

On Saturday it was reported that fighter jets of the US-led anti-ISIS coalition carried out 17 airstrikes against ISIS in and around Kobanî. CENTCOM released a statement detailing its operations against ISIS and the Khorasan group. According to the statement, between the dates of November 12-14, CENTCOM carried out 35 airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq and Syria and 1 airstrike against the Khorasan group. CENTCOM stated that 17 of the 35 airstrikes against ISIS were carried out in the center and surrounding regions of the town of Kobanî. In these attacks, 10 ISIS fighting positions, 10 ISIS fighting units, 1 ISIS building, 2 ISIS vehicles and an ISIS motorcycle were destroyed.

From Rojava's revolution

In Dêrik city (Rojava's Cizîre Canton) 200 citizens have so far registered for self-defense training at the defense center in the city. After the Cizîre Canton Executive Assembly approved law of self-defense, which requiores all young people to join Rojava's YPG and YPJ, many centers were opened for registration of young people. Leaders of the Dêrik center distributed 1900 leaflets informing the citizens of the law and self-defense and tens of young people have come to the center to register.

Another commune has been established by women in the Hilêliyê neighborhood of Qamişlo. The Martyr Sultan Commune was opened earlier this week with a meeting organized by women in Hilêliyê. The meeting started with a minute's silence to commemorate the martyrs. A Yekîtiya Star (Rojava Women's Union) leader, Têkoşîn Berîn, gave a speech drawing attention to the importance of such communes and the role of women in running the communes. Têkoşîn Berfîn stressed that women are organizing, managing their own organizations and resolving their problems. "We need our own women's communes. Rojava's revolution is known as the revolution of women. Women must have their own organizations in the revolution," she said.

After Berfîn's talk, defense, education, finance and reconciliation committees of the commune were established. Three women were elected as the chair and deputy chairs of the commune.

Chemical weapons, a needed corridor and the peshmerga

A word must said about the danger of chemical weapons at this point. It is widely feared in Rojava that ISIS may use chemical weapons in a desperate response to the losses they are taking in and around Rojava.

The historic resistance of the Kobanê Canton of Rojava against the attacks of ISIS gangs is continuing and Kobanê's resistance is growing every day, with all elected representatives in the canton taking up arms. Kobanê Canton's Foreign Minister Ibrahim Kurdo, stressing that after 2 months of resistance in Kobanê the ISIS gangs are in retreat, added, “We are worried they may use chemical weapons as their attacks have been thwarted and they are retreating. They have resorted to this before against our fighters. We therefore need a corridor to be opened urgently to enable us to protect civilians and resist the gangs.”

Foreign Minister Ibrahim Kurdo also said they had no information regarding the fate of people captured by the ISIS gangs as they wrought havoc in villages during their advance on Kobanê. He said that the resistance has halted the gangs’ advance on the eastern and southern fronts, adding that the neighbourhoods occupied by the gangs have been destroyed. Ibrahim Kurdo said that the resistance of the Kurdish people in Kobanê has caught the imagination of the world, and helped unite the four parts of Kurdistan, adding, “We don’t have heavy weaponry to oppose ISIS. The air strikes have make a significant contribution to the resistance, but we urgently need effective weapons to defend the people against ISIS attacks. Despite this, our determined resistance is continuing.”

Foreign Minister Kurdo said that people from all 4 parts of Kurdistan are involved in the resistance in Kobanê, adding that no one apart from the Kurdish people had been able to withstand ISIS. He said that the Kurdish people are fighting on behalf of the world, adding, “The whole world knows these gangs are enemies of humanity who cause destruction wherever they go. Only the Kurdish people have stood up to them. We are waging a struggle for humanity. We hope to be able to live together with Turks, Alawites, Syriacs and Arabs. We want to live in a democratic Syria. We don’t want to secede. We want to live in peace with everyone.”

Ibrahim Kurdo said that the arrival of the Peshmerga in Kobanê opened the way to unity, adding, “This is conducive to the formation of a joint force to foil possible attacks on the Kurdish people. Our peshmerga friends who are fighting in Kobanê do not see themselves as separate from Kobanê. They are our brothers who are fighting side by side with us. We are proud of this. It is a significant step towards the unity of the Kurdish people.”

Posted by Urun Harvest at 11:41 AM No comments:

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Workplace fatalities, company retaliation and modern-day slavery in Turkey today

Workplace fatalities

* An explosion of a steam boiler in a textile production and industrial-sized laundry facility in Antalya killed two workers and hurt at least 10 other people this morning. The two dead workers are women. Some reports are saying that as many as 17 others were injured, with two of these people in critical condition. Most of the people injured are women workers.

Funeral for miners

* Funerals were held today for 8 mine workers who were killed in the mine near Ermenek on October 28. Turkey’s top religious official called on employers to provide safe work for all workers.

Ten of the 18 mine worker's bodies trapped in the flood and cave-in that hit the mine have been recovered. Two were previously buried. The 8 whose bodies were recovered today have been identified through DNA testing. The last eight missing mine worker's have not yet been located.

“I am calling out to all our businessmen, to our employers. Just like failing to give workers what they are owed before their sweat goes cold or stealing the labor that they have put in is a sin, it is also a sin to put their lives at risk by not providing them with work safety in the interests of cutting costs,” said Directorate for Religious Affairs (Diyanet) head Mehmet Görmez at the funeral.

Şadiye Çoksöyler, who is mourning her husband, also condemned the owners of the mine. “You took my husband. I will hold you to account,” she said to Turkish media.

The eight recovered miners were identified as Hüsnü Çolak, Hüseyin Çolak, Tezcan Gökçe, Uğur İlhan, İsmail Gürses, Bahri Üzer, Mehmet Tokat and Osman Çoksöyler.

Retaliation against miners

Meanwhile, 28 workers have been laid-off at a mine in Manisa belonging to the Soma Coal Company, which runs the mine where at least 301 mine workers were killed in May. Buses carrying workers to the mine were halted this morning ad the 28 mine workers were told that they had been laid-off. One of the unions has said that this is an illegal firing and the liberal parliamentary opposition has charged that the workers are being retaliated against for having testified against the company.

Slavery today

A report by the Australia-based Walk Free Foundation ranks Turkey at 105 out of 167 countries in terms of the fraction of the population trapped in modern-day slavery. In terms of the absolute figures for modern slavery, however, Turkey came in at 28 on the list, with an estimated 185,500 people in such conditions.

Modern slavery is defined in the report as "one person possessing or controlling another person in such as a way as to significantly deprive that person of their individual liberty, with the intention of exploiting that person through their use, management, profit, transfer or disposal."

The Walk Free Foundation report also ranks countries by their governments' response to the problem of modern slavery. Turkey was ranked at 82 on this list, indicating that "the government has a limited response to modern slavery, with limited victim support services, a criminal justice framework that criminalizes some forms of modern slavery, has a national action plan and/or national coordination body, and has policies that provide some protections for those vulnerable to modern slavery."

In specific comments on Turkey, the report says that in 2014 the country "recorded the highest absolute numbers of modern slavery in the region [Europe], reflecting high numbers of child marriage, forced labor and trafficking for sexual exploitation."

The US State Department's 2014 Trafficking in Persons report stated that "following government restructuring of its anti-trafficking program and a shift in leadership's priorities, the Turkish government's efforts to fight trafficking dropped precipitously...The Turkish interagency national taskforce on combating human trafficking has not met since 2012, and a draft comprehensive framework was again not enacted."

This drop in the government response to human trafficking in particular seems to be corroborated by the Foreign Ministry's website, which only features figures on the crime from 2004 to 2007.

The US ranked 145th on the list, with approximately 60,100 people considered enslaved.

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State repression in Turkey and North Kurdistan

We have the following reports today on political repression in Turkey and North Kurdistan.

Slandering the Gezi resistance

Justice and Development Party (AKP, Turkey's ruling reactionary party) Deputy Chair Yasin Aktay has claimed that “certain countries”---the Gulf Countries, in this case, and some other unnamed countries---opposed an integration agreement signed in 2010 between Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan and sought to overthrow the Turkish government with a coup last year, supporting the Gezi protests. Aktay went further and said, "“(The Gulf countries) attempted to support the Gezi movement in Turkey, too. These were extremely professional protesters. A very carefully prepared and sponsored project was implemented in Turkey.”

It seems remarkable to us that the Turkish government and ruling party is still analyzing the Gezi resistance and seeking to assign blame. Even mainstream media has noted that the “interest rate lobby,” the “Jewish diaspora” and German national air carrier Lufthansa have all been blamed for the people's movement.

Racist attacks on students

We heard yesterday that two Kurdish students in Çanakkale were targeted by a racist attack and one of them has been detained by soldiers. Selahattin Öztekin and Volkan Tan were attacked by a racist group of seven people while on their way home from school yesterday evening. Selahattin Öztekin suffered a serious head wound in the attack and Volkan Tan was taken into custody by soldiers and taken to Biga Gendarme Command.

More arrests

Seventeen members of the ESP (Socialist Party of the Oppressed) were taken into custody in Istanbul early this morning. Police raided homes in the Gaziosmanpaşa, Sultangazi, Sancaktepe and Eyüp districts and the ESP's Sancaktepe office as well.

A police operation in the Taşlıçay (Avkevir) district of Ağrı has resulted in the detention of four people there, including a leader of the HDP (Peoples' Democratic Party) district organization.

Police also raided a number of houses in the Patnos district in the very early hours of the morning. Eight people, including DBP (Party of Democratic Regions) general assembly member Atilla Uygar, have been detained there. Two teenagers were also taken into custody in house raids in the village of Kurdegöz.

The operations came in response to the people's protests in early October. The people who have been detained have been taken to the district police headquarters.

Prisoner's rights

HDP Co-Deputy President Meral Danış Beştaş issued a statement regarding the violation of prisoners’ rights. Meral Danış Beştaş said that the AKP's policy of isolating political prisoners is continuing, saying that the Ministry has sent a directive to prisons stating that publications not provided by distribution companies cannot be given to prisoners. She called on the government to abandon this policy.

Meral Danış Beştaş noted that the government is trying to isolate political prisoners, saying that the most recent example is a directive sent to prisons regarding the prohibition of publications not distributed by the large distribution companies. She added, "This latest directive, which takes away the right of political prisoners to access news and express their opinions, ignores existing legislation, which is itself insufficient. Publications which are not banned cannot be prevented from reaching individuals. It is unacceptable for the Ministry to give prisons this right.” She also said that the aim of these measures is to put pressure on political prisoners and further increase their isolation.

Meral Danış Beştaş said that the HDP's Law and Human Rights Commission will take legal action regarding this and similar illegal measures in the prisons, and called on the government, the Ministry of Justice and the Directorate of Prisons to immediately abandon this illegal restriction on the right to freedom of expression and the right to receive news.

Two additional and serious items

The village of Miseynter in Suruç, where a solidarity border vigil has been maintained for several days, was encircled by the Turkish army today. Turkish military armored vehicles entered the village and soldiers demanded that vigil tents be removed from the village within 30 minutes. People's Democratic Party (HDP) MPs Nursel Aydoğan, Sabahat Tuncel, Ayla Ata Akat and İbrahim Ayhan held a meeting with officers. Dozens of soldiers in 7 armored vehicles and a water cannon threatened reporters, saying, "This is a war zone. Filming is prohibited. You must leave.” The cameras of foreign activists were seized and pictures were deleted. We have no further word.

Also, special police operation teams raided the house of female Gün TV workers in Amed/Diyarbaki last night. More than 25 policemen took part in raid and broke down the doors of the building and the house the in Mevlana Halit neighborhood. Police ransacked the house as they searched it in detail for three hours while holding a gun on the people inside.

A Gün TV worker, Kübra Söylemez, was taken into custody because of a legal action filed against her earlier. She was taken to police headquarters and is expected to be referred to the Diyarbakır public prosecution office.

Gün TV worker Selamet Turan, who was in the house during the raid, said, "They broke the door and got in before I reached it to open. Apart from several, all were wearing a mask. They got us on the ground and put Kübra in handcuffs. They forced all of us into a room and searched all the house in detail. They scattered everything around. They stayed in the house for three hours and didn't allow us to speak at all. They held a gun to our head.”

[John Dolva]

Thursday, November 20, 2014

News from the common-front struggle against ISIS today

We have the following items to report from the common-front struggle against ISIS in and around Rojava.

* It was announced yesterday that an airstrike by the international coalition in Nineveh hit and killed the ISIS Minister of War. IraqiNews.com reported that “An airstrike by the international coalition targeted on Wednesday evening a vehicle belongs to the ISIL that resulted in killing the former Amir of Mosul and the current Minister of War within ISIS and three of his companions in Suq al-Maash of western Mosul.”

* The YPG (Rojava's heroic People's Defense Units) has reported that the ISIS attacks on Kobanê town continued yesterday into the 66th day. According to the YPG statement, the ISIS assault force has been restrained and YPG/YPJ (People's/Women's Defense Forces) units are continuing operations against the ISIS gangs who are continuing their mortar attacks on the town center.

On the eastern front of Kobanê, YPG units have conducted a series of operations against the ISIS groups positioned around Sukul Hal, Municipality Street and Azadi Square, killing 7 fighters in attacks that targeted three separate locations.

On the southern front, YPG forces carried out an operation on an area occupied by ISIS, killing 9 ISIS fighters and destroying a vehicle of theirs.

One YPG/YPJ fighter has fallen fighting in the last day of clashes.

* A conference on “The Middle East and the Êzîdîs” organized in the European Parliament has concluded with the publication of a final resolution, calling for assistance from international powers. The conference, jointly organized in Brussels by the People's Democracy Party (HDP), the Federation of Êzîdî Associations and the Brussels Kurdish Institute was hosted by MEP Ana Gomes from the Social Democratic Group.

In the final resolution it was noted that the Êzîdîs are the most ancient community in the Middle East, and that with the August 3 attack by ISIS on Sinjar at least 5,000 people were killed and as many abducted. “Thousands of women were raped and then sold openly in markets. While 10,000 people remain on Mount Sinjar, under attack from ISIS, 350,000 have fled their homes and been scattered throughout the region. As a community the Êzîdîs have experienced a serious trauma and face annihilation. It is the duty of all humanity, but particularly international powers, to protect this community and prevent its destruction,” the statement says.

The following resolutions were passed at the conference:

- Urgent assistance is needed for all displaced Êzîdîs, first and foremost those stranded on Mount Sinjar.

- Mobilization to ensure the rescue and liberation of abducted Êzîdîs.

- For the massacre to be recognized as a genocide and for the perpetrators to be tried in an international criminal court.

- For all efforts to be made for the liberation of Mount Sinjar and for support to be provided to the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBŞ).

- For an international fund to be set up in order to help the Êzîdîs return to their lands and for the infrastructure there to be restored.

- For an autonomous Êzîdî region to be established in order for a just and lasting political solution to be secured in the Kurdistan region.

- For support to be given to the demands of the Assyrian-Syriac people for autonomy in order to live in a democratic and secure way.

- For aid provided by the European Union to be conveyed to refugees in North Kurdistan through the Union of GAP Municipalities (GABB).

* The funeral of YPG fighter Hesen Nurî, who lost his life during the clashes with ISIS gangs in Kobanê, was attended by thousands of people in the Suruç district of Urfa. Speaking at the funeral ceremony, Kobanê MEYA-DER (Mesopotamia Association of Assistance and Solidarity for Families with Lost Relatives) member Osman Sime said, "Today is the day of honour, pride and heroism. Let's take our stand at the front and resistance. We can liberate Kobanê and Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan only in this way."

The crowd attending the funeral included leaders of the Party of Democratic Regions (DBP) and the People's Democratic Party (HDP), MEYA-DER leaders, Democratic Society Congress (DTK) General Council member Seydi Fırat, HDP leader Mehmet Doymaz, Kobanê MEYA-DER member Osman Sime and activists of the Peace Mothers Assembly.

As a massive march proceeded to the cemetery the flags of the PKK (Kurdistan Worker's Party) and the YPG and posters of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan were displayed by YPG/YPJ fighters. The children of these YPG fighters were at the forefront of funeral ceremony. The crowd frequently chanted "Long Live Apo!", "Long live the resistance of the YPG!", "Kurdistan will become a grave for ISIS!" and "Martyrs are immortal!" as they marched. "Apo" refers to Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdish liberation movement.

One minute of silence was held in the district center in memory of all those who have lost their lives in the struggle of freedom and democracy. The Kurdish national march "Çerxa Şoreşê" was read. Then Hesen Nurî's body was laid to rest under the slogan of "Şehid namirin" ("Martyrs are immortal" or "Rest in peace" might be the best translations).

Posted by Urun Harvest at 8:24 PM No comments:

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Hearing Efrîn

We are trying to increase our coverage of Rojava's revolution. The following article from DİHA gives an excellent view into the situation in Rojava's Efrîn (Afrin) canton. We have not edited the article.

EFRÎN (DİHA) - The following article – “Efrîn’i duymak“ – was written by M. Ali Çelebi and appeared in Özgür Gündem. It has been translated into English below.

Think about a time in your childhood when you once had a fever and how you would close your eyes trembling and groaning when the fever would not abate despite all those warm showers and cold towels. Or think about a time when you hit your head against something hard, or you swallowed a battery and an x-ray machine was quickly able to locate the battery and surgery was able to remove it before the alkaline or mercury put your life in danger. Now think about a situation in which everyone mobilizes and rushes the child to the nearest hospital only to hear that the x-ray or tomography machine is broken and there is nothing to be done. And then think about the hopelessness of this situation. Does this not tear at your heart and at your mind like a razor?

This is exactly what the Efrîn (Afrin) Canton is being made to experience, simply for having as its rallying cry a philosophy of democracy, freedom and the equality of all people. In Efrîn, where the Baath dictatorship provided no services and made no investment in an attempt to destroy its identity, there is just one hospital and a few insufficient health units. They say there are no dialysis machines, x-rays or tomographs in Efrîn. There is not even a delivery room. The doctors are working tirelessly and unselfishly. However you can imagine what happens to families and doctors the moment when someone dies of a basic illness owing to the limited means.

This is to say that Efrîn is being punished with an embargo implemented by Turkey because it took steps to determine its own fate in July 2012.

Where Efrîn has an estimated population of between 500-600 before the revolution it became the destination for migrants fleeing fighting in other areas. It is estimated that number of people now living in the Rojava canton has reached 1 million 200 thousand. Up to 90 percent of Efrîn’s population is Kurdish, around 10 percent in Arab. Within the city there is only one Alawite Arab village. All the peoples of the canton participate together in the canton administration and organizations. There is a weekly newspaper that serves as the voice of the city. However the surrounding powers, with their colonialist mentality, have implemented an embargo through their local proxies in order to crush the developments occurring here and now and then send their proxies to attack. While Turkey controls the border with Efrîn, the areas around Azaz and Aleppo are under the control of jihadist groups and Assad’s forces.

The border gate from İslahiye must be opened:

In order to get Turkey, which is implementing the embargo, to open the border-gate to Efrîn from Antep-İslahiye (the area around the unused railway) and to develop economic and political relations the Efrîn Canton Government (President Hevi Mistefa, Foreign Minister Sileman Cafer and Deputy Foreign Minister Cihan Mihemmed) came to Ankara. From there they went to Istanbul and met with civil society organizations in the Cezayir restaurant [in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul]. They explained how the mentality of discrimination completely disregarded human life. Hevi Mistefa wanted support from the representatıves of the civil society organizations he addressed in order to open the border gate and lift the embargo.

Here are the bullet-points from Hevi Mistefa’s talk:

-With refugees the population has doubled. It is difficult for us to cope.

-We haven’t been able to make Efrîn’s voice heard. External support is lacking. There has been an embargo imposed against us. Our people are paying the price. They are living under very difficult conditions. There in an insufficient amount of necessary goods.

-The border gate must be opened. In particular there is a need for medical aid. Medical supplies are very limited. Medicine is not easily accessible. We are forced to procure it through smuggling. The price is double.

-Efrîn has very fertile land. There are olives and all kinds of fruit. We are attempting to develop cooperatives.

-In Rojava Kurds, Arabs, Syriacs, Yezidis, Alawites and Sunnis have founded a life together. All faiths and groups can express themselves as much as the Kurds.

-There is now a Syria in which brother is killing brother and there is destruction and pillage. We are not a party to this war but when we are attacked we are forced to defend ourselves.-We will defend ourselves and the gains we have made through our own labor and the blood of our martyrs.

Our faith in the YPG and YPJ is endless – is anything expected from Turkey? What is wanted is that the Baath regime behave differently and that they take the brotherhood of peoples as their principal. Or has any such reality now been ruined and such rhetoric bordering on the ridiculous. Or is that “We will be on the side of the oppressed…Neither we will forget Jerusalem nor will Jerusalem forget Istanbul” (as said by PM Ahmet Davutoğlu on November 9th on TRTHaber). And who do his words really value? It must not be forgotten that Turkey will be just as responsible as the Baath regime for every death that occurs in Efrîn owing to a lack of necessary medical supplies.

Posted by Urun Harvest at 7:38 PM No comments:

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"We are fighting in defense of values and principles, we are fighting for freedom and democracy, we are fighting for the brotherhood of peoples."

Dr. Hussien Kochar is the top military commander of the People's Defense Units (YPG--Yekîneyên Parastina Gel) in the Serêkaniyê (Ras al-Ain) region. The battle in and around Serêkaniyê has continued for more than 2 years between the YPG and terrorist groups like Jabhat al Nusra and ISIS.

The city of Serêkaniyê and the surrounding countryside is under the control of the YPG after the YPG defeated and cleared the area of armed terrorist groups such as al Nusra and ISIS. The region has been under non-stop attack from these terrorist gangs for the past 2 years. YPG units have succeeded in repelling all attacks and they are currently advancing and liberating new areas from the terrorist groups to the west of Serêkaniyê region.

Rodi Khalil interviewed Dr Hussien Kochar for Kurdish Question. We have done some editing of the interview.

Question: Recently the YPG has announced a sweeping campaign against ISIS in the south-west of SereKaniye. What have you achieved in this campaign so far?

Hisên Koçer: After the influence of ISIS grew in the region, intensified attacks on Kobane and Shingal (Sinjar), pressed more on the people of the region and forced them under its immoral laws, and boosted the sectarianism and division among the region's components, we launched a sweeping campaign against ISIS in the south-west of the region of SereKaniye (Ras al-Ain). Our troops moved towards the strategic center of ISIS in El-Alia. Our YPG units advanced more than 30 kilometers and liberated many farms, hills and villages after clearing them of ISIS armed groups.

In this campaign our units killed a commander of ISIS in the area of El-Alia in addition to injuring a few of his fighters. He was named Abu al-Waqqas. Abu-Waqqas spoke 3 languages and he was classified for the Caliph of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. His other fighters escaped and abandoned his dead body there on the ground.

Another commander of ISIS was killed in the campaign, named with Abu Khattab, with 7 of his fighters in an ambush by our YPG units.

ISIS also launched 2 offensives to regain control of what they have lost, but our YPG units repelled them and killed over 20 ISIS fighters and injured many of them when they tried to take a strategic hill called Abi-Bakr.

Question: Is there any current coordination with the Peshmerga of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) or with the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in SereKaniye?

Hisên Koçer: There is a FSA brigade named Liwaa al-Tahrir and they participate alongside YPG forces in this campaign against ISIS in the countryside of SereKaniye. There is not currently coordination with Peshmerga, in SereKaniye.

Question: What is the role of the non-Kurdish components in the ranks of the YPG in SereKaniye?

Hisên Koçer: There are a lot of Arab and Chechen residents of SereKaniye who have joined the YPG after they have received training and they take a part in the current campaign against ISIS.

When we liberate a new area from ISIS, residents welcome us, including Arab ones, and cooperate with us .

Question: Does the Turkish government have a role in the battles of SereKaniye?

Hisên Koçer: The Turkish government has been playing a negative role since the beginning of the battle of SereKaniye. The Turkish government has become an incubator for these armed terrorist groups. The Turkish government opened training camps for them inside Turkey and supported those groups with all their tools, like providing them with weapons, ammunition, food and even Turkish ambulances pick up the injured terrorist fighters in public and take them to the hospitals to treat them.

Question: You have been fighting terrorist groups for more than 2 years, including ISIS and al-Nusra. What do you hope or wait from the international community?

Hisên Koçer: We are fighting in defense of values and principles, we are fighting for freedom and democracy, we are fighting for the brotherhood of peoples.

Everyone knows that this terrorism is threatening the whole world. We hope that the world powers provide our YPG units with weapons, and there must be a stronger coordination between the international anti-ISIS coalition and YPG units on the ground to prevent the spreading influence of ISIS.

Question: A lot of people from the town of Girê Sipî (Tell Abiad) called on YPG units to liberate them and their town from ISIS. Is this possible where there are still tens of kilometers between you and this border town?

Hisên Koçer: We are voluntary and commando armed units, and we have the ability and readiness to intervene anywhere, whatever the terrain or however difficult the geography is. We also demand that the international community carry out their humane duties to help our people. The world powers have to hurry up and put an end to this terrorism and the governments that are supporting this terrorism, before it's too late.

Question: How can the peoples of the world give you a hand in your war against ISIS?

Hisên Koçer: They know very well that ISIS is an attack against all of humanity. We are now fighting ISIS on behalf of humanity, so they must speed up supporting us before it's too late. We have the ability to repel and end ISIS influence, but if ISIS spreads to other areas, it will be too difficult to resist them.

Posted by Urun Harvest at 7:28 PM No comments:

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Kurdish sculptor Hadî Ziyaeddîn immortalizes the heroic resistance of women in Kobanî

[John Dolva]

The MLKP marks 20 years of struggle

The following post is from the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party (MLKP). We have not edited the post.

With a big festival thousands of youth, women, workers and migrants celebrated the 20th anniversary of our party's foundation, the MLCP, in Leverkusen, Germany.

Thousands from several European countries came to celebrate the 20th anniversary of our party with the slogan 'Uprising, revolution, socialism!'. People from France, England, Switzerland, Belgium, Austria, Scotland, Croatia and Spain came to celebrate this great festival.

The festival was initiated by Communist Youth Organization with a loud and powerful demonstration. Crying slogans as 'Long live our party MLCP', 'Long live Kobanê' or 'Uprising, revolution, socialism!' and carrying our party's flags and banners dozens of youth marched the streets of Leverkusen.

The festival's program started off with a panel discussion on the Rojava revolution, in which the PYD representative Ariya Issa and the socialist journalist İbrahim Çiçek discussed the current situation in Kobanê, the importance of the Rojava revolution – also beyond its borders – and the struggle in the Middle East. Numerous participants of the festival asked questions or contributed short statements to the discussion.

A representative of MLCP greeted the thousands of visitors in our party's name. A video was shown, in which our party's 20 years of marching under fire were presented; the MLCP combatants from Rojava greeted the festival with a video message. They said: 'In Rojava a new system has been established. This is why we as combatants of MLCP could not remain silent. Therefore, we fight together with the YPG-fighters against the reactionary forces. We ask everybody to join the struggle.'

The Rojava revolution, the heroic Kobanê resistance and the struggle of MLCP and its immortal fallen as Suphi Nejat Ağırnaslı (Paramaz Kızılbaş), who lost his life just a few weeks ago defending the Rojava revolution in Kobanê, formed the center of the whole festival. Many relatives of the MLCP's immortal martyrs were participated, as for instance Suphi Nejat Ağırnaslı's sister and Serkan Tosun's father. The latter greeted the visitors in his speech and said: 'I bow to the heroic resistance in Rojava. Serkan was a good and brave person, a comrade who gave his life without hesitation. I'm proud of him.'

Besides numerous music groups, that filled the program, the head of the Limter-Iş union Kamber Saygili spoke. The HDP chair Figen Yüksedağ and the NAV-DEM chair Yüksel Koç greeted the festival, the struggle of MLCP and the revolution in Rojava.

TCP/ML and MCP sent greetings as well as the central committee of PKK , which stressed the joint struggle with MLCP and called the revolutionary movement of Turkey a 'main ally'.

Several international delegates participated at the festival and greeted the MLCP's struggle in short statements in their languages. Furthermore, many organizations, that were not present, greeted the festival and the MLCP's 20 years of struggle with written statements. Greetings from Croatia, Spain, Lebanon, South Africa, Nepal, Germany, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Sri Lanka, France, Iran, Morocco, the Netherlands and Afghanistan were read out loud.

The festival exuded an enormous revolutionary strength and energy. It represented the character of our party and its 20 years of history as a marxist-leninist party.

[John Dolva]

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YPJ-Star: Today Is Our Day, Organize!---A report on women fighters from JİHNA, Özgür Gündem and The Rojava Report

Women fighting with the YPJ (Rojava's Women's Defense Forces) in the resistance in Kobanê have spoken to JİHNA about the importance of their movement and the upcoming actions planned for November 25th on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women according to a new piece appearing in Özgür Gündem.

As the women of the YPJ continue their resistance against ISIS and their supporters in Rojava, major demonstrations are planned for Amed (Diyarbakir), Wan (Van) and Colêmerg (Hakkâri) in North Kurdistan The women of the YPJ told JİHNA that they were not only fighting against ISIS, but for the liberation of women everywhere. They made call for women in Kurdistan and around the world to unite in solidarity, saying “Our struggle is against male hegemony. Let us organize.”

Show Them Your Will

Dalya Ömer, a member of Yetkîtiya Star and the Council Board of the Democratic Society Movement (TEV-DEM), said that the struggle which was being waged in Kobanê under the leadership of the YPJ was also a struggle against the mentality of male hegemony. She made this call to women who would come to the border at Pirsûs (Suruç): “We are calling on women everywhere to come together and struggle against all forms of violence against women, in the same way that we Kurdish women have come together against the attacks of ISIS. We thank everyone who is already resisting against this violence.”

Zilan, a YPG fighter who has for years advocated on behalf of women who are abused in society, said “what is being experienced here in the emergence of women’s representation and their will. This is the principal along which we wage our struggle. The war that has been waged against the YPJ here is in fact the same way war which is being waged against women all over the world. The ISIS attacks which have taken place here are designed to break the will of women. We too are struggling against this.” Zilan went on to call for women around the world to participate and commemorate November 25th, saying “I call on everyone to take part in these actions and to put the will of women forward.”

We Have Taken Up Arms Against Barbarity

Agirî Yılmaz, another fighter with the YPG, said “In the mentality of ISIS women are deficient. They cannot fight. However when they hear the shouts and calls of the YPJ women they leave their positions and their weapons and they flee. They are afraid to fight against women. They tell themselves ‘let me die fighting a man, not a woman.’ This comes from their conception that women cannot do anything. But our conception is of women who organize themselves, manage themselves and are organized.” Agirî Yılmaz made it clear that they did not make this call, from the,women of Kurdistan: “Today is our day. If we do not do this then all of our labor will be denied. It will all be like five years ago. We are not only taking up arms and fighting. We are not in love with weapons, and we won’t be recognized this way. We are in love with our ideas. We are in love with our freedom. But there is a savage enemy facing us. We are forced to take up arms. We took up arms so this barbarity does not go on. For this reason we making a call that goes far beyond picking up weapons. We need to organize in every sphere and to do our share.”

YPJ Fighter Carries Out Puppy From Building During Fighting This Week In Kobanê

Posted by Urun Harvest at 11:22 AM No comments:

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Two days of sad and strange events in Turkey

It seems to us that the news is sometimes so odd that it defies analysis, at least at a certain moment, and that events taking place at the same time and occurring in the same context may only work together to demonstrate how crazy things are and how anarchic life can be. We believe that this is best demonstrated by the Turkish government's foreign policy efforts over the past several days. In no particular order, and with no agenda other than to present the news of the weird, we record the following.

Erdoğan is in Africa. Where are the Gülenists?

Turkish President Erdoğan called on African states today to “beware of dangerous organizations operating in their country.” He wasn't talking about the military or paramilitary forces engaged in fighting or the imperialist forces present in Africa or the religious sects provoking atrocities. He was talking instead about the followers of Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, who operate many schools across the world.

“We see that some dangerous structures are trying to influence Turkey and some African countries under the cover of non-governmental organizations or voluntary education workers. We are watching these carefully. We expect our friends in Africa to be aware of this threat too, and I would like to stress we are ready to share intelligence to tackle those organizations,” Erdoğan said in a speech at the Leaders Meeting of the Second Africa-Turkey Summit being held in Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea.

Erdoğan also announced that an additional $5 million from Turkey will be sent to help Africa’s fight against Ebola. “We can see once again that cooperation in the health field is extremely important, as these are tumultuous times because of the Ebola epidemic,” Erdoğan said.

Erdoğan and his government are not as altruistic as this donation may make it seem. He came to the three-day summit as a step towards creating "partnerships" in Africa in the agriculture, energy and health sectors over the next 5 years. This is part of a larger competitive struggle involved the US, China and other imperialist powers. The $5 million is a down payment for Erdoğan's government in this competitive situation. His effort to enlist Africans in his fight with the Gülenists, once his reliable allies, shows how cheap and tawdry that fight has become for Turkey's ruling party.

The Turkish Parliament yesterday approved a motion to be in force for one year to authorize the government to send troops to the Central African Republic and Mali as part of an EU peacekeeping force. The EU’s outgoing foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon have both pushed Erdoğan to intervene militarily in the Central African Republic at different times in some way. The EU and the U.N. should insist with even more on Turkey opening an aid corridor to Kobane under their supervision.

And who discovered the Americas?

We thought that we might leave President Erdoğan's bizarre comments about Muslims "discovering" the Americas before Columbus got here made earlier this week alone. His remarks are offensive on a number of levels, but offend us in the main because of this issue of someone "discovering" what has become the American continents and the readiness with which Erdoğan has gone about making arrangements to have a mosque built in Cuba on a site that he insists was the site of a pre-Columbus mosque. The Cubans were not opposed to having a mosque in Cuba, but politely said that they would prefer that a mosque be donated and constructed by a consortium of interests and not one country. Erdoğan seemed to brush past these objections and responses from Cuban solidarity organizations took a firmer tone in stating the Cuban position.

A prominent Turkish historian took Erdoğan seriously enough to say that the president’s comments on Muslims discovering the American continent before Columbus were “half-fantasy” even as Erdoğan was saying that he is prepared to teach children this "fact" of his in schools. The Muslims became Turks as the bickering increased. This then triggered a kind of debate between mainstream media sources in Turkey, the US and the Balkans as former US lobbyist and "government relations professional" Gary Knight somehow got misdescribed in Turkish media as a historian and took Erdoğan's side in the matter. Knight later clarified that the mosque was in the Bahamas and not in Cuba. Perhaps the distinction is important to someone who believes that anyone other than people who eventually became the First Nations peoples "discovered" what accidentally became the Americas. We are now discussing whether Turks got here before Columbus or not.

If someone wants to speak seriously about mosques, it might be better to focus on Turkish government plans to build 80 mosques inside university campuses across the country, as the Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet) announced today. Or it might be better to discuss the lawsuit filed by Fuat Yıldırım, the former muezzin of İstanbul's Dolmabahçe Mosque, against the Diyanet in reaction to his reassignment which took place after he refuted then-Prime Minister Erdoğan's claims that Gezi Park protesters were drinking alcohol inside the mosque. These really are serious questions.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz helps Erdoğan

U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz volunteered that the United States and Turkey have a shared interest in defeating ISIS and said that the two countries will work together to crack down on ISIS’s oil smuggling. “This is one of the areas in which we and the Turks have considerable overlapping in our strategic view. We are systematically reviewing how to halt the flow of oil within and out of ISIL-controlled territory and we certainly welcome the recent steps taken by Turkey, one of our partners in this effort, to crack down on oil smuggling,” he told Hürriyet while in Turkey to attend the Atlantic Council’s Sixth Energy and Economy Summit. “With Turkey, we obviously share the same objectives in terms of ISIL and also of the need for a political transition in Syria’s leadership. Those do kind of go together. Turkey has been certainly taking steps to crack down on oil smuggling. We and Turkey are on the same page and we’ll keep together. Their production is down,” he said.

Not so fast, we say. The Turkish government has supported ISIS, and Washington doesn't, so it is a stretch to say that the U.S. and Turkish governments are "on the same page." We can admit easily enough that Washington may be playing a double game in the region, seeking to use Turkey and the Kurds for their own cynical reasons, hoping to overthrow Assad, looking greedily at Iraq and Federal Kurdistan as oil producers and markets and planning to grab regional oil reserves and markets in the bargain. We can also imagine that there is a split in the U.S. administration and that such remarks are either planned or are being made carelessly in order to shift the agenda as Vice President Biden meets with Erdoğan.

Moniz stepped on it when he said, “Iraq, as a whole, has tremendous potential for further increasing their oil production. That production and its export should be according to the constitutional processes in Iraq. And the step taken between Baghdad and Arbil earlier this week is a very positive one, at least the first step of an agreement in terms of oil revenue and national budget sharing with Arbil. We are encouraged by that.” He was referring to an agreement made between the Kurdistan Regional Government and Iraq's central government over how oil in the Kurdish region is pumped, transported and sold. Turkey is part of the equation and Turkey's prime minister hurried to Baghdad after the deal was signed. The KRG will now send 150,000 barrels per day of oil, about one-half of their overall shipments, to Iraqi government export tanks in the Turkish port of Ceyhan.

Still, this new-found friendship has some rough spots. The alliance, if it can be called that, assumes that the government in Baghdad can last. It also assumes that Biden either knows what he is being sent to Turkey to do and that he can pull that off or that someone like Moniz can intervene successfully without the U.S. losing influence. It assumes that all of the competing energy sector and political interests in the volatile eastern Mediterranean can be brought into line and that bringing Caspian gas west will not further upset the apple cart. And it assumes that the anti-ISIS fight can be shifted to an anti-Assad fight. Assad no doubt saw this coming and told whoever would listen today that the anti-ISIS fight needs to step up and take a more serious approach to the problem. Other voices were quick to say that Lebanon will be the next ISIS target. The assumptions at work in this friendship or alliance seem weak to us.

Moniz gave a glad-handed reassurance when he said, "Turkey obviously plays an important role here, as does the U.S. We’ll keep working together. That constitutional framework is the way in which to work all of this out." This is music to Erdoğan's years and may help him shore up his base at home.

The ne'er-do-wells are not entirely wrong

Other ne'er-do-wells also came forward this week on these issues. Carlos Pascual, a former U.S. ambassador and a "special coordinator for international energy affairs" said, "Thinking about how to close the borders to smuggling is critical in the fight against ISIL.” He located the foundation of ISIS in the disenchantment of Sunnis in Iraq---a debatable proposition, or just plain wrong---and said that creating a belief among the Sunnis in Iraq that they will benefit from the richness of their country is important. Erdoğan no doubt sees an opportunity in such double-talk, but is probably not prepared to let Iraq's Sunnis determine their own future without much interference. Can Pascual predict what will happen when people in Iraq are caught between the realization that no world power wants them to benefit from the wealth of their country and Erdoğan's interference? And if we take Erdoğan out of the picture, what happens to people in Iraq as oil prices drop and oil production itself becomes untenable?

Pascual estimated that ISIS can make $1 million per day by selling 50,000 barrels at $20 each now. “This is a small amount for a country, but a phenomenal flow of resources for a terrorist organization,” he warned. The questions that come to the fore concern where this oil is going now and how long it has been traded on these terms. We think that Erdoğan and his government could not stand up to such questioning. Past that, there is also the matter of making capitalism work in the real world. Wouldn't oil reliably pumped and transported from the KRG beat out oil shipped by ISIS in the legitimate world markets? If the answer is yes, then there is nothing to celebrate in the new Baghdad-Arbil agreement. Of course, the issue may not be legitimate markets at all.

We are speaking with some sarcasm here, of course. We agree with Pascual that ISIS oil must be stopped. Can he convince Erdoğan?

Fatih Birol, chief economist of the International Energy Agency, put a finer point on matters when he said, "The turmoil in the Middle East, and especially Iraq, tells us supply security remains a key issue, despite falling oil prices.” In one of those economic arguments that gives us headaches Birol added that lower oil prices will put pressure on oil investments in high-cost regions like the U.S. and Canada and that a reduced cash flow could limit the capacity of North America and Brazil to act as engines for global supply growth. We take from this the point that war and "security" are then mostly self-defeating in the long-run for the imperialist and capitalist powers and that other authoritarian structures are needed, though Birol certainly doesn't believe this. “Considering the insecurity today, I don’t see a great appetite for investment. We need at least a $15 billion investment in Iraq,” Birol added.

Is Biden lost? Will Erdoğan lend him a flashlight?

Turkish mainstream media is saying that Vice President Joe Biden called Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades to ask if he wanted him to convey any messages to Ankara before his visit three-day visit to Turkey. Anastasiades supposedly told Biden, “I want to solve the Cyprus issue as soon as possible. Convey this.” The reference is to the conflict between Cyprus and Turkey over oil and gas reserves in Cyprus's economic zone.

Gone are the days, at least for now, when a U.S. administration can openly cajole and threaten a government like Erdoğan's and when a U.S. vice president could act with knowledge and authority. The Turkish government drags its feet as the fight against ISIS goes on and so helps ISIS. The government still refuses to allow U.S. forces to stage bombing missions from the Incirlik air base in southern Turkey. Erdoğan's proposal or demand for a security zone stretching from Latakia to the Iraqi border is not being openly discussed at this point, though this may change with Biden's visit. The Turkish push to move Free Syrian Army forces into Rojava has succeeded, but certainly not with the results that Erdoğan has hoped for. The government's plan to train Peshmerga from the KRG will certainly hit roadblocks.

The competing interests and unsteady alliances we have mentioned above, and many others, need to be coordinated. Anastasiades, Erdoğan, Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and the government in Athens are playing musical chairs just now. Biden can't possibly keep up. It is to his credit that he has not yet openly sold out Cyprus or fumbled the ball. On the other hand, can Erdoğan and Davutoğlu negotiate with the Greek Cypriot government and the Kurds at the same time and join the fighting in the region and in conflicts elsewhere as well as inflation and unemployment in Turkey hit double digits?

Erdoğan is vulnerable as the people's struggles build

Shifting our focus, let's mention that the Cengiz Construction copper mining operation in the uplands of Artvin has been blocked by a local administrative court. Artvin is close to the Hatilla National Park, an area familiar to ecotourists. Earlier this week another court blocked the Kolin İnşaat company from building a coal plant in Yırca village. The energy sector and construction firms involved in these projects have particularly close relations with the government. Kolin and Cengiz are two of five companies in a consortium that won a suspect multi-billion dollar tender to build Istanbul’s controversial new airport. Cengiz is also building a coal plant near Karabiga. That project will cause great damage to endangered species living in the area.

Local people in Artvin fought the copper mine in the courts and with protests and won the support of environmental experts and public opinion and attracted world attention. The liberal parliamentary opposition and progressive forces also drew out the connections between the government and the companies involved.

“This is the victory of life against these companies. We hope that the court will cancel the project altogether, but we will continue to stand guard. Our struggle will continue until miners leave Artvin,” an activist for the Green Artvin Association told mainstream media. The activists and local people remain vigilant with an overriding concern being to protect trees in the area from being cut down as they were in Yırca. Please see previous posts on this blog about the struggle in Yirca.

The craziness of the copper mining project runs quite deep and in strong currents. Experts cited the risk of avalanches, people talk about the destruction of a protected area and the environment, there is a contradiction between preservation and tourism and development and there is the fact that the village of Oriner, which had to move once due to the construction of a hydroelectric plant five years ago, will have to move again if the mine is built.

Dozens of mining and hydroelectric plant projects are planned to be built in the country’s most important natural areas. Local people often fight these projects, but the energy companies and the government work together to push them through even as court decisions come down against the projects. Each fight becomes a fight against Erdoğan.

And then there is big business...

The Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen Association (TÜSİAD) sees some of the handwriting on the wall and has once again expressed concern over "separation of perceptions between Turkey and the EU."

“We are worried about the separation of perceptions between Turkey and the EU. Turkey’s soft power and active foreign policy in its region and toward its neighbors in the early 2000s stemmed from its secular democratic system and its EU membership perspective. Turkey’s rising power status that provided high economic growth came from its harmony with EU values. Therefore, on the path of a secular and pluralist democracy, there is no tangible and serious alternative to its membership perspective,” TÜSİAD's President Haluk Dinçer said yesterday at a conference organized by TÜSİAD and the U.S. Brookings Institute in Istanbul.

We think that Erdoğan can take this as another no-confidence vote.

On the other hand, Mehmet Sepil, President of Turkey's Genel Energy, one of the biggest international energy companies operating in Iraq, said today that “Turkey is a natural guarantor for energy peace between Baghdad and Arbil...Turkey said the oil being sold is for the good of all of Iraq, and now this situation is being realized. If the oil was not sold, the recent agreement between Baghdad and northern Iraq would never have been signed."

Genel Energy now produces 130,000 barrels of oil per day in the Taq Taq oil field and 110,000 barrels per day in the Tawke oil field. The company wants to increase total production to 350,000 barrels per day by next year. Sepil said that oil from the KRG oil is highly sought after in international markets and that demand is high.

“The KRG aims to reach 1 billion barrels of oil piped to Turkey through the Kirkuk-Ceyhan oil pipeline,” Sepil said. “The capacity of the pipeline can easily be increased to 750,000 barrels per day.”

Genel Energy merged with English Vallares in 2011 and took the name “Genel Energy Plc.” The company clearly favors the Turkish government and needs it, but we cannot say that this is really a Turkish company with a base in the country in the same sense that TÜSİAD has a base. It can be argued that TÜSİAD had to go to an American think tank, and not to the EU, to make their points, but the points were made nonetheless. Erdoğan's friends are an eclectic mix of imperialist camp followers and particularly reactionary and discreet economic sectors and actors.

Can you call this an opposition?

With this in mind, then, perhaps it is true that Turkey’s government and intelligence services really are conspiring against the Republican People’s Party (CHP) as a CHP leader has claimed.

“The current instruction from the AKP (Justice and Development Party) to its deep state about the CHP is this: ‘The CHP is the party of Alevis and Kurds.’ Their objective is to get us entangled in this...This campaign is being carried out by a group of people at the MİT (National Intelligence Organization),” CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu told Hürriyet Daily News over a dinner hosted by CHP Deputy Head Erdoğan Toprak.

Kılıçdaroğlu said that he called the MİT “AKP’s deep state” because its task is to plot against the opposition in order to create an internal disturbance. We say that "deep state" is a particularly loaded phrase even as we admit that what Kılıçdaroğlu is saying is probably true. We also say that the CHP doesn't need help self-destructing at this point and we wonder if the CHP leadership is opportunistically looking out for their own interests here or has a broader agenda in mind.

“We know that a group within MİT, led by one of the deputy undersecretaries, is tasked with dealing solely with the CHP. (He’s tasked with) stirring trouble inside the party and many others,” Kılıçdaroğlu told Hürriyet. “Special attention must be paid to media campaigns. No one should fall into this plot, particularly our deputies with nationalist leanings. This campaign against the CHP is carried out with the knowledge of the MİT chief and in an institutional manner,” he said.

Kılıçdaroğlu praised the approach taken by Selahattin Demirtaş of the People's Democracy Party (HDP) and gave Selahattin Demirtaş a back-handed compliment by saying that he "is currently the best politician in analyzing and observing the ongoing Kurdish peace process.” But, listing to the right, Kılıçdaroğlu also said that “The HDP must radically change...We have seen once again how libraries and museums were burned in violence during the Oct. 6-7 incidents. Demirtaş is trying to turn his party into the party of Turkey but there is not a healthy situation among Kurdish actors...I find Demirtaş’s remarks positive, but it seems that both Kandil (the PKK’s headquarters) and İmralı (the prison where Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan is held) are trying to push him into a passive role. Demirtaş’s aim to become a party of Turkey is not shared by Kandil and Öcalan. I do not know what Demirtaş can do about it, but it’s certain that there will be a debate. Still, he has no chance of being the leader of the Kurdish political movement in an environment where there are weapons.” He went on to make a number of other comments attacking the Kurdish liberation movement and Abdullah Öcalan's involvement in the resolution process underway between the movementy and the Turkish state.Selahattin Demirtaş, always diplomatic and principled, continues to seek CHP support for the resolution process. Caught between the HDP and the government, the CHP turns to the right and retreats.

And with these remarks from Kılıçdaroğlu, President Erdoğan no doubt got a good night's sleep.

[John Dolva]

A declaration of revolutionary organizations supporting Rojava and Palestine

We previously mentioned on this blog that a meeting of revolutionary left political organizations was held in Germany and that a declaration from that meeting would be forthcoming. Here is a declaration from that gathering.

Let us defend the revolutionary Rojava and the resistance in Palestine!

The imperialist forces and their regional collaborators try to impose their policy of enslavement and exploitation on the peoples of the Middle East. As progressive, antiimperialist, revolutionary and communist forces we must counter this with our joint struggle.

We, parties and organizations from the Middle East and Europe, call for solidarity with the struggle of the peoples in the Middle East against imperialism and the reactionary states of the region.

We extend our greetings to the heroic resistance of the defenders of Kobanê, who have been standing firmly against the storm of fascist gangs since September 15, and to the struggle of all progressive forces against imperialism in Kurdistan, Palestine and the Middle East.

We demand the immediate repeal of the ban against the PKK (Kurdistan Worker's Party) and of the related laws which criminalizes international solidarity.

We call on all antifascist, antiimperialist, progressive, revolutionary and communist organizations, parties and individual persons to support the defense of Kobanê and Rojava and to support the liberation struggle of the peoples in the Middle East!

We call up to: form solidarity committees, organize meetings, demonstrations, occupations and strikes at work, at universities and schools, in the streets and on the squares.

We call up to: collect financial and material donations, create publicity; discuss and inform about the current situation.

We call up to: participate actively in the struggle of the peoples of the Middle East, defend the revolutionary Rojava by your participation in the international brigades!

International recognition of the cantons Afrin, Cizîrê and Kobanê Cantons in Rojava!

Long live the Kobanê resistance!

Long live the struggle of the peoples in the Middle East!

Long live proletarian internationalism!

DFLP

KCD-E

Kommunistischer Aufbau

MKP

MLKP

MLPD

Nav-Dem

Rebell

Rode Morgen

TKP/ML

[John Dolva]

News from the common-front struggle against ISIS and from Rojava's revolution

We have many short reports from the common-front struggle and Rojava's revolution to pass on this evening. Since we have not done an updated report for a couple of days we will begin with some news from yesterday so that readers can follow the progression of events.

Starting with yesterday's news

Yesterday was the 68th day of fighhting in and around Rojava's Kobanê canton and the YPG (Rojava's People's Defense Forces) issued their regular daily statement.

It was announced that on the eastern front of Kobanê, YPG units had conducted an operation against several positions occupied by the ISIS gangs, killing 5 ISIS fighters. On the southern front, YPG forces carried out an operation against the gangs and killed 1 ISIS fighter. On the southwestern front, YPG forces conducted two separate operations against several ISIS positions and killed 7 ISIS gang members in the Madajan area.

The YPG Press Center said that ISIS gangs have continued to shell Kobanê's city center and the surroundings areas. YPG units and Peshmerga forces responded with targeted mortar attacks.

In Serêkaniyê (Ras al-Ayn), the military campaign initiated by YPG units to the south and southeast of the city is continuing. YPG forces carried out an action against the ISIS gangs between the villages of Manajir and Aliya, destroying an ISIS vehicle and damaging another vehicle and killing 3 ISIS fighters.

YPG forces also carried out an operation against ISIS in southwest of the Jaz'ah region, damaging an ISIS vehicle and killing one ISIS gang member.

ISIS is selling captured villages

Reports are now circulating that ISIS gangs who are fleeing from the YPG attacks have sold Kurdish villages that they have occupied for between five and ten thousand US dollars. The people of Ziravik, for instance, have said their village was looted and then sold to their Arab neighbors in an attempt to create internecine strife between people who have previously lived together without strife.

The people of Ziravik who took refuge in the village of Boydê in the Suruç district (Turkey/North Kurdistan) say that their village has been sold to Arabs living in Mambij, Al Bab, Jarablus, Girê Spî (Tel Abyad) and Raqqa. Fevaz Ibrahim from Ziravik said that before the ISIS attacks Arabs had lived together in harmony with the Kurds in Kobanê. He said that 12,000 ISIS gang members attacked Kobanê and that most of them were Arab neighbors of theirs. “We have learned that they looted our villages. They bought them from the gangs and took away barley, wheat and anything else they could carry. They even took cheese from our houses and the electric cables. They buy 3 or 4 villages at a time from ISIS. They even pick our olives. We used to be neighbors. Now they have betrayed us. I don't know how we'll be neighbors in the future,” he said. Ibrahim added that they are waiting for the day when they can return to their village.

Hesen Mihemed, whose husband is in the YPG, and Helim Seydo from Ziravik, who said that he had been held as a captive by ISIS for 5 months, both said that they had previously lived together with their Arab neighbors. Helim Seydo said tht three people had been decapitated by the gangs in front of his house, adding, “We have heard that they have sold our village to Arabs in the surrounding area. They came and looted the village so that now there are only walls and empty fields. Kobanê belongs to the Kurds. We can't wait to go back. ISIS claims it is Muslim, but the Kurds are the real Muslims. They want to make us enemies, but we know that there are good Arabs. We won't be hostile to anyone.”

The ISIS gangs who launched attacks on the Kobanê Canton of Rojava on September 15 occupied 362 villages and hamlets.

An ISIS sleeper cell shut down in Rojava's Qamishlo

Today we heard of an Asayesh (public security) forces operation in Rojava's Qamishlo city that hit an ISIS sleeper cell. Twenty-four ISIS members who tried to escape as the operation began were captured by Asayesh forces at the border between North Kurdistan and Rojava.

Heyva Sor a Kurdistan (Kurdish Red Crescent) needs assistance

The aid campaign for Kobanê and Sinjar launched by the Heyva Sor a Kurdistan (Kurdish Red Crescent) is continuing. The charity's president, Suat Yalçın, said that they have provided millions of euros in aid, and called on people to participate in the campaign. The Kurdish Red Crescent, which is based in the North Rhine Westphalia region of Germany, is continuing its solidarity campaign with Kobanê and Sinjar.

Suat Yalçın said that the campaign that they launched on June 5 has taken on a new dimension with the ISIS attacks. "Many people were displaced by these attacks. After August 3, 6 truckloads of aid and 350 tents were sent to Sinjar. And 250 tons of food and 8 ambulances were sent to the Newroz camp set up for Yezidis in the canton of Cizire (Jazireh). The needs of Yezidis in camps in North Kurdistan were also met," Suat Yalçın said.

Eight-hundred-and-fifty tents were sent to the Amed, Şırnak, Mardin, Suruç, Malatya and Urfa for displaced people and 200,000 thousand Euros worth of equipment was sent to Kobanê. "We have also provided 150,000 euros worth of aid to camps for Yezidis in Sulaymaiyeh, Dohuk and Zakho in South Kurdistan. So far we have sent a total of 1,825,000 Euros worth of materials, 20 tons of medicine and health materials," Suat Yalçın said.

Suat Yalçın also said that the campaign is continuing all over Europe, with the participation of Kurdish people. He said that they have been unable to secure the cooperation of institutions in Europe, adding that this demonstrated European states' attitudes to the Kurds. He said that Kurdish organizations, the Democratic Alevi Federation, the Federation of Êzîdî (Yezidi) Associations and the Islamic Society of Kurdistan have worked with them. He added that people from America, Canada, Australia Japan, the Philippines, Georgia, Azerbaijan and New Zealand had also contributed to their campaign. In the beginning they mainly collected money, but were now also interested in collecting food and clothes to distribute. He said that with the onset of winter the situation would worsen. "Our people must not lose their spirit of mobilization. They must assist us with money, medicine and hospital equipment," he concluded.

On the 70th day of fighting in Kobanê

As we enter the 70th day of fighting in Kobanê the YPG Press Center is saying that ISIS gangs are preparing for new attacks with ammunition and weapon reinforcements brought in from Raqqa and other regions.

Today's statement from the YPG says that a short battle raged on the eastern front of Kobanê and that 2 ISIS gang members were killed, 3 others were wounded and a vehicle of theirs was destroyed there. Four ISIS fighters were also killed in offensives that have targeted ISIS positions in the Medcene region in south-west Kobanê. Fighting is still underway there.

ISIS forces deployed around the villages of Mineza, Izea and Aliplur who carried out mortar attacks targeting the Kobanê city center were in turn hit by heavy weapons fired by the liberation movement.

One YPG fighter was martyred in yesterday's clashes.

In Serêkaniyê (Ras al-Ayn) the YPG is continuing with a campaign in the south and southeast of the city. YPG forces have expanded their operations across a larger area and are continuing to hit ISIS groups.

YPG units stopped two attempted car bomb attacks by ISIS near the village of Menacir early today. Both vehicles were blown up by YPG fighters before they reached their targets and 2 ISIS fighters were killed. Two YPG fighters and 2 civilians were wounded in the attack. YPG units later conducted an offensive operation against an ISIS position, killing at least 1 ISIS fighter.

ISIS gangs attacked the village of Samiriyê to the southwest of Til Koçer after infiltrating the region by crossing the Iraqi border. Clashes broke out and got heavier as YPG units responded to the attack. One ISIS fighter who attempted a suicide attack was shot by YPG fighters. Six ISIS gang members were killed, 3 were wounded and the YPG seized an armored vehicle belonging to ISIS. After this win, YPG forces liberated the village of Hireşiyê which is located to the south of Samiriyê village. One YPG fighter who played an important role in stopping the ISIS attack was martyred.

We have also heard that the YPG conducted an operation in the Grocery Bazaar to the east of Kobanê and hit an ISIS vehicle there, leaving one dead and three wounded. In other clashes in this area 1 ISIS fighter was killed and 3 others wounded.

Last night YPG forces on the southwestern front hit an ISIS position and killed 4 gang members there. ISIS is turning their fire on civilians in Kobanê's Til Şeîr village. The anti-ISIS coalition airforces hit 2 ISIS bases but we have no information on this.

The village of Til Sheir is mostly populated by civilians who have returned to Kobanê from across the border. Peshmerga fighters have been attacking ISIS positions on the outskirts of the town while YPG and YPJ forces are fighting ISIS in the streets and houses. During the day anti-ISIS coalition fighter jets have been circling the town in reconnaissance flights.

German nationals fighting for ISIS

The president of the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has announced that as many as 60 German ISIS supporter have been killed or committed suicide to this point in time. He also warned about the likelihood of terrorist attacks by ISIS supporters who have returned from the Middle East. Germany’s Interior Minister said on November 20 that at least 550 Germans have left the country to join ISIS.

Jalawla and Sadiye in the Xaneqin district of Kirkuk have been liberated

The HPG (People's Defense Forces) and YJA STAR (Free Women’s Troops) guerrillas working together with the peshmerga and Iraqi forces launched a joint operation against ISIS in the towns of Jalawla and Sadiye in the Xaneqin district of Kirkuk this morning. Fierce fighting went on for much of the day, but by mid-afternoon both towns were under the control of guerrilla and peshmerga forces. At least 3 ISIS gang members were killed and many others were wounded in the joint operation by Kurdish forces. We have heard that at least 20 peshmerga fighters were also killed in this fighting. We have no other word on casualties.

Women lead in mother-tongue education in Efrin

In the Cindirês and Mabata towns of Rojava's Efrîn Canton women are leading in teaching Kurdish and offering education to children through the SZK (Language Institution of West Kurdistan). Hundreds of women teachers give lectures and help build mother-tongue education.

SZK members initiated their language work in 2009. Stêrkvan Haco, an SZK member, said that at the beginning they were teaching secretly at homes. Stêrkvan Haco said, "We advanced the work after the Rojava Revolution. We could do great work despite limited resources. SZK created a language revolution in time. When we launched the courses we were just 6 teachers and working in one room. Now we have 103 teachers who offer education in the Kurdish language. Ninety of the teachers are women. Now every nation can study in its own language thanks to (Rojava's system of democratic) autonomy."

Mustafa Qrbash has been killed in Tal Afar--a people's victory

Mustafa Qrbash, the ISIS commander who had led the effort to kidnap and sell the Kurdish Yazidi girls and women, has been assassinated in Tal Afar. A special force working underground in Mosul has been given credit for the hit.

[John Dolva]

Monday, November 24, 2014

Social movements in Turkey and North Kurdistan are mobilizing today

We have the following brief items to mention tonight from some of Turkey's and North Kurdistan's social movements. Tonight we will try to mix some news, some theory and some action reports together.

Ali İsmail Korkmaz and the Gezi resistance

We have written much here about the killing of Ali İsmail Korkmaz, who died from injuries he sustained after being attacked by plainclothes police in Eskişehir on June 3, 2013 during the Gezi resistance. Ali İsmail Korkmaz spent 38 days in a coma and died on July 10, 2013. His killing is still being investigated and argued over. The legacy of the Gezi resistance and the tremendous repression brought down against it are still playing out in this case and some others.

We now hear that an expert charged with preparing a report prior to an investigation into the killing of Ali İsmail Korkmaz is facing a possible three years in prison for deleting video footage that showed the beating that led to his death. We have detailed here on this blog how a security camera tape which captured the attack on Ali İsmail Korkmaz was erased four times. It has now been charged that a data processing technician at Osmangazi University deleted the crucial scenes at least twice and then lied about it. An analysis by gendarmerie forensics is said to make the case against the technician.

A camera in the bakery where Ali İsmail Korkmaz was left after being beaten will be used to provide key evidence against the eight murder suspects. The eight include four police officers who maintain that they are innocent.

The trial into Ali İsmail Korkmaz’s murder will resume on Wednesday in Kayseri. The trial has been deliberately moved to this distant location in order to stop solidarity actions and peoples' mobilizations. Ali İsmail Korkmaz has become a popular martyr and his family and friends have struggled to accomplish many good things in his name since he died. He lives on as a symbol of the resistance.

Stop the destruction of the Amasra region!

Turkey’s Electricity Transmission Corporation has said that 43,000 trees will be cut down in an area close to the port town of Amasra in order to build a new coal plant and put in the power distribution lines there that will transmit the electricity generated by the plant. A 183,000-hectare forested area will be destroyed for this project.

Local people and environmentalists are understandably outraged over the project. The authorities started cutting down trees two months ago even though there is a legal challenge to the project in the courts. Petitions with more than 40,000 signatures have been collected against the project and local fishermen have joined the struggle. It was hoped that Amasra would make it onto UNESCO’s permanent cultural heritage list.

The company that cut down 6,000 olive trees in the Soma had the license to build the plant, but it is not clear to us which construction company will get the final approval to move ahead with the project. The project has hit several roadblocks along the way, most notably when two environmental assessment reports were rejected in 2010 and 2011. The village of Gömü also had to be moved to make way for the construction in 2013. It does seem clear to us that sections of the Forestry Law are being misused now in order to speed the work along.

Women courageously mobilize

We wrote earlier about the determined stance of the "We Will Stop the Murders of Women Platform” as mobilizations and actions get underway across Turkey and North Kurdistan to mark the November 25 International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Today a representative from the women’s platform was removed from the room by private security guards after she attempted to ask Family and Social Policies Minister Ayşenur İslam a question during her speech at the Women and Justice Summit. The private security officers approached the woman, covered her mouth and forcibly took her out of the room as the minister continued her speech. “Please politely take our friend out and I will respond to her question later,” İslam said.

Press statements, marches, panels and demonstrations have been organized by the Democratic Free Woman Movement (DÖKH) in Bozova, Viranşehir, İzmir, Van, Gürpınar, Hakkari, Mazıdağı, Savur, Derik, Diyarbakır, Kayapınar, Siirt, Cizre and Dersim for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Thousands of women have taken streets to act in solidarity with the resisting women of Kobanê Canton of West Kurdistan.

Tens of thousands of women representing organizations such as the Democratic Society Congress (DTK), the People's Democracy Party (HDP), the Party of Democratic Regions (DBP), the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP), the Confederation of Public Worker's Unions (KESK) and the Confederation of Revolutionary Trade Unions (DİSK) have been joined in the streets by authors, journalists and representatives of non-governmental organizations under the slogans of "Woman, life, freedom," "Long live the resistance of the YPJ," "ISIS trades in women" and "Rape is a strategy of war." Woman have also shouted slogans in support of the Women's Protection Units (YPJ) fighters who are waging a historic resistance against the ISIS gangs. Other rallying slogans have been "We are Arîn in Kobanê, we're Kader against the border," "Rojava's revolution is the revolution of women," "End violence towards women," "Free life can only be built with free women and "Every type of violence against women is awar crime." Posters of Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan, the Mirabel sisters, Kader Ortakaya, Arîn Mirkan and the three Kurdish woman political activists Sakine Cansız, Fidan Doğan and Leyla Şaylemez were seen in the actions.

In Cizre the Şırnak Co-mayor Fatma Doğan said, "The labor of woman creates life. The fundamental model of this is the struggle of women in Rojava and Kobanê. Women must enhance their struggle everywhere. Women in Rojava are defending the honor of all the world and humanity." Another woman named Baran Çakır said that the attempts to legitimize violence committed against women at home, at work and on the street shows that "violence against woman is ideological. The struggle against this violence also must be ideological." All the women at this action were invited to the Suruç-Kobanê border to build a free life with free woman.

Democratic Society Congress (DTK) Co-chair and HDP Şırnak MP Selma Irmak said in Şırnak that "Everybody knows what women have done in history. Woman found fire, woman developed bread making. Life has been improved with woman and brought forward to today. Women are the creators of natural life. As long as men see themselves uppermost, women cannot be free."

Is petitioning illegal?

Emir Yurdakul, a member of the DBP (Party of Democratic Regions) Municipal Council in the Malazgirt district of Muş, was first sued for opening a stand to collect signatures as part of the campaign for the release of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan and other political prisoners. The case was later referred to the Patnos High Criminal Court which today sentenced Emir Yurdakul to ten months in prison for “spreading propaganda for a terrorist organization.” Emir Yurdakul said that this sentence and continuing to arrest people as they participate in legal and lawful events and activities will not solve to the Kurdish question.

Military interference in Mardin

The HPG (People's Defense Forces) Press Center has said that the Turkish army has been carrying out an operation between the Midyat and Kerboran districts of Mardin for the last two days. Turkish troops with armored vehicles are laying ambushes along the roads. The operation is continuing.

The struggle for Alevi rights

We mentioned previously that Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu attended a provincial congress of his party in Dersim yesterday and that police activity there threatened or suppressed protests. Dersim has a large Alevi population and a tragic past and certainly has a progressive heart. It is officially known as Tunceli.

Perhaps Davutoğlu hoped to continue his charm offensive with the Alevis in Dersim, but police assaulted Alevis and demonstrators who were protesting against Davutoğlu's visit with tear gas. He did visit several historic Alevi sites and meet with Alevi clergy and he did make a number of statements regarding the government's ruthless suppression of the Dersim rebellion in 1937 and 1938. The massacre in Dersim continues to haunt Turkey even now. The 1993 Sivas massacre echoed that terrible event.

The Prime Minister repeated that a city museum will be built and that Tunceli University will become Munzur University. Still, he had to cancel his trip to the municipality because of protests and tear gas fired by police.

The Alevi-Bektaşi Federation, the Federation of Alevi Associations and the Federation of Alevi Foundations all released a statement criticizing the government’s attitude towards the Alevis. “We must be able to face the truths in our history, especially regarding the massacres that Alevis faced. The state must open is secret archives. All dark details must be enlightened, the real responsible must be revealed. The pains of Alevi people must be alleviated. Unilateral efforts to resolve this issue without including all stakeholders and negotiating will be non-binding for us...We are ready as stakeholders."

Barış Yıldırım of the Dersim People’s Assembly Initiative and the Dersim Initiative For Cultural and Natural Heritage Preservation told bianet that Davutoğlu failed to meet people’s expectations in Dersim. “Even though the PM made significant remarks, the fact that these steps are never taken is a problem,” he said. A meeting between the Dersim People’s Assembly Initiative and the Prime Minister was canceled when he decided not to visit to the municipality due to the protests.

The Dersim People’s Assembly Initiative has the following demands: Recognition of the 1938 "Dersim Incident" as genocide by the Turkish government and taking appropriate actions under international law, cancellation of 26 hydroelectric power plants and 145 mining projects throughout the region, suspension of the high security military headquarters and the clearing of 10,557 land mines in the countryside. These demands will now be sent to the Prime Minister.

Halk TV is attacked again

An editor at Halk TV is facing up to 11 years in prison for allowing the broadcasting of a video of a police tank with "the f-word" and graffiti about then-Prime Minister Erdoğan during last year's Gezi Resistance. Editor Müşerref Seçkin has been hit with serious charges, including "praising crime and criminals and igniting public hatred." The indictment was apparently drafted by the Higher Board of Radio and Television.

Prisoner's rights violated

Nine media outlets have released a joint statement protesting the ban on publications in Turkey’s prisons. The ban includes all periodicals received by inmates via mail or through visitors. The statement was released in the Human Rights Association (IHD) headquarters in downtown in Istanbul and was signed by the Atılım, Halkın Günlüğü, Kızıl Bayrak, Mücadele Birliği, Özgür Gelecek, Siyaset, Türkiye Gerçeği , Barikat Dergisi and Yarın media outlets. The press conference included Semiha Şahin from Atılım newspaper, Mehmet Ali Karabulut from Kızılbayrak, Neriman Çelik from the IHD’s Prison Commission, inmate relative Gülşah Tağaç, advocate Sezin Uçar and Arzu Demir from the Journalists Union of Turkey (TGS).

The speakers said that the ban was imposed early this month. According to information taken from inmate's letters and visitor sessions, authorities based the ban on a Justice Ministry ruling dated November 10, but it seems that no such order has been made available. Efforts to reach the responsible people in the Justice Ministry have been unsuccessful.

The speakers also said that different prisons gave different reasons for enforcing the ban. In the Tekirdağ High Security Prison the ban is allegedly based on reasons associated with helping the “continuation of order in prison” and in Sincan Prison it is allegedly in place to cut communication between inmates and illegal organizations.

The statement also underlined that the ban is aimed at silencing the “revolutionary, socialist and dissident” press by stopping revolutionary prisoners from receiving dissident publications.

Prisoners provide an analysis and a call to fight back

The imprisoned members of the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) and the Kurdistan Women's Liberation Party (PAJK) have issued a statement regarding the recent mass arrests and detentions by Turkish police across North Kurdistan and Turkey and have said, "We won't remain silent to the AKP's political genocide operations." The AKP is Turkey's ruling reactionary party. The arrests and detentions have come in response to the mass protests of October 6-7 in support of Kobanê and against ISIS.

Deniz Kaya provided the statement on behalf of the PKK and PAJK prisoners. The statement says, "Attacks have been organized by the AKP ruling party against the demand for a democratic and free life recently. The democratic actions and reactions of our people, protesting ISIS and supporting the Kobanê resistance, are being bastardized and criminalized. A typical political-cultural operation was carried out under the pretext of 'KCK Operations' in 2009 against legal Kurdish politics. These two policies of AKP are same. These political genocide operations that are being conducted against our people are a continuation of the monist, pro-Turkish and denial mentality." The "KCK Operations" were attacks on the Kurdistan Communities Union.

Deniz Kaya also called on people to enhance the struggle against such policies of the AKP and added, "Our people must react to this attitude of the AKP which does not recognize the rights and existence of Kurds. Our people must take to the streets and must not accept the policies of denial and refusal. We, as the imprisoned members of PKK and PAJK, won't remain silent to the AKP's political genocide operations. We are calling on all democratic forces, public opinion and the community to enhance the struggle and carry out serhildan---uprising---against such policies."

Teachers protest

Turkish mainstream media picked up on the story today that teachers in Turkey earns between $15,000 and $18,000 a year while teachers in the European Union earn between $40,000 and $75,000 annually. These statistics come out as people mark Teachers' Day and some teachers and administrators went on strike today.

One educational workers' union says that 69 percent of teachers are ready to quit their jobs while 95.1 percent find Education Minister Nabi Avcı ineffective. Some 62.1 percent of survey participants live in rented apartments, 73.5 percent of the respondents have credit card debt and 38.4 percent of surveyed teachers think that they are unable to take good care of their families.

According to a 2014 report released by the OECD, teachers in Turkey put in more time than teachers in Europe but are paid almost 40 percent less. The average working hours in OECD countries was calculated as 1,725 annually but the figure is 1,924 in Turkey.

Teachers affiliated with Türk Eğitim-Sen, the Education Personnel Union (Eğitim-Sen) and the Union of Active Educators (Aktif Eğitim-Sen) marched to the Education Ministry building in Kayseri with local musical instruments. Teachers in Bursa danced the traditional “halay” during the strike. In Sinop police used tear gas against teachers who gathered to make a statement about their problems in front of the governor's office building.

Alaaddin Dinçer, an Eğitim-Sen leader, said there is nothing to celebrate as 81.7 percent of teachers had said “no” when they were asked if they would still choose to work as an educator in Turkey if they had the opportunity. “Our teachers would prefer to work in a European Union country because employees' rights and general welfare are higher there. Instead of celebrating this day, we should declare it a day of mourning,” Alaaddin Dinçer said.

A Union of Active Educators leader stated that 76,000 school principals and educators have been unjustly removed from their posts due to the government's political goals. “According to a recent survey, 54 percent of surveyed teachers believe teaching is no longer a prestigious profession. A total of 82 percent are currently indebted to banks due to taking out loans. No matter how you slice it, this job does not see the value it deserves,” the union leader stated.

Teachers affiliated with the Adana Idealistic Educators' Union (ÜMB) went to work today wearing black rubber shoes as a protest against the Karaman Governor's Office, which sent a pair of new rubber shoes to the father of one of the 18 workers killed in a flooded mine in Ermenek after he was photographed wearing a pair with holes in them at his son's funeral. “Students and people around were surprised to see us wearing black rubber shoes. But when we told them that we are protesting the governor's office for sending a pair of new rubber shoes to the father of the dead worker, everybody congratulated us for our sensitivity to the situation,” a union leader told the press.

The governor's office sent a pair of new rubber shoes that cost about $3.30-4.40 after photos of 75-year-old Recep Gökçe circulated. People contrasted the poverty of the miner's family with the lavishness of Ak Saray, the newly-built presidential palace, which cost over $600 million. Gökçe's son, Tezcan Gökçe, was one of 18 miners who were trapped underground on Oct. 28 after the mine they worked at was flooded with water. Ak Saray has quickly become a symbol of wealth without conscience.

Prime Minister Davutoğlu announced today that 15,000 teachers will be appointed to schools across the country by the end of this year. Hundreds of unassigned teachers affiliated with the Association of Unassigned Teachers (Ataması Yapılmayan Öğretmenler Platformu) gathered in Ankara following Davutoğlu's statement in order to draw attention to the fact that another 315,000 continue to wait for positions. The number of unassigned teachers in Turkey has increased by 270,000 over a period of 10 years to approximately 330,000. A spokesman from the association said that the Ministry of Education had announced that it had plans to appoint 40,000 candidate teachers in 2014 but that no appointments have yet been made. Thousands of teachers are waiting to be appointed to a post by the Ministry of Education. Many teachers object to temporary service contracts and demand permanent appointments.

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Sunday, November 23, 2014

Freedom for our ESP comrades and for the sick prisoners! Liberate Dersim!

We continue to pass along information on repression in Turkey and North Kurdistan.

Eight of the 22 people who were detained as result of an expansive operation against the ESP (Socialist Party of the Oppressed) in Istanbul on Wednesday morning have been remanded in custody. The operation against the ESP members in the Gaziosmanpaşa, Sultangazi, Sancaktepe and Eyüp districts ended with the detention of 22 people, 12 of whom were referred to court and 6 of whom were arrested on Friday.

Ten more detainees were sent from the Istanbul police headquarters to the Gaziosmanpaşa Courthouse yesterday. Two of these people were released while eight others were arrested and sent to prison on the grounds of participating in protest demonstrations in solidarity with Kobanê and the mine workers killed in Soma last last May.

In Dersim a large number of police teams and armored vehicles surrounded the city of Dersim before the arrival of Prime Minister Davutoğlu today. He was there to attend a provincial congress of his party.

Armored vehicles and special operation teams were deployed across the city, mainly along Davutoğlu's scheduled route and the neighborhood of Sihenk. Armored vehicles, helicopters and police units were sent from surrounding provinces to Dersim.

The Human Rights Association (IHD) and allies rallied in 10 locations with demands for freedom for sick prisoners. Marches, press statements and sit-ins were held in Dersim, Malatya, Siirt, Şırnak, Batman, Diyarbakır, Erzurum, Adana, Hatay and İzmir in solidarity with 578 sick prisoners. Two-hundred-and-twenty-eight of these prisoners are seriously ill.

Thousands of people took the streets and demanded freedom for the sick prisoners. The actions included leaders of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), the Democratic Society Congress and the DBP (Party of Democratic Regions), progressive co-mayors and officials and rank-and-file KESK (Confederation of Public Workers' Unions) members.

Placards and banners at the actions read "Not with coffin, but with hope, freedom for sick prisoners," "We are an act of light for 228 seriously sick prisoners," "May sick prisoners be released," "They are dying, how long will you remain silent?", "Do not remain silent, silence is death" and "Human is human with its rights." People chanted "Freedom for sick prisoners," "The honor of humanity will defeat torture" and "Sick prisoners are our honor."

People explained the issue of the sick prisoners and demanded freedom for them. They lit 228 candles for the prisoners and ended their protests with sit-ins.

[John Dolva]

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Women fight back against violence in North Kurdistan and Turkey

We continue to talk about women's struggles tonight.

Asya Abdullah, Co-President of Rojava's PYD (Democratic Union Party), today addressed the thousands of women who marched from Dewşen to Mehşer village (Urfa) at the Turkish-Kobanê border to mark the November 25 International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. She spoke by telephone.

Asya Abdullah said the women of Rojava welcomed with open arms the gathering of women at the border in solidarity with the YPJ (Women's Defense Forces) fighters. Asya Abdullah said that they remember all of the fallen women in the struggle with respect, stressing, “As Kurdish women inheriting their struggle, we are leading a historic revolution in Rojava. Thousands of women have fallen as martyrs in the struggle for freedom, and hundreds in Sinjar and Kobanê. The revolution of women continues.”

Asya Abdullah said that history is being written in Kobanê now, that the resistance of the YPJ has been a response to male dominance and femicide, and she stressed that the revolution in Rojava is relevant to all of the women around the world.

The PYD Co-President said that the Kobanê resistance proceeded with great determination thanks to the labor of women, recalling that resistance led by women in Sinjar is also continuing. Noting that women are still fighting on the front lines despite all the attacks they are facing, Asya Abdullah said, "While continuing the fight at the battle front, the women are on the other hand making an effort to build a democratic life in the male-dominated Middle East territory. Women are now proceeding on their way by undertaking a leading mission in all foundations. No attack can intimidate the women who are leading the march for freedom in the four parts of Kurdistan now. We will build a free Kurdistan under the leadership of women."

Thousands of women gathered today at the border to mark the November 25 International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The women dedicated their march to the women resisting and fighting in Kobanê. This year’s day of international struggle and solidarity for the elimination of violence against women has been dedicated to the women in Kobanê and Sinjar because of the brutal assaults of ISIS on these towns that are specifically targeting women.

As the resistance in Kobanê enters its 72nd day some women succeeded in getting past Turkish soldiers and reaching the border village of Mehser for the demonstrations.

The Free Women’s Democratic Movement (DÖKH) called on all the women to join the march at the border under the slogan “We are Mirabel and Sakine, we are Arin in Kobanê, and Kader against the borders.” These are references to heroic women fighters and activists. Answering the call of DÖKH, thousands of women gathered at the border this morning and marched from Dewşen village to Mehser village, which has become the center of the border resistance.

Women from all over North Kurdistan began to go to the border last night. Women continued to arrive through the morning. The women first gathered in Mehser and joined the human chain traditionally formed each morning since the beginning of the demos at Kobanê border.

The women then departed for Dewsen village where they were welcomed by a large group of women from Kobanê unfurling the flags of DÖKH, HPG, PKK and YPG as well as the posters of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan. DÖKH, HPG, PKK and YPG are leading liberation movement organizations. The women carried placards which read “We are all Arin in Kobanê, We are all Kader against the borders”, “Our labors, bodies, identities are ours”, “Women, Life, Freedom” and banners with the pictures of children from Sinjar.

The women waited for the start of the march at Dewsen village by singing songs of resistance from Kobanê and Rojava as well as dancing the traditional Kurdish halay.

Mothers of the Roboski victims massacred by Turkish airstrikes also joined the march. Many women from Kobanê who are staying in the tent cities in Suruç also took their part in the demo, holding posters of Abdullah Öcalan and the flags of YPG and YPJ they themselves prepared. Women and children painted their faces in yellow, red and green, the traditional colors of the Kurdish people.
The DÖKH march was joined by members of the HDP and DBP (People's Democracy Party and the Party of Democratic Regions) women’s assemblies, women from Kobanê, from Europe, from the Socialist Party of the oppressed, the Confederation of Public Worker's Unions (KESK), universities, and feminists as well as prominent women leaders and activists from the Democratic Society Congress and the HDP.

The women then marched from the village of Dewşen to the village of Mehser chanting slogans like “Long Live the Resistance of YPG/YPJ,” “Kobanê will be a grave for ISIS,” “The murderer state will give account,” “Women, Life, Freedom,” “Our struggle continues from Roboski to Kobanê,” “We rebel against the violence and war, We are organized and strong” and “We greet Kobanê resistance in the name of Zilan and Arin.” These slogans united the women with many struggles and people.
The women also held posters of Arin Mirkan, who sacrificed her life in Kobanê, and the Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan during the march.

Dewşen and Mehşer, where the resistance vigil has been held for 72 days, have become united through the massive march of women.

The women have greeted all the women killed in different times; the women fighters of the HPG and YPG who have fallen in the freedom struggle; Arin Mirkan, who sacrificed her life in Kobanê; Kader Ortakaya, who was shot dead by the Turkish soldiers at the Kobanê border; Sakine Cansız, Fidan Doğan and Leyla Şaylemez, the three Kurdish women assassinated in Paris.

A strong analysis and grim statistics on violence against women

The Human Rights Association (IHD) Amed Branch has detailed in a ten-month report of 2014 violations of women's rights, violence against women and femicide in North Kurdistan. According to the report, 57 women were killed in the Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia regions in the first ten months of this year.

The report was released by lawyer Hatice Demir, a member of the IHD Amed Branch Women's Commission, who said that violence against women was a human rights violation and a form of discrimination against women and that women all over the world are suffering from physical, sexual, psychological and economic violence and are even losing their lives.

Hatice Demir pointed out that government authorities have made statements that are behind the times and go so far as using hate speech against women, referring to such issues as how many children women should give birth to or whether pregnant women should go out or not or have an abortion, how they should dress, whether they should laugh in public or not, whether they should give birth to the baby of their rapist, whether student girls and boys can share a house or not, and even proposing the ending of coeducation. Hatice Demir said that such remarks and speeches lead to social gender inequality, create a perception against women and make them a target for attacks.

Hatice Demir also said that judicial measures fail to protect aggrieved women as is required, emphasizing that more and more women are suffering from serious incidents of violence as courts rule in favor of the attackers in cases of rape and sexual abuse. The relevant authorities fail to conduct effective investigations and to take the necessary measures in order to protect women from violence. She also called attention to the increasing number of women killed across the country every day.

Hatice Demir also called attention to the situation of Êzîdî, Assyrian, Kurdish, Arab and Turkmen women who were abducted and subjected to inhuman treatment by the barbaric ISIS gangs in Mosul and Sinjar. She said that the ISIS gangs are targeting the women who are protecting their own people and lands and fighting for freedoms and human rights in Kobanê, adding that the gangs also continue committing rapes and sexual abuse and killing in front of the eyes of the world.

IHD women are making the following demands in order to eliminate violence against women:

* Legal arrangements must be made in line with the proposals of women's associations and human rights organizations regarding all work serving the purpose of eliminating violence against women. Cooperation must be formed with all relevant women's associations and NGOs.
* Required legal and other actions must be taken in order to protect women from violence.
* Mobbing against women in public area must be ended immediately and judicial bodies must launch effective investigations into the cases of mobbing.
* Courts must end the unfair instigation abatements in the cases of rape and sexual abuse against women and femicide and rely on the statements of the victimized women.
* All international states and human rights organizations, including the UN, must manifest a determined stance for the elimination of violence against the women in the areas occupied by ISIS gangs and others under threat of occupation.

Hatice Demir and the IHD issued the following statistics covering the frst ten months of this yar in North Kurdistan:

* 1 woman killed, 10 injured/subjected to violence, 1 other raped by security forces
* 10 women killed, 5 others injured/subjected to violence as a result of domestic violence
* 9 women killed, 8 injured/subjected to violence, 6 raped, 8 others sexually abused as a result of violence in public area
* 25 women committed suicide, 4 others attempted suicide
* 8 women lost their lives as a result of suspected murders
* 4 women died as a result of honor killings

Violence against women in Turkey

In Turkey we see an increase in violence against women. In 2013 237 women were killed in Turkey, but in the first 10 months of 2014 this figure rose to 255. In Turkey 25% of women are subjected to physical violence and 75% of these women suffer violence at the hands of their partners. Between 40 and 70% of women who are killed are killed by their partners. Almost 9 per cent of those killed had court protection orders, while 13% were victims of 'honor killings' after refusing reconciliation. Almost 9 per cent were killed for "rejecting sexual relations."

Fifty per cent of rape victims are under 18, and 10% of these are male while the remainder are female. One in every 4 female children are subjected to sexual violence. Fifty-five per cent of children aged 5-10 are victims of incest and 40% of children aged 10-16 are victims of incest. Fifty per cent of the perpetrators of incest are the fathers of the victims, followed by paternal uncles, elder brothers, grandfathers and maternal uncles.

Seventy-five per cent of the perpetrators of sexual violence are known to their victim.

Fifty-seven per cent of those who call the emergency help line are victims of physical violence, 46.9% of sexual violence, 14.6% of incest and 6% have been raped.

According to an official study based on a survey of over 17,000 women published in January of 2009, 42% of women in Turkey were victims of domestic violence, with those between 40 and 59 having the highest proportion of victims.

At least 112 women have died in workplaces in 2014.

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How do women's rights advocates function in Turkey?

This excellent report comes from bianet. We have done some editing and we recognize that this is a rough translation.

We don’t often get to hear about the rights of women rights advocates. What do they experience as they struggle against rights violations or as they build solidarity with victims? What kinds of violations do they face? Are they subjected to male violence as well?

Meriç Eyüboğlu, one of the feminist attorneys of Immediate Action Against Women Murders Group, told bianet that the violence faced by women rights advocates had several dimensions.

Women face violence, other women work to build solidarity with them and at during the hearing, they are subjected to sexist attacks and insults. Those assaults come sometimes from the perpetrators and sometimes from defense attorneys…

On the other hand, what do violent men and their advocates think about the fact that feminists follow these cases?

“They usually call us ‘women’s rights.’ Whenever we get into the courtroom, ‘women’s rights are here,’ they say. Then they say the following: ‘Women's rights influence our hearing,’ ‘Women rights cause false news reporting.’ One of the arguments we hear most is ‘This is not a woman murder!’. Other than that, they say ‘They turned this into a women’s TV show’.”

“What does it have to do with violence? This is just a murder case”

"The defenses made by feminist advocates are heard through this sexist perspective and it returns to them with assaults and insults. Therefore, the violent man, his relatives and people of law confront us as a whole. Sometimes one by one, sometimes all together.”

Not feminist, “associations of Mrs”

What kind of discourse do women’s rights advocates face?

First of all, they are subjected to sexist insults by suspects and their relatives in every hearing. Other interesting things happen as well. For instance, feminists are accused of discrimination. Another one is being accused of feminism. Of course, every court doesn’t understand the word "feminist." “The court registered ‘feminist’ as ‘association of Mrs.’ once!” said Eyüboğlu.

Women's solidarity as important as court ruling

Women's rights advocacy is not limited to hearings. It should be remembered that feminists take their solidarity with violence victims beyond courtrooms.

Eyüboğlu describes their solidarity with violence, harassment and rape victims as a journey. “You take on a different journey with these women. Some sort of companionship, sometimes equal status, and sharing their pain. This is another dimension of what’s going on," She said. Reminding that cases of this sort took years to complete, Eyüboğlu said the following: “If this journey changes something for us or them, then it is meaningful.”

“Families are not subjects of our politics”

On the other hand, there is also a dimension about the families of violence victim women. How do feminists related to them?

“For us, the subject of these cases are women and not the family. Therefore, we don’t have the habit to walk along with the family in the legal struggle. We already follow up these cases because male violence and women murders are political. Therefore, we keep a distance with families. Because families are likely not to intervene against male violence, or they tell their daughters to ‘manage their husbands’ or force them to compromise with their husbands when victimized women apply to shelters. This is the mentality in our country. We also think differently in the matters of ‘honor’ and general perspective on family. However, we refrain from managing them or politicizing their pain.”

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Our notes today on social movements in Turkey and North Kurdistan

We will continue to provide some notes on the social movements in Turkey and North Kurdistan today.

The women's movement responds to the president

We have given much coverage to the women’s movement in recent days, and particularly to the mobilizations underway across Turkey and North Kurdistan against violence against women. The government and ruling party have responded to these creative initiatives with their usual opposition and obstruction.

Turkish President Erdoğan said today that “You cannot bring women and men into an equal position; this is against nature. You cannot subject a pregnant woman to the same working conditions as a man. You cannot make a mother who has to breastfeed her child equal to a man… Our religion (Islam) has defined a position for women (in society): motherhood. Some people can understand this, while others can't. You cannot explain this to feminists because they don't accept the concept of motherhood.” These remarks drew instant criticism from the progressive opposition and social movements.

Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) co-leader Figen Yüksekdağ responded to these remarks by saying, “In the 21st century, one mentality says, ‘Women and men are not equal, this is against their nature.’ The other sells women at slave bazaars.” Her references were to Erdoğan’s comments and to ISIS. “Can you see any difference between these two mentalities? I cannot,” she said.

The social-democratic/liberal parliamentary opposition voiced frustration with the president’s remarks. “We all know that he is sexist by nature,” a spokeswoman from the Republican People’s Party (CHP) said. She also charged that the president was "openly committing a hate crime" against women. The nationalist/fascist opposition even criticized the president when Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli said, “We believe that Erdoğan, who says gender equality is not in human nature, has no justice or national and moral stance in his own nature.”

Sema Kendirci, a leader of the Turkish Women’s Union, agreed that the president had committed a crime with his remarks and promised to file a complaint. “I think it is a great misfortune for a person who represents the Turkish Republic to breach the Constitution and make statements that might open the way for more women’s killings. Nobody has the right to breach the Constitution, regardless of their position,” Kendirci said.

People associated with the ruling reactionary Justice and Development Party (AKP) were just as quick to defend Erdoğan. The deputy head of the AKP’s women’s branches, Ankara deputy Tülay Selamoğlu, said that he meant to say that women and men have differences through their creation. She said that the issue should be debated in terms of human rights rather than women’s rights. “These should not be separated. We have the same rights as humans. We have taken significant steps to defend this with laws,” Selamoğlu said.

Other right-wing voices chimed in as well with the kind of arguments against equality and freedom that we hear in the US. “Women and men are different by creation. But we take them as equal in terms of rights and opportunities. I have been working with the president for 13 years, and I know what he meant. He believes in equality as you and we believe, and he is taking steps to this end,” former Family Minister Güldal Akşit said.

The comments made by Figen Yüksekdağ and the charges which will be brought by Sema Kendirci have real applicability. More to the point, we want to mention that Fikriye Yılmaz of the We Will Stop the Murders of Women Platform has also said that Erdoğan violated the constitution with his comments. Yesterday she sought to intervene during a conference while Family and Social Policy Minister Ayşenur İslam was speaking. Private security guards hurried to shut her up and remove her from the room.

Fikriye Yılmaz wanted very much to pursue this issue of violence against women with İslam in a public setting as Islam had earlier said that she did not know how many women were killed in domestic violence incidents and referred a reporter to the minister of justice for the information. This is information that Islam should be familiar with. “It is very clear that they cannot even tolerate our questions. It is impossible for her to be ignorant of the number of women who have been killed. They do not want to know because they are aware that women are being killed because they are not enforcing the laws (that protect women). They do not answer our questions because they do not want to admit this to the public,” Fikriye Yılmaz told Zaman.

Fikriye Yılmaz also said, “He has no right to say this because he, as the president, has to act in accordance with the Constitution, and the Constitution states that men and women are equal. As long as he is the president, he cannot speak like this. It is a criminal offense. He has overstepped his boundaries.” She went on to tell Zaman, “They must listen to us as our government. We have seen that they have run away from our questions with the trials we have brought against them. There was a lot of security at the event yesterday, but somehow we were able to get in. This just proves that the government cannot run away from us. Whether they like it or not they will have to face the reality that a woman is murdered every day in Turkey, and this is something that cannot be hidden.”

The environment and environmentalism

We also take much on this blog about the environment and environmentalism in Turkey and North Kurdistan. Today the proposed clear cutting of 2 million trees in Çaldağı in the Aegean province of Manisa is in the news as environmentalists, unions and opposition parties have joined forces to oppose the destruction of the forest and the nickel mine project behind that. It is estimated that about 200,000 trees have already been cut down.

Yesterday people from the social movements and parliamentary opposition forces gathered near Çaldağı to oppose and denounce the mining project and the cutting down of the trees. The Environment Ministry approved the mandatory impact assessment report on the project on Nov. 14, clearing the way for clear cutting and mining. Much attention is focused on the use of tons of highly toxic sulfuric acid in the project. An attempt by the parliamentary opposition to establish an inquiry commission on the project was rejected at Parliament by Justice and Development Party deputies.

“We are condemning the ruling mindset that only protects the interests of corporations and shuts its eyes to the demands of the people. We do not recognize the approval of the environmental impact assessment report. We will not give a free pass to savage mining,” a statement from the group said.
The mining project was initially set to be built by the British European Nickel company. That company perhaps engaged in a shell game by selling its assets to the local company VGT two years ago. The area has other nickel mines, but this latest project will further damage agriculture and viticulture in the region and will add to the pollution from already-existing mines.

The crisis of unemployment drives workers to desperate measures

In labor news we can report that a Manisa court has rejected an indictment prepared as a part of an investigation into the death of 301 mine workers who were massacred in Soma last May. The court found the indictment “insufficient” because the document was prepared before all the complainants had testified and before an expert report on the sensors in the mine was received.

Forty-five suspects, including eight who are under arrest, are facing charges in the indictment. Two-hundred-and-fourteen relatives of the mine workers and 161 miners who were affected by smoke from the disaster are cited as complainants in the case. Prosecutors have asked that the 8 people who were arrested each be sentenced to 301 jail terms of between 20-25 years and 161 jail terms of between 2 and 6 years. The eight are Soma Coal Mine Company CEO Can Gürkan, General Manager Ramazan Doğru, Operating Manager Akın Çelik, shift supervisors Yasin Kurnaz, Hilmi Kazık and İsmail Adalı and technicians Ertan Ersoy and Mehmet Ali Günay. An investigation is continuing into public officials who have been found to be at fault.

At the same time, it must be said that a record number of people are applying for jobs in the mines in Zonguldak. The state-run Turkish Hard Coal Enterprises (TTK) put out notice for 162 open positions at a coal mine in Zonguldak and received 4,269 inquiries or applications in the nine-day open period. Over eleven-hundred of the applications were for underground work at the mine.

Turkey’s unemployment rate was just over 10 percent in August and has probably increased since then, and particularly in the mining sector as many mines have been forced to close. In the Zonguldak region 31 mines have recently been forced to close for serious safety violations. These closures and this crisis in employment comes after the horrific May 13 Soma mine massacre in which at least 301 mine worker died, and as the October 28 Ermenek mine disaster, in which 18 miners died, brought more attention to the poor safety record in Turkey’s mines.

More developments in the Hrant Dink murder case

It seems that the person who shot and killed progressive Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink almost eight years ago has decided to speak up about the murder. Ogün Samast was 17 years old when he shot Hrant Dink in front of his office in broad daylight in Istanbul on Jan. 19, 2007.

Samast is currently being held in the high-security F-type prison in Kandıra, Kocaeli, where he is serving a 22 year sentence. He has said in a letter that he wants to provide new or additional testimony in the case. Samast previously said that the murder was committed as part of a three-stage plan but has not provided all of the necessary details of that plan. It is reasonable to believe that there was a conspiracy to assassinate Hrant Dink, that putting such an action together was beyond the capabilities of a 17-year-old acting alone and without protection and that people in government were party to whatever plans were made.

A protest movement, competent lawyers and worldwide attention to the assassination have kept the case and Hrant Dink’s memory alive. Efforts by authorities to obstruct the fight for justice in this case have been met with resistance and, slowly, progress. We reported on this blog that matters changed in October when a court in Istanbul announced that it would focus on the “criminal organization” allegations against suspects and in early November when the Constitutional Court said that civil servants and institutions alleged to have been implicated in the killing should be investigated. Samast may be tried on new charges as the case continues to develop.

In early November, the Constitutional Court said civil servants and institutions allegedly implicated in the murder should be investigated.

Centralization of the media for political reasons

Three prominent media executives have been fired from their jobs by Ethem Sancak, owner of the Star Media Group and an active member of the ruling reactionary Justice and Development Party (AKP). Sancak serves on the AKP's Internal Party Democracy Commission.

It is assumed that these firings were politically motivated despite a Star Media Group statement that the company had decided to “reorganize in order to keep up with the assertive stance and pace of Turkey...Organizational changes are needed for the firm, which aims to be more effective and which places bigger targets in financial terms.” This reorganization will centralize power in the conglomerate.

The peace process moves forward over reactionary objections

An expanded parliamentary delegation working with Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdish liberation movement, on the peace process underway between the movement and the Turkish state will be able to visit Abdullah Öcalan on the island where he is being held on November 30. This is an expanded breakthrough for the People's Democracy Party (HDP)-led delegation and the peace initiative as the Turkish state has tried to block and obstruct the process and limit the size of the delegation. A broader delegation can be more effective.

Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç again weighed in with criticisms of the process and the HDP when he said, "The HDP is fulfilling a very important duty today. As a political party, as lawmakers who represent the people, and as a political wing in contact with Öcalan and other stakeholders in the resolution process, they should be acting with much more responsibility, understanding and honesty in how they conduct their relations with the government. When they act outside of this, the resolution process is negatively affected.” It is this sort of condescending talk that reminds us that the liberation movement is shoing great patience in the present moment.

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[John Dolva]

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Some barriers to the people's struggles in Turkey and North Kurdistan

Today's brief news items do more to describe what people in Turkey and North Kurdistan are up against than describing their struggles, which is our usual emphasis.

LGBTQI efforts

LGBTQI rights associations in Turkey have launched an online petition campaign against the Turkish Red Crescent for its long-standing policy of refusing blood from gay donors.

The Red Crescent asks every donor for information concerning their health and personal life. Male donors are asked whether they have “had oral or anal sex with a man with or without using condoms, even just once.” Those who admit this are considered unfit to donate blood.

“This policy contradicts your institution’s principles of anti-discrimination and protection of human dignity,” reads the text of the petition campaign, supported by 19 local LGBT associations, including KaosGL and Pembe Hayat. The associations say that all blood samples are tested for infectious diseases such as HIV or Hepatitis before being transfused. “As heterosexuals also face the same risks of contagion during sexual intercourse, it is clear that the condition) is not based on a medical concern,” the groups say. They also say that such a practice blatantly violates the European Convention of Human Rights as well as the Turkish Constitution.

President Erdoğan seeks to mobilize a fascist base

Turkish President Erdoğan has asked tradesmen throughout Turkey to act as law enforcement officers and judges if necessary.

“In our civilization, in our national and civilizational spirit, tradesmen and artisans are soldiers when needed. They are ‘alperenler’ [the historical name given to Turkish-Muslim knights]; they are martyrs, veterans and heroes defending their homeland when needed. They are the policemen who build order when needed; they are the judge and the referees who deliver justice when needed…When needed, he is a compassionate big brother and young brother. You cannot sell a taxi driver short; he is the governor of the district, he is the big brother and warden of the district. You cannot sell a shopkeeper, butcher, grocer and tailor short; he is the spirit of the district; the conscience of the street and district,” the president said today in a speech delivered to the 4th Council of Tradesmen and Artisans in Ankara.

The speech was given as a new hearing into the murder of Ali İsmail Korkmaz was being held in Kayseri. Ali İsmail Korkmaz, 19, was beaten to death in Eskişehir by plainclothes police officers, local shopkeepers and tradesmen during last year’s Gezi protests. He was beaten up on June 2, 2013, and died on July 10 after spending 38 days in a coma. The prosecution in the case is focusing on one undercover policeman and four shopkeepers while many others were involved, and the case has been moved to a distant place in order to limit people mobilizing in support of justice in the case and in order for the state to get a more sympathetic hearing then they would likely get elsewhere. It’s reasonable to believe that Erdogan’s remarks were intended to fan the flames of repression.

Gürkan Korkmaz, Ali İsmail Korkmaz’s older brother who is also acting as the lawyer for his family, objects to the singling out of just one of the suspects at this point and the demand for an acquittal of two police officers who are involved in the case. “Demanding the acquittal of police chiefs who ordered the capture of (Ali İsmail Korkmaz) is contrary to the penal code. This may have been overlooked by the prosecutor,” he told mainstream media. “Apart from the first-degree murder charge against the individual who propitiated the last three kicks, the other suspects are being protected,” he said.

The Korkmaz family took the floor during the hearing. The father, Şahap Yılmaz, said that each one of the suspects played a part in his son’s killing. “They are attacking someone who didn't do them any harm. There is no reason not to call them all murderers. We want a real sentence,” he said.

For her part, the victim’s mother, Emel Korkmaz, again made an emotional statement, asking for the strongest punishment possible. “I lost my son 18 months ago. I cannot hear his breath or voice, but meanwhile I have had to face his murderers five times. You will live the rest of your life being labeled as murderers. As for me, I am proud of my son. I know that even if they are sentenced to death, this wouldn't bring my son back. But if there is justice in this country, I want them to be tried in the heaviest possible way,” she said. Emel Korkmaz has been an especially moving presence in the case.

The suspects denied the accusations despite footage and other evidence. The key suspect even denied that the victim he attacked was Ali İsmail Korkmaz, insisting that the person his group hit with sticks was much taller than Ali İsmail Korkmaz. He rejected all responsibility for the killing and demanded to be acquitted, arguing that he took part in the suppression of a coup targeting the government. “The president, the prime minister and the interior minister of this country say Gezi Park was a coup. If it was a coup, I was assigned to suppress it,” he told the court. His lawyers claim that he was following orders from above and point their fingers with some justification at the Eskişehir police chief, the governor, the interior minister and the prime minister.

President Erdoğan was prime minister at the time of the Gezi resistance and supported the brutal police crackdowns on the protests. He described the police brutality as a “heroic saga” and there was indeed talk at the time---and there still is to this day---that the Gezi protests were a coup attempt, or part of a coup. When Erdoğan says, "When necessary, shopkeepers are also soldiers, fighters, heroes, police and judges" he is speaking in a particular context and not just reciting history.

President Erdoğan tries again to obstruct the peace process

President Erdoğan is now claiming that the new security bill will "secure the fate of the resolution process" underway between the Kurdish liberation movement and the Turkish state. He is also again claiming that there will be no room for bargaining in this process. With these words he is trying to put another roadblock in place as the process moves forward over reactionary objections.

“Neither the terror threat, nor the threat of creating turmoil on the streets or barbarically committed murders can harm Turkey’s direction. After the judiciary-security package that is currently being drafted goes into force, this situation will be secured,” Erdoğan said in his speech Council of Tradesmen and Artisans in Ankara today.

Parliament is set to discuss draft legislation that gives police and other security forces broad authorities. Since much of this is already set in Turkish law, and since Erdoğan and his government maintain that they are only adopting concepts from the US and EU, there is much to argue over here. We have said previously on this blog that these new measures have been adopted in practice. The opposition in Turkey accuses the government of turning the country into a police state.

Erdoğan defends the new legislation by misrepresenting what happened across Turkey and North Kurdistan on Oct. 6-7. Mass protests against ISIS and government support for ISIS and in support of Rojava brought people out on to the streets and almost 50 people were killed during the demonstrations, most by police and fascist terror. The president claims that the October incidents were a "provocation" orchestrated by a “superior mind” that aims stop his government from resolving the Kurdish question. Erdoğan’s party and government show little interest in resolution.

Erdoğan said today that they are "neither negotiating nor making concessions" as part of the on-going talks. “The frame and limits of this process are well-known. This is not a negotiation or a give-and-take exercise. I have always said: Weapons will be dropped and the problem will be resolved through dialogue and along a political basis. Apart from this, the Republic of Turkey will never allow any other way," he said. If this is true, then what do the negotiations consist of?

Police brutality

Six police officers have been arrested in Istanbul for allegedly torturing a man in a police station in the Sultanbeyli district of the city. The 26-year-old man went to the Sultanbeyli Fatih Police station to receive a subpoena two weeks ago. While there, two groups who had been in a fight requested his help to mediate their dispute. He told them to ask for police help and left the station.

He was apparently later called by the police to help mediate between the two groups. He returned to the station but one police officer allegedly shouted at him, “Who do you think you are? How can you mediate here?” The man says that he was then beaten by several police officers with batons and the butts of their guns and claims that they attempted to push a soda bottle into his anus. He later received a medical report saying that he could not work for 15 days due to the injuries he sustained. Camera footage in the police station shows him entering the building in good condition and being taken into a room without security cameras. The police officers took him. from the room hours later and camera footage shows him unable to walk on his own at that time.

An unprecedented media ban

Turkey’s media organizations have been banned from reporting about a parliamentary inquiry into corruption allegations concerning four former ministers of the Cabinet. A request for the ban was filed by the Parliament Speaker’s Office with the Ankara Chief Prosecutor’s Office last Friday with the request that the ban remain in effect until Dec. 27.

The ban was announced late yesterday. Former Environment and Urban Planning Minister Erdoğan Bayraktar was expected to present his defense to the investigation commission today and former EU Minister Egemen Bağış is expected to present his defense tomorrow. The investigation commission was established last spring.

The ban is unprecedented.

The four ministers resigned from the Cabinet after a graft operation highlighted their relations with Iranian-origin businessman Reza Zarrab. Zarrab may have paid the former ministers bribes over the last few years.Former Halkbank chief executive Süleyman Aslan is also among the suspects of the corruption probe. The scandal and the probe certainly hurt the ruling party and government at a crucial time before the elections and have influenced how the government and the financial sector deal with one another.

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An update on the iberation movement in Turkey, North Kurdistan, Rojava and Iraq in recent days

We have not paid enough attention to the liberation movement in Turkey, North Kurdistan, Rojava and Iraq in recent days. The movement has international dimensions as well. Today we will do one long post taking readers through some events of this week. We thank Firat News for their help.

Contradictions for German Greens

The contradictions within the German Green Party were apparent when the Greens decided at a conference held earlier this week to oppose the provision of arms to revolutionary Rojava. A long debate was held at the conference on the issue and the dominant line that emerged was that weapons “might fall into the wrong hands." At the same time, however, the conference did support the views of Greens in the Federal Parliament who approved the sending of armed assistance to Rojava.

Some Green leaders are caught between supporting a line that says "We must ensure the Kurds have the capability to defend themselves" and opposing a line that supports sending military units to Syria or Iraq and perhaps taking a position in support of whatever the UN decides to do. A majority of the Green congress certainly supports a line favoring Germany only supporting the protection of the civilian population.

Austrian Green MP takes a stronger line

At the 60th NATO Parliamentary Assembly meeting held in the Hague Austrian deputy Peter Pilz called for the PKK (Kurdistan Worker’s Party) to be removed from the EU list of terrorist organizations. Pilz demanded that the chance previously given to the PLO be given to the PKK. He made a presentation on the Kurds and the PKK, during which the Green Party MP explained the Kurds' struggle against ISIS and asked the following questions to NATO and the European Union:

1-Should the Kurdish regions of Turkey, Iran and Syria be granted the right to autonomy?

2- Should South Kurdistan have the right to be an independent state?

3- Should relations with the PKK be normalized and the PKK be removed from the EU list of "terrorist organizations?

He also called for Austria and the EU to enter into dialogue with the PKK, and for NATO to make efforts to prevent Turkey obstructing this. Pilz concluded by saying, "Many years ago I met PKK leader Öcalan in Damascus. I am sure that today the PKK will make at least as much effort for the peace process as the PLO."

ISIS attacks Arabs, too. Jarablus needs solidarity.

ISIS attacks Arabs as well as Kurds, of course. Arabs who have escaped from ISIS in Jarablus say that the ISIS gangs have spread terror there and that they were unable to leave their homes and said that they were waiting for the YPG (Rojava’s People’s Defense Forces) to save the town. The people of Jarablus said, "They're not Arabs, all the bad people from every nation have come here and occupied our town. We call on the Arabs and the Kurds: let's unite. We call on the YPG to come and save us."

Three people who have fled from Jarablus, which has been under ISIS control ever since the ISIS gangs took the town from the Free Syrian Army (FSA), and taken refuge in Urfa, talked about the latest situation in the town with Firat News. The three---a shopkeeper, a teacher and a motor mechanic--- said that 80% of the 25-30,000 people of the Jarablus district have fled, and that only 1% of the Kurdish population, which had made up 20% of the population of the district, remained. The teacher added that some Arabs erroneously believe that the Kurds had supported the regime in the 1980s against the Muslim Brotherhood, and that these Arabs made up the basis of ISIS, looking to take revenge on the Kurds.

The teacher added that they lived together with the Kurds in Jarablus, Girê Spî (Tel Abyad), Serêkaniyê, Aleppo and Damascus. He said that ISIS had said they found $17,000 US dollars in a village when they occupied Kobanê, calling on Arabs to go there for booty. He added, "Many Arabs went there and died. Now they are selling Kurdish villages. This is not something Arabs would do. There are bad people in every nation. There are many Kurds in ISIS. But we are brothers: 80% of the people of Jarablus are now waiting for the YPG (Rojava’s People’s Defense Forces) to come and save them."

The shopkeeper said that he had seen many Turks from Konya among the ISIS members, adding that ISIS executed one person every week in public in order to instill fear in the people. He said, "We couldn't leave our homes because we didn't know what we would encounter. Shaving and smoking were banned. They closed the barber shops. Women have to be completely covered and men can't wear tight trousers. But their leaders can smoke, and lots of women go to the houses where the leaders live."

The motor mechanic explained the psychology of ISIS members. He said that one of the leaders was from Egypt and that he had overheard a conversation he had with his father. "He told his father to come, saying the food was good and that he could have as many women as he wanted," he added. He concluded by calling on Arabs and Kurds to unite to cleanse their town of the gangs. "We Arabs call on the YPG. We are also Syrian, come and save us."

The 70th day of Kobanê's historic resistance

On Monday, the 70^th day of on-going fighting in Kobanê, the YPG (People's Defense Units) Press Center reported that YPG/YPJ )People’s/Women’s Defense Forces) fighters supported by the FSA-affiliated Burkan Al-Fırat and peshmerga forces with heavy weapons, have recaptured some areas from the ISIS gangs. According to the statement, the ISIS gangs have suffered heavy losses despite the ammunition and the weapons they are bringing in from other regions.

The statement reported that an offensive was launched by YPG forces against the ISIS forces deployed around the Sukul Hal, municipality and Azadi Square areas on the eastern front. YPG forces made further advances as they liberated some areas occupied by ISIS following violent and intense clashes. Thirty-two ISIS fighters were killed and large quantities of ammunition and arms belonging to them were seized in the fighting on the eastern front.

YPG forces also conducted two separate offensives against ISIS gangs positioned between the villages of Helinc and Şex Çopan, 5 km to the southeast of Kobanê, killing at least 3 ISIS fighters and destroying two vehicles belonging to them.

YPG units also hit ISIS gangs on the southern front, where 3 motorcycles belonging to the gangs were destroyed, and short battle went through the morning. Seven ISIS members were killed and 3 others were wounded in the fighting.

In Serêkaniyê (Ras al-Ayn), the campaign initiated by YPG units in the south and southeast areas of the city is continuing. At least 4 ISIS members were killed in the offensive near the village of Resm El Hacir.

One YPG fighter died near Menacir village.

In revolutionary Afrin

The YPG Afrin Command also issued a statement regarding attacks by the Al Nusra Front and other groups on the villages of Nible and Zehra late last week. The statement said that the YPG was not taking sides in the clashes between the groups and regime forces and drew attention to the fact some media sources were targeting the YPG and Afrin Canton. The YPG statement regarding attacks on villages between Aleppo and Afrin emphasized their neutrality.

"Following these attacks by the Al Nusra Front and other groups, certain TV stations and internet sites have turned their attention to Afrin and the YPG. All these broadcasts are lies. We have not taken sides in these clashes, we are only trying to defend our area," the statement said, adding that the YPG will welcome those who come as friends and not foes

The YPG statement concluded by saying, "We have demonstrated in Kobanê with the heroic resistance mounted there how we defend and protect our areas. Therefore, in the event of an attack on our canton, we state clearly that we will defend our canton to the end in a manner worthy of that resistance."

Two arrests in Turkey

On Tuesday we heard that Önder Tosun (18) and İsmail Başboğa (24) were taken into custody as result of house raids in the Tutak district of Ağrı on Monday evening. The two young people were sent to the Ağrı courthouse, which later sent them to another vacation court with a demand that they be arrested for alleged “membership to a terrorist organization.” The two were sent to the Ağrı M Type Closed Prison for having participated in the October solidarity demonstrations.

Kobanê's historic resistance on the 71st day

In a statement about yesterday's fighting in Kobanê the YPG Press Center reported that the attacks of ISIS gangs to occupy the town continued on the 71st day. ISIS gangs that have been forced to retreat to defensive positions by the YPG/YPJ are now being targeted in offensives.

According to the YPG Press Center, ISIS gangs are now completely in a defensive position on the eastern front of Kobanê after attacks which caused them heavy casualties. On the southern front, YPG units also carried out an offensive against the positions occupied by the gangs. YPG forces advanced further as four more locations were liberated and the gangs were forced to retreat from this area as result of the offensive. Seven ISIS gang members were killed and weapons belonging to them were seized in this area.

Jalawla and Sadiye are liberated

Yesterday the HPG (People's Defense Forces) Press Center reported that the military operations in Jalawla and Sadiye in South Kurdistan have been successfully concluded. The HPG stated that many locations have been liberated by the guerrilla and peshmerga forces that conducted the joint operation against the ISIS gangs in Jalawla and Sadiye in the Xaneqin district of Kirkuk on November 23.

The statement said that ISIS gangs suffered heavy losses and were forced to retreat as result of the joint operation of the HPG and YJA Star guerrillas affiliated with the HPG Maxmur and Kirkuk Area Commands. The HPG Press Center added that the areas liberated in the operations were handed over to peshmerga forces following the withdrawal of the guerrilla forces to the headquarters affiliated to the HPG Command.

Turkish troops repress people at the border and maybe steal cars

Turkish troops are refusing to allow food to be given to people from Kobanê who have taken refuge near the border in order to protect themselves from ISIS attacks. It has also been claimed that cars belonging to the people there are being stolen as a result of a deal between the commander at the Merdesimbêl military post and ISIS gangs.

Residents of Kobanê who rushed to the border fleeing ISIS gang attacks face repression by Turkish soldiers at many points along the border. Villagers from Zehvan, Boydê, Etmanek, Alizer, Swêdê and Merdesimbêl attempting to take food to the stranded people who are there with their vehicles are being obstructed by Turkish soldiers. Vehicles have been stolen in the area opposite the village of Merdesimbêl (Mert İsmail) in particular.

Turkish troops seem content to only watch the ISIS gangs are now pressuring people from the Alişar village of Kobanê to move closer to the border with their vehicles. The villagers do not want to leave their vehicles, but say the soldiers have set dogs on them and not allowed any food to be given to them. They also claim that the commander of the military post takes a commission from the gangs for every vehicle stolen.

The people said that they will not abandon their vehicles, despite their relatives trying to bring food being told that they should leave them and cross the border. They said, “They have made a deal with the gangs over our vehicles, but we will not allow them to take us or our vehicles. They tried once before and we responded and will do so again if they attempt it.”

Protests in Germany oppose violence against women and support the liberation struggles

Women in Germany organized various actions and marches in many cities on November 25 to mark the international day of struggle for the elimination of violence against women. Thousands took to the streets to protest violence against women.

BERLIN

Women’s organizations in Berlin, the Destan Berlin Women’s Assembly, the Immigrant Women Solidarity Association, Kurdish Women in Exile and the International Space for Women, Immigrant Women Unity and Amoro Fora organized a march to protest violence against women. The march was attended by around 600 women. The demonstrators joining the march condemned massacres against women and the enslavement of women by ISIS and sent solidarity messages to the women resisting in Sinjar and Kobanê. Women carried banners and placards in solidarity with the Kobanê resistance, condemning the assaults of ISIS on women and violence they are being subjected to. Speeches made at the rally at Neucologne also carried solidarity messages for the women of Kobanê and Sinjar as well as calling on all the women to step up the struggle against violence and strengthen sisterly solidarity.

MANNHEIM

The march in Mannheim started off from Mannheim University, bringing together around 500 German and immigrant women. The Kurdish Society Center in Mannheim and Ludwigshafen also actively supported the march. Women chanted slogans during the march to Markplatz, condemning the violence against women and cheering women’s solidarity. The massacres by ISIS in Sinjar and violent attacks on Kobanê were also condemned during the march by the women, who also carried pictures of women revolutionaries including Rosa Luxemburg, Sakine Cansız, Fidan Doğan and Leyla Şaylemez. The women stressed in their speeches that as violence against women, sexual assault and rape is increasing, women must unite in order to empower themselves in their struggle.

HAMBURG

Women held a march in Hamburg as well to mark the International day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The march was organized by a joint platform of the Rojbin Women’s Assembly, Ates, the European Democratic Women’s Movement, Courage, MLPD, Modaran, the Red Women Committee, SKB and New Women.

Women also commemorated the struggle of the Mirabel sisters and the three revolutionary Kurdish women assassinated in Paris, as well as Hülya Arslan, a woman activist who was murdered by her son in Hamburg last May. The speeches greeted the struggle of YPJ women fighters in Kobanê and Rojava. The lack of participation of Kurdish men in the march was highly criticized by women demonstrators. The march ended with a call for participation in a march to be organized in the Sternschanze neighborhood on November 29 demanding that the ban on the PKK be lifted and that Mehmet Demir be freed.

STUTTGART

A march by women from many different ethnic backgrounds---German, Kurdish, Turkish, Arab and others-- was organized in Stuttgart under the slogan “Stop the violence against women all around the world: solidarity with Kobanê.” Women made speeches in Kurdish, Turkish, German and Persian, condemning the violence against women and greeting the Kobanê resistance as well as calling for more solidarity with Kobanê.

Report from the Kobanê resistance today

The YPG Press Center announced today that at least 12 ISIS fighters were killed yesterday as YPG/YPJ forces continued their offensives against ISIS in and around Kobanê. This is the 72nd day of fighting there.

The statement said that the YPG/YPJ fighters are writing history with a glorious resistance and are continuing their offensives against the ISIS gangs even as ISIS uses mortar attacks to target the city center after failing to gain the advantage in the battlefield.

The YPG Press Center said that fighting raged on the eastern front last night in short battles in which 8 ISIS members were killed and 4 others were wounded. In other actions, 4 ISIS fighters were killed in YPG offensive actions.

Guerrillas mark The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women was marked by hundreds of guerrillas on the mountains of Kurdistan in Behdinan yesterday.

Speaking at the gathering in Media Defense Areas, KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) Co-Presidency Council member Sozdar Avesta said that November 25 is a symbolic day to say “stop” to violence against women, adding that, “Still, we know the meaning of this day very well. We are sharing the pain of the Mirabal sisters of the Dominican Republic. We are also suffering from violence. Our pain is still very fresh and young girls in Kurdistan are every day falling fighting against fascism and male violence.”

"Three sisters of ours were murdered in the Dominican Republic. And today, 12-15 people from the same family are being massacred in Sinjar. No conscience, no mindset, no moral, no feeling nor spirit can accept this. All these murders were perpetrated by the same fascistic approach”, Sozdar Avesta said, describing the Sinjar massacre as the heaviest blow inflicted on women in the 21st century.

Remarking that the Sinjar attack aimed to destroy a culture and faith, the KCK Co-Presidency Council member pointed out that Sinjar was deliberately targeted, and that the plan was defeated by the resistance of tens of thousands of people on Mount Sinjar.

“A gender- egalitarian life had been maintained in Mesopotamian lands for thousands of years. This communal and free life has always been considered sacred by Kurdish society and humanity,” she said, underlining that the state destroyed this gender-egalitarian system and built a grim system of exploitation instead. She remarked that this ignored sacred system is being rebuilt through the resistance being mounted today.

“Through the struggle it is waging, the PKK is once again revealing the disappeared and disregarded truth in the Middle East,” Sozdar Avesta emphasized.

Sozdar Avesta said that it has been proved once again in Sinjar and Kobanê that the PKK movement has advanced under the leadership of women who became an army on Kurdistan’s mountains 21 years ago.

Avesta ended by stressing that "All the women demanding freedom and democracy should know that YJA-STAR and YPJ will always continue their existence as the defense force of women in these lands. Following the path of Zilan, Beritan, Viyan and Arin comrades, we will continue to be the guarantor of the women's freedom."

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The Kurdistan Communities Union has issued a statement celebrating the 36th anniversary of the founding of the Partîya Karkerên Kurdistan (PKK)

The KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) Executive Co-Presidency has issued a statement celebrating the 36th anniversary of the founding of the Partîya Karkerên Kurdistan (PKK, Kurdistan Worker's Party), stressing that the struggle led by Leader Apo (Abdullah Öcalan) actually goes back 40 years.

The KCK Executive Co-Presidency says that the PKK is the creator and guarantor of democratic and free life and calls on the Kurdish people and the peoples of the Middle East to unite around Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan’s philosophical, ideological, theoretical and political line and step up the struggle.

The PKK is the party of martyrs

The KCK statement says,“The PKK is a party whose values were created by its martyrs,” stressing that the PKK has waged a freedom struggle for a people on the verge of oblivion, and has become a beacon of hope for all the peoples of the region, not just the Kurdish people.

The statement continues, saying that the PKK will in its 37th year develop the democratic struggle and open the way to a free and democratic life in the Middle East.

“If the Kurds are now in the vanguard of the struggle for democracy and freedom in the Middle East, having been in the most backward position 40 years ago, this is undoubtedly due to the determining role played by the PKK,” the statement also says.

The PKK is the guarantor of a free life

The statement stresses that the PKK is a party that is accustomed to waging successful struggle in the harshest conditions and that the PKK emerged on the historical stage to accomplish the revolution of the people of Kurdistan. “Therefore, no hardship has been able to prevent the Freedom Struggle led by the PKK,” the statement continues, adding that the PKK has become the creator and guarantor of democratic life in all four parts of Kurdistan.

The KCK statement says,“A few years ago Leader Apo said 'our struggle so far was only a preparation. The real struggle begins now.’ In this context, the PKK is aware that it has a historic responsibility towards all the peoples, faiths and cultures of the Middle East and will wage a struggle to develop the struggle for a free and democratic life throughout the Middle East.”

The statement says that the revolution realized by the Kurdish people in Rojava and the resistance in Sinjar, Makhmour, Kirkuk and Kobanê has demonstrated the invincibility of the PKK's form of struggle.

Call to step up the struggle

The KCK statement concludes with the following appeal: "We commemorate once again all those heroes who have fallen in the struggle led by the PKK and inspired by Leader Apo, and call on the peoples of the Middle East to unite around Leader Apo’s philosophical, ideological, theoretical and political line and step up the struggle in the 37th year of the party.”

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Kurdish youth organize, salute the PKK

The Kurdish youth organisation Komalen Ciwan Coordination has issued a statement to mark the anniversary of the establishment of the PKK (Kurdistan Worker's Party) on November 27, 1978.

The statement of the Coordination says that 37 years ago a group of young people got organized against the cultural and physical oppression in Kurdistan, saying, "The group, firstly called ‘students’ or ‘followers of Apo,’ built a party following the killing of Comrade Haki, who is called by the leader Apo ‘my hidden soul,’ and gained an identity through their resistance in prisons, and has today come to the forefront of the world agenda through the resistance in Kobanê and Sinjar, becoming the voice of the voiceless and the hope of all the oppressed and exploited peoples.”

The Coordination said that through the Rojava Revolution the PKK has succeeded in bringing together women and men from different ethnic and religious backgrounds in Syria and superseded the very function of the nation state mindset, proving the essentiality of building a democratic nation. The Coordination added that the Rojava Revolution is not only setting an example for the four parts of Kurdistan, but also for the Middle East and the world.

Commemorating the fallen heroic members of the PKK, the Coordination stressed that the movement takes youth organisation as its basis, adding that the PKK movement, with not only Kurdish young people but also many others from different parts of the world, has shielded Kobanê from the predatory mindset.

"We have to be among those who write history in Kobanê by turning everywhere into Kobanê, reclaiming the spirit of October 6-7," Komalen Ciwan Coordination said, and ended its statement by calling on the youth of Kurdistan to take ownership of their heritage in these lands and to flock to the PKK ranks "where the dream of a free life is being realized.”

The October 6-7 demonstrations were mass solidarity demonstrations with Kobanê and against ISIS.

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[John Dolva]

"What I will say to all the women is that nobody can attain freedom by standing alone. The path to freedom for women lies in being organized. Not a single woman must remain unorganized.”

YPJ (Rojava's Women's Protection Forces) commander Biharin Kendal and YPJ fighter Viyan Peyman, who have been resisting ISIS violence in Kobanê for months, have said that the resistance of the YPJ is an example to the women of the world, and called on all women to ''step up the struggle against male hegemonic violence." The YPJ fighters underlined that the path to freedom for women lies in being organized.

Struggle needed every day

Biharin Kendal emphasized that the struggle against male hegemonic violence must be waged every single day, not just on November 25, adding that male violence against women was increasing. She added that violence against women had brought about the destruction many cultures, languages and identities, saying, ''ISIS gangs are trying to wipe out the Kurdish identity, culture and language by attacking women, as they know a society cannot survive if women's will is broken."

YPJ resistance in keeping with the spirit of November 25

Biharin Kendal said that the ISIS gangs against which the YPJ fighters are fighting are the main representatives of the reactionary aggressive mentality of masculine domination, and that in this context the resistance of the YPJ fighters harmonized with the spirit of November 25.

Biharin Kendal added that the YPJ fighters have come to symbolize the resistance against ISIS for the world, and had a separate importance and meaning for the Kurds.

Arîn is the most important response to male violence

Biharin Kendal said that the struggle waged by the Mirabel sisters had been carried on by Leyla Qasım, Beritan, Zilan and most recently by Arîn Mîrkan in the Middle East, also saying, ''Arîn and other women comrades have put their bodies on the line to prevent the gangs from achieving their aims throughout the Kobanê resistance. This has been the most significant response to the mentality of hegemonic male violence on behalf of the women of the world. In this regard, we as Kurdish women attach great importance to November 25 and welcome it with a struggle and resistance befitting its meaning. The struggle of the Kurdish women led by YPJ fighters should also set an example to all the women of the world.”

Greetings to the women resisting at border

Stressing that women in all of the Kurdish lands and all around the world should fight against all forms of violence today and every day, Biharin Kendal said November 25 is of great symbolic significance, underlining that it is important to step up the struggle every moment and every day.

YPJ Commander Biharin Kendal added that they as YPJ fighters greet the women who have been holding the resistance vigil in Suruç since the beginning of the Kobanê resistance.

System murdering the women in pursuit of freedom

YPJ fighter Viyan Peyman pointed to the thousand-year-old male violence in history, adding, "The capitalist system is today's representative of the form of violence that has continued over the course of all ages. The capitalist system has killed the women seeking freedom...and continues to do so, in the same way that the women standing against violence in the Middle Age were murdered. Examples to these killings in the Middle East consist of Leyla Qasım, who was executed by the Iranian regime which is a product of the capitalist system, and most recently Kader Ortakaya, who is among the thousands of women killed for objecting to the violence of the capitalist system."

Struggle continues

Viyan Peyman stressed that women continue their struggle despite all the massacres they have been through, and that they, as YPJ fighters, wage an armed struggle against the ISIS gangs that represent the disgusting mindset revealed by the capitalist system for its benefit today.

No freedom without organization

Viyan Peyman pointed out that the YPJ are the self-defense force of the whole world's women, underlining that YPJ fighters willstruggle against all kinds of attacks targeting the freedom of women. "The peerless fight we are giving here today is not an armed struggle alone. It is the will of the women for freedom against all dirty methods of the male-dominant mindset. What I will say to all the women is that nobody can attain freedom by standing alone. The path to freedom for women lies in being organized. Not a single woman must remain unorganized.”

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The Kurdistan Worker's Party marks 36 years of struggle

The Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK, Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan) Central Committee issued a statement this week celebrating the 36th anniversary of the founding of the Party. The statement emphasized that the revolution in Kurdistan is a Middle Eastern revolution and that the PKK has become the hope of the oppressed peoples and communities.

"The PKK, founded on November 27, 1978 by a nucleus led by Leader Apo, has for 36 years carried on an epic uninterrupted struggle," the statement noted, adding that the PKK has become an inspiration for all oppressed people in the struggle against the capitalist-imperialist system and capitalist modernity.

The statement stressed the success of the PKK in resisting the fascist Turkish state, which claimed it had buried Kurdishness and Kurdistan, and opposing colonialism and assimilation.

"The PKK is completely the work of Leader Apo, whose peerless life and struggle are the determining factor in realizing the historical and social reality of our people and reconstituting the democratic nation," the statement said.

The PKK is the party of martyrs

The Central Committee of the PKK emphasized the importance for the Party of all those who have laid down their lives in the struggle, beginning with internationalist Haki Karer, who fell on May, 18 1977, adding that the sacrifices made by the Kurdish struggle had made the party part of the people and the people part of the party.

The statement also stressed the importance of the revolutionary march of Kurdish women and the self-sacrificing spirit of Kurdish youth, noting how they have made the PKK a party of women and youth which is resisting attacks on our people in Kobanê, Sinjar, Makhmur, Serêkani and Rabia.

The revolution in Kurdistan is a Middle Eastern revolution

The statement said, "The revolution in Kurdistan is a Middle Eastern revolution," adding that the Kurdish people's construction of a democratic nation and democratic socialism had developed a joint resistance with other peoples and communities in the region. "The people of Kurdistan have become a source of hope for the oppressed peoples and communities of the Middle East," the statement continued, adding that the Party is more ready than ever to frustrate fascist attacks and develop the revolution in Kurdistan.

The PKK Central Committee said that the Party is determined to ensure their Leader will be released and to transform the Kurdistan revolution into a Middle Eastern one.

The statement concluded by calling on all democratic and socialist forces to join the march to freedom, develop socialism and create a free and honorable life.

[John Dolva]

Friday, October 31, 2014

Demonstrations on November 1---locatiions for many countries

A late word on tomorrow's demonstrations!

Millions of people across the world will take to the streets tomorrow to mark the International Day of Global Action for Kobanî, November 1, in solidarity with the resistance of Kurdish forces and people against ISIS barbarism targeting and destroying the values of humanity.

Solidarity demonstrations have been planned all over the world on the Kobanî Global Action Day, to greet the resistance in Kobanî to the barbarism of the Middle Ages, from Argentina to India and from Equador to Italy. Prominent signatories of the appeal for urgent action for the besieged Kurdish town include Prof Noam Chomsky-US; Adolfo Perez Esquivel, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 1980-Argentina; Luisa Morgantini - Former Vice President of EP-Italy; Margaret Owen O.B.E, human rights lawyer-UK, Prof Michael Günter, EU Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC)-US; Peter Tatchell, Director, Peter Tatchell Foundation-UK; Fabio Amato, Foreign Representative of the PRC Party and Secretariat of the European Left-Italy; Nora Cortinas, Human rights activist, co-founder of the Mayo's Square Mothers-Argentina; Maria Augusta Calle, President of the Commission on Sovereignty and International Relations of the National Assembly-Ecuador.

Academics, writers, lawyers, politicians and activists from political, social-justice and environmental movements from countries all around the world, including India, Ecuador, Croatia, Norway and the Basque Country, have also signed the call for international solidarity for the Kurdish resistance in Syria. Times and places of some of the rallies and demonstrations to take place to mark the International Day of Global Action for Kobanî tomorrow are as follows;

GERMANY

Stuttgart (Lautenschlager str.at 16:00)

Nürnberg (Aufsessplatz, at 15:00)

Frankfurt (Hauptbahnof, at 15:00)

Berlin (Bahnof Adeneurplatz,at 14:00)

Köln (Ebertplatz, at 14:00)

Düsseldorf (Hauptbahnhof, at 14:00)

Bielefeld (Rathaus, at 14:00)

Hannover (Opern Platz,at 14:00)

Bremen (Ziegenmarkt, at 14:00)

Hamburg (Hachmann-platz,at 14:00)

Leipzig (Rabat (Konradstrasse),at 14:00)

Erfurt (Domplatz, at 13:00)

Saarbrücken, (City centre, at 14:00)

Marburg (Bahnofstrasse 6, at 14:00)

Frieburg (Rathausplaz, at 16:00)

Lübeck: Demonstrators will gather in front of the Hbf at 12:45 and leave for Hamburg from the 7th railway platform.

ITALY

Solidarity demonstrations will be staged at 19 separate points in Italy, which are; Bologna, Brescia, Cagliari, Catania, Firenze, Lecce, Messina, Milano, Napoli, Padova, Palermo, Ragusa, Reggio Calabria, Roma, Rovigo, Torino, Udine, Vicenza

FRANCE

The main one of the 9 demonstrations across France will take place in the capital Paris.

Place and time of the rallies are;

Caen (Caen place de la Republique 14000 Caen, at 11:00)

Rennes (Dalle du Colombier 35000 Rennes, at 12:00)

Paris (Place de la Bastille, 75011 Paris, at 14:00)

Bordeaux (Place de la Victoire à Bordeaux, at 14:00)

Marsilya (Haut de la Canebière, at 14:00)

Strasbourg (Place Kléber à Strasbourg, at 14:00)

Toulouse (Place du Capitole à Toulouse, at 14:00)

Nantes (Place Royale à Nantes, at 16:00)

Lille (Place De La Republique Lille à Lille, at 17:00)

SCANDINAVIAN COUNTRIES

Demos in solidarity with the Kobanî resistancewill also take place in 6 cities in Sweden, in Oslo and Bergen in Norway, in Copenhagen in Denmark, and in Helsinki in Finland.

Uppsala: Vaksala Torg, at 13:00

Angered: Angereds Arena - Västra Götalands Län, at 14:00

Gävle: Söldermalmstorg, at 12:30

Malmö: Möllevångstorget, at 14:00

Göteborg: Götaplatsen, at 14:00

Stockholm: Humlegarden, at 13:00

Oslo: Youngstorget 6, at 13:30

Bergen: Torgallmenningen, at 15:00

FROM ENGLAND TO GREECE

The Kobanî resistance will also be supported and saluted in Den Haag in Holland, in Bern, Basel and Zurich in Switzerland, in Brussels in Belgium, in Madrid in Spain, in Athens in Greece and in Vienna in Austria.

BELGIUM

Brussels: Gare du Nord, at 14:00

ENGLAND

Manchester: All Saints Park, Oxford Road, at 13:00

London: Trafalgar Square, at 14:00

Cambridge: Gathering at Trumpington Road will start at 11:00 before the mass leaves for London

Durham: Gala Theater& Cinema, Millenium Place, at 13:00

Leeds: To be announced

SPAIN

Madrid: Atocha, at 19:00

SWITZERLAND

Zurich: Helevetiaplatz, at 15:00

AUSTRIA

Salzburg: Resindenzplatz, 5020, at 14:00

Vienna:Stephansplatz 1. at 14:00

AFGHANISTAN AND INDIA

Demonstrations in Herat, Farah, Nangarhar, Balkh, Takhar, Nimruz, Bamyan have been organized by the Solidarity Party of Afghanistan (SPA). Solidarity demos will also take place at 6 points in India.

Millions for Kobanî will also take to the streets in Argentine, Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Honduras, Portuguese (Lizbon, Rossio, Lisboa), Venezuela, Chile and the U.S.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Washington: Lafayette Park, at 14:00

ARGENTINE

Buenos Aires: el Obelisco, at 17:00

AUSTRALIA

Adelaide: Gawler Place - Rundle Mall, Adelaide, 31 October, at 19:00

Sydney: Town Hall, 1 November at 14:00

ECUADOR

Quito: UTC-05 – In front of the Turkish Consulate, at 17:30

HONDURAS

Tegucigalpa: In front of the ONU office, 31October, at 10:00

BASQUE COUNTRY

Bilbao: el Ayuntamiento, at 12:00

CANADA

Vancouver: Vancouver Art Gallery, 750 Hornby Street, at 13:00

Toronto: Beit Zatoun, 612 Markham, Toronto-Ontario, at 19:00

PORTUGUESE

Lizbon: Rossio, at 14:00

CZECH REPUBLIC

Prag: Námestí Republiky, In front of the Palladium Shopping Mall, at 14:00

WARSAW

Town: In front of the University of Warsaw

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News from the common-front struggle against ISIS and Rojava's revolution

We have the following items from the anti-ISIS common front in Rojava, North Kurdistan and Turkey today and some news from Rojava's revolution as well.

* 160 peshmerga fighters who were kept waiting at the Çukobirlik site near the Kobanê-Turkish border for the last three days have started to cross into Kobanê in support of the YPG (Rojava's People's Protection Units) resistance against the ISIS gangs. They crossed in good spirits, chanting slogans in favor of the Kurdish resistance against the ISIS gangs, and brought with them a military convoy of heavy weapons from South Kurdistan.

Turkish Special operation teams, 8 armored vehicles and riot police teams were deployed and formed a blockade with their shields at the site in order to stop the press from covering the advance of the peshmerga forces.

* The YPG Press Center has reported that attacks by the ISIS gangs on Kobanê have continued into the 46th day. The determined resistance by YPG/YPJ (People's/Women's Defense Forces) fighters and local people alongside of the Free Syrian Army (FSA)-affiliated Burkan Al Fırat forces also continues.

ISIS gangs launched two separate attacks on the Kaniya Kurda region to the northeast of Kobanê yesterday evening and night but both attacks were turned back. Three ISIS gang members were killed in the fighting in this region.

On Municipality Street YPG forces carried out a counter-attack on some areas occupied by the ISIS gangs. The YPG reported that ISIS gangs then attempted a car-bomb attack in order to hinder the attack by YPG forces. YPG fighters destroyed the car and killed 4 ISIS fighters in these clashes.
According to the YPG statement, the southeastern front also saw violent clashes, but the exact number of casualties in this area couldn't be ascertained.

YPG forces on the eastern front have started to carry out surveillance operations in the areas they took under control following clashes over the past two days. Protection Units seized large quantities of ammunition belonging to ISIS there.

Seventeen ISIS fighters were killed in hand-to-hand fighting at the southern front last night.

* Many villages at the northwestern Kurdistan border are being targeted by ISIS while they continue to attack Kobanê.

One of the villages at the border that is frequently targeted by ISIS is the village of Zehwan. The village was previously targeted by an ISIS mortar attack that hit and destroyed the house of Mehmet Demir and by a rocket attack that destroyed the minaret of the village mosque. The ISIS gangs are now targeting the village opposite Zehwan, Kikan, where they have recently taken up positions.
The villagers in Zehwan are not able to go out onto the streets safely because of gunfire directed by the gangs in Kikan. Many houses in the village have holes in the walls because of the gunfire.

Despite the existence of a Turkish military outpost at the border near the village, and despite the fact that villagers complain about the attacks, Turkish soldiers remain indifferent to the ISIS attacks on the village.

The villagers say that the gangs frequently open fire on Zehwan from Kikan, where the gangs have hung their flags, and that they no longer feel secure and have had to send their children away from the village. The villagers who want to look at Kobanê with binoculars are targeted by ISIS fighters in the buildings opposite the village.

When a village resident reported an ISIS sniper attack that nearly killed him and a friend in his home the Turkish gendarme forces maintained an indifferent attitude and left the village after writing a report. The man said, “We are always anxious. There are soldiers at the border. But the soldiers are there only to prevent people from Rojava crossing the border. We told the authorities about the incident and officially complained about it. But we have heard nothing about it from the authorities.”

* A delegation from Rojava's Afrin canton is in Ankara to hold meetings with the Turkish authorities in order to discuss the opening of a border gate between Turkey and Afrin as well developing neighborly relations. The delegation from the Afrin administration consists of the Afrin canton PM Hêvî Mistefa, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Süleyman Cafer, deputy minister of Foreign affairs, Cihan Mihemmed and the Minister of the Economy, Ahmet Yusuf. The delegation is visiting Ankara on the invitation of the Democratic Society Congress (DTK) and the Solidarity with Rojava Association. The delegation wishes to meet primarily the Turkish government and the Turkish authorities.
The delegation will meet with a leader of the Confederation of Public Workers’ Unions (KESK). They will also meet with other popular organizations and will join the rally in solidarity with Kobanê tomorrow. The delegation will issue a statement about Afrin and Kobanê tomorrow after they attend the congress of the Human Rights Association.

* The Movement of Language and Education (TZP) has distributed 4000 books to primary schools in Tirbespiyê city of Rojava's Cizîre Canton. The schools received the books for first, second, third and forth classes (grades). TZP leaders in Tirbespiyê said that in the coming days the fifth and sixth classes (grades) will also receive their books.

* The People's Defense Forces Press Center (HPG-BIM) reported that HPG guerrillas and YBS (Sinjar Resistance Units) fighters had carried out a raid on a building where ISIS gangs were deployed yesterday. Five ISIS gang members were killed and one YBS fighter died in the action which was carried out with heavy weapons.

* Free Syrian Army (FSA) commander Nizar al-Khatib told journalists in Istanbul yesterday that it was a mistake to send FSA forces to Kobane. “I am criticizing this decision because we need these forces in the other fronts in Aleppo. The situation is very critical in Aleppo right now, regime forces have been surrounding the city for some time,” he said.

Perhaps 200 FSA troops entered Kobane on October 29 from Turkey as part of the common-front effort against ISIS. Some parts of the FSA have been fighting alongside of Rojava's People's Protection Units (YPG) against ISIS in Kobane since the beginning of the war, al-Khatib said. “There have been around 200 FSA fighters fighting against ISIL since the very beginning of the war in Kobane. Now, with the entrance of 200 more FSA fighters, this number has risen to 400. Right now, there are 2,000 fighters, including the YPG and Democratic Union Party’s (PYD) forces, fighting against ISIL there,” he added. “However, it was wrong to send more FSA forces to Kobane, we need our forces at the Aleppo front right now."

Al-Khatib said that FSA fighters have been fighting mainly in the eastern neighborhoods of Kobane, adding that there was an operation room in Kobane where all groups were represented and commanders from each group were directing operations in coordination with coalition forces. Not all of the forces fighting in Kobane have received sophisticated weapons from coalition forces yet, he said, demanding more support. “Our fighters are still using light weapons against ISIL. We still need more support from the Friends of Syria countries, because ISIL terrorists have been bringing forces from other cities to Kobane,” he added.

Al-Khatib also said the “Train-Equip” program that was to be organized by the Turkish government within Turkey for FSA forces had yet to start. “There is no agreement with the FSA on this issue yet. It hasn’t happened so far; the discussions have not been finalized yet,” he said.

* Turkish President Erdoğan has said that he will use "Daesh," the Arabic acronym for ISIS, when referring to the terrorist organization from now on. The French government earlier announced its decision to use Daesh.

“They are in an effort to show Islam as a (terrorist) organization. First of all, Islam is derived from the word ‘sin' which means peace. A religion which means peace cannot tolerate terrorism. Be careful, I am not using ISIL, I am using Daesh as they are a terrorist group,” Erdoğan said today as he spoke at the French Institute of Foreign Relations in Paris.

"This is a terrorist group and not a state. I do not recommend using the term Islamic State because it blurs the lines between Islam, Muslims, and Islamists," France's Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said in a statement last month.

Erdoğan said that what is happening in Kobani is just a small part of the tragedy in Syria and that it is being "exploited.”

“Is there oil, gold or diamond in Kobani? Why Kobani? We have to focus on this," Erdoğan said. “The coalition forces who are today bombing Kobani, I am speaking frankly as you have to be cruel to be kind, they did not raise their voice while Hama was bombed. They did not raise voice when Homs was bombed. Why did they take Kobani, which borders Turkey, into a strategic position? What kind of a strategic importance does Kobani have for them?” Erdoğan said.

Erdoğan also complained that had Iran and Turkey cooperated on Syria, the situation in Syria would have been different and western countries would not have played a role in efforts to solve the crisis in Syria.

[John Dolva]

Celebrations supporting the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK)

The 36th anniversary of the founding of the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) have been celebrated in several areas of Kurdistan and Istanbul. The historic resistance of Kobanê was saluted and freedom martyrs were commemorated during the celebrations.

Marches and activities were held in Mardin's Mazıdağı and Kızıltepe districts, Diyarbakır's Dicle (Pîran) and Çınar districts, Şırnak's Cizre district and Istanbul's central Kartal district marking the 36th anniversary of the foundation of the PKK. Hundreds of people, including Party of Democratic Regions (DBP) co-mayors and leaders, Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) activists, Peace Mothers Assembly activists, YDG-H (Patriotic Democratic Youth Movement) members and representatives of non-governmental organizations took part in the actions and activities. The slogans of "Long live the PKK," "Long live the resistance of YPJ/YPG," "Long live Leader Apo," "The PKK is the people, the people are here" and "Long live the resistance of Kobanê" were chanted. These slogans tie together the PKK, PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan and Rojava's revolution.

The flags of the KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union), PKK, YPG (People's Protection Units), YDG-H and posters of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, YPG fighters Suphi Nejat Ağırnaslı, Serkan Tosun and Kader Ortakaya, who was recently killed by Turkish soldiers at the Rojava-Turkey border, were carried and hung on the walls of buildings. Placards reading "With the foundation of PKK towards Free Leadership" and "We celebrate the 36th anniversary of the founding of the PKK of all the peoples" were carried by the people Kurds lit fires and celebrated the anniversary with traditional dances and songs for hours.

One minute of silence was held in some centers in memory of all those who lost their lives in the struggle for freedom and democracy. Demonstrations with fireworks were also carried out during the celebrations. Shopkeepers did not open their shops today in order to join in the celebrations in Cizre. The PKK was founded in Fis village near the Lice district of Diyarbakır on November 27-28, 1978. The PKK’s founding was publicly announced after an attack on a local chief in Siverek (Urfa province) who was a symbol of traditional Kurdish agha authority and who cooperate with Ankara.

Hundreds of people also gathered in Van, Edremit, Silopi and Bismil to celebrate 36th anniversary of the founding of the PKK. Marches and activities were held in the Edremit district of Van, Şırnak's Silopi district and Diyarbakır's Bismil district. Hundreds of people, including Party of Democratic Regions co-mayors and leaders, Peoples' Democratic Party activists, KESK (Confederation of Public Workers' Unions), Peace Mothers Assembly activists, Patriotic Democratic Youth Movement members and representatives of non-governmental organizations took part in the actions. The slogans of "Long live the PKK," "Long live the resistance of the YPJ/YPG," "Long live Leader Apo," "The PKK is the people, the people are here" and "Long live resistance of Kobanê" were chanted.
The flags of the Kurdistan Communities Union, PKK, YPG and the YDG-H and posters of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan and the PKK's pioneering cadres Haki Karer and Gülnaz Karataş (Beritan) were carried and hung on the walls of many buildings.

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Rojava's struggle today---action and solidarity needed!

Here are some items from Rojava's revolution and the solidarity movement for today.

Salih Muslim to visit the US

Salih Muslim, the co-leader of Rojava's leading Democratic Union Party (PYD) is expected to meet with US officials in Washington. This is a great step forward for Rojava's revolution and the PYD, but this contact will also most certainly disturb the Turkish and Syrian governments.

Washington is certainly playing a double game by having contact with Salih Muslim after Vice President Biden's recent visit to Turkey. The Turkish government objects to Rojava's very existence and to the US airdrops and bombing runs which have hit ISIS forces as they attack Rojava and Kobanê. The Syrian government will see this as interference in Syria's internal affairs. Both the US and Turkish governments have a shared interest in the war against ISIS turning into a war against the Assad regime, but the imperialist camp is not consolidated around this question and Rojava's advanced revolution is problematic for them. This contact between Washington and the PYD could well be taken as a pressure tactic by Washington, but it might also benefit Rojava's revolution in the short run.

Salih Muslim is likely to meet with Deputy National Security Adviser Tony Blinken. Blinken is not familiar to most people in the US, but Obama recently nominated him to be Deputy Secretary of State at the State Department. On his way up the ladder Blinken has an interest in carrying out Obama's policies and satisfying the senators who will take up his pending confirmation. It may well be that the US is so frustrated by the Turkish government's refusal to allow the Americans use of the İncirlik Air Base in Adana in the fight against ISIS that they are looking for alternatives. Salih Muslim needs to press for an aid corridor into Kobanê under either US or UN supervision, help for refugees, weapons for Kobanê and, perhaps, US mediation between the Turkish state and the Kurdish liberation movement in Turkey. He also needs to ensure that the idea of a Turkish security zone running across northernm Syria and Rojava is finally off the table.

It seems that Vice President Joe Biden was not able to accomplish much during his visit to Turkey last week. We wondered on this blog if he was up to the task and apparently he was not. Washington now needs someone to talk to and impress in the conflict. Besides the PYD and Rojava's cantons Washington only has the peshmerga and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) to talk to. Since the Turkish government has relations with the Kurdistan Regional Government, the base of the peshmerga, it's possible that a race for influence is underway. Some sections of the peshmerga fighting in Rojava seem to have been won over to Rojava's revolution and others seem partial to Obama's program.

Some context for the visit--fighting and victories this week

This visit by Salih Muslim takes place at a moment in which people in Raqqa and Tel Abyad, which are now suffering under ISIS, say that their towns have become places of “death and fear” and are calling on the Rojava's People's Defense Forces (YPG) and the Free Syrian Army to liberate them. The ISIS gangs who have occupied Mosul, invaded Sinjar and have attempted to occupy Kobanê have made life intolerable in the areas they control with their prohibitions and executions. In the towns of Jarablus, Grê Spî (Tel Abyad) and Raqqa, which ISIS gangs use to provide reinforcements for their attacks on Kobanê, the gangs chop off people’s heads to spread terror, cut off the middle fingers of those who smoke, ban shaving and make women cover every part of their bodies and only allow them to go out on the streets when accompanied by their husbands, children or fathers. People living in Akçakale opposite Tel Abyad say that ISIS has turned the town into a place of fear and death.

An Arab university student from Raqqa, one of the main ISIS centers in Syria, who has taken refuge in Akçakale, said that most of the residents of Raqqa have fled. He said, “People rose up against Assad for more democracy. Now everything is banned. Smoking, shaving. You have to do everything they say. Otherwise they will accuse you of being an infidel and kill you. The regime and the coalition also carry out airstrikes from time to time. Two days ago 207 people died in bombing, 160 of them ISIS members. Our city is like hell.” The student added that all the tombs of the saints in the city had been blown up by ISIS.

Remzi Ünlü, from Akçakale, said that in Tel Abyad, which has a population of 67,000, two Kurds were executed in the center of the town two days ago. He added that as ISIS has been weakened following developments in Kobanê, it has increased its repression in the towns it controls. Ünlü said that Arabs, Kurds and Turks in Akçakale want to be free of ISIS. He added, “Our hope is that Kobanê will be a grave for them and that they won’t come back. We want the YPG and FSA forces to come and cleanse Tel Abyad. We long for the day when the town is rid of them.”

We must also mention that Salih Muslim will come to the US as Rojava's People's/Women's Defense Forces (YPG/YPJ) continues to inflict blows on the ISIS gangs as ISIS continues to attack Kobanê's city center with mortar fire. Fighting on the eastern front of Kobanê has lately been carried out in short but intense battles between the heropic YPG/YPJ forces and the ISIS gangs. On the southern front the YPG/YPJ units are on the offensives, with battles going through the night. A YPG/YPJ offensve is also underway in the hamlet of Erbus to the southwest of Kobanê. Fighting in the Sukul Hal, Municipality Street and Azadi Square areas---previously reported on this blog---continues with some progress against ISIS being made on Municipality Street and in the northeastern neighborhoods of the city. We are now at the 74th straight day of fighting in Kobanê, so Salih Muslim will have a valid point if he asks Blinken where he and the US have been since September.

An optimistic Peshmerga commander

The commander of the Peshmerga force that was sent to support the YPG in its defense of the town against ISIS has said that the end of ISIS is near and that the battle is going to end in favor of the Kurds. Commander Ahmed Gerdi said that the situation in the town is calm and that the fighting is continuing with sporadic mortar fire from both sides. He said, "ISIS has been severely debilitated. They have been dealt a heavy blow. The end of ISIS is near, but I cannot say that this will happen in the next few days. However, they are losing fighters and the will to continue. As a result, the morale of the YPG and the Peshmergas is high." He added that that there is perfect coordination between the YPG/YPJ and the Peshmerga and that all operations and plans are carried out together. ISIS hits the town center in the mornings but Kurdish forces return mortar fire around the town. Gerdi also said that coalition forces continue to conduct airstrikes on ISIS positions around Kobanê.

Rojva's revolution continues and Syrian forces attack

Meanwhile, in Rojava's Afrin Canton thre is news that Afrin (Efrin) Canton's Prime Minister Hevi Mustafa, Foreign Minister Sûleyman Cafer, Deputy Foreign Minister Cihan Muhammed and PYD European Executive Committee member Ibrahim Ibrahim have met with the European Parliament. The People's Democracy Party (HDP) Council of Europe representative accompanied the delegation. They met with the head of the European Parliament’s Foreign Relations Commission, Left Group President Gaby Zimmer and Green Group Co-President Rebecca Harms.

The delegation explained the inhumane measures perpetrated by ISIS and the Al Nusra Front and the harmful effects of the embargo on Afrin canton. They also explained the model of democratic autonomy created with different identities and communities and what they expect from Europe as they face threats and dangers.

The Syrian airforce last night bombed villages of Efrîn. The planes hit the villages of Başemrê and Mezin in the Şêrawa town region of Efrîn. There were no reported casualties but much property was destroyed in the attacks. The region is controlled by the YPG.

Even with such attacks, however, the revolution does not stop. The Kurdish Language Institution (SZK) in the Cindirês province of Efrîn organized a film screening for female students of the Martyr Ronahî academy. The SZK screened "Stoning Soraya," an Iranian film that won many awards, on the international day against violence on women. Also, many women's organizations in Rojava's Cizîre Canton have cooperated to open a shop where women shopkeepers will sell their hand-made products. The Assyrian Women's Union, Yekîtiya Star, Women of the Democratic Union Party, the Party of Change, the Left Party, the Peace and Democratic Party and the Sara Organization Against Violence Against Women received support from the Ministry of Women to open their shop in Qamişlo. The shop will especially help women who are experiencing social and financial difficulties.

Solidarity movements

German Left Party leader Gregor Gysi and a delegation of Party members have visited Rojava's Cizîrê Canton following a series of talks held in Iraq and South Kurdistan. The German delegation crossed into Rojava on Wednesday via the Sêmelka border gate in order to meet with leaders of the Democratic Autonomous Self-Administration.

The Left Party delegation were welcomed at the border gate by Salih Gedo, the President of the Cizîrê Canton's Diplomatic Commission, Vice-President Emine Osê and Economic Development Center leader Dozdar Hemo. The delegation also met with Ekrem Hiso, President of the Cizîrê Democratic Autonomous Self-Administration Executive Council, and Vice-President Hisên Ezam. They exchanged views about developments in Rojava, the on-going attacks by ISIS and the resistance of the YPG and YPJ fighters.

Gregor Gysi put particular emphasis on the role of women in Rojava and the resistance of the YPJ fighters to the cruelty of the ISIS gangs and stressed that the German people stand by and support Rojava's revolution in his remarks.

A plea for help and solidarity

About 46,000 people who were forced to flee from Kobanê and surrounding villages after attacks by the ISIS gangs are continuing to live in the district of Suruç (Turkey) with the support of local people. With the onset of winter there is now an urgent need for electric heaters, winter clothes and food for babies and pregnant women. The displaced people are waging a struggle for life in Suruç with the solidarity of local people while the government falsely claims that it has “embraced the people of Kobanê.” Only around 6,000 displaced people are staying in the state-run tent city.

A local spokesperson said there is an urgent need in the tent cities for food for pregnant women and babies. “First and foremost we need volunteer activists to work in the tent cities for people from Kobanê. We have volunteers who have been here a long time, and they are unable to leave as there is no one to replace them. We particularly need activists who understand electrical systems in tent cities. Several of the tent cities have no electricity. We also need blankets, mattresses and pillows. There are also no fire extinguishers in the camps, so that is another urgent necessity. Newborn babies are sleeping on the floor as we have no cots or cradles. We have a need for baby food and for heaters for our new tent city which has a capacity of 4,000,” the spokesperson said.

Dr. Ethem Şahin said that there are three main problems in the tent cities. He listed them as follows: nourishment, shelter and health treatment. “As winter sets in we have a problem of heating as there is a shortage of power. Due to a lack of drinking water and toilets we have had cases of dysentery. Although we have tried to register everyone, there are refugee children in outlying villages who have not been vaccinated,” he added, saying it is important that these shortcomings be addressed urgently.
Dr. Şahin said that people from Kobanê are suffering health problems on account of the state’s discriminatory policies, adding that a new hospital needs to be built urgently as the existing one was designed with the needs of 20,000 people in mind, while there were now 200,000 people in the town. He added that refugees from Kobanê have to pay 20 per cent of the price of a prescription.

People's Democracy Party (HDP) Urfa MP İbrahim Ayhan said that the needs of 90 per cent of the 180,000 people who came from Kobanê are being met by the aid coordination, calling on the people to mobilize to meet needs for shelter and food. Ayhan added that the coordination effort received aid from municipalities and NGOs, but that more needs to be done. “The state has not helped the refugees. They have rejected our requests for assistance. Apart from the 6,000 people in the AFAD tent city, the needs of the displaced people of Kobanê are met by our coordination. We therefore call on all our people to assist us in meeting the needs of all these people,” he said.

Ayhan said that the government’s claim that the people from Kobanê are "their guests" does not reflect the truth, claiming that the government discriminated against them. He added, “The tolerance shown to previous influxes of refugees from Syria has not been shown to the people from Kobanê. There is blatant discrimination and double standards, which is unacceptable. These people have come here because of the war, and the government, instead of helping them, is putting obstacles in the way of aid being sent here. They did what they could for the fall of Kobanê and for it to be emptied, and they still haven’t severed their links with ISIS. They are continuing to support and assist it.”

Solidarity

At the resistance vigil in the villages of Mehser and Misaynter people again formed a human chain this morning as they do every day. The people joined hands and, after remembering those who have fallen in the struggle, shouted slogans in support of the resistance: "Bijî berxwedana YPG/YPJ" (Long live the resistance of the YPG/YPJ) and "Biji Serok Apo" (Long live President Apo). One of those in the human chain was in a wheelchair.

The sound of intensive gunfire could be heard from Kobanê as the vigil continued in the villages along the border today.

A loss

The son of the Secretary General of the Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party was killed yesterday in the fight against ISIS forces in the Tal al-Ward area southwest of Kirkuk.

Repression

The Bakırköy chief public prosecutor is asking that two people who were arrested on the grounds of joining last month's demonstrations in solidarity with Kobanê in the Zeytinburnu district of Istanbul receive sentences of life imprisonment. Details are emerging on the bill of indictment prepared against dozens of people who were arrested in Istanbul as result of an expansive police operation after protest demonstrations in solidarity with the Kobanê resistance were held on October 6-8.
The bill of indictment asksfor aggravated life imprisonment and up to 225 years in prison for Nihat Tunç and Yusuf Özdemir for allegedly “destroying the integrity of the state.”

The indictment describe Rojava's Democratic Union Party (PYD) as a wing of the PKK and KCK (the Kurditan Worker's Party and the Kurdistan Communities Union) and alleges that the PKK had suffered heavy losses after ISIS started to attack Kobanê and that "instructions given by Cemil Bayık were followed by the YDG-H, the youth organization of PKK and KCK, members of which staged illegal demonstrations with molotov cocktails and fireworks in Istanbul on October 4, committing attacks on a number of workplaces, public institutions and also using arms against police units, leaving an officer injured."

The bill of indictment further asserts that 62 people filed a complaint as their goods were harmed and a bank was damaged and asks for life imprisonment for Tunç and Özdemir on charges of “destroying the integrity of the state” and up to 225 years in prison sentence for “deliberately endangering the general safety,” “membership in an armed terrorist organization,” “damaging goods” of each of the 62 complainants, “refusing to disperse despite a warning” and “spreading propaganda for a terrorist organization.”

Posted by Urun Harvest at 1:56 PM

[John Dolva]

Today's report from Kobanê and North Kurdistan

The ISIS attacks this morning have made international news

A vehicle or vehicles carrying explosives and apparently traveling from Turkey into Kobanê blew up at 5:00 AM this morning. The Turkish government quickly denied that the truck or trucks entered Kobanê from Turkey, but people in the area are insisting that one or two trucks cleared the Mürşitpınar border gate before blowing up and that ISIS gangs deployed at the Turkish state agricultural depot (TMO) are continuing to attack Kobane from that point. Rojava's heroic People's Defense Forces (YPG) also insist that the truck or trucks belonged to ISIS. On this blog we have been noting in recent weeks that such kinds of attacks by ISIS are increasing as the fighting in Kobanê shifts. Today's incident has made international news.

The ISIS forces based around the TMO wheat silos are very close to the Mürşitpınar border gate. ANHA News Agency has reported that the electricity supply was cut in the Suruç district of Urfa at the border across from Kobanê just before the ISIS attack this morning. People naturally regard such black-outs with suspicion since they help ISIS prepare for attacks and since the electricity was also cut in the region while votes were being counted in the local elections last March. This time it is being said that Suruç Electricity Unit administrators told workers that the electricity supply would be cut this morning between and told the workers that orders to cut the power "came from above." Turkish soldiers in armored vehicles in the area were especially active prior to the attack.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Nawaf Khalil, a spokesman for the Democratic Union Party (PYD), have both said that the attack began with a suicide attack by a bomber in an armored vehicle on the border crossing between Kobanê and Turkey. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has emphasized that two attacks took place while US media has been slow in picking this up. The NGO is saying that one suicide attacker blew up an explosive-packed car and that another detonated a suicide-bomb belt. Idris Nassan, a Kurdish leader in Kobanê, said that the first car bomber appeared to have crossed from Turkey and caused an explosion killing two people and injuring others. "They also attacked with two cars in the south but YPG fighters destroyed them before they reached their targets," he told Reuters by telephone from Kobanê. Urfa Governor İzzettin Küçük admitted to HDP (Peoples' Democratic Party) MP İbrahim Ayhan that the ISIS gangs were on Turkish territory and had attacked Kobanê from there. Rojava's YPG (People's Defense Forces) Press Center has said that ISIS groups carried out attacks with a bomb-laden vehicle and two suicide attackers from the Mürşitpınar border crossing between Kobanê and North Kurdistan and that the ISIS gangs attempted an attack after infiltrating in from the wheat granaries on Turkey's side of the border, to the east of the border crossing, and blowing up two vehicles carrying bombs as two other ISIS members blew themselves up at the Mürşitpınar border gate.

The emerging popular narrative is that ISIS fighters were openly allowed by the Turkish state to carry out their attacks on the Mürşitpınar border crossing in Kobanê, that 4 suicide attacks were carried out by ISIS and that joint operations carried out between the YPG and other fighters have either effectively repelled these attacks or that the tempo of fighting is increasing today.

The Şanlıurfa Governor's Office said in a statement that claims of Turkish involvement in the bombing are totally untrue. A statement from the Prime Ministry's Directorate General of Press and Information and a statement from the Turkish General Staff also rejected the claims.

YPG leaders have meanwhile reported that ISIS gangs deployed near the wheat silos belonging to the TMO launched an attack this morning on Kobanê and the border gate from the Turkish side. Even if the Turkish state is not implicated in the attacks, we can certainly say that this was a well-coordinated attack by ISIS and that it has helped alter the situation on the ground. Kobanê is now being attacked from four sides. This is the first time that ISIS has attacked the border entry point.

People mobilize for Kobanê

Hundreds of people quickly mobilized under the leadership of the Party of Democratic Regions (DBP) Van Provincial Organization to protest the ISIS attacks. There was a similar initial protest in Kars. Thousands of people across Turkey are heading for the border to support Kobanê's defense and resistance. Protests are being organized under the slogans "Long live the resistance of the YPG," "Killer ISIS, collaborationist AKP" and "Long live the resistance of Kobanê." The AKP is Turkey's ruling reactionary party.

People mobilize in the village of Prejman (Kurşunlu) in Amed's Dicle district as police attack

Local people in the village of Prejman (Kurşunlu) in Amed's Dicle district have set up a tent of resistance after security forces refused to allow the opening of the Sheik Said Martyr's Cemetery built in the village for the fallen guerrillas of the Kurdistan People's Liberation Army (Artesa Rizgarîya Gelê Kurdîstan, ARGK) and the People's Defense Forces (HPG). Special operations teams and police units carried out an operation in the village last night, forcibly removing the tent and beating up the people joining the vigil to protect the cemetery of the martyrs. The security forces insulted the people before forcing them away from the area. Access to the area has been blocked.

YPG/YPJ Commander Meysa Ebdo's interview with ANF

YPG/YPJ Commander Meysa Ebdo has talked to the ANF news service about the latest stage in the Kobanê resistance, relations with Burkan Al Firat and the peshmerga forces and women’s role in the resistance. Meysa Ebdo stressed in the interview that while the initiative is now with the Kurdish forces after more than 10 weeks of fighting the threat continues.

Could you summarise the Kobanê resistance so far?

The ISIS gang’s attacks on us was not a random, unplanned assault. It was a planned attack hoping to achieve its aim in a short time. However, it encountered an epic popular resistance. We resisted along with our people, and without our belief and will power it would not have been possible to resist these unprecedented attacks. Of course, the philosophy and experience of the Kurdistan Freedom Movement was behind this resistance.

What is the latest situation in Kobanê?

We are fighting in every house and in every street in the city. For some time now the initiative has been with the YPG/YPJ forces. At the moment we are aiming to entirely cleanse Kobanê and its villages of this gang. We have advanced on the eastern and southern fronts. On the western front ISIS has not been able to get into the city. Although the initiative is with us, the threat still persists. ISIS is still in the city and the war goes on. We do not underestimate the ISIS gang. Winter conditions will make things more difficult. We do not know what ISIS will do next, as they take no notice of any norms. As I say, the danger remains and conflict continues.

It is reported that ISIS has brought in reinforcements. Is this true?

This has been a continuous process that has not ceased. When a battalion is wiped out they bring in another one. In the last few days they have brought in reinforcements, mainly foreigners, as they are finding it difficult to get Arabs to fight.

From where do they bring in these reinforcements?

From all the areas around Kobanê. From Tel Abyad, Manbij, and Jarablus.

The peshmerga forces have been in Kobanê for more than a month. How has coordination been during this time?

We are together. The peshmerga are keen to have a role in the war. They have brought heavy weaponry. Most important of all, this has initiated a new period as regards Kurdish unity.

You are engaged in joint struggle with Burkan Al Fırat. What are relations like with them?

Our alliance with Burkan Al Firat symbolises the fraternity of the Arab and Kurdish peoples. We are carrying out joint actions, although they have their own military system. Our solidarity with them is at a high level and we share all needs, in addition to fighting together.

How do the Burkan Al Firat fighters react to the resistance of the YPJ (Rojava's Women's Defense Forces)?

They were surprised, as it is the first time they have seen women fighters. They witnessed the heroism of women fighters and were profoundly affected, leading to a change in attitude.

How do you assess the role of the YPJ resistance?

The women have put up a powerful resistance here, which has been recognized worldwide. The resistance represents all the women of the world and is continuing to develop. The fact that women all over the world have identified with our struggle is very important for us.

Our resistance has been compared to that at Stalingrad. Even there women were not in the front line. The YPJ has been in the forefront of the resistance. Our message is that women can overcome all difficulties. After Kobanê I can say that the hegemonic view all over the world regarding women will not have the same effect.

Would you like to add anything?

I would like to thank the many writers and artists all over the world who have dedicated the prizes they have received to the YPJ fighters. I greet the women who have been maintaining a vigil at the border since the beginning of the conflict. We consider them an important part of the YPJ resistance.

The liberation movement is succeeding

On the 76th day of the ISIS attacks on Kobanê the YPG and YPJ fighters have gained control of 75-80 per cent of the city. As the Kurdish forces advance, the ISIS gangs fire mortars at random and use snipers, but with little results as their attacks are repulsed. Clashes are continuing on the eastern, southern and southwestern fronts. On the western front the YPG and YPJ fighters are being supported by peshmerga and Burkan al Firat forces. The peshmerga are not on the front line; they support the YPG by firing mortars and katyusha rockets.

YPG/YPJ fighters who have repulsed attacks by ISIS gangs are continuing to advance step by step. During this advance the YPG/YPJ fighters are inflicting heavy blows on the gangs and are also seizing large amounts of ammunition.

YPJ commander Zilan Kobanê, who is fighting on the front line in the Municipality street area, said that on the eastern front in the last 3 days many areas have been cleansed of ISIS gangs and large quantities of munitions have been seized. "They (ISIS) are now resorting to sniper fire and mortar fire as we have broken the back of their attacks,” she said.

YPG commander Ciwan Kobanê added, "We are advancing step by step. This means that Kobanê is gradually being cleansed of the gangs...Our comrades have demonstrated in the last 3 days that the gangs will not be able to stand up to our forces. In the last 3 weeks there have been fierce clashes around the Municipality and we are advancing step by step.” He added that the liberation of the city will take time and said, "Urban warfare is an arduous, drawn-out process. We have experience in this. Fighting is going on house to house, street to street. We are advancing and we can say that in the last 3 days we have broken the backs of the gangs.”

The most intense clashes are taking place on the eastern front around Municipality Street, which is now almost entirely under the control of YPG and YPJ fighters who are seizing large amounts of ammunition on an almost daily basis.

The YPG and YPJ units have mounted a massive resistance on all fronts to the ISIS gangs as ISIS forces have attempted an attack from the wheat granaries on Turkey's side. Fierce hand-to-hand combat took place between YPG/YPJ units and ISIS groups that mounted an attack soon after the explosions this morning. ISIS attacks in the border crossing area have been repulsed while clashes across the area of the wheat granaries are continuing. Violent clashes are also taking place in the Sukul Hal, Azadi Square and Asayesh areas on the eastern front. ISIS also launched a new wave of attacks with heavy weapons and 3 tanks on the southern front last night. The ISIS gangs simultaneously attempted attacks with two bomb-laden vehicles, both of which were blown up and destroyed by YPG units. The YPG forces launched a counterattack against the ISIS forces and gained control of some strategic points. Two ISIS tanks were destroyed in the fighting today.

The HPG Sinjar Command reports a victory by revolutionary forces

The HPG (People's Defense Forces) Sinjar Command has said in a statement that ISIS gangs carried out an attack on the village of Xiriko in Sinjar on the night of November 27. The statement said that clashes broke out as HPG, YJA Star (Free Women’s Troops) and MLKP (Marxist Leninist Communist Party) guerrillas immediately responded to the attack. Six members of the ISIS gangs were killed and large quantities of ammunition belonging to them were seized in the fighting that continued into the morning.

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VIDEO: ISIS launched an attack on Kobanê from the Silo area north of the Mürşitpınar border gate between Kobanê and Turkey early this morning.

ISIS gangs launched an attack on Kobanê from the Silo area north of the Mürşitpınar border gate between Kobanê and Turkey early this morning.

This video from ANF shows footage of clashes that erupted as YPG units immediately responded to the attacks and are continuing in some areas

[John Dolva]

Sunday, November 30, 2014

The Kurdish-Turkish resolution process today

We write a great deal here about the resolution or peace process underway between the Kurdish liberation movement and the Turkish state. Yesterday we again talked about some of the dynamics that are play now and as a delegation led by the HDP (People's Democracy Party) visited imprisoned Kurdish people's leader Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan in the İmralı prison for talks. That delegation ws made up of HDP Group Deputy Chairs Pervin Buldan and İdris Baluken, Istanbul MP Sırrı Süreyya Önder and DTK (Democratic Society Congress) Co-chair Hatip Dicle.

The delegation has released a statement saying that the meeting included a detailed discussion and assessment of the current phase in the resolution process, the AKP government's current approach and policies, on-going work for a Kurdish National Congress and recent developments in the Middle East, those in Kobanê and Rojava being primary. Readers should keep in mind that all of these issues are intimately related and that progress or backward steps in one area will affect everything else. We also remind readers that the process and the delegation meetings with Abdullah Öcalan take place over great reactionary objections.

According to the delegation, Abdullah Öcalan said that he has shaped in general terms a "Peace and Democratic Negotiations Process Draft" that he has been working on for a long time, the draft is being discussed with the state delegation in detail, and both sides have come to an agreement on it serving as a framework to form the basis for negotiations at this point. The statement also said that this draft has been shared with the HDP delegation and will soon be submitted to the people for review, proposals and contributions.

The HDP delegation will discuss the "Solution Offers," "Titles for Negotiations" and "Action Plan" sections of the draft with all sides engaged in the process and they will convey the results of their discussions to Abdullah Öcalan.

The delegation said that Abdullah Öcalan stressed very clearly that it is essential to provide legal guarantees for the attainment of a democratic resolution in all the phases to come, and that it will not be possible to accomplish the objective of peace and democracy without such guarantees.

In this regard the delegation referred back to the Habur process of some years ago, which held some initial promise but ended up embarrassing the government and trapping some peace forces, and the on-going construction of military guard posts and hydroelectric power plants and the lack of appreciation on the government's part for the withdrawal of the guerrillas at the beginning of the process. These issues were also discussed with Abdullah Öcalan in detail.

The HDP delegation said, "The PKK (Kurdistan Worker's Party) leader called on the Turkish state and government---which failed to make the necessary legal arrangements despite all the insistence and warnings voiced by him up to today---to treat the issue on a self-critical ground, and to do its part in the following process based on the lessons drawn so far."

Abdullah Öcalan also emphasized that a democratic resolution to determine the future of the entire Middle East could be attained on the condition that all sides engaged in the process carry on in a serious, right and determined way. The Kurdish leader warned that regional chaos will otherwise deepen and pro-coup mechanics will take over.

According to the delegation, the Kurdish leader put emphasis on the importance of the formation of a monitoring committee to supervise a "consolidated ceasefire" in the event that negotiations are initiated following the elimination of all legal problems. He said that this is the only way to ensure "public peace," an issue often confronted as a factor risking the process.

The Kurdish leader also extended his greetings to the fighters in the Kobanê and Sinjar resistance, to the people of Rojava and South Kurdistan, and to all of the peoples and political circles in solidarity with the Rojava resistance, as well as to the Women's Movement that has extended the struggle from the Middle East to the entire world, and to all the political prisoners.

Meanwhile, the Turkish military launched an operation in the rural areas around the Çayırlı (Mergê) village in Siirt's Eruh district today. Turkish troops have moved armored vehicles to the entrance of the village, soldiers have been deployed around the village and dozens of armored vehicles have been sent to the region.

Posted by Urun Harvest at 2:39 PM No comments:

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Did the Mürşitpınar border crossing bombing come from Turkey? Rejava's revolution continues.

Yesterday we gave much space over to discussing the ISIS attack on Kobanê at the Mürşitpınar border crossing and the implications and results of that attack. We will say more about that today and talk some more about Rojava's revolution today.

As we mentioned yesterday, the ISIS attack at the border probably involved consecutive ISIS suicide car attacks on Kobanê and that Rojava's heroic YPG/YPJ (People's/Women's Defense Forces) answered the attacks and were able to go on the offensive in some areas. The main significance of these attacks rests in the strong possibility that the ISIS forces involved in the early-morning car attacks were using Turkey as their base, that they may have received some logistical help from Turkish authorities and that no ISIS attacks on Kobanê have come from this area previously. We can also add that as the YPG/YPJ and allied forces continue to win against ISIS in Kobanê such assaults are picking up.

The ISIS attack at the Mürşitpınar border crossing--what witnesses and others say

It is now being said that the ISIS forces at the northern border took refuge in the wheat silos of the TMO (Turkey's soil products office) close to the border. Other ISIS fighters escaped to the eastern front of Kobanê. Additional statements are being made about the attacks as well.

HDP (Peoples' Democratic Party) deputy İbrahim Ayhan saw the attacks and met with Turkish authorities as well. He said, "The Kobanê Canton has started to take security measures at the scene of the suicide bombings that were carried out with vehicles ISIS members brought in from the Turkish side. Turkish authorities thereupon wanted the YPG to empty the area of their units. During our talks, we were told that the security measures will remain until the area is cleansed of ISIS gangs. We see that the gangs have crossed the border and are openly carrying out an attack. Turkish state officials must ensure the expulsion of the ISIS gangs from this region where thousands of Turkish soldiers are deployed. The security of life of our citizens living in the border villages in Suruç is being endangered."

The KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) Executive Council Co-Presidency has released a statement regarding the attacks. The KCK statement says that fascist ISIS groups backed by Turkey have been attacking Kobanê to overthrow the Rojava revolution and to occupy the town for two-and-one-half months now, and that the brave resistance of YPG/YPJ fighters and the local people has caused severe losses and fatal blows for ISIS and has not allowed them to realize their vicious plan.

The KCK statement says the most fierce fighting in Kobanê so far has taken place in the last day and that violent clashes have taken place as result of the ISIS gangs' attempt to conduct attacks on Kobanê from Turkish soil as two suicide vehicles and two suicide attackers crossed into Kobanê from the Turkish side of the border. The statement says, "The AKP state has continued its hostility to the Kurdish people and Kobanê by supporting the fascist gangs of ISIS. In spite of the Turkish state's denial of the aid it has been providing to the ISIS, its support to the gangs is being verified by images and footage revealed every day.” The AKP is Turkey's ruling reactionary party.

The KCK Executive Council Co-Presidency ended the statement by calling on the people of North Kurdistan and all patriotic and revolutionary circles and friends of Kurds to stand by the Kobanê resistance and to enhance the struggle against the on-going Turkish support to ISIS fascists. The
KCK added that the Kurdish people should stand up and rise up everywhere as long as the AKP state's support to ISIS continues.

Eyewitness accounts of the attacks collected by the ANF news service say that the attacks came from the Turkish side of the border yesterday. Their reports note that ISIS gangs targeted Kobanê with multiple suicide car attacks using Turkish soil in the Mürşitpınar crossing area along the border with West Kurdistan, Rojava, early yesterday morning. Two ISIS fighters carried out suicide attacks at the scene where their bomb-laden vehicles were detonated, the ANF stories say. After the suicide attacks and resistance from the YPG/YPJ, ISIS fighters retreated to the Turkish side, taking refuge in the Turkish wheat silos close to the border, and continued to fire on YPG/YPJ fighters from there while Turkish soldiers looked on.

Besides this attack from the Turkish side, ISIS gangs also carried out intense attacks on the eastern, southern and western fronts of Kobanê. We covered this in some detail yesterday.

The Turkish government has denied reports that ISIS attacked Kobanê from the Turkish side, arguing that these are fabrications. However, the eyewitnesses to the attacks include Asayesh (Rojava's security units) members and contradict the Turkish authorities.

Civilian witnesses say that a vehicle carrying bombs on the suicide mission came form Turkish land, and ISIS members that launched an attack after the explosions came from near the armored vehicles belonging to the Turkish security forces stationed at the border. The eyewitnesses also say that the Turkish electricity supply was cut along the Kobanê border just before the attacks by the ISIS gangs.

Asayesh officer İsmail witnessed the attacks in Mürşitpınar border crossing area and said that car used in the suicide attack was detonated at around 5 o'clock Saturday morning, adding that, "I was at the sentry box at the border gate, together with another friend. The bomb-laden car was detonated soon after crossing swiftly from the border gate. We soon gathered and moved towards the border gate. There were Turkish armored vehicles across our area and the ISIS members were coming from near them. Battle raged out there between us and the gangs. After bringing a wounded comrade to this side, I got to the top of a building where I saw an ISIS member opening fire from a tree on the Turkish side. I fired back on him and also saw a Turkish armored vehicle entering that area three times and people getting out those vehicles."

Another Asayesh officer who was at his position in the Kaniya Kurda region on the border at the time of the attack stated that it was not possible for the gangs to come from that side and that there was no road in that area. He said, "The electricity was unusually cut along the entire borderline beginning from the Mahser village as of four in the morning. There was no power cut in other areas."

Another Asayesh officer who was on watch when the car was detonated, and who suffered an injury in the attack, said the followings, "As my turn of duty was near, which is from 4 to 6 AM, they were already attacking us with mortars and heavy weapons from the southern front. Not long after I took over the watch, I heard a sound of chain and the sound of our gate being knocked over. When I looked at the direction where the sound came from, I saw a car coming from Turkey's side crossing the border gate and moving towards us. It turned on the first street and detonated soon after crossing into our side. Houses around us were all demolished and we didn't understand what was happening. The armored vehicles of Turkey were standing right across from us. The suicide car came from near them and there were around 50 other ISIS members there."

Another witness described the vehicle as "a green military vehicle with a heavy weapon installed on it" and said "(t)he car came from Turkey's side but mortars were being fired from the southern side."
Doctor Menav Kitkanî was also on watch when the attack was carried out. He said, "I was trying to see which area had been hit by their mortars when a vehicle coming from the border gate broke into our side and detonated behind our building. I myself saw the car coming from Turkey's side."

What next for the YPG? Many forces are now involved in the fighting.

There are some media reports claiming that the YPG have warned the Turkish government not to let ISIS fighters use Turkey’s territory to launch attacks against Kobanê or they will be obliged to take the fight across the border. These reports quote a YPG statement which supposedly says, "Our fighters were obliged to intervene in the situation and clashes continue in the areas that IS militants have been deployed in...We call on Turkey to intervene and not allow IS militants on Turkey’s land and use it to target Kurdish fighters from." We have not seen the statement referred to.

Meanwhile, additional Peshmerga forces have been sent from Iraq to Kobanê and US-led coalition aircraft are said to be hitting ISIS positions in and around the city. A YPG statement says that 11 YPG fighters, 1 Shamsi Shîmal fighter, 1 Asayesh officer and 3 civilians were killed in the explosions and following clashes in the Mürşitpınar border gate area. At least 83 ISIS gang members have been killed in the last 24 hours.

We are not directly aware of US-led coalition activity in and around Kobanê at this point, but we do know of strikes by coalition forces against ISIS in 7 villages in the Makhmur and Gwer districts near Mosul. Twenty-three ISIS fighters died in these attacks as an ISIS convoy was hit. The Kushaf hill and surrounding villages have been liberated by Kurdish forces following a major assault this morning.

Rojava's revolution continues.

We do not want to give the impression that all of the focus is on military campaigns. Rojava's revolution moves forward even as the fighting continues.

In Til Temir, to the southeast of Serekaniye on the way to Hasakah, Rojava's revolution is consolidating. The area was liberated after hard fighting last summer and educational work was opened up after the liberation of the area by the YPG. Til Temir is strategically situated and has received much support from Rojava's peoples.

The Democratic Society Movement (TEV-DEM) is present in Til Temir and has established people's assemblies there. Yeserday common assembly was established in the Hemra, Tedamun and Old Til Temir neighborhoods. The founding meeting was held at the Revolutionary Youth Movement center and included leaders from communes previously established in the three neighborhoods.

In the meeting, the co-president of the Til Temir People's Assembly made a speech paying attention to the importance of communes in creating an organized society based on moral and natural values that strengthen the social relations between peoples. A joint assembly was formed and commune members elected 13 people, 6 of them are women, to the executive board of the assembly. Delîle Mihemed and Mihemed El-Şemas were elected as the co-presidents of the joint assembly.

The Til Temir Institution of Free Science and Thought also completed an education session organized under the name of Martyr Dilşêr Efrîn. Twenty-one 21 people attended the courses. The training period went for 11 days and people studied the state, sovereignty, the history of Kurdistan, the history of women, culture, ethics, democratic nation-building, democratic autonomy and defense.