John Dolva Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 Monday, December 1, 2014 An analysis from Rojhelat (East Kurdistan, within the borders of Iran) on the situation there and in Rojava This article talks about the Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK), the East Kurdistan Defense Units (YRK) and the Free and Democratic Society of Eastern Kurdistan (KODAR). The organizations are active and based in East Kurdistan, or Rojhelat, within the borders of present-day Iran. Abdul Rahman Haji Ahmadi lays out a solid progressive analysis here and speaks directly to the question of how Rojava's advanced revolution is affecting Rojhelat. Abdul Rahman Haji Ahmadi, co-chair of the Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK), recently spoke on the important issues that have driven the latest development in Kurdistan. In his opinion ISIS is a cancer and if it is not destroyed then it will destroy everyone. He also added that in the event of a loss by the united forces of the Kurdish resistance Hewlêr and Silêmanî will be occupied. Haji Ahmadi gave an interview to ROJ NEWS and said that the East Kurdistan Defense Units (YRK) are ready to defend Rojava (West Kurdistan). The PJAK Co-chair stated that from now on more will be expected from the people of Rojhelat (East Kurdistan) to support the resistance and he hopes that Rojava will become a model for Rojhelat. Haji Ahmadi said, “The Middle East, particularly Kurdistan, is facing a crisis and there are two main reasons. One is that in today’s global society in every country where politics is not dominant dictatorship will be born and the country will be facing a crisis. When people lose their hopes in politics they turn to religion. All of the Third World countries, particularly in the Middle East, (are run by dictators). We see the results today. Second is that the Middle East is the main source of energy for the world’s industrialized countries. Fifty-six per cent of the oil in the world is from Kurdistan, Iraq, Kuwait, Iran, the Emirates and Saudi Arabia and the rest is in other parts of the world. This percentage increases day by day and the Middle East is the main source of energy for the industrialized countries.” Haji Ahmadi spoke about the conspiracies organized by Turkey and said, “Erdogan planned a conspiracy against the Kurdish nation based on the simplicity and the ignorance of the Kurdish allies, which has been a wake-up call for the USA. The USA soon started to work to form a front again ISIS, a front to prevent ISIS from creating a republic. The USA also got the Arabic countries to join the front; nearly 60 countries are at war against ISIS now, in the shadow of the inhuman policy of Erdogan’s, and the correct policies of the Kurds. The Kurds are part of the front.” Speaking about the negative aspect of the ISIS attacks against the Kurds, Haji Ahmadi said,“We were devastated that hundreds of our villages and towns were crushed. Thousands of Kurds were martyred and thousands were made refugees, thousands of girls and woman were abducted and sold. Still the Iraqi Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), the Minister of Peshmerga, Parliament and the ruling party did not assume any responsibility for it, trying to make it seem like a normal and natural event. But Şengal is a black page in the history of the Kurds and will never be forgotten. ISIS is a force with a dangerous ideology that brought unique friendships and international support to the Kurds. No events in the history of Kurdistan and the Kurdish resistance have been able to bring about national unity amongst the Kurds more than now and enable us to come together. The second issue is that for the first time in human history woman have had an opportunity to prove their ability in practice and in all areas of life independent of men. Today in Kobanê and Kurdistan, and also in the Middle East and around the world in the future, this will become undeniable truth.” Haji Ahmadi also talked about the about role of the East Kurdistan Defense Units (YRK) against ISIS in Şengal, Mexmur and Kirkuk and said, “Although this question is related to KODAR (the Free and Democratic Society of Eastern Kurdistan), as far as I am aware, KODAR, before any Kurdish parties, informed (other) Kurdish parties’ leaders that their guerrillas were ready for the protection of South Kurdistan under any circumstances…KODAR knows it, but if people of any part of Kurdistan need help, all parties of the other parts of Kurdistan have a duty to help them as a national duty. The YRK forces, although not directly, but indirectly, have been involved in the resistance of Kobanê because…martyrs come from Rojhelat.” “The expectations of the people who founded a republic (the Republic of Kurdistan in Mahabad in 1946) 70 years ago is much higher. I hope they continue their support to a victory Rojava,” Haji Ahmadi said. “However, some forces wanted to divert this support but, despite the policy of imprisonment and executions in Iran, the people of Rojhelat are aware. PJAK also has the experience and support of the people. PJAK knows when and how to act in this situation.” The PJAK co-chair described the Hewlêr Treaty as coming very late, but as a promising development which led to the unification of Rojava. “We expect the leaders of Rojava’s parties who have been living in Hewlêr to return to Kobanê to fight against ISIS,” he said. Speaking about the connection or alliances between Rojhelat’s parties, Haji Ahmadi said, “Until now there has been no alliance between parties, but I hope that Rojava will be a model for Rojhelat. KODAR held a meeting with all Kurdish parties working in South Kurdistan a few months ago to coordinate the Rojhelat forces…Iran and Turkey in particular intervened directly or indirectly (to stop) the Kurdish National Congress, but after the tragedy of Şengal and the shock (that hit) Hewlêr, and also the Kobanê resistance and support of Kurdish and other people around the world, we hope that the Congress will be held as soon as possible.” Posted by Urun Harvest at 6:18 PM No comments: Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest News from the fight against ISIS today Rojava’s heroic YPG (People's Defense Units) has reported that their People’s and Women’s Defense Forces (YPJ) continue to inflict severe blows and repel ISIS gang attacks on Kobanê on the 77th day of fighting. Four ISIS fighters were killed in an offensive action by YPG/YPJ units in the Sukul Hal area on the eastern front last night and the liberation took other forward steps as well. Fighting around Kobanê The YPG Press Center has said that an ISIS group that attempted to infiltrate the area around the Culture and Art Center was hit by YPG/YPJ fighters who surrounded and destroyed the group. Five ISIS fighters who were trying to lay mines in the buildings there were killed and their arms and ammunition were seized. YPG/YPJ units also now have full control of the southern part of Kobanê where 4 ISIS fighters were killed in a clash on the Aleppo road last night. YPG/YPJ fighters also hit an ISIS group preparing an attack on the Hospital area liberated the day before yesterday. Three gang members were killed in the attack by Defense Units. ISIS burns hundreds of vehicles On the western front ISIS forces have targeted people with their vehicles near the border. Yesterday morning the gangs set vehicles on fire in an area under Turkish military supervision between the villages of Korali and Göktepe in the Birecik district. They also targeted hundreds of vehicles near Sêlim village in another area. Eyewitnesses said that ISIS gangs first fired mortars at the area, two of which fell inside Turkey, but that Turkish troops did not respond. The gangs then went into the area between Göktepe and Korali and then entered the area near Sêlim, firing into gas tanks and setting vehicles on fire. Turkish troops watched as hundreds of vehicles burned. The ISIS forces appeared to be relaxed. Fire engines from the Urfa Municipality arrived two hours later and did not intervene. A man whose car was set on fire by ISIS fighters said, “The gangs are getting a hiding at the hands of the YPG so they’re taking it out on our vehicles. Only yesterday the YPG killed lots of them around our village. They come and burn our cars and the Turkish soldiers look on.” People from Kobanê who crossed the border after the gangs opened fire with mortars were taken to the military post in Göktepe village. Around 150 people, including children and the elderly, are continuing to be held there. 3 foreign nationals seeking to join ISIS detained in Urfa Three foreign nationals were taken into custody at the bus terminal in Urfa on Monday. The group includes one German and one Palestinian and they are reported to have arrived in Urfa with plans to cross the Turkish border at the Akçakale border gate and enter Syria in order to join the ISIS. They have been taken to the Foreigners Branch of the Urfa police directorate. No action has been taken against them to this point but it is expected that they will be deported. It is frequently said that Urfa is being used by as a base by the ISIS members coming from different parts of the world to join the ISIS gangs attempting to invade and take Kobanê. Villages in Gwir and Makhmor liberated The HPG (People's Defense Forces) and YJA Star (Free Woman Troops) guerrillas and Peshmerga forces liberated villages in Gwir and Makhmor. Kurdish forces stationed in the Gwir and Makhmor areas carried a military attack which targeted ISIS hideouts and nests yesterday. Kurdish forces managed to take control of a number of villages in these areas and forced the ISIS terrorists to retreat. In a major assault on ISIS positions yesterday, Kurdish forces liberated eight villages near the town of Gwer, which lies between Hewlêr and Mosul, killing a dozen ISIS fighters and destroying several of their vehicles. Today Kurdish forces found the bodies of 20 ISIS fighters outside of a village near the town of Gwer. “This morning, as we were going through the villages that were liberated yesterday, we found the dead bodies of 20 ISIS militants a few kilometers outside the village of Saqiya,” Captain Amin Gelejali of the Sulaimani 1st command told Rudaw. “We also captured a wounded militant who asked us for water in Kurdish,” he added. Cpt. Gelejali said his forces are in the process of burying the bodies near the village. Areas around Kirkuk liberated Violent clashes broke out last night between Kurdish forces and ISIS terrorists south of Kirkuk province. Wasta Rasul Qadir, Commander of the Operations Room in the south of Kirkuk, said that the Peshmerga, HPG and YJA Star forces started shelling ISIS hideouts to the south and southwest of Kirkuk and that the shelling continued into this morning. The Kurdish forces targeted ISIS hideouts in al-Wahda village in the Daquq district and Tal al-Ward area. A new life begins in Serêkaniyê Residents in the village of al-Barqa in Serêkaniyê city of Rojava’s Cizîre Canton say that they suffered a lot from ISIS gangs but that they now consider themselves as free members of a new society as the YPG has liberated their village. The YPG launched an operation on November 4, 2014 to the southwest of Serêkaniyê and west of Til Temir and liberated more than 100 villages and hamlets in that operation. Al Barqa village is one of them and is located 20 km to the south of Serêkaniyê. The residents of the village told ANHA about what they experienced under a long period of ISIS control over their village. Omer Hisên, a youth from the village, said that after ISIS occupied the village it was forbidden to go out of the house and anyone who did not obey their rules was killed. Hisên also stated that , “After YPG liberated the village, we have not had such problems anymore. The YPG does not discriminate between Kurds and Arabs. This is an example of brotherhood/sisterhood and unity of peoples." Another youth, Hemed Ehmed Izo, paid attention to the manner that ISIS gangs used when approaching people. "They have no ethic, no religion. We could not sleep one night since ISIS occupied the village. We were afraid that they could kidnap our sisters and brothers" Izo said. Xelîl Nayîf, who has four children, stressed that the ISIS occupation and their practices in the village caused everyone psychological issues. He said, "I was always afraid that ISIS would carry out massacres and kidnap our daughters. ISIS members do not have good manners and they have no relation with Islam. The YPG defended our honor. I saw resistance and courage in the eyes of YPG and YPJ fighters. I believe that with this the YPG and YPJ will always prevail and be victorious. It is a must for everybody to defend his/her own land." An interview with Asya Abdullah from ANF Rojava’s Democratic Union Party (PYD) Co-President Asya Abdullah spoke to ANF's Sedat Sur about last Saturday's suicide attacks at the Mürşitpınar border gate area and she said that the ISIS attack on Kobanê launched from Turkish territory not only targeted military forces but was also an attempted attack on civilians as well. Asya Abdullah said that there were thousands of civilians in the area near the border, most of them women and children, and added that Turkish authorities had completely disregarded the lives of these civilians by allowing ISIS to use Turkish territory. She stressed that as long as the ISIS gangs possess heavy weapons civilians in Kobanê have no security of life. PYD Co-President Asya Abdullah also said that ISIS is notorious for its slaughter of civilians, saying, 'Sinjar is the most obvious example of this. It is abundantly clear that the people of Kobanê are opposed to ISIS and its system. If the ISIS gangs had succeeded in getting into the city from the border gate the first thing they would have done is torture and slaughter the thousands of people who resisted them and who live close to the border crossing. If the YPG forces had not made an immediate intervention a massacre similar to that which took place in Sinjar would have occurred.” Asya Abdullah said that it is clear that when the Turkish authorities allowed ISIS to use Turkish territory they had complete disregard for the lives of thousands of civilians. She added, 'It is therefore necessary for Turkey, who we see as a friend, to abandon these policies. As a first step those responsible must be exposed and prosecuted.” She also said that the ISIS gangs have heavy weapons. “On the day of the attack from the border gate they fired more than 150 mortars, targeting civilian areas. This demonstrates that as long as ISIS has these weapons there is a risk of a massacre of civilians in Kobanê,” she said. She concluded by calling on international public opinion to step up its support for Kobanê. Posted by Urun Harvest at 5:32 PM No comments: Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest Abdullah Öcalan offers a self-criticism and points a way forward Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan has indicated the importance of legal guarantees in the on-going resolution or peace process underway between the Kurdish liberation movement and the Turkish state. We cover this matter a great deal on this blog. For context on this interview, first published by ANF, please see our recent posts on the peace or resolution process. Hüda-Par, referred to below, is a Kurdish-majority Islamic fundamentalist political party.Abdullah Öcalan has offered a self-criticism after issuing an appeal before such guarantees were given by the state. Abdullah Öcalan also criticized the political arrests, which are now such a fact of life in Turkey and North Kurdistan, warning, “No one has the right to expect anything from us until these (guarantees) are implemented, in the name of public order or anything else” and added, "We have a strong program. Preparation should be aimed at contesting the elections as a party." Istanbul MP Sırrı Süreyya Önder, who was part of the People’s Democracy Party (HDP) delegation who met Abdullah Öcalan on Imrali island told ANF about the meeting. How did the meeting with Mr Öcalan go after quite a long interval, and with an enlarged delegation? Mr. Öcalan was very happy to see Hatip (Dicle) for the first time for more than 20 years. Mr Dicle assessed the latest KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) arrests and the mentality behind them. Hatip presented Mr. Öcalan with a dossier on the Economy Workshop and on work pertaining to local administrations. From the press release we noticed Mr. Öcalan’s self-critical approach. Could you elaborate on this, please? I think all leaders have something to learn from this. Most other leaders look for excuses or confess. For Mr. Öcalan and his cadre self-criticism is an important mechanism. If the government had understood Mr. Öcalan when he said, ‘I won’t deceive and I won’t be deceived,’ more progress would have been made as regards peace and democracy. He added that in subsequent stages legal guarantees are essential and that without these it would not be possible to reach the objectives of peace and democracy. He said, 'We remember what happened to those who came to Habur. Some of them are still in prison.’ He also criticized the building of military posts and dams after the guerrillas began to withdraw. Were the protests of October 6-7 mentioned? And the arrests that followed? He said the arrests were unacceptable. He said, ‘no one has the right to expect anything from us until guarantees are implemented, in the name of public order or anything else.’ But he emphasized that if the draft was implemented all these problems would be overcome administratively and permanently. He also called on other structures, first and foremost Hüda-Par, to prevent provocations. He said that the criteria was a commitment to democratic struggle and dialogue and stressed the importance of awareness of provocations. Mr. Öcalan also said that no one had the right to expect anything from us until these were implemented, in the name of public order or anything else. He also warned of the involvement of the National Security Council and the special forces, adding that this increased the risk of a coup that would overthrow the government. A "Peace and Democratic Negotiation Process Draft” has been mentioned. What are the details of this? There are 4 main headings in the draft. The first of these contains 9 articles regarding ‘method.’ We can summarize this as meaning that all stages of the process should be documented and that everything should be done on the basis of a commitment to democratic politics in order to ensure that the process has a firm foundation. What are the other headings? After resolving the issue of method, we see that Mr. Öcalan has analyzed the history and philosophy of the question to a degree that would embarrass virtually all the universities in the country. There is also the question of a secretariat. I will mention the 11 articles regarding how the commissions will function as regards method: -The nature of Kurdish-Turkish relations in the Middle East throughout history. -The internal and external causes of increasing Kurdish-Turkish problems and their connection to capitalist modernity. -The need for a fundamental change in the nature of the state as regards Kurdish-Turkish relations. The transformation of this into a means to achieve power. The use of violence and the problems this creates. -The systematic character of resolution and its inevitable effect on the Middle East The link of resolution to peace and universal democracy. The unavoidable reforms that will be set in motion in the structure of state and society. -Constitutional and legal results of resolution. -Security dimension of resolution. -Social-cultural effects of resolution. -Women’s freedom dimension and ecological outcomes. -Free and equal recognition of all communities that have been denied and ostracised throughout the years of the Republic. -A new, pluralist democratic system. The 3rd heading is "principal matters on the agenda” which lists 40 basic questions, findings and proposals. This will be a reference point that will render speculation such as "Öcalan is failing the democracy test,” or "The Kurdish political movement is being deceived” redundant. By mentioning a few headings it will become clear what is meant. -The correct definition of democratic politics and its content. -Concept, definition and recognition of identity. A pluralist, democratic, egalitarian resolution with legal guarantees. -The correct definition of the national and regional dimensions of a democratic resolution. -Definition of citizenship. Legal and Free citizen. -Connection of resolution to socio-economic system and its re-definition. -Cultural pluralism and freedom. -Mechanisms to ensure a settling with the recent past. Parliamentary mechanisms to be established. I think these few headings are enough to give an idea of the content. The 4th heading is an ‘action plan’ and has 6 articles. The most important characteristic of this is that it has dates and involves our having talks with Kandil and with the state-government. We will make this plan, into which Mr. Öcalan put a lot of work, public. I think this will be sufficient to mobilize people who are not aware of what is going on. After we have completed talks with Kandil and the state we will probably publish the original document. How do you see the government reacting to this? This is a significant opportunity for the government to grasp with both hands. Mr. Öcalan has shown the whole world he is the main force behind the democratic efforts. The important thing is to mobilize for democracy rather than putting trust in martial law. Our party will contest the elections on a manifesto of a democratic peaceful resolution. You mentioned the elections. Did Mr. Öcalan say anything about them? What does he expect from the people? Mr. Öcalan said, ‘We have a strong program. Preparation should be aimed at contesting the elections as a party. If this program is explained to the people no threshold will have any meaning."When did he last speak to the state delegation and when will you be holding new talks? Mr. Öcalan spoke to the state delegation 2 days ago. We will have several meetings with the authorities by Tuesday. We will then go to Kandil as a delegation. We will also visit Mr. Öcalan again soon. He also said he is considering sending me with Leyla Zana to the South for a diplomatic tour and for the national congress. Mr Öcalan said, 'The whole world is watching what is happening in Kobane. It is the first struggle for honour in the 21st century and illustrates the point reached by our free women’s perspective.’ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dolva Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Tuesday, December 2, 2014 The fight against ISIS in Kobanê today Rojava's YPG (People's Defense Units) Press Center said yesterday and today that the People's/ Women's Defense Forces (YPG/YPJ) fighters are strengthening their hold on Kobanê and inflicting severe blows on the ISIS gangs as the fighting has continued into the 78th and 79th days. ISIS forces continue to hit Kobanê with mortar attacks targeting the city center. On the eastern front fierce and hand-to-hand combat took place between YPG units and ISIS groups in the Sukul Hal and Kaniya Kurda region. Eight ISIS fighters were killed there. Clashes around the Azadi Square and 48th Street areas early yesterday evening continued into this morning. The YPG hit ISIS hard in three separate locations here and 15 ISIS gang members were killed, including an emir (leader) named Esetullah El Shishani and a commander in charge of sanitation. YPG/YPJ units also carried out offensives against some areas held by ISIS gangs on the southern front, killing at least 12 gang members there. In fighting in the southwest area around the village of Menîtê the YPG forces killed 3 ISIS fighters. YPG/YPJ fighters have also taken some positions from the gangs on the southeastern front. The southeastern front was particularly important in last Saturday's fighting as ISIS used 2 car bombs and 3 tanks supported by artillery there. YPG/YPJ advances were still registered there and on the southern front. At least 3 YPG/YPJ fighters have lost their lives fighting the ISIS gangs in the last 48 hours. Since the attack on November 29, which was one of the biggest ISIS attacks on Kobanê, there seems to be a new spirit of determination among the YPG/YPJ fighters. Even on the southeastern front, with all of its intense fighting, the YPG/YPJ fighters are hardly showing signs of fatigue. It is now said that the assault on Saturday started with a bomb-laden vehicle crossing from Turkey through the Mürşitpınar Border gate and that it came with a day-long attack on the city using heavy weaponry, 4 car bombs and suicide bombers. All of the ISIS attacks were met by YPG/YPJ units. YPG/YPJ fighters in one area must move from building to building through tunnels in order to protect themselves from snipers. When they talk about comrades who have fallen they become melancholy, but they know that they have fallen in a just cause as they defend their homes. They are aware that sacrifices have to be made. The YPG/YPJ fighters also have a detailed analysis of the situation in the Middle East and of international politics. All of the fighters say that the only way to protect their existence and rights is to resist. Rojvan Kobanê, a YPG fighter on the southeastern front, told ANF that ISIS aimed to take Kobanê on November 29 and added, "They wanted to takle the border gate with support from the Turks, but they were unable to do so on account of the resistance of our comrades. They attacked here with a bomb- laden vehicle, but our comrades blew it up before it could do any harm. That day they wanted to take Kobanê, but it didn’t happen. They couldn’t do it. We counter attacked and took several of their positions.” Posted by Urun Harvest at 9:04 PM No comments: Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest The people's resistance meets police repression in Turkey and North Kurdistan Police and army operations carried out today have one more shown the antagonistic attitude that the Turkish authorities carry regarding the democratic and progressive movements. The Alparslan and Kazım Karabekir neighborhoods of Ağrı Three people, including one teenager, were taken into custody as result of a police operation in the Alparslan and Kazım Karabekir neighborhoods of Ağrı province. The operation by police and special operation teams, which is most often conducted at the break of dawn, resulted in the detention of a fifteen-year-old youth and Muhamed Karagöz (18) and Berat Karaman (30) on the grounds that they participated in the October demonstrations in solidarity with the Kobanê resistance. They are being held at provincial police headquarters. In the Aligor neighborhood of Suruç The supplementary service building of the Suruç Municipality in Aligor that is being used to serve people from Kobanê who took refuge in Suruç was raided late last night by Turkish soldiers and police supported by armored vehicles. The police interrogated dozens of people staying at the building, including children and the elderly, and seized their identity cards. Young people in Suruç held a demonstration to protest the latest assaults on Kobanê in the Aligor neighbourhood of Suruç, blocking the road between Suruç and Aligor and chanting slogans supporting the resistance of Rojava's heroic People's Defense Forces (YPG). After the demonstration ended, soldiers and police surrounded the supplementary building of the municipality in Aligor at around 2:00 AM on the pretext that young protesters had entered the building. Aligor was a community affiliated to Suruç before the local elections last March, but it is now a neighborhood of Suruç with new regulations on local divisions and administration in effect. The former Aligor municipality building has been used for awhile by the Suruç municipality to host refugees from Kobanê. Dozens of people from Kobanê are sheltered there, including elderly people and children. People's Democracy Party (HDP) deputies İbrahim Aydın and Faysal Sarıyıldız and the co-mayor of Suruç prevented police from raiding the building in an unlawful manner and asked to see a search warrant. Only then did the Suruç Prosecutor’s Office issue a warrant for searching the building. The police and the soldiers then entered the building and searched it. The search ended at 6:00 AM. The police and the soldiers acted against the law and seized the identity cards of the refuges, took photos and interrogated them, searched the belongings and beds of the refugees and did not hesitate to enter into rooms of children with their guns drawn. They also broke down the doors of many rooms not used in the building as well as damaging the aid material kept in the cold storage. Aid materials such as clothes, batteries, books and shoes were seized by the security forces. The safe box of the municipality was also taken away by the police as the key to the box was not found. The police claim that they found 2 guns and some hand grenades in an empty room in the building. The security forces detained the watchman of the building and took him to the Suruç Gendarme Office. The co-mayor of the Suruç municipality, Orhan Şansal, said that the security forces raided the building that is used to serve the people from Kobanê by using the actions of the youth as a pretext for their search. Orhan Şansal said that the building was not used after the Aligor municipality closed down and, like all the other buildings which are not actively used in the district, has been used to serve refugees from Kobanê. The building holds 2000 people from Rojava. In the midnight raid the doors were broken, the people were interrogated and aid sent by the people of North Kurdistan for the refugees from Kobanê was stolen. Humanitarian aid was damaged. Orhan Şansal also said that two guns were found during the search, adding that the municipality has nothing to do with the guns, but under war conditions everything is possible. “There is a war going on next to us. People need defense materials in addition to food and shelter while they are fleeing. They might have brought the guns with them. We do not search anyone when we welcome them in the buildings,” he said But Orhan Şansal also said that there might be a plot to prevent aid from reaching the people from Kobanê and added, “Some might well have been trying to sabotage the work of the Suruç Municipality for the people from Kobanê. And it might be their plot, because the room where the guns were found was locked and not used.” In Istanbul Members of the Kobanê Solidarity platform in Istanbul were brutally attacked by police as they gathered in the central Tunnel area and started a march to protest against last Saturday's attack by ISIS launched against Kobanê from Turkish soil. The demonstration drew large numbers of people, including leaders of the DBP (Party of Democratic Regions) and HDP (Peoples' Democratic Party). Police blockaded the demonstrators soon after they started their march to the central Galatasaray Square, chanting slogans condemning the “collaborative AKP” and carrying flags of the YPG, HPG and KCK. The AKP is Turkey's ruling reactionary party. The YPG, HPG and KCK are mainstays of the liberation movement. The police attacked the people without warning. Police teams and plainclothes police detained 7 people, injured an elderly woman and broke a young person's nose. The woman was rushed to the hospital and the demonstrators refused to disperse until those detained were released, forcing the police to do so after a long wait. DBP and HDP leaders strongly condemned the police crackdown which, they said, has once again proven Turkish support for ISIS, and stressed that no attack will intimidate them from exercising their democratic right to protest. In the Nusaybin district of Mardin Two teenagers detained during house raids carried out by police in the Nusaybin district of Mardin three days ago have been arrested and sent to the Mardin E-Type Closed Prison. They were accused of taking part in the October Kobanê solidarity demonstrations. In Urfa's Devşeti neighborhood In Urfa's Devşeti neighborhood police raided a cottage early this morning where six wounded people from Kobanê have been staying. Police broke down the door of the house in the raid. The six Kobanê citizens, three people accompanying them and the owner of the house have all been detained. Attorney Bekir Benek said the police raided the house using the same methods as they used in the repressive '90s. “The special forces with ski facemasks violently entered the house just like in the nineties. All the doors were broken. Even the medicine in the house was seized as evidence of crime. We do not know on what grounds they were detained. These people from Rojava have official records. What has been done here was unlawful,” the lawyer said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dolva Posted December 6, 2014 Share Posted December 6, 2014 Friday, December 5, 2014 An inspiring story of international solidarity and a hunger strike Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu is visiting Greece in order to participate in the Greek-Turkish High-Level Cooperation Council in Athens. The Greek and Turkish governments are again at odds over the Cyprus situation, but now that situation is aggravated by a dispute over oil and gas drilling at sea and territorial borders and the involvement of other countries in the eastern Mediterranean. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent announcement that the South Stream pipeline carrying gas to Europe through Bulgaria will be put aside in favor of creating a gas hub on the Turkish-Greek border, giving the Turkish government an edge in the region, also certainly affects the meeting in Greece. So far Davutoğlu and Greek President Karolos Papoulias have made a public show of getting along. However, we are most interested in the timing of the meeting and the protests planned in Athens. The Greek government has attempted to ban protests this weekend. Protesters are intent on raising the issue of the police killing of Alexandros Grigoropoulos on Dec. 6, 2008 during mass protests and they have linked this to the police killing in Turkey of Berkin Elvan. Berkin Elvan died in March after spending nearly nine months in a coma after being hit by a police tear gas canister during the Gezi protests. In a great show of solidarity Greek protesters commemorated him by carrying his picture alongside one of Alexandros Grigoropoulos. The two teenagers were killed in similar circumstances and have rightly become powerful symbols of the resistance. Adding to the symbolism present in the moment, the Greek government has banned protests in Syntagma Square just as the Turkish government previously attempted to ban protests in Taksim Square in Istanbul. The ban will be flouted and fought against in Greece just as people in Turkey opposed the ban on May Day in Istanbul last year. Nikos Romanos, a friend of Alexandros Grigoropoulos and now 21 years of age, is on the 25th day of a hunger strike to demand his educational rights. Nikos Romanos was with Alexandros Grigoropoulos and saw him die during the shooting. A Greek court cleared him of charges of being a member of an urban anarchist guerilla cell, but he was eventually convicted of taking part in an armed robbery in Velvento early last year. Nikos Romanos passed the exams for the School of Business Administration in Athens, but he was not allowed to leave prison to attend classes. He and his family insist that he should be allowed to attend the classes and he is at a critical stage in his hunger strike. Posted by Urun Harvest at 4:36 PM No comments: Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest The last bodies have been recovered at the Ermenek mine and Turkey has signed the ILO convention on mine safety We continue to think about Turkey’s mine workers and mines. Search teams have recovered the remaining five mine workers trapped in the mine in Ermenek on October 28. Two mine workers’ bodies were recovered at the mine on November 6, two on November 17, six on November 18, two on November 29 and one workers’ body was recovered on December 2. They died when the mine flooded and collapsed but initial autopsies performed on some of the miners showed that they died from gas and not from drowning. Meanwhile, Turkey’s Parliament has finally approved the International Labor Organization (ILO) convention on safety and health in mining. Some government officials claimed after the deaths at the Ermenek mine and the Soma mine massacre last May, where at least 301 mine workers perished, that Turkey’s mine safety laws exceeded the ILO standards. The move by Parliament gives lie to those claims. Moreover, Labor Minister Faruk Çelik said on Sept. 23 that the Cabinet had already approved signing of the related ILO convention, but the formal adoption was only approved at Parliament’s General Assembly yesterday. The delay in forward movement again puts the government in a bad light. The ILO sponsored a meeting in Turkey on improving mine safety standards in October involving the government, some labor organizations and employers’ representatives in order to reach agreement on legislation and push their agreement forward. Parliament and state administrations had previously refused to ratify the ILO convention with the excuse that employers always complain about the cost of mine safety enforcement. After the tragedy at Soma in May, and since then in some other places, the responsible companies have indeed tried to blackmail workers with a “jobs versus safety” argument and have been able to point to an especially high number of job applicants seeking work in the mining sector as unemployment in Turkey reaches double digits. We think that in the bigger picture of things Turkey’s energy sector is experiencing especially fast growth and that the mining sector is necessarily going through a period of reorganization and rationalization with government-back privatization. Under such circumstances workers’ safety and health will suffer unless workers make a determined struggle. The ILO’s Convention No. 176, established in 1995, aims to prevent fatalities, injuries and ill health affecting workers and members of the public, including damage to the environment, from mining operations. It delegates responsibility to governments and mine owners for safety and health and takes a proactive approach to mine inspections, accident reporting and investigation, training, hazard control and a worker’s right to participate in workplace health and safety decisions and to remove themselves from danger. This Convention has been ratified by 28 countries, so it is notable that Turkey has signed on only at this late date. Turkey has increased the legal minimum wage given to miners and has decreased the maximum legal working hours of miners since the mine massacre last May. Mining companies have complained about the changes and several companies have closed down mines in order to force a workers’ retreat on these issues. The Soma Mining Company, which operates the mine in Soma where the 301 mine workers were killed in May, has laid off more than 2,800 miners. Posted by Urun Harvest at 2:44 PM No comments: Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest Thursday, December 4, 2014 Turkish state repression and the people's fightback The Don Quixote squat house in Istanbul Today seems to be a day when there is much news of political repression in Turkey and North Kurdistan. Here are some brief stories from today.Revelations in the Hrant Dink murder case---and Agos will appear in EnglishAli Fuat Yılmazer, the former Istanbul police intelligence chief who has been under arrest since late July as part of an illegal wiretapping case, confirmed today that some 160 high-profile people were wiretapped between 2008 and 2009. Daily Hürriyet had previously reported that 160 people, among them many prominent businessmen, media figures, journalists and military figures, were illegally spied on with wiretaps under fake names in 2008 and 2009. Their names were apparently placed on a list of “members of a terrorist or criminal organization” in order to justify the taps.Yılmazer was one of 32 intelligence officers detained in Istanbul in anti-terror operations launched in 15 provinces in Turkey on July 23. His latest revelations may or may not have some lasting significance. We want to note here that he gave his statement as he was being taken to give testimony in the on-going investigation into the assassination of progressive Turkish-Armenian journalist and publisher Hrant Dink. His statement adds to the growing body of evidence that a group of civil servants formed part of a conspiracy involved in the Hrant Dink killing. After all, if illegal wiretaps could be used against so many prominent people by an organization operating behind the scenes, could these same people not have assassinated a progressive Turkish-Armenian writer or covered up for those who did?If the story ended there it would be tragic. We can report that Agos, the Istanbul-based weekly newspaper published in Armenian and Turkish and edited by Hrant Dink, has introduced an online English version. The English edition will carry translations of day-to-day coverage as well as feature stories and serials. The website will also be available on smart phones and other smart devices. Go here to read it.Justice for Ali İsmail Korkmaz!One of the prime suspects in the murder of Gezi protester Ali İsmail Korkmaz has been accused of also beating up another demonstrator and then locking him in the trunk of a police car in the course of his detention. Ali İsmail Korkmaz was badly beaten up in Eskişehir in June of 2013. The policeman most often associated with the attack is now accused of having beaten Tevfik Caner Ertay with iron rods soon after administering the fatal blows to Ali İsmail Korkmaz. The officer then apparently forced Tevfik Caner Ertay into the trunk of a police car and took him to a police station.Tevfik Caner Ertay was heard as a witness in the investigation and trial into Korkmaz’s murder today. Video footage has emerged from two hospitals that seem to validate the claims made by Tevfik Caner Ertay and the Eskişehir police department has admitted that the car in question was used by the accused officer and a fellow policeman on June 2, 2013, to transfer Tevfik Caner Ertay because there was a shortage of other vehicles available due to the Gezi solidarity protests.The police have denied allegations that they beat Tevfik Caner Ertay in the car, transported him in the trunk, said “Let’s get rid of this (guy)” or instructed doctors at one hospital to “not write too much.” The police also noted that “(Ertay) has participated in a number of mass incidents in our province and is at the forefront of them. He has been the subject of a number of proceedings at our branch.” The policeman at the center of the case has not yet given his testimony.Justice for Berkin Elvan!Turkey's parliament had the opportunity today to watch footage recorded by an on-duty police tank at the time of Berkin Elvan’s shooting. The video was released to the media at a press conference held by Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy Hüseyin Aygün, the Elvan Family and their attorneys.Berkin Elvin died on March 11, 2014. He was a 15-year-old boy who was hit on the head by a tear-gas canister fired by a police officer in Istanbul while out to buy bread for his family during the June 2013 Gezi resistance. He was an innocent boy and not involved in the protests. He spent 269 days in a coma before dying. Since his passing he has become a symbol of resistanceand his family has done much to keep his memory and the events surrounding his death before the public.Gülsüm Elvan, Berkin’s mother, saw the video footage for the first time today and had to be helped from the conference room where the press conference was being held. She understandably reacted to the video by cursing those responsible for her son's death.The authorities have used the video footage to identify a policeman suspected in the killing and the Criminal Bureau has admitted that no Molotov cocktails, bombs, fireworks or weapons were thrown at the police from the area where Berkin Elvin was attacked. The investigation of the killing has moved slowly and has been blocked at times so that the footage seen today was not made available to everyone involved in the case. The Elvan family's attorney and his team have had to do much of the work on the case themselves, including finding witnesses and locating the tape. The police have still not given the names of all the policemen involved to the prosecutor in the case.Save the Don Quixote squat house!During the Gezi protests some people in Istanbul’s Kadıköy district founded a squat and converted their appropriated house into a social center for activists. A community has formed around the project and they have done much good work to make the place livable and comfortable. Now the center may be shut down by the authorities with an order to vacate the premises.The Don Quixote squat house has been used for exhibitions, forums, concerts, a barter market, a library, a café and other community activities. The Caferağa Solidarity group said today that the occupiers had received a notice that they must leave the building by tomorrow and they called on people to demonstrate in front of the building.“This is a house open to everyone in our neighborhood. A place that we opened when it was an abandoned and empty building, which became somewhere where anyone can come to sit and relax, engaging in deep conversations while sipping their tea,” the group said in its statement. “It has been brought into existence thanks to the contribution of thousands of people...But we have been hearing for a while that (the authorities) will come to close the door. Those who have promised to sell every beautiful thing, all the water, the trees and the shadows will try to seize our house. Of course, we won’t give up on our dreams, nor all that we have accumulated here.”A border trader killed by Turkish troopsA 45-year-old border trader was shot and killed by Turkish troops early this morning near the village of Qarik (Dağdelen) in the Doğubayazıt district of Ağrı province. Memiş Arıkboğa died after being shot in the neck by soldiers at a border post at around 3 o’clock this morning as he tried to cross from Iran into Turkish territory.Kobanê refugees attacked by authorities in UrfaTen people from Kobanê, including 6 who were receiving treatment for their wounds and a teenager, who were arrested two days ago, have been taken to court in Urfa. The 6 people who were wounded in clashes on various dates in Kobanê entered Turkey legally and were registered as refugees. They were arrested on December 2 in a farmhouse where they were receiving treatment. With them were 3 companions and the owner of the house. They were held in police custody for more than 48 hours before being sent to the Urfa Courthouse. The wounded people have not had the dressings on their wounds changed since being seized by the authorities. All of those arrested have been charged with being members of an illegal armed organization. The 16-year-old has been separated from the group and taken to the Children’s branch and is constantly crying on account of police persecution.The Democratic Society Congress (DTK) Health Commission has meanwhile issued a statement calling on Turkish authorities to immediately abandon their policy of obstructing the treatment of wounded people from Kobanê. The Health Commission press statement talks about the DTK's work with injured and sick people from Kobanê and the obstructive approach taken by the Turkish authorities to their treatment. The statement notes that the great human resistance shown in Kobanê since the ISIS attacks began on September 15 has confounded all of the policies of Turkey, which is seen by world public opinion as supporting the ISIS gangs created by various powers.The DTK Health Commission statement adds that it has been extremely difficult to set up the necessary facilities in order to treat those who have been wounded by the superior fire power and technology in ISIS's hands. The statement also emphasizes that the treatment meted out by Turkish police and soldiers to the wounded people arriving in Suruç from Kobanê is an unprecedented human tragedy.The statement details the treatment suffered by the wounded from Kobanê, including the taking of fingerprints, the wounded being taken to gendarme posts for statements regardless of their condition, the breaking down of hospital doors, the manhandling of patients and those accompanying them and raids on houses where the wounded are being treated. The statement emphasizes that this treatment demonstrates the level of intolerance towards the people of Kobanê.The Health Commission asks the authorities: “You say, ‘We are embracing 200,000 people and meeting their needs,’ but how many people have you treated? How many families have you assisted? How many tents, hospitals and schools have you provided?” The statement adds that the answers to these questions will demonstrate that the state had not embraced 200,000 people, but has, on the contrary, seen them as enemies.The Commission has called on the authorities to ensure that patients receive proper treatment as necessitated by respect for humanity and to immediately abandon their unprecedented measures.The struggle continues in Yüksekova (Gever)Tensions continue to run high in the Yüksekova (Gever) district over the military presence there and transports going to the Şemdinli-Yüksekova line. The government is clearly sidestepping the resolution or peace process underway between the state and the Kurdish liberation movement with these moves. The armored military convoy has transformed the city center into something like a scene from a war and has caused the people to push back.We have previously mentioned that scorpion and TOMA-type armored vehicles were deployed at the entrance of district before the military convoy entered the city. As the convoy entered the district the TOMAs attacked people protesting the military presence with water canons and plastic bullets were fired at the people. Hundreds of young people then attacked the vehicles with stones. The TOMAs and police then fired tear gas and plastic bullets at the people. Some of the police chanted the slogan "Allah û ekber (God is great)" like the ISIS gangs do in their attacks on Kobanê.All traffic was halted in the district as the convoy passed through. After the convoy passed through the district center, several armored vehicles were redeployed at the entrance of district. After they were loaded with ammunition, they returned to the Şemdinli line. Another police attack on the people followed and one of the young people was hit by a gas canister and had to be taken to the hospital. Posted by Urun Harvest at 9:01 PM No comments: Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest Turkey's government attacks women again Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu again attacked the women's movement and blundered when he linked "mechanical equality" in gender relations in developed countries to higher suicide rates in a speech hosted by the women’s branch of his ruling reactionary Justice and Development Party (AKP) today."Why is the Gross National Product in most developed countries---I don’t want to name it, but in Scandinavian countries and in many other countries---at the highest level on one side, but the suicide rate is also at the highest level there. Why?” the Prime Minister asked, before answering his question by citing "mechanical equality” in gender relations as the source of the problem. The prime minister detailed this by arguing that the understanding of gender equality supposedly prevalent in the Scandanavian countries does not attribute “equality in terms of honor” to different genders. People who approach gender equality as “mechanical equality” are beginning to “destroy the complementary relationship in life,” he added. “That’s why, since our women are fulfilling that divine mission of keeping humanity alive, then they have the right to rest before and after becoming a mother and spare time for their children. Granting this is not a favor, it is just paying a debt,” Davutoğlu said.The prime minister went on to stress the importance of motherhood and described his government as a leader in this area. Speaking to this issue, he only repeated what others in his party often say. He also said, "Whoever uses violence against women, he actually displays his own weakness and dishonor. No matter if it is among the family, even by a father against his daughter in the form of a slap (in the face) as sign of compassion, it will leave deep traces in the hearts of those children...No matter if it on the street, against a woman who is considered weak, all of this violence is a direct assault on human honor, and fighting against this assault is a mission for all of us.”Davutoğlu continued to give the ruling party's line that since the AKP the AKP came to power in 2002, there have been great advances in the representation of women in Parliament. “We should increase this to at least 25 percent in the shortest time. As the ()AKP), we will do whatever this requires. The AK Party doesn’t follow others, it drags others to follow its lead,” he said.Looked at in real terms, we can say that Turkey ranked 120th out of 136 nations in the World Economic Forum’s 2013 Gender Gap Index, down 15 places since 2006. A 2011 U.N. report showed that Turkey’s domestic violence rates are almost twice those in the United States and 10 times higher than in some European countries.More to the point, alternative media is showing today that male violence in Turkey left 18 women and young (teenage) women dead, 10 raped, 24 injured, and 9 sexually harassed last month alone. So far this year, male perpetrators have killed 253 women, raped 98 women, battered 523 women and sexually harassed 104 women. Since these statistics were compiled from various unofficial and combined sources by the good people at bianet we can assume that these numbers are approximate and low.Twenty-eight per cent of these women were killed for seeking a divorce or breaking up with their partners, 61 percent of these women were killed by their husbands or lovers and 16 per cent were killed by their ex-husbands or ex-lovers. Fathers, brothers, male relatives and neighbors also committed these murders. The murderers ran in age from 15 to 60 years old while their female victims ran in age from 15 to 57. Rape and battery and assault cases followed similar patterns, with most of the women who were raped being victims of kidnapping and with greater ranges in age for the men involved in both sets of crimes. On the other hand, a large majority of the women who reported sexual harassment did not know their harassers, most of the men involved were relatively young and most reported harassment took place on the streets and on transport platforms.The Prime Minister's remarks must be measured against these statistics. Posted by Urun Harvest at 7:29 PM No comments: Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest Important dynamics of Rojava's revolution This post owes much to “Muslim Hewlêr’e gidiyor” by M. Ali Çelebi and appeared in Özgür Gündem. That article ran as “Salih Muslim Going To The KRG” on The Rojava Report. We were initially supportive of the agreement signed between various Kurdish factions in Duhok in October. That agreement created the basis for the formation of a council which would function as a kind of a consultative assembly with a broad and progressive base made up of 12 members from TEV-DEM (Democratic Society Movement, a mass organization), 12 from ENKS (Syrian Kurdish National Congress) and 6 from independent parties in Rojava---30 people in all. Every autonomous administration (Xweseriya Demokratîk) in Rojava would maintain assemblies, councils of ministers and presidents. The agreement was forged under emergency war-time conditions and avoided some conflict and gave Rojava’s revolution some needed breathing room. The council could help Kurds unite and take on questions of strategy. The binding decisions it might make would not interfere with the ability of Rojava’s cantons to continue to make their own decisions. The agreement gave ENKS certain positions within the cantons, and this certainly might affect how work at the canton level is carried out and how the social contract which holds Rojava together might be understood and applied. Corrections in course can still be made even though Rojava’s elections must be postponed. Rojava’s legislative assembly and the council of ministers draw people from TEV-DEM and the People’s Assembly of West Kurdistan (MRGK) and includes some other people’s representatives. Some tribes have representatives as well. The TEV-DEM and MRGK are mass unitary organizations with democratic and transparent characteristics. The legislative assembly is primary and so it was important that ENKS promised to respect the outcome of Rojava’s elections. The article in the Duhok agreement dealing with self-defense has attracted the most attention and interest. It binds ENKS to consulting with Rojava’s People’s and Women’s Defense Forces and the defense ministries on a kind of “meet-and-confer” basis and leaves open the problem of how the self-defense forces, the other military elements and the political parties will integrate and exist within a canton system. The canton administrations have to accept the decisions made at this level. There may well be disagreements over the exact place of the YPG and YPJ and how issues of military command are resolved. To this date, however, the Duhok agreement still only exists on paper. ENKS has not chosen their representatives and it is being said that disagreements within ENKS has prevented forward movement despite follow-up meetings having been held. The Kurdistan Democratic Party of Syria wants 4 of the reserved ENKS seats and other affiliated parties have not accepted this. A meeting has been set in Hewlêr (Erbil) this week in order to resolve this contradiction. This is not just a question of delegations meeting, but also one of mediating between parties. Rojava’s Democratic Union Party (PYD) has sent PYD co-President Salih Muslim to Hewlêr as a mediator, underscoring how serious this situation is. Salih Muslim is a great political leader and negotiator and it seems to us that the PYD has a great deal to lose if progress is not made. M. Ali Çelebi has correctly pointed out that the strength of the ISIS attacks around Kobanê was broken last month and that the YPG/YPJ has taken the initiative. On the other hand, the Syrian regime has meanwhile pushed to close their circle around Aleppo and ISIS and al-Nusra are attacking Free Syrian Army (FSA) groups in places such as Aleppo, Homs and Idlib and taking important strategic positions. It is reasonably expected that al-Nusra has the YPG as a target and will attack Rojava’s Efrîn (Afrin) canton and Aleppo. The November 29 ISIS attack on Kobanê at the Mürşitpınar border crossing came from the Turkish side of the border and it is impossible to believe that the Turkish state did not have a hand in this. As M. Ali Çelebi has pointed out, this attack came from an area Turkey has taken as a buffer zone and it was part of a deadly and larger coordinated attack that day. M. Ali Çelebi has said, “Following this comprehensive attack, letters and telephone calls with the United States, Great Britain, France and other countries in the coalition increased. According to information I have obtained, the United States requested data such as information, photographs, and video from the PYD immediately after the attack on the border gate.” This may well be an example of the split in the imperialist ranks which we have talked about on this blog. M. Ali Çelebi quotes PYD Foreign Relations Director Zuhad Kobani as saying, “It is clear and obvious that they (the attackers—ed.) came from Turkey. There are videos and photographs. First Turkish tanks arrived and took control of the area around the border gate. Then they pulled back. Following the suicide attacks, ISIS positioned itself in the silos and was fighting from there. Our doctors saw them and said ‘perhaps it is aid.’ Because they came from the border gate. This is to say that Turkey made a road for them. They attacked Kobanê from four sides. They attacked in the south with tanks. Turkey is playing its last trump cards. They guessed that the precautions around the border gate would be weaker. The wanted to say ‘we took the gate quickly and captured Kobanê.’ No one was expecting it. Because that area belongs to Turkey. Everyone was shocked and terrified.” With all of this the question of how TEV-DEM, ENKS, the canton administrations and the YPG/YPJ relate and progress takes on a different context. M. Ali Çelebi notes that TEV-DEM Executive Committee member and the Assistant Education Minister for the Cizîrê Canton Hisen Çawiş has said about a two-person delegation from ENKS who went to Kobanê that “(t)hey are saying allow us to come and we will act on our own initiative. It doesn’t work this way. Rather than fighting, they are going to come to show up and turn it into political material. Perhaps they want to send people who are connected with state intelligence. The YPG and YPJ are fighting in Kobanê. How will that group fight outside of the YPG-YPJ initiative or the YPG military council? Kobanê in particular is a very sensitive area. It can’t be this way.” Rojava's revolution has championed peoples' initiatives, but there needs to be coordination and unity of purpose on terms favorable to the liberation movement. M. Ali Çelebi concluded his article by saying, “Whatever the dimensions with which you access the developments and gains thus far, if the Kurds remain fractured and if they fail to develop a common perspective of resistance which can go beyond mere conjecture, surrounding countries and any madness like ISIS sells itself on the open market have shown that they can overturn everything. Developments are once again showing the importance of a common vision and thus the importance of the meeting that will be held in Hewlêr.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dolva Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 Sunday, December 7, 2014 The untold story of an Êzidî girl sold in Saudi Arabia The following post comes to us from our friends at DİHA. We are reposting it without editing.A Kurdish Êzidî girl who was kidnapped by Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) gangs has been sold on to a Saudi man. She now lives in Saudi Arabia and has called her family, desperately trying to find a way home. Without rescue, she says, she will commit suicide. In a time of desperate stories, few are harder to hear than this. The girl’s fiancé has spoken to BasNews. The couple grew up in the village of Kojo, to the south of Sinjar, the Êzidî majority town in northern Iraq. They were engaged and due to be married in the next few months. However, when ISIS militants attacked Sinjar (Shengal) in August they were separated in the ensuing chaos. Only after three months did they discover each other’s whereabouts. “A few days ago, I was under our family shelter thinking about my fiancée and our lovely town, Sinjar. Suddenly, my mobile rang and there was a phone number on my mobile screen that I didn’t recognize. I picked up and answered ‘Yes?’ It was my fiancée; she thanked God that I was still alive. I was totally shocked and couldn’t speak through my emotions. I had been waiting for this call for so long. She started to cry a lot and then asked me to listen to her story,” said the man.“She said, ‘Sweetheart, I am calling you from Saudi Arabia, this is the phone number of the disgusting man that I am living with.’ I was shocked and interrupted her, ‘What? Saudi Arabia?’ She said yes, she was in Saudi Arabia and secondly, they wouldn’t let her leave the house. She doesn’t know what town or city she is in, but she knows she is definitely in Saudi Arabia,” She interrupted me, “Don’t talk, I have little time, but let me tell you my story as much as I can,” then said, “Never call this number, it is the man’s cell phone. If you want to find me in Saudi Arabia, you can only find me via this number.“Sweetheart, I am going crazy here, please rescue me, otherwise I will commit suicide. If only you knew what kind of terrible life I live here, you would immediately fly here to rescue me. I live with a very dirty infidel, as well as a very undeveloped family that say bad things about Kurds and Kurdistan every day,” said the fiancée. She continued, “Don’t speak, I have little time. Let me tell you how I arrived here. I hope you can rescue me….” When IS militants attacked Sinjar, the girl’s family realised that IS would arrive in their village the following day. The family and siblings, 12 girls in all, decided to flee to Mount Sinjar. When they got close to the mountain, IS insurgents in two military vehicles intercepted and apprehended them all.“Yalla, inside the vehicle, infidel girls,” they were ordered. IS transferred them to a school in the area, which housed many other arrested Kurdish families. The 12 girls were locked in a room together. During the night, a militant entered the room and said that one of the IS leaders was tired and wanted to ‘rest’. You girls can relax him tonight by sleeping with him as his wife then in the morning he will divorce you and you can live normally again.“Don’t worry that your Arabic is not good; it is not a problem because the leader is Kurdish like you,” the militant told the girl. The girl said, “My soul wanted to leave my body when I heard his disgusting words, but I couldn’t do anything, I had no choice but to keep calm,” The militant left before returning with another man. His was about 30 years old. He started to speak in Kurdish, but when none of the girls understood he spoke in broken Arabic. He introduced himself to the girls, “My name is Abu Ammar al-Kurdi from Halabja.” He stared at them all and chose a young girl. When she cried they took her away forcefully.“Believe me at that moment, it was like I was in a brothel, not in the hands of religious or Islamic people at all,” said the girl. In the morning, they took all the girls to a military vehicle claiming that they would take the girls to “Mujahideen Clan, the capital of Muslims”. After a few hours, they reached Raqqa province, Syria. They told the girls to get out of the vehicle and go to a large hall. “We asked the militants what place the place was, and one of them told us that it was where they sold girls,” There were six more Kurdish girls in the hall, and they had been there for two months. The food was yogurt, dates, tea and bread, and conditions were appalling.After two months, a man came and sold her to another who paid US $170. He put her into a black car. After a few hours, she was taken out of the vehicle and she realized she was in a smuggler’s house. “There they sold me to another man. I didn’t know how much he paid, but I heard him say that he would take me to Saudi Arabia, where there is a strong market for girls,” the girl told her fiancé. Later, they took her to another vehicle where she was injected with drugs and passed out. When she woke up, she found herself in a room in the driver’s house. He has, the girl says, a very disrespectful and primitive family, with children that treat her like a slave.After 13 days, a Saudi man entered the house with a mullah, who married them against her will. “I am married to a very basic man whose behavior belongs to centuries ago. I could never imagine that such people remain in this world. I live with him now; he is a very disgusting and disrespectful person,” said the girl. She continued, “Please sweetheart, if you love me, for the sake of God rescue me from this inhuman life. I am going crazy, I am losing my mind completely. Please tell this story to all Kurds and the world, perhaps someone can rescue me as soon as possible…. I am dying here.” By the time he had finished relating the story to BasNews, the man had broken down repeatedly.“If I could, I would have gone to Saudi Arabia in less than a second to bring back my gorgeous fiancé, but you see my life and conditions here…how can I rescue my soulmate?” he asked. The man hopes that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) will make increased efforts to rescue thousands of Kurdish girls and women who have been kidnapped and sold by IS insurgents. “Let’s do something about the wounded honor of our Kurdish nation,” he concluded. Posted by Urun Harvest at 2:54 PM No comments: Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest A common thread connecting workers, environmentalists and the Kurdish Freedom Movemnt We are putting together several stories about workers, environmentalists, and government corruptiontoday because we believe that a common thread connects them all.Two miners killed this weekendTwo miners died in separate work-related mining accidents in the provinces of Osmaniye and Zonguldak over this weekend. Cumali Kandaş (41) was killed and Ahmet Bilgin (25) was injured yesterday in a mine roof collapse which occurred in the Göktürk chrome mine, located in the village of Akyar in the province of Osmaniye. Cumali Kandaş has also been identified as Cumali Tataş in some reports.The mine had opened only 17 days ago, and Cumali Kandaş had worked there for 15 days. He had previously been laid off and had taken the job at the mine in order to have the hours needed to qualify for retirement. He had only 3 years left before he would be able to qualify for retirement benefits and he had 5 children.Today 29-year-old Volkan Kurtoğlu died in a mine roof collapse in a coal mine in the Kilimli district of Zonguldak province. The mine ws apparently unregistered. Volkan Kurtoğlu and a work mate had just begun their shift when the cave-in occured. Volkan Kurtoğlu's work mate, who has not yet been named, survived but Volkan Kurtoğlu did not. He was detained by the police.At least 1,600 people died in work-related incidents in Turkey during the first 10 months of this year. The highest number of work-related deaths occurred in the mining sector. The construction sector, which is often identified as the driver behind Turkey's economic growth, has also seen many deadly incidents this year. Low wages, bad working conditions, contracting out and subcontracting plague both sectors.Turkey has had 14,455 workplace deaths over the last 12 years, showing the cost of the country's economic boom and the disregard for workers by the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP). Since this record is much worse than Europe's, the European Union and the International Labor Organization (ILO) have both paid special attention to workplace safety in Turkey, if only out of selfish concerns. The Turkish government signed an ILO convention on mine safety and health this week after much pressure from workers and from European bodies.Kurdish workers attackedAn attack by a nationalist group targeting Kurds left two Kurdish workers seriously wounded in the Demirci district of Manisa province last night. The nationalist group also attempted to lynch the Kurdish workers as they went to Demirci state hospital for treatment after the assault. Police didn't intervene against the group as they gathered in front of the hospital.Environmentalists protest in Istanbul---and the truth begins to emerge about the new presidential palaceThe Diren Kadıköy Yoğurtçu Parkı Forum (Kadıköy Yoğurtçu Park Resist Forum), İstanbul Kent Savunması (İstanbul City Defense), Kadıköy Kent Dayanışması (Kadıköy City Defense), Kuzey Ormanları Savunması (Northern Forestry Defense) and Validebağ Savunması (Validebağ Defense) cooperated yesterday to organize a protest march in the Kadıköy district of İstanbul. They protested against the exorbitantly priced presidential palace and the destruction of green spaces around the country.The march drew a cross-section of people and blocked some streets. The focus of the demonstration was the ruling reactionary Justice and Development Party (AKP).The march was led by a band and a banner reading “Embezzled judiciary! Embezzled regime! Embezzled palace! The AKP cannot run away!” The common-effort alliance condemned the use of taxpayer money being used to build the extravagant presidential palace, which is called “Ak Saray,” signifying a palace of the ruling reactionary party. The cost of this project may have reached TL 1.37 billion, or over $600 million. The protesters stated that the AKP does not provide justice equally to all of its citizens and is anti-democratic and they chanted “Ak Saray will be Erdoğan's grave!” A common slogan or theme for the march was “Everywhere is a palace, everywhere is corruption!”The palace was built on the Atatürk Forestry Farm and at a time when much attention is being focused on the construction sector and its dubious ties to the government, the destruction of green space and a corruption scandal involving government ministers and businessmen.The Validebağ Defense organization was especially vocal during the protest as they have been fighting to protect Validebağ Grove from development. The grove is located in the Üsküdar district of İstanbul. We have covered the on-going protests there against the construction of a mosque. This struggle has set residents of the Altunizade neighborhood and environmental activists against local and state authorities, including the Prime Minister and President. Protests and direct action have so far slowed the development project and have stopped the municipality from setting cement to create parking lots there.Turkish President Erdoğan defended the size and expense of the new presidential palace in Ankara and admitted that it does indeed have more than 1,150 rooms, rather than the 1,000 as previously reported. He compared the Ak Saray project to Buckingham Palace with the doubtful claim that it cost British taxpayers almost $8 billion. Erdoğan argued that criticism of the palace is driven by jealousy, that people who are opposed to the project do not want to see Turkish economic growth and that "the nation's palace" does not belong to him. He also took the opportunity to say again that last year's Gezi resistance or protests could have evolved into an uprising had the government not repressed them.“What would have happened if the Gezi events were not taken under control and (the government) had surrendered to street violence? The answer to this question has been given in Egypt and Ukraine," he said. He added that Turkish police had behaved "gently" towards protesters and compared this to police the U.S., whose killings of civilians have triggered mass protests and anger. “They put people down and kill them by hitting their heads to the ground, leaving them breathless. (The victims) did not hold a gun or fire bombs. Did our police kill citizens or point a gun at them? Shouldn’t the police defend themselves to avoid being killed?” Erdoğan said. Any reasonable read of the situation will show that Erdoğan and the U.S. police are either on the same page or deep in the same book.Government advisers expose the government--a meaningful interview in ZamanMeanwhile, two government advisers have told mainstream Turkish media that the AKP's involvement in corruption is real and that the party is in power thanks to the construction sector, the media and apparatchiks. “The AK Party's story is not about a conservative democracy or an Islamist movement, but a story of capitalism in its most violent form. What's been happening in İstanbul is similar to what happened in the world---Berlin, Paris, London---in the 16th and 17th centuries: The city is used by violent capitalists to gain more and more profit,” said sociologist Ferhat Kentel, a liberal who supported the AKP government when it used to promise democratic and lawful progress for Turkey.Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu's advisor Etyen Mahçupyan has also repeatedly said that the AKP is involved in corruption and that half of all its voters believe that the party is corrupt. President Erdoğan's advisor, professor of Islamic law Hayrettin Karaman, has been writing about corruption in the government and trying to convince religious voters that while Erdoğan did engage in corruption, it was for the Islamist cause and not for himself.Ferhat Kentel gave a long interview to Zaman this weekend. He gave an analysis which parallels some of our own thinking which we have tried to explain on this blog. Here is some of what he said:In general, people in society desire newer and better things, and political parties, which try to gain support, make promises of newer and better things. When it comes to the AK Party, since 2002, the rule of the AK Party allowed the elevation of the low and middle classes, plus the pious segments of the society to a higher status for the first time. This has been a “revolutionary” transformation..Roughly, the construction sector leads it, and there is, of course, the media. There are new initiatives, like you mentioned, allowing the headscarf for children in kindergarten. With this and similar initiatives, the AK Party is trying to consolidate its pious Sunni Muslim base, strengthening Erdoğan's rhetoric of “raising religious generations.”...What are the gains obtained in Turkey by the AK Party revolution? Only the rule of a certain class and freedom to wear the headscarf; in addition, a Kurdish opening was started, but we do not know how it will end. We can also add that there have been some populist policies in the healthcare sector that have pleased the average citizens for the time being. On the other hand, we have no water left for the biggest city in Turkey, İstanbul; all we have is concrete surrounding us. There is emulation of the West with all skyscrapers constructed in the city that are not at all in harmony with İstanbul's past silhouette. The result was that a class of people -- the so-called pious conservative Muslims -- has become rich...The AK Party's story is not about a conservative democracy or an Islamist movement, but a story of capitalism in its most violent form. What's been happening in İstanbul is similar to what happened in the world -- Berlin, Paris, London -- in the 16th and 17th centuries: The city is used by violent capitalists to gain more and more profit. When it comes to the 2015 elections, yes, the AK Party may even obtain new gains, but this would not mean that people who voted for the AK Party have come to power, because the AK Party is gaining more power basically on the shoulders of construction sector, media and new political elite – apparatchiks, or agents of the apparatus... Those new agents, especially the media, are trying to make society believe that the new roads, skyscrapers, malls, etc. are beautiful. In the meantime, average people...get gratification...From the viewpoint of the planners of the Feb. 28 (1997 post-modern coup), Erdoğan and his supporters were part of a “parallel structure.” Within states, there are always parallel structures, power relations, enemies, illegal formations and so on. As a government, if you say that you declare war against one of those “parallels,” that means that you are trying to fool people. What's real is that as I said before, there is a new class of rulers -- constructors, media and new political elite -- and they have a story full of irregularities and corruption; therefore, operations within the state revealing those irregularities forced the rulers to defend themselves. So they need a “clean-up” in order to stay in power. That's why Erdoğan did not rely on the 58 percent of the “yes” votes in the referendum because people like me would not support him if he was involved in corruption...Why is the government---which says that learning in your mother tongue is a human right---not granting this right to Kurds? It appears that the government is trying to curb the passions of the Kurds before granting their rights; or, in other words, the government is trying to domesticate the Kurds. On the other hand, the Kurdish political movement is not so easily tamed. That's why we see unending rounds of negotiations. And the government knows that Turkey's leadership in the region is not going to be possible before solving its Kurdish issue... Posted by Urun Harvest at 2:42 PM No comments: Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest Today's report on repression in Turkey and North Kurdistan Yüksekova---solidarity needed! We frequently report here on repression in Turkey and North Kurdistan. We have come to define this in broad terms so that we are not only speaking about specific political or state repression. Today we have the following items to mention.Trans sex workers victimized by policeThe Kırmızı Şemsiye (Red Umbrella) Sexual Health and Human Rights Association has produced a special report showing that half of all transgender women sex workers in the country have been subjected to physical violence from police. The report also shows that the murder of transgender people in Turkey is at about 40 per cent of the total number of such killings across Europe. This report will be presented to the United Nations. The accounts and statistics give are based on the experiences of 233 transgender sex workers in Antalya, Bursa, Diyarbakır, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Istanbul, İzmir, İzmit, Mersin and Sivas.. The report has made mainstream news in Turkey.A leader of Kırmızı Şemsiye has said, “Out of the 233 transgender women sex workers, 171 have been subjected to violence. Some 49.7 percent said the police had used violence against them and 31.2 percent said they had been sexually assaulted by the police, including rape...Forty percent all transgender individuals murdered in Europe are reported to have been killed in Turkey. Among European countries, Turkey is followed by Italy, where 27 percent of the killings have been reported...Some 53.88 percent of interviewees said they have been victimized by sexual violence at least once in their lifetime." Perhaps as many as 75 percent of the transgender sex workers who have been victimized by sexual assault refrain from filing official complaints.Last year we saw a government-led reform package which prohibited discrimination and hate crimes, but not on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, move forward. That package was eventually adopted by Parliament but was not supported by the legitimate opposition because it did not go far enough.A police killing and repression in the Yüksekova district of Hakkari provinceWe give much space over to the political struggles in the Yüksekova district of Hakkari province because these struggles have an especially advanced character to them and because of their dramatic nature. Solidarity with Yüksekova is always needed.Last night a 17-year-old died and one person was injured in the Yüksekova during clashes between protesters and police, heightening tensions and pushing the people's struggle forward. The protests were called to commemorate the deaths of 3 people who were killed last year on Dec. 6 in the district. Those 3 people were part of a demonstration protesting the desecration of a cemetery holding the remains of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) martyrs.A majority of the shopkeepers in Yüksekova shuttered their stores and the march was relatively peaceful. After the marchers dispersed, a group of 50 people erected barricades and set tires on fire on Cengiz Topel Street in the İpekyolu neighborhood and an industrial area and police intervened. The group responded with stones and Molotov cocktails and the police attacked with water cannons and tear gas. The fighting then spread across the district and there was gunfire. Rojhat Özdel died after being shot near a gas station, while another person was hit by a police tear gas canister fired at his car.The Hakkari Governor's Office claimed that 17-year-old Özel was fighting with police and wearing a mask when he was confronted by a special operations team. The statement also claimed that another person who opened fire on the police was taken to a hospital with severe injuries.It is more likely and reasonable to say that Rojhat Özdel was critically injured as police cracked down on demonstrators and to place this in the context of on-going protests against police and military repression in the district. Rojhat Özdel was rushed to Yüksekova state hospital after sustaining a critical injury as police opened fire on demonstrators near the Han petrol station on the Silk Road.The unidentified person cited in the police and Governor's reports was VEDAŞ (Vangölü Electricity Distribution Corporation) worker İlker Aslan, who was injured as a tear gas canister fired by police hit his company service car as it was passing by the scene. Both Rojhat Özdel and İlker Aslan were taken to the Yüksekova state hospital and police were deployed there with dozens of armored vehicles and attacked the people who gathered there. Many hospital patients were affected by tear gas fired by police as some canisters hit inside the hospital. It is remarkable that there were not more deaths and injuries.Rojhat Özdel was an activist and a member of the DBP (Party of Democratic Regions) Youth Assembly. Witnesses have come forward saying that he was tortured by police and held at the scene for an hour after having been targeted and shot by police and sustaining a critical injury. He had previously been arrested and sent to the Hakkari Closed Prison for having taken part in a march in 2012, was released one week later and was still facing trial under that charge. His father Mustafa Özdel is reportedly being held at the Şırnak T-Type Closed Prison with a 14-year prison sentence.Rojhat Özdel and a friend threw stones at police from the roof of a building during last night's protests. He may have had a Molotov cocktail, but he was not otherwise armed as has been alleged by the Governor's Office. At the time of the shooting he was running down a dead-end street and away from police.An eyewitness who watched the incident from his house said, "Police swooped down on the youth, swore at him and forced him to answer their questions (about) 'Who was the boy near him' and whether he was his brother. They held him there for an hour during which we heard him groan with pain, and even the moment he died. The chief of police who arrived at the scene later asked police officers if they had fired on him or not. The police told him that they had shot him following a warning shot in response to his attack. However, we are witness to all what happened there, there were no clashes nor a warning fire."More arrests in Amed/DiyarbakirThe Diyarbakır Public Prosecutor's Office has reported that 17 people have been detained and the number of those arrested rose to 8 in connection with the killing of 4 people supporting the far-right HÜR-DAVA Party in October. Police teams raided a number of homes in Amed/Diyarbakir last night and detained 17 people alleged to have participated in the October 6-8 Kobanê solidarity protests. A conflict during those protests resulted in the deaths of four supporters of the reactionary Hüdapar party.Among the detained people are several juveniles. Seven other people are being sought as part of the investigation.Another arrest in VanAnother student has been arrested in Van. As we have previously reported, 15 students have been detained as part of an operation targeting young people studying at Yüzüncü Yıl University this week. Seven of them were sent to the Van Courthouse following investigations by the anti-terror branch of the provincial police directorate. Six were released by the court while Ferhat Deniz was sent to the court with the demand that he be arrested. Ferhat Deniz has been sent to prison and now the number of students recently arrested in Van stands at 5.Roma protests in TurkeyTurkey’s Roma people are reacting against the first episode of a new series on Show Tv entitled “Roman Havası” ("Roma Rhythm" in Turkish). They have launched a campaign to submit a complaint to Higher Board of Radio and Television (RTÜK). “If they want to shoot a series, they must come to our neighborhood to get to know us,” said editor Ali Mezarcıoğlu from Medya Roman.The show is revolves around a love story and families in conflict. Roman Havası is not the first TV show dealing with Roma people. The show "Cennet Mahallesi" ran from 2004 to 2007 and then ran as "Görgüsüzler" in 2008. It was canceled after negative reactions by Roma associations and complaints made to RTÜK.Ali Mezarcıoğlu said, “The perspective of scriptwriters and producers are so narrow that they don’t even make folkloric or dialect study on authentic Roma people. They don’t work at all to know Roma people. They don’t even take time to revise the scripts...If you want to make money on Roma people, you don’t always have to praise them, you can also be critical. But at least try to know them better. If you want to talk about their poverty, come and listen to me first. Come and see their poverty. Look at people with no employment. People don’t pick their heel when their houses are demolished. In addition to that, there are 15 million people with Roma background throughout the Europe and they work at different professions including engineering and medicine. Somebody please include them in the series for God’s sake.”The continuing persecution of Pinar SelekSociologist Pınar Selek has been tried and acquitted three times for her alleged involvement in the so-called "Egyptian Bazaar Bombing" in 1998. In January of 2013 she was sentenced to life. Her case has continued to move through the courts and has attracted international attention. In October the case opened again with the judge ordering the removal of the life sentence and arrest warrant.Pınar Selek is best known for her work on the rights of vulnerable communities in Turkey, including women, the poor, street children, sexual minorities, and Kurdish communities. She has published books in Turkish, German, and French and is one of the founding editors of Amargi, the Turkish feminist journal. She currently resides in France. Her legal troubles have been going on for 16 years despite much evidence that the 1998 explosion was caused by a gas leak.The Istanbul 15th High Criminal Court reopened the case this week with the case prosecutor charging Pınar Selek again and seeking a life prison sentence. No new evidence and no real evidence was presented in the case. Her attorney requested extra time to prepare a defense. A delegation of activists and attorneys from France were present in the courtroom, including Strasbourg’s Vice Mayor Mine Günbay. The next hearing in the case has bee set for December 19. Posted by Urun Harvest at 12:53 PM Israeli airstrikes have hit targets near Damascus International Airport and in the town of Dimas near the Lebanon border, Syrian state TV reports. "The Israeli enemy committed aggression against Syria by targeting two safe areas in Damascus province, in all of Dimas and near the Damascus International Airport," the report said, adding that there were no casualties. BREAKING: Syrian state TV: Israeli jets bomb near Damascus airport http://t.co/Ad3Ho5GOOU pic.twitter.com/ffKwu9SCzA — Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) December 7, 2014 The airstrikes targeted an arms depot, a source in Syrian army's Joint Staff told Sputnik news agency on Sunday. "The Israeli Air Force have conducted airstrikes on an arms depot, which caused huge blasts near the [Damascus] International Airport," the source said in a phone conversation. Residents in the Syrian capital said they heard loud explosions. According toLebanon's Al-Manar television, the Israeli jets bombed areas near the smaller airport at Dimas. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said that 10 explosions were heard near Dimas, Reuters reported. No warnings were given prior to this alleged attack. Everything was treated with utmost secrecy.— Paula Slier (@PaulaSlier_RT) December 7, 2014 The town of Dimas is located northwest of Damascus near the border with Lebanon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dolva Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Socialist and revolutionary organizations in Turkey have created the United Freedom Forces to struggle in Kobanê (Kobanê) Socialist and revolutionary organizations in Turkey have issued a joint statement in which they announced the formation of the Birleşik Özgürlük Güçleri – United Freedom Forces or BÖG – in Kobanê and called for an international front to defend the revolution in Rojava, according to an article from Özgür Gündem. The statement was made by lyas Hekimoğlu, who spoke in the name of BÖG. Hekimoğlu, stressing that the resistance in Kobanê had become a 21st century Paris Commune, said, “In a Middle East where capitalist barbarism and imperialist interests are pursued with savagery the Rojava Model – which aims at and is building a form of life which is anti-capitalist, communal and on the side of freedom and democracy – is presenting an internationalist way of life to the peoples of the Middle East and the world. Kobanê is not the first, nor will it be the last.” Toward Growing Hope In Kobanê Hekimoğlu added that Kobanê had become the site of Sheikh Bedreddin’s communal villages, saying, “(Kobanê) is the fire of the spark which Bedreddin struck within his communal villages. The peoples of the Middle East have not abandoned this resistance. The true friends of oppressed peoples are not the bosses, nor those who shed fake tears while they make the ‘rabia’ sign. It is the communists who sacrificed in Palestine in the 1970’s, Lebanon in the 1980’s and in the mountains of Kurdistan in the 1990’s who are the real friends of the people.” Hekimoğlu finished by saying that revolutionaries from Turkey were in Kobanê as part of the BÖG in order to play a historic role. “They came to bring to life in Kobanê today the internationalist spirit which was yesterday found in Spain. We are expecting all communists of the world, and in particular revolutionaries from Turkey, to work toward growing hope in Kobanê and to take their place on the international front.” Posted by Urun Harvest at 2:18 PM No comments: Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest Sunday, December 7, 2014 Our report for today on the liberation struggle against ISIS, the solidarity movement and Rojava's revolution Our report for today on the liberation struggle against ISIS is as follows. This will cover the last 3 days of fighting and revolutionary developments across Rojava. We are also including some hopeful news from the solidarity movement. 83 days of fighting in and around Kobanê Rojava's YPG (People's Defense Units) reported in a statement that attacks by the ISIS gangs aiming to occupy Kobanê (West Kurdistan, Rojava) have continued into the 83rd day. The People's and Women's Defense Forces (YPG/YPJ) are gaining the advantage over the ISIS gangs across Kobanê. A short battle was fought between YPG/YPJ units and ISIS on the southern and eastern fronts of Kobanê last night. The number of casualties on the ISIS side has not been verified. Late last night YPG/YPJ fighters carried out offensive actions against ISIS groups deployed in the village of Qadisiye Biçuk (Cididiye) to the south of Jazaa. Two ISIS fighters were initially killed and one was wounded in these attacks. In another offensive there the YPG/YPJ forces killed 2 ISIS gang members, wounded 4 others and destroyed a vehicle of theirs. On Friday night YPG/YPJ fighters launched an operation on the ISIS positions in the Botana Şerqi neighborhood to the southeast of Kobane, killing 22 ISIS gang members there. Two ISIS suicide attackers there were also killed and a vehicle packed with explosives was destroyed and a large number of weapons and ammunition was seized by the YPG/YPJ. One of those killed was an emir (leader) of the ISIS gangs named Abu Hamza. Many of those killed were Chechens and Azerbaijanis. Abu Hamza has also been identified as "Cundullah" and as a close associate of Ebu Shishani. A summary of the fighting Some of the fighting late on Friday was part of the YPG and YPJ force's "Cleansing Campaign" operation opened in Kobanê against the ISIS gangs. With all-out resistance going on in Kobanê, the YPG and YPJ forces initiated the campaign against the ISIS (or Daesh) gangs in the southeastern neighborhood of Botana Şerkî. At least 14 ISIS gang members were killed at the start of the operation. YPG/YPJ forces have lately seized a large number of AK47s, one BKS and two machine guns. The operation launched by the YPG/YPJ forces on the southeastern side of Kobanê continues and sporadic clashes are also taking place on the eastern and southern fronts. Mortar attacks are being carried out by the ISIS gangs. Coalition forces bombed at least 3 ISIS positions in the eastern and southern parts of the city this weekend. The struggle in Shengal (Sinjar) The People's Protection Forces (HPG) Shengal (Sinjar) Command has released a statement for November stating that 41 ISIS gang members were killed there by Kurdish forces. According to the November report, Kurdish forces conducted successful operations that inflicted heavy casualties on ISIS and repelled ISIS attacks around Sinjar mountain where 10,000 Êzidî Kurds took refuge after ISIS attacked their towns and villages in August. In 10 operations, HPG, YJA Star (Free Woman Troops) and Shengal Defense Units (YBŞ) killed 41 ISIS fighters, destroyed 15 ISIS vehicles and seized a large number of weapons and ammunition during their all-out campaign against ISIS/Daesh. Kobanê's Defense Minister Ismet Şêx Hesen is fighting alongside of two of his sons It has been reported that Kobanê's Defense Minister Ismet Şêx Hesen is fighting together with two of his sons in defense of Kobanê. Hesen and his two sons have said, “Kobanê is more precious than anything. We will never allow the ISIS gangs to take it. The youth of Kobanê should come and take their places in the resistance.” The egalitarian social model of the Kobanê canton has been demonstrated in the resistance to ISIS attacks. An example of this is the Hesen family. Since attacks began on Kobanê the Defense Ministry has continued its work under harsh conditions while the Minister's two sons, Kajîn and Dilgêş are fighting in the ranks of the YPG. A nephew of Hesen wa killed defending Kobanê. Kobanê Defense Minister Ismet Şêx Hesen said that he had also taken up arms in an earlier attack in July, adding, “When this latest assault started I did not hesitate to take up my gun and join the resistance.” He said that his son Kajîn had already been in the YPG, and when the latest attacks began in September his son Dilgêş also joined up. Hesen added that he is proud of his sons and had the happiness of fighting with them side by side. Şêx Hesen cited Algeria as an example, saying, “Thousands of people from all over the world went to Algeria and sacrificed their lives for the freedom of the people. We are also prepared to do this for our land. What I important is Kobanê and the freedom of the Kurdish people.” Hesen's eldest son, Kajîn Hesen, joined the YPG 3 years ago. He was wounded fighting against the Al-Nusra Front in Afrin, then came to Kobanê to join the resistance. He said that he was now fighting against the ISIS gangs along with his father and his brother. “We will never allow the ISIS gangs to take Kobanê,” he added. Dilgêş Hesen decided to join the YPG when the ISIS attacks began on September 15. He said, “At first I fought on the eastern front. Now I go wherever I’m needed. I’m defending Kobanê together with my father and elder brother. We cannot abandon Kobanê to ISIS.” He also said that if necessary his mother and his siblings will also join the defense of Kobanê, and called on the youth of the canton to return, saying, “Come back and let’s defend Kobanê together. Leaving is not a solution. The best and the honorable thing to do is to stay here and fight for the freedom of our country.” Êzîdî women join the struggle It has been noted that there has been a remarkable increase in the number of Êzîdî women joining the ranks of the Kurdish Liberation Movement after the massacres committed by the ISIS in Sinjar following its occupation of the area on August 3. Nine Êzîdî women who took refuge in the Newroz refugee camp in Rojava have most recently joined the guerrilla ranks in order to take part in defending themselves, their people and their lands. The Êzîdî women said that women must organize themselves in order to become free from male control, calling on all Êzîdî women to join the guerrilla ranks in order to not face another massacre. One of the women, Bêrîvan Şengal, said, “Nine of us have joined the guerrilla ranks. Just like all the women, we would also think that we were safe under male rule at home. We were thinking that men and the peshmerga would protect us. During the Sinjar siege, men also fled, leaving their arms just like the peshmerga. Women couldn’t defend themselves in the face of ISIS assaults as they were not yet aware of their power...After we joined the guerrilla ranks, we have seen how the women organize themselves and become powerful.” She also said it will be the Êzîdî women who will take revenge for the massacre in Sinjar and that they will be leading it and added, “We will empower ourselves through high-level participation. We will take revenge for the women abducted in Sinjar. We will develop ourselves as militants to become able to do this.” It has also been noted again that the women fighters who have been waging an epic resistance in Kobanê have not just been defending a city, but are also demolishing the mentality of male dominance. “We are not just fighting here. We are organizing a new way of life and war in these position," the YPJ fighters say. Firat News reports on the women fighting on the front lines Firat News reporters spent a day with the YPJ fighters in their battle positions this week. They noted in their report that these women have gained a special place in the hearts of women everywhere with the leadership that they have demonstrated in the resistance in Kobanê. The reporters had to walk for 15 minutes across muddy ground under heavy ISIS mortar fire to reach the YPJ positions and then they had to take a vehicle to the southwestern front to meet YPJ Commander Peyman and the YPJ fighters. On this front clashes are taking place inside the city limits and houses have been transformed into battle positions. The reporters noticed the figure of a woman drawn in mud on the wall. When they asked about this, YPJ fighter Zinarin Zagros said, "We drew it as this is the women fighter's area.” Zinarin Zagros took the reporters to Commander Viyan Peyman and a group of YPJ fighters as mortar fire was hitting the positions. Viyan Peyman welcomed the reporters with a smile and offered tea. YPJ fighter Nesrin Tiltemir laughed and said that a photograph of her has been on social media, and as it is usually the photos of those who have fallen that are shared she had asked herself “Have I died and don’t know it?” Other fighters joined in, had tea and then returned to their positions. Zinarin Zagros said that she is devoted to her BKC machine gun as it has made a very important contribution to the defense of Kobanê and that she is strengthened by the presence of other women alongside her when there are clashes, adding, "Our loyalty to each other and our affection ensures we inflict more blows on the enemy.” She added that the YPJ fighters’ ululations also have the effect of shaking the morale of the ISIS gangs, saying that the ululations are their second weapon. She emphasized that the YPJ battle positions are not just for conflict, but that they also carry out educational activities there. "We have a philosophy of life and we carry on the war according to this. If only the YPJ were left, ISIS could not enter Kobanê," she said. At another YPJ position visited by the reporters a mortar shell landed and everyone threw themselves on the ground but no one panicked and no one was wounded. Everyone burst into laughter as they look at each other covered in dust. At another position the reporters met with YPJ fighters who were evaluating the previous day's actions over a meal prepared by 2 fighters. During the meal and talk it was discovered that 2 ISIS infiltrators were spotted. The reporters went with a YPJ sniper called Arjîn Ararat and she spotted the ISIS fighters in the distance. “I reported shooting dead 3 of them this morning and I hope to make that 5,” she said. She fired two shots and said, “Now I can report my 5th for today.” The reporters also reached a position outside of the city where there 2 women fighters and some male fighters were gathered around a fire. They welcomed the reporters and said that things were quiet at the moment on the western front. YPJ fighter Hêvîdar Serhad said, "We left our positions and had an early breakfast.” The fighters were warned of ISIS sniper fire and moved to safety. Fighter Jiyanda Bilbêz said, “We don’t just rest in the tents. There are discussions and morale-boosting activities. We keep blankets in the tents and in the emplacements to keep warm and light fires in the evening.” As the sun set the flames from fires lit by the guerrillas in their positions could be seen flickering. While those on sentry duty remained in their posts the others gathered around the fires for a chat. A YPJ fighter asked the reporters to take a photo of her with her commander, who said, "I’m not your commander, you’re the commander!" As the night fell the YPJ fighters said that clashes would begin and that the reporters must leave. As they departed they heard a YPJ fighter singing the song "Rêwiyên Azadiyê" (Freedom Travellers). 15 young women from Rojava's Cizîrê Canton have joined the ranks of the YPJ Fifteen young women in Rojava's Cizîrê Canton have joined the ranks of the YPJ after completing the one-month military training organized in the name of Martyr Jiyan Tolhildan. The trainees were provided with military, ideological and self-defense training based on the understanding of democratic nation-building and free individuality. A military ceremony was held at the Martyr Şilan Academy in Derik to mark the graduation of the new YPJ fighters. The ceremony began with a moment of silence for all of those who have fallen and then continued with a speech by YPJ Commander Adar Şervîn. The YPJ Commander stressed that the YPG/YPJ forces and the Kurdish people are writing an epic of resistance and bravery with the struggle they have been mounting at the battlefield, noting that Kurdish women have reached the position to lead the revolution in Rojava. Following speeches, the new YPJ fighters received their certificates and swore an oath of allegiance before joining the ranks of Women's Defense Units. People mobilize in Efrin The People's Municipality of Efrîn has launched a cleaning campaign in cooperation with all NGOs and institutions in Canton. Many of the canton's ministers have joined the campaign and have started cleaning streets. The co-presidents of canton, members of the assemblies, Asayîş (Security) and other institutions and organizations started the campaign this morning. Residents joined in and supported the effort. Zêdiye, Eşrefiye, the city bazaar, New Efrîn, Old Efrîn and the Mehmûdiye area were cleaned today. The residents called on all people to join the campaign and clean the city starting with their streets. Breaking the "Arab belt" in Serêkanîyê YPG/YPJ Serêkanîyê Commander Sozdar Avaşin has said that their goal is to break the “Arab belt” created by Hafiz al-Assad regime in 1960s and 1970s which displaced thousands of Kurds in the Rojava region. While the battle for Kobanê continues, Kurdish forces are making significant gains against ISIS terrorists around the Kurdish town of Serêkanîyê. These forces have advanced westward and have liberated dozens of villages located in a region known as “Arab Belt.” This is the name given to the areas in northern Syria where the Baath regime expelled the Kurds and brought in Arab settlers. This was an attempt to divide the Kurdish land spreading from northeast Syria to the northwest. The Kurds were forcibly removed and Arab tribes from the south were resettled by the Hafiz al-Assad regime. In an interview with DIHA, Sozdar Avaşin, one of the female commanders leading the fight against ISIS in the Serêkanîyê region, said that Kurdish forces recently entered the lands taken away from Kurds by the Syrian regime in the '60s and '70s. “The Arab settlers greet us with joy and sympathy,” she said. “Our new offensive is aimed at the liberation of these areas and so far we have made significant gains against ISIS...on the one hand, we want to (protect our land from ISIS) and, on the other hand, we wanted to support besieged Kobanê. As a result, ISIS suffered heavy casualties and they were forced to retreat from Kurdish land, including the eastern edge of the 'Arab Belt'." She also emphasized that they will continue their recent offensive until the threats posed by ISIS and others are eliminated and the Kurds are safe. Aid for refugees from Heyva Sor a Kurdistanê (Kurdish Red Crescent) The campaign launched in Germany by Heyva Sor a Kurdistanê (Kurdish Red Crescent) in solidarity with Kobanê and Sinjar is continuing. The Kurdish Red Crescent/Heyva Sor a Kurdistanê has sent six truckloads of aid material to the Kobanê citizens taking shelter in the border district of Suruç in Urfa after having been forced to leave their town due to the barbaric an on-going attacks by the ISIS gangs. The humanitarian aid collected includes tents, clothing, shoes and electric heaters. Hüseyin Yılmaz, a member of the DBP (Party of Democratic Regions) Party Assembly and Central Desk of Coordination for Rojava and Sinjar, said that the central coordination which was formed following the massive influx of refugees after the ISIS attacks on Sinjar began also included political parties and non-governmental organizations. Five tent cities have been built in Suruç and preparations are underway for building another one. The majority of the food and clothing needs of the Kobanê refugees has been met thanks to the aid and support provided by Heyva Sor, DBP municipalities and local people. Hüseyin Yılmaz also said that they continue to mobilize under the leadership of the DBP, HDP (Peoples' Democratic Party) and HDK (Peoples' Democratic Congress) and that the new tent city in Suruç will be built with the 1200 tents sent by Heyva Sor. "Despite the restrictions by the Turkish state, we will continue our work in order to meet the needs of the Kobanê people," Hüseyin Yılmaz said. The German ambassador to Turkey has led a delegation to North Kurdistan A delegation led by Eberhard Pohl, the German ambassador to Turkey, has visited Suruç, where over 100,000 people from Kobanê went following the assaults of the ISIS gangs on the town. The delegation visited the Suruç Municipality and the tent cities where the people from Kobanê stay. The delegation was welcomed by the HDP (Peoples' Democratic Party) deputies, the DBP (Party of Democratic Regions) Urfa branch co-chair, the DBP Suruç branch co-chair, and a Rojava Aid and Solidarity Association leader at the municipality building in Suruç. The delegation was briefed about the situation of the refugees in the town. HDP deputy Ayhan gave information about the state-run AFAD tent city and the attitude of the state towards the refugees, stressing that the state authorities who promised to build a tent city for 200,000 people have not yet kept their promises. Ayhan also emphasised that the tent cities built by the municipalities receive no aid from the state, adding that they expect the ruling party and the state authorities to abandon this attitude. Deputy Aysel Tuğluk stressed that the Turkish state acted together with the ISIS gangs, adding, “Everyone knows this. The wounded gang members are treated in luxury hospitals in Turkey, while those who fight for their own lands and are wounded are arrested. Two days ago, 4 wounded persons from Kobanê, including two in serious condition, were arrested and sent to prison.” Pohl said that he was quite happy to come to Suruç and said that hundreds of thousands of Kurdish people live in Germany. He said that the resistance in Kobanê has resonated in Germany as well as in other parts of the world, adding that he came to Suruç out of humanitarian sensitivity. He said that they will do whatever they can for the people of Kobanê, and added that he watched the Kobanê resistance very closely. He also said that he followed the news about the attack of the ISIS gangs last week on the Mursitpınar border gate and said that these gangs are committing humanitarian crimes and that they pose a danger to Turkey as well. Following the talks at the municipality, Pohl handed over 500 packets of aid material sent by the German Food Program to the Rojava Aid and Solidarity Association and then visited the tent cities. Solidarity from South Korea Miok An from South Korea came to Suruç to take part in the resistance vigil as he could not remain indifferent to the situation of the people of Kobane. After he returned to his country, he came back to Suruç and brought his family. Now the family works together at the aid depot day and night. International solidarity with the people of Kobane continues to grow, either through donations of aid or by people coming to Suruç to take part in the resistance vigil, work in the tent cities or aid depots or working in the distribution of the aid. One of these people is Moik An from South Korea. After working voluntarily in Suruç, An then brought his relatives to Suruç to continue the work. They volunteered to work in the aid depot and they say that they will stay for a week in Suruç. An said, “Rather than sitting at home and not doing anything, we thought that we could do something by coming here. We couldn’t send money as we were not rich, but we came to help,” adding that they can undertake any work as they are healthy. Miok An said that they will always support of the people of Kobane and will talk everywhere about what they have been going through, adding that they pray for the YPG/YPJ fighters to throw the ISIS gangs out of Kobane as soon as possible. An international academic delegation goes to Rojava's Cizire (Jazireh) canton An international delegation has travelled from South Kurdistan to Rojava and has reached the Cizire (Jazireh) canton. They will study the democratic autonomous administrations in Rojava. The delegation includes scientists, academics, writers and journalists from several countries and was organized to examine the "Rojava model," as it is known. The delegation visited Hewler (Erbil), the capital of South Kurdistan, last week and then reached Rojava by crossing at the Semalka border crossing. They will stay in Rojava (West Kurdistan) until Tuesday. The delegation has already visited the Newroz refugee camp near Derik. The delegation said that conditions in the camp, which houses Êzîdîs from Sinjar, were harsh and that international aid organizations had not kept their promises. The delegation will visit the first university established in Rojava, the Mesopotamia Academy near Qamişlo (Qamishli), and will discuss aid for the university. The Mesopotamia Academy was opened on September 3, 2014. The delegation is made up of Prof. Dr. David Graeber (USA), Prof. Dr. Christian Zeller Switzerland), Eirik Eiglad (Norway), Dilar Dirik (Germany), Dr. Roger Turaut, (France), Dr. Rebecca Coles, (UK), Jakob Zethelius (Sweden), Dr. Thomas Jeffrey Miley (USA) Johanna Riha (Australia), Oktay Ay (Turkey), Prof. Dr. Antonia Davidovic (Germany), Janet Biehl (USA), Dr. Nazan Üstündağ (Turkey) and Derviş Çimen (Switzerland). They will issue at report after they conclude their visit. Communes opening up in Qamişlo, Rojava TEV-DEM (the Democratic Society Movement) has opened new centers for 14 communes in Qamişlo, Rojava. In the opening ceremony, people commemorated YPG (People's Protection Units) and YPJ (Women's Protection Units) fighters who lost their lives in the struggle for freedom and equality in Rojava. Residents of the Qûrdirbeg neighborhood attended the opening. In the speeches made by TEV-DEM and the commune's representatives, speakers drew attention to the importance of communes in creating a free and democratic society.The centers opened for the communes are Komîna Şehîd Gulîstan, Komîna Şehîd Şiyar, Komîna Şehîd Sasûn, Komîna Şehîd Yasir, Komîna Şehîd Luqman, Komîna Şehîd Rêdûr, Komîna Şehîd Hejar, Komîna Şehîd Mihemed Salih, Komîna Şehîd Mediyay, Komîna Şehîd Lewend, Komîna Şehîd Zuhêr, Şehîd Kawa, Komîna Şehîd Enwer û Komîna Şehîd Mustefa. These names reflect the political nature of the communes and their attachment to the struggle for Rojava. Solidarity in Germany Eighty-four Kurdish, German and Turkish organizations united to hold a protest march in Cologne against the ban on the PKK (Kurdistan Worker's Party). We previously mentioned that the march was banned by the authorities after stallholders at the Christmas market on the route of the demonstration complained their business would be adversely affected and the police cancelled the march. We have not yet heard details on how the march proceeded. The march comes a few days before the interior ministers of the 16 German states are scheduled to meet in Cologne to discuss the ban on the PKK. The 84 organisations responded to a call by the Kurdistan Students’ Union (YXK) and the Interventionistische Linke (IL) organization to set up the Bündiss Gegen İMK platform to protest the ban on the PKK and other anti-democratic measures in Germany. The YXK worked very hard to build today's march. People from Berlin, Bremen, Hamburg, Münih and Frankfurt were expected to join the protest. YXK representative Sema Kocatepe said that the ban on the PKK in Germany has become meaningless, adding that it was time it was lifted. Kocatepe said, “The PKK ban has taken away one of the most basic rights of Kurds living in Europe. They have suffered many injustices." She called on Kurds and democrats to join the march, saying, “The solidarity demonstrated with Kobanê on November 1 should be shown at the march against the ban on the PKK.” John Malamatinas and Torben Stausdat from the Antifa Ak Köln and Sema Kocatepe and Gabriele Metzner on behalf of the YXK attended a press conference at the Cologne Democratic Kurdish Community Center and drew much press interest. Gabriele Metzner also said that the ban on the PKK was meaningless and that he could not understand the police banning the march for arbitrary reasons. Metzner said, “This is an anti-democratic and arbitrary measure, which is totally unacceptable.” Torben Stausdat said that they had applied for permission to hold the march in October, adding, “We applied on behalf of dozens of organizations to hold a demonstration against the PKK ban in Cologne on December 6. The police accepted our application and we made our preparations accordingly. Then...the police called, telling us that they had cancelled the march on the grounds that stallholders in the Weinmark had said ‘their business would be affected.’ It’s so arbitrary and nonsensical. We refuse to accept this and we will hold our march. We have applied to a higher court for an annulment of the police decision.” Stausdat also said that the PKK ban was meaningless, adding, “Are we going to be unable to hold our march just because someone doesn’t like it? This is our democratic right. This is first and foremost a problem of democracy and human rights here.” He stressed that they would go ahead with the march. Sema Kocatepe said that the ban on the PKK restricted the freedoms of Kurds living in Germany, adding: “Today the PKK is struggling against ISIS gangs in Rojava and in Kobanê. It is defending democracy and humanity. It is a great contradiction that while the PKK is doing this in the Middle East, it is banned in Germany and in Europe. It is shameful for democracy and must be lifted immediately." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dolva Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 (edited) One of the most progressive force in the central asian theatre of war is the Kurdish Liberation Movement or the PKK. I've been aware of their struggles since the Iraq (supported by the us) - Iran war that claimed a million of the most progressive Iranioan youth and massacres of the Kurdish people caught between the two protagonists. The PKK has only grown in stature. It's time to recognise the Kurdish Peoples right to live in the world they fight for. Bese Hozat: PKK is a social system todayThe Kurdish Liberation Movement made up of a group of Kurdish and Turkish youths, 25.11.2013 ANF The Kurdish Liberation Movement made up of a group of Kurdish and Turkish youths, known as pro-Apo (Öcalan) and -national liberation groups till 1978, became a party following the first congress held in the house of the Zoğurlu family, which supported the organization since its formation, in the Fis village of Diyarbakır's Lice district on 26-27 November. The PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party, Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan) has become a public movement addressing millions during the 35 years that have passed since the first congress which had been attended by 22 delegates. Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) Executive Council Co-President Bese Hozat spoke to ANF about the struggle PKK has given for 35 years now, what it has achieved so far and what kind of a change and transformation it has introduced to the Kurdish people. How does the PKK define itself? The PKK is no doubt a strong insurrection movement against cruelty and the exploitation of people and society, and for a people who were deprived of all their rights, denied any kind of fair defense, their language banned and their land occupied and exploited. The PKK is a contemporary insurrection movement with a program, ideology, philosophy and struggle strategy, not an ordinary one for a people greatly exploitated and enslaved. The PKK has the power to change the balances in the region and the world, as well as a strategic and tactical leadership, an army of thousands of guerrillas and an organized grassroots of millions of people. In line with all these facts, it remains inadequate to define the PKK as an insurrection movement because of the fact that the party has presented the democratic nation paradigm, improved the democratic confederal system of peoples, built an alternative project of democratic peoples' system against the five thousand years old statist government system and is leading the building of this project now. The democratic, free and equal form of life and the democratic ecological system the PKK has built is the only system that will liberate the peoples. The Kurdish people are today giving a struggle to build this system on the basis of their own will. In the current state of affairs, the PKK has gone beyond a movement and become a social living system. PKK has made a great mindset revolution for the Kurdish people, clearing their minds of slavery and fear which it replaced with the sense of freedom. This is the greatest revolution the PKK has achieved, for the liberation of a people relies on a mindset revolution and the attainment of the sense of freedom. The party has on the other hand placed women at the center of the social liberation, and women's struggle at the center of the national struggle. This has introduced a new context and depth to the sense of freedom, because of the fact that a people can never be free without free women. Thousands of women assured by this reality in theory and in practice have taken to the mountains and assembled an army, bravely fought against the exploitative system and destroyed the mindset which defends that war is a man thing. The liberation struggle the Kurdish women are giving on mountains is not against the Turkish army alone, it is also against the male-dominant mindset and the cruel and exploitative system it has created. This war has led to a great social change and transformation, it destroyed the ordinary perspective against women, changed the gender based morals and culture, and enabled the Kurdish women to become subjects in all areas of life, to take an active part in the social life and politics, and to lead civil commotions and public resistance. Women became the symbol of resistance and the liberation struggle, changed the social fabric of the Kurdish society, transformed the feodal culture and displayed a determining stance in the democratisation of the society. This is a women's revolution the PKK and Kurdish people have achieved by creating a free society with free women, and a sense and culture of democratic nation against the culture of tribes, which is at the same time a human revolution. The struggle the Kurdish people are giving today under the leadership of the PKK plays a crucial role in the democratisation of the Middle East region and is the greatest hope of the peoples in the region. Kurds are taking to the stage in the history with the building of a democratic autonomous and confederal system. The PKK defines itself not only as a Kurdish movement but also as a liberation movement. What has the PKK done for the peoples in four parts of Kurdistan, what kind of a culture has it created? The PKK movement has never given an ethnic struggle. Those claiming the PKK to do so were the enemies of the party and the people. The PKK ideology sides with freedom and equality. PKK is a democratic socialist movement against nationalism, religionism and sexism which all are ideologies that lead up to fascism, nationalism and militarism. As an organization for the struggle of the peoples in the Middle East, the PKK has fought for the freedom of peoples and represented the human values in the region. PKK is the follower and contemporary representative of the democratic civilisation tradition in the Middle East. All these prove that the Kurdish question is not related with Kurds alone, it is an issue which concerns the entire Middle East region. http://rt.com/files/opinionpost/33/e6/b0/00/3.jpg "Last week, while in London, I went to see Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy. We talked off the record of course, so I won’t divulge too much, but will post only what Julian insisted on making public. Before it’s too late. Assange shared an enlightening story about a Kurdish TV station that had been shut down in Denmark. The story, like so many others – from diplomatic cables with undiplomatic comments to hundreds of uninvestigated war crimes in Iraq – came to his attention through a leaked cryptogram. Once upon a time there was a Kurdish TV network in Denmark. It would just as happily 'be' anywhere else, but more fitting markets were off limits to the channel. The station, Roj TV, was aimed at Turkish Kurds, and that made the Turkish authorities very angry. Turkish officials pressed their NATO ally Denmark to shut down the TV channel under some plausible pretext. But Denmark was reluctant, saying that multiple inspections didn’t find any propaganda of terrorism and there were no grounds to close it down. Such things weren’t done there; Denmark, after all, is a democracy. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.(Reuters / Virginia Mayo) NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.(Reuters / Virginia Mayo) 'Democracy' did not prevail for long. Only until the point when the 'Prince of Denmark' Prime Minister Rasmussen decided to become NATO’s secretary-general. But Turkey up and blocked his candidacy! Yup, over Kurdish TV that Denmark was being so stubborn about. So the big shots came together and agreed that the channel that was a beacon for an entire nation wasn’t a high price to pay for such an important position at such an important organization. And they tried to dig up some extremism, democracy be damned. They still couldn’t find any evidence of such, but coughed up some other unpleasantries. WikiLeaks has a wire in which US President Barack Obama himself urges his allies to think to resolve the Kurdish TV issue "creatively," so that the civilized nations are not accused of suppressing freedom of speech. And so they did." Screenshot from wikileaks.org __________ The muzzling of the Kurds has a long history. wikileaks: KURDISH LANGUAGE BROADCAST IN TURKEY STILL FACE RED TAPE FROM THE GOVERNMENT Date: 2006 October 18, 09:04 (Wednesday) Canonical ID: 06ANKARA6016_a Original Classification: CONFIDENTIAL Current Classification: CONFIDENTIAL Handling Restrictions -- Not Assigned -- Character Count: 4647 Executive Order: -- Not Assigned -- Locator: TEXT ONLINE TAGS: PGOV - Political Affairs--Government; Internal Governmental Affairs | PREL - Political Affairs--External Political Relations | TU - Turkey Concepts: -- Not Assigned -- Enclosure: -- Not Assigned -- Type: TE Office Origin: -- N/A or Blank -- Office Action: -- N/A or Blank -- Archive Status: -- Not Assigned -- From: Turkey Ankara Markings: -- Not Assigned -- To: Central Intelligence Agency | Group Destinations Arab Israeli Collective | Group Destinations European Political Collective | Joint Chiefs of Staff | National Security Council | RUEUITH TLO ANKARA TU | Secretary of Defense | Secretary of State | Turkey Ankara | United States Central Command | United States European Command (D) 1. (U) This is a Consulate Adana Cable. Summary ----------- 2. © Despite liberalization moves earlier this year, the GOT's regulatory policy towards Kurdish language broadcasting seems aimed at stymieing efforts with red tape, perhaps in hopes that media companies will give up due to the extra expense and headaches involved. One young media entrepreneur in Diyarbakir is determined to play by the rules while challenging the GOT in court to relax the regulations' interpretation of the new law permitting non-Turkish broadcasts. Many observers -- including the Diyarbakir governor -- believe restrictions on indigenous broadcasts are illogical since most Kurdish homes in SE Turkey use satellite dishes to watch Denmark-based and PKK-affiliated Roj-TV. End summary. Restrictions Still Hinder Kurdish Broadcasting --------------------------------------------- - 3. © Adana PO met on September 26 with Cemal Dogan, the director of Diyarbakir's Gun ("Day") TV and radio station, which has pioneered Kurdish language broadcasting since the restrictions were relaxed in March. Dogan reported that the government still limits Kurdish language shows to 45 minutes per day and requires such broadcasts to include Turkish subtitles. Moreover, Gun is required to send transcripts of the shows to RTUK (the Turkish broadcast authority) in advance for approval before it can broadcast them. These restrictions mean that a 45-minute program can take his staff up to 20 hours to produce. It is obviously impossible, he noted, to do live broadcasts or news programming. 4. © Dogan said that these restrictions are the product of implementing regulations drafted following the legislative change permitting broadcasting. He said that, based on an examination of the notations and paperwork accompanying Gun's applications, it is clear to him that decisions about these issues are made at high levels of the GOT and that the military is involved. Gun, Dogan said, is appealing to the judiciary to have the rules changed to better reflect the new legislation. ... https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/06ANKARA6016_a.html Edited December 9, 2014 by John Dolva Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dolva Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 The communal squat house coordinated by the Caferağa Solidarity forum in Istanbul was raided by police this morning. Late news: Since we did this post we have learned that activists in Istanbul have called for a protest action tonight. We do not have details on those plans or the actions. Perhaps 100 people are involved in direct decision-making in this situation and the majority favors taking a strategy of passive resistance. A private transport company has taken away the property kept in the house. The house itself has been in dispute since 2008. The property may have belonged originally to an Armenian or Jewish family. The communal squat house coordinated by the Caferağa Solidarity forum in Istanbul was raided this morning. We have previously mentioned this project and the likelihood of a police raid on this blog. This morning police blocked access to the site on Hacı Şükrü Street with barricades and riot police. The commune’s library was wrecked and property found on the site was seized by the police. The authorities claim that the house belongs to the Treasury. Local people are understandably angry about the raid even though it was expected. The squat was first occupied about 18 months ago and has served the neighborhoods since then. The house held forums and had a library, a carpenter’s shop, a dark room and a swap area and was a place where people could cook and eat together. “They’ve removed our tea stand, scattered our library, and the sounds of electric saws were coming from our communal kitchen,” the house’s Twitter feed said. “We have established (the house) hand in hand, let’s protect it shoulder to shoulder.” Neighborhood residents shouted “Neighborhood House against the palaces,” from the barricades in reference to President Erdoğan’s 1500-room "Ak Saray" presidential palace. People also banged pots and pans and played music in protest against the police seizure of the house. The house has its immediate origins in the Gezi resistance of last year. Last Friday the Caferağa Solidarity, forum issued a statement saying, “We’ve heard that at some point, they’re going to come and close our open door. The tyrants who have sworn an oath to sell everything that is nice and lives, as well as every (drop of) water, every tree and every bit of shade are going to try and pry our house from our hands. But we will not so easily forgo our dreams and the things that we have created together.” Posted by Urun Harvest at 11:29 AM No comments: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dolva Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Wednesday, December 10, 2014Our reports today from the fighting in and around Kobanê We have the following reports today from the fighting in and around Kobanê. Rojava’s heroic YPG (People's Defense Units) has released a balance sheet in the fight against the ISIS gangs whose attacks on Kobanê continue into the 86th day. On the eastern front of Kobanê the People’s and Women’s Defense Forces (YPG/YPJ) fighters launched two offensives in the Sukul Hal and Municipality areas last night, killing at least 6 ISIS gang members and returning to their positions after successfully completing their actions. On the southern front there was intermittent fighting between the YPG/J fighters and ISIS groups. One member of the ISIS gangs was killed. Another offensive by the YPG/J targeted the ISIS groups near the village of Menacir south of Serêkaniyê city last night, leaving at least 4 ISIS fighters dead. Clashes also broke out between YPG/J and ISIS groups in the region of Pirîza, 20 km southwest of Serêkaniyê last night. There are no reports on casualties. ISIS gangs opened harassment fire targeting the Shermux village 23 km southeast of Qamishlo the night before last. Two ISIS fighters were killed in the fighting that broke out as YPG/YPJ fighters immediately responded to the attack, forcing ISIS fighters to retreat from the area. Fighting between the YPG/J and ISIS forces in the village of Xenamiyê in Dirbesiye city left one ISIS fighter dead. Meanwhile, the AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA) has reported that 12 Turkish intelligence (MIT) and special forces operatives who were assumed to be ISIS members have been killed in Mosul and Kobanê. This report would seem to document the frequently made charge that the Turkish government has assisted ISIS. The ABNA report says that they have obtained the names of 12 Turkish operatives killed at various times in Kobanê and Mosul, adding, "In an attack during the time of the kidnapping incident in Mosul, an artillery unit of the Iraqi army targeted a MIT ‘safe house.’ It was targeted ‘by mistake’ on account of the Turkish operatives being dressed like ISIS militants. It appeared that some of the MIT personnel killed in this house were working at the Turkish consulate (probably in the culture section), but never went to the consulate. The report provided their names. Also according to ABNA, 5 special forces operatives were killed as they tried to cross the railway line and infiltrate Kobanê. The ABNA report said, "From equipment found on these persons it was evident they were Turkish intelligence and special forces operatives, but they were dressed like ISIS militants and had long beards and short moustaches. They had satellite navigation devices and contact information of certain persons working for the MIT in Kobanê. It was understood that these persons were special forces personnel, not ISIS militants, although they were also carrying ID cards given by ISIS to their own fighters.” The report gave their names as well. Further, the ABNA report said that 3 people killed in Iraq have been found to have had links to the MIT and military intelligence. "Addresses of ‘safe houses’ of Turkish intelligence or the addresses or telephone numbers of persons with direct links to the MIT were found on the bodies of these persons. The corpses were taken by Turkey the next day,” the report said. One of those killed was a pilot with the rank of lieutenant. It was initially stated that he was killed in a helicopter crash in Kocaeli, but he was actually killed while on a clandestine mission in Iraq and his family was not made aware of this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dolva Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 Thursday, December 11, 2014 The Kurdistan Communities Union analyzes the steps in the resolution process The Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) Executive Co-Presidency has issued a statement emphasizing that the "Peace and Democratic Negotiation Process Draft” prepared by Abdullah Öcalan constitutes a serious opportunity for Turkey and the Middle East.”The KCK statement says that all components of the movement had debated the draft submitted by Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan to the HDP (People's Democracy Party) delegation on November 29, and that there was full agreement that the draft should be accepted and implemented as a project of democratization that would create radical democratization in Turkey and the Middle East. “This decision was given to the HDP delegation on December 9 to be conveyed to Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan,” the statement continued, adding that the movement was prepared to fulfil its duties in the event of the AKP (Justice and Development Party, Turkey's ruling reactionary party) government and Turkish state accepting and implementing the draft.The KCK statement also emphasized that in order for the Peace and Democratic Negotiation Process Draft to be implemented successfully the conditions of Mr. Öcalan should be improved in order for him to be able to conduct negotiations. The statement stressed that military activities such as the deployment of troops at the border and the construction of roads, military bases and dams which constitute violations of the ceasefire should be halted immediately. “Mass political arrests and police terror should also end,” the statement stressed, adding that in order for the negotiation process to proceed smoothly, “a system should be created in order for Abdullah Öcalan to make direct contact with our organization.”The KCK statement emphasized its adherence to the draft, calling on the AKP government to start negotiations immediately, adding that as long as the government acted within the spirit of the resolution project it would fulfil its responsibilities. “We expect a similar serious and courageous approach from the AKP government,” the KCK said.The KCK Executive Co-Presidency emphasized the importance of the Peace and Democratic Negotiation Process Draft prepared by Abdullah Öcalan, not just for the resolution of the Kurdish question, but as a project of democratization that will resolve all the other problems in the Middle East. The KCK statement pointed to the dynamic character of the project and stressed the need for an organized democratic struggle.The KCK statement ended with an appeal to the freedom movement and all democratic forces to develop a democratic political struggle and to carry out the tasks that will ensure that the project prepared by Abdullah Öcalan will bring democracy to Turkey and the Middle East. Posted by Urun Harvest at 9:56 PM No comments: Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest Abdullah Öcalan and Salih Muslim give their points of view on struggles in Turkey, North Kurdistan and Rojava Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan sent a message to the 11th International Conference on the EU, Turkey, the Middle East and the Kurds hosted by the EU Turkey Civic Commission at the European Parliament in Brussels yesterday. The statement ws delivered by Nelson Mandela's lawyer, Essa Mossa.Abdullah Öcalan's statement drew attention to the fact that the two-year-long process of resolution underway between the Kurdish liberation movement and the Turkish state has reached the stage of negotiation and called for everyone, first and foremost bodies in Europe, to support the process. He emphasized that determined efforts had been expended to ensure that the process stayed on track and that it will not only bring about a just and lasting solution to a century-old question, but will also, by means of its democratic conclusion, make a significant contribution to peace and democracy in the Middle East.Abdullah Öcalan stressed the important contribution that could be made to the process of negotiation if all organizations in Turkey and in Europe that supported the peace and resolution process and lent their support to it.Abdullah Öcalan added that he attached great importance to the Kurdish conference organized by the European Parliament (EP), urging it to play an active role in the process of resolution. He said that the EP could play a major role in this honorable struggle for humanity and in the quest for peace. He also emphasized that he expected the peoples of Europe, who believe in freedom and democracy, to support the struggle for democracy and freedom in lands that have suffered pain for so long.Abdullah Öcalan pointed out that Kobanê and Sinjar were a summary of the Kurdish question and the Middle East. He called on people to understand the importance of the struggle being waged there, where women are proving that a people cannot be liberated without the full participation of women in the struggle. He emphasized the heroism of the young women and men who are putting their lives on the line to oppose the barbaric gangs attacking Sinjar and Kobanê. He added that if women were still being sold in the 21st century, this was shameful for the entire world. His message concluded by emphasizing that the Kurdish people are waging a struggle for freedom and democracy.Rojava's Democratic Union Party (PYD) Co-President Salih Muslim participated in the conference and delivered a speech providing needed context and taking people to the present moment. He began his speech by mentioning the history of Mesopotamia, saying, “The Kurds, Armenians, Arabs, Jews and Assyrians have lived together in Mesopotamia for thousands of years. There may have been rivalry between them, but they did not massacre each other. But following Islam 1,500 years ago and the arrival of the Turks problems began to emerge. With the development of the nation-state in Europe the Arabs began to see things differently. Then the land of the Kurds was divided into four parts and there was repression and massacres took place.”Salih Muslim added that there have been many changes in the 21st century, with ISIS attacking the Kurds in Sinjar with the aim of wiping out communities. He said that 200 churches have been destroyed in Mosul and that churches had also been attacked in Rojava and historic sites destroyed. He said that the intention of ISIS is to kill and drive out the people and settle their own people. He continued, “In Rojava we have created a new system, which can be a model for the whole of the Middle East. We have a social contract according to which everyone can live freely. But some forces do not want the Kurds to establish a system. In Kobanê we have been resisting for 3 months now. We are defending the people and democracy.” Salih Muslim added that the struggle in Rojava against ISIS has been going on for 2 years and that no one was helping them fight against ISIS and that they are relying on their own resources. He said that fraternity and freedom will win in Mesopotamia and that the barbarians will vanish. Posted by Urun Harvest at 9:49 PM No comments: Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest Women's Defense Units (YPJ) Commander: We moved from a defensive into an offensive position YPJ (Rojava's Women's Defense Units) Commander Azime Deniz spoke to the ANF news service about the latest situation in Kobanê. The ISIS attacks and the resistance by the YPG/YPJ (People's/ Women's Defense Units) have entered the third month.Azime Deniz said that following two months in a defensive position, they have now moved into active defense and offensive positions, having liberated a number of locations and achieved superiority on all three fronts. The YPJ Commander also said that they are prepared for a possible new wave of major attacks by the ISIS gangs.Could you evaluate for us the final situation in the Kobanê resistance?When the expansive attacks by ISIS aiming to occupy Kobanê first began, we developed a committed resistance and remained in a defensive position as a tactic. Over the last month, we have moved into active defense and offensive positions, while on the other hand also maintaining our defense position. Our tactics mainly advanced by holding and protecting every single house, street and neighborhood we captured. In other words, we didn't pursue the offensive in the form of hitting, striking and retreating. We made advances by holding the areas and positions where we hit and struck the enemy. Of course we didn't pursue this tactics only by holding the area and attacking, we also predicated it on defense, further strengthening our lines of defense and enriching them with new defense techniques. When we liberated a street, we also turned it into a line of defense. Owing to various and enriched tactics, we have made significant progresses over the last month, also bearing a spirit of sacrifice, which has weakened the ISIS and not allowed it to resist at many positions, while we developed resistance in the areas where we had been weakened, and inflicted severe blows on the ISIS gangs.We also mounted a devoted resistance during the period we remained in defensive position but it is unavoidable for a military force to receive a blow in that position, no matter how strong it is. In this sense, we started to respond to each attack by ISIS and launched the "Kobanê Liberation Offensive" after two months in defensive position. Our first operation was launched in the Botan neighborhood in which we attained a significant success. In many areas the enemy suffered more casualties than us. Yet, we also suffered more casualties in some actions we conducted.What is the final situation on three fronts?We have made siginificant advances since we moved into offensive position on all three fronts, especially on the southern front following the Botan operation. The ISIS gangs remain only in some houses in this area. ISIS had made a significant advance on the eastern front during the period we remained in a defensive position, but with the most recent offensive some major locations have been cleansed of ISIS gangs and liberated. We can now move freely in the areas we have captured on Aleppo road where our movements had been resitricted earlier. On the eastern front, we have now reached the border of the region we call Medresa Resh and our offensives are continuing on the basis of forming a line of defense. We also have the circumstances to take more key positions and to force the ISIS gangs to retreat further in the east.On the southern front, the ISIS launched a major attack with armored vehicles and tanks on November 29. They are not able to conduct further attacks on the southern front after this attack of theirs was broken. Clashes are taking place in some areas but we are maintaining our lines of defense and inflicting severe blows on the enemy by advancing up to their inner lines in this region.How did this offensive boost the morale of the fighters?One other aspect of the offensive has been to boost the morale and motivation of our fighters. We had a high morale and mounted a strong resistance before the offensive as well, but we were also facing some difficulties in terms of maintaining our morale while we remained in the defensive position. I can say that we have also gained a spiritual advantage now after moving into an offensive position. We are sometimes having difficulty in holding our forces as some comrades are conducting offensives against ISIS gangs and taking some houses despite there being no planning by our side.Our commitment and determination for Kobanê's liberation has grown and strengthened with this offensive. Our forces will continue their offensives against ISIS by bearing superior morale and spirituality.To what extend are the winter conditions affecting the battle?Winter conditions have both advantages and disadvantages but this doesn't matter to our units who are already prepared for harsh weather conditions. What matters in fighting is the resistance and determination you bear. It is becoming difficult for the enemy to use the field because of the winter, and in this sense it has some advantages. However, as I've said, we are prepared for any case, including winter conditions and others. We stay focused on the target and strategy.What position have the ISIS gangs taken in the face of your resistance and latest offensive?While we were in defensive position, the ISIS gangs were mainly using weapons suitable for the battle inside the city, not mortars and heavy weapons. Following the initiation of our offensive, the ISIS gangs resorted to mortar and suicide attacks as they suffered heavier blows and were forced to retreat. This way of attacking shows the weakness and regression of the ISIS, also failing to help them accomplish a result against us. We are prepared for attacks of all kinds and levels.Is there any probability of a new expansive wave of attacks by the ISIS?The attacks by ISIS gangs may continue but, as we said, we are ready for any kind of attacks and will be defending Kobanê in any case. There always exists the probability of a new wave of attacks, this is not something beyond possibility, especially while the ISIS gangs are continuing to make reinforcements and have recently lost their leading commanders and leaders in the battle. They are facing a defeat but they may launch further expansive attacks.Can we say that circumstances for victory are currently present?Right, we can say that circumstances for victory have ripened following our latest offensive in which we captured some areas and struck major blows on the gangs. It needs to be mentioned also that to us every inch of Kobanê is a land which we will consider as completely occupied unless the ISIS gangs are cleansed from every single inch of it. We cannot talk about success and victory while even a small piece of our land remains in the hands of the ISIS. However, we can say that circumstances are available in order for us to entirely push the ISIS away from our land.What would you like to say in conclusion?I would like to say that we will continue launching our offensives and forcing the ISIS gangs back. I also have a message to the young women and men from Kobanê, they must join our ranks and take part in the phase of victory prior to Kobanê's liberation. We are inviting the youth of Kobanê to their town to fight ISIS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dolva Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan has sent a letter to Êzîdî organizations Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan has sent a letter to Êzîdî organizations addressing the Êzîdî people. In the letter Abdullah Öcalan saluted the Êzîdî people, saying that they represent the wealth of belief in Kurdish culture. He added that the ancient lands of the Middle East are continuing to suffer massacres, war and genocide. In his letter, Abdullah Öcalan stressed that capitalism, the nation-state and industrialism brought chaos and destruction to the region. He said that the genocidal attacks on the Êzîdî people could be evaluated from such a historical and philosophical perspective. He added that the resistance, honor and love for freedom of the Êzîdî people showed the way for humanity. Abdullah Öcalan stressed the importance of protecting the Kurdish people’s culture, beliefs and identity against the on-going policies of denial, assimilation and annihilation, adding that this has now become one of the cornerstones of the coming victory of freedom. He said that the Êzîdî people had been targeted on account of their possessing the purest form of the values of the Kurds. He added that the lack of organization among the Kurdish people and their shortcomings in government should be addressed as problems that need to be overcome. The Kurdish leader's letter continued, “The massacres in Sinjar and the attempts to sell Êzîdî women in slave markets, the refugees living in harsh conditions and the holy places that have been flattened demonstrate clearly the need and obligation for self-government.” He added that there is no doubt that such organization would not only bring ISIS, the puppet of hegemonic forces, to its knees, but also shake the regular armies of its puppet masters. Abdullah Öcalan said that he hoped his solution of democratic nation building and his theory of democratic modernity would make a contribution to the efforts to overcome the hardship in the region. He concluded his letter by greeting the Êzîdî people, first and foremost the heroism of the women, reiterating that despite his conditions his heart was beating together with theirs as they honorably resist genocide. Posted by Urun Harvest at 10:25 AM No comments: Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest "We may die in the mud in Kobanê, but we will not abandon it" This report comes from our friends at ANF. It captures an important side of the revolution and the fight against ISIS. Another side of the resistance in Kobanê is the tenacious refusal of the elderly residents of the city to leave. Although they may all have different stories to tell, their reason for staying is the same: they are fiercely attached to their hometown and they have children defending Kobanê. Thousands have been forced to leave Kobanê, but although they are old and sick the elderly civilians of the city are enduring the harsh conditions and resisting. Some live alone, while others have the company of spouses and children. The elderly civilian resisters of Kobanê say: “We may die in the mud but we will not abandon Kobanê”. To the young people who have left, they say: “Come back and defend Kobanê.” Some of the elderly people in Kobanê told us their stories and how they were determined to stay. My grandson is in the YPG, I couldn’t abandon him Brahim Hemed Eli - 73 years old I was born in Kobanê and have never left. This is our homeland. After ISIS attacked my family left, but despite their insistence I stayed here. Even when the attacks were at their worst I didn’t leave my house. I live alone, I manage with what the government provides. I really miss the friends of my age. A grandson of mine called Hemudê is in the ranks of the YPG. I couldn’t leave him. If he’s going to die I’ll die, too. I’m proud of him. Sometimes I go out and visit the places I used to go. It’s very upsetting, but these days will pass and Kobanê will be free as it was before. The YPG/YPJ is protecting us. I say to the young people who have left: “Come back and join the resistance, Turkey will give you nothing. You will just decay there.” I couldn’t go to my daughter’s funeral Weyso Hemo - 68 years old I was born in Kobanê and I’ve always lived here. My family left but I stayed. I’d rather die under a demolished wall in Kobanê than leave. My daughter was ill and went to Turkey, but she was unable to get treatment and died. I never saw her again. I’m very upset that I couldn’t go to her funeral. I miss my family and my neighbors. After the revolution in Kobanê life was wonderful, but then these gangs attacked us. The youth of Kobanê should come and resist. Young people are coming from other parts of Kurdistan to fight for us, so they should come too. We will not give in Bozanê Şêxê I was born in the village of Miharacê 20 kilometres south of Kobanê. We always lived there. When ISIS attacked with tanks the YPG protected us and brought us here. I asked them for a weapon to defend my village, but they refused, saying I was too old. May God accept them, they fought and died for our villages. We came here and we don’t want to leave. Two of my sons have taken up arms and joined the resistance. Their families are also here. There are ten of us here living in a house provided by the Kobanê government. We were born in Kobanê and we will die here. ISIS are firing mortars every day but we will resist and we will not give in. The youth of Kobanê must join the resistance Xanım Eli - 70 years old Those who left should see the example of those who stayed and return. Me and my husband stayed here. We will not submit to this accursed ISIS gang and we will not leave our homeland. The YPG/YPJ fighters are my children. I pray for them. That’s all I can do. By staying here I’m trying to make a contribution. Two of my sons stayed here with their families and took up arms. We will not abandon the struggle. If we are to die, let it be in the mud of Kobanê Mahmud Mistefa - 70 years old I’m paralysed and bedridden. Life is very difficult, but I cannot leave Kobanê, whatever the pain. We have been here for hundreds of years. Where would I go? We inherited this land from our ancestors, we will never leave. Naile Mistefa - 68 years old We are resisting in Kobanê. There is hardship and mortars and rockets are being fired, but we’ve never thought once of leaving Kobanê. For us its mud is sweeter than the desserts of other lands. We meet our own needs. I have a son, Hemed Mahmud, who is fighting at the front with the YPG. We stayed with him and we support his resistance. How can we leave him? We will die in the mud of Kobanê. We have no other way or wish. Posted by Urun Harvest at 10:18 AM No comments: Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest Thursday, December 11, 2014 The Kurdistan Communities Union analyzes the steps in the resolution process The Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) Executive Co-Presidency has issued a statement emphasizing that the "Peace and Democratic Negotiation Process Draft” prepared by Abdullah Öcalan constitutes a serious opportunity for Turkey and the Middle East.”The KCK statement says that all components of the movement had debated the draft submitted by Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan to the HDP (People's Democracy Party) delegation on November 29, and that there was full agreement that the draft should be accepted and implemented as a project of democratization that would create radical democratization in Turkey and the Middle East. “This decision was given to the HDP delegation on December 9 to be conveyed to Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan,” the statement continued, adding that the movement was prepared to fulfil its duties in the event of the AKP (Justice and Development Party, Turkey's ruling reactionary party) government and Turkish state accepting and implementing the draft.The KCK statement also emphasized that in order for the Peace and Democratic Negotiation Process Draft to be implemented successfully the conditions of Mr. Öcalan should be improved in order for him to be able to conduct negotiations. The statement stressed that military activities such as the deployment of troops at the border and the construction of roads, military bases and dams which constitute violations of the ceasefire should be halted immediately. “Mass political arrests and police terror should also end,” the statement stressed, adding that in order for the negotiation process to proceed smoothly, “a system should be created in order for Abdullah Öcalan to make direct contact with our organization.”The KCK statement emphasized its adherence to the draft, calling on the AKP government to start negotiations immediately, adding that as long as the government acted within the spirit of the resolution project it would fulfil its responsibilities. “We expect a similar serious and courageous approach from the AKP government,” the KCK said.The KCK Executive Co-Presidency emphasized the importance of the Peace and Democratic Negotiation Process Draft prepared by Abdullah Öcalan, not just for the resolution of the Kurdish question, but as a project of democratization that will resolve all the other problems in the Middle East. The KCK statement pointed to the dynamic character of the project and stressed the need for an organized democratic struggle.The KCK statement ended with an appeal to the freedom movement and all democratic forces to develop a democratic political struggle and to carry out the tasks that will ensure that the project prepared by Abdullah Öcalan will bring democracy to Turkey and the Middle East. Posted by Urun Harvest at 9:56 PM No comments: Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest Abdullah Öcalan and Salih Muslim give their points of view on struggles in Turkey, North Kurdistan and Rojava Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan sent a message to the 11th International Conference on the EU, Turkey, the Middle East and the Kurds hosted by the EU Turkey Civic Commission at the European Parliament in Brussels yesterday. The statement ws delivered by Nelson Mandela's lawyer, Essa Mossa.Abdullah Öcalan's statement drew attention to the fact that the two-year-long process of resolution underway between the Kurdish liberation movement and the Turkish state has reached the stage of negotiation and called for everyone, first and foremost bodies in Europe, to support the process. He emphasized that determined efforts had been expended to ensure that the process stayed on track and that it will not only bring about a just and lasting solution to a century-old question, but will also, by means of its democratic conclusion, make a significant contribution to peace and democracy in the Middle East.Abdullah Öcalan stressed the important contribution that could be made to the process of negotiation if all organizations in Turkey and in Europe that supported the peace and resolution process and lent their support to it.Abdullah Öcalan added that he attached great importance to the Kurdish conference organized by the European Parliament (EP), urging it to play an active role in the process of resolution. He said that the EP could play a major role in this honorable struggle for humanity and in the quest for peace. He also emphasized that he expected the peoples of Europe, who believe in freedom and democracy, to support the struggle for democracy and freedom in lands that have suffered pain for so long.Abdullah Öcalan pointed out that Kobanê and Sinjar were a summary of the Kurdish question and the Middle East. He called on people to understand the importance of the struggle being waged there, where women are proving that a people cannot be liberated without the full participation of women in the struggle. He emphasized the heroism of the young women and men who are putting their lives on the line to oppose the barbaric gangs attacking Sinjar and Kobanê. He added that if women were still being sold in the 21st century, this was shameful for the entire world. His message concluded by emphasizing that the Kurdish people are waging a struggle for freedom and democracy.Rojava's Democratic Union Party (PYD) Co-President Salih Muslim participated in the conference and delivered a speech providing needed context and taking people to the present moment. He began his speech by mentioning the history of Mesopotamia, saying, “The Kurds, Armenians, Arabs, Jews and Assyrians have lived together in Mesopotamia for thousands of years. There may have been rivalry between them, but they did not massacre each other. But following Islam 1,500 years ago and the arrival of the Turks problems began to emerge. With the development of the nation-state in Europe the Arabs began to see things differently. Then the land of the Kurds was divided into four parts and there was repression and massacres took place.”Salih Muslim added that there have been many changes in the 21st century, with ISIS attacking the Kurds in Sinjar with the aim of wiping out communities. He said that 200 churches have been destroyed in Mosul and that churches had also been attacked in Rojava and historic sites destroyed. He said that the intention of ISIS is to kill and drive out the people and settle their own people. He continued, “In Rojava we have created a new system, which can be a model for the whole of the Middle East. We have a social contract according to which everyone can live freely. But some forces do not want the Kurds to establish a system. In Kobanê we have been resisting for 3 months now. We are defending the people and democracy.” Salih Muslim added that the struggle in Rojava against ISIS has been going on for 2 years and that no one was helping them fight against ISIS and that they are relying on their own resources. He said that fraternity and freedom will win in Mesopotamia and that the barbarians will vanish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dolva Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 People's lives in Kobanê DİHA and ANF news services are running the following story. We are reposting it here becaus we believe that it gives an excellent picture of life in Kobanê right now. The YPG and YPJ are Rojava's heroic People's/Women's Defense Forces. KOBANÊ (DİHA) - As ISIS attacks on the city of Kobanê continue, ANF's Sedat Sur spent a day as the guest of the Cido family in order to understand how the civilian population of the city, who constitute a significant part of the resistance, are managing to surviving the harsh conditions imposed by conflict and the onset of winter.Early in the morning we knock on the door. An elderly woman opens it. She meets us with the ubiquitous smile with which the people of Kobanê always meet you, whatever the circumstances. She says: ‘Welcome heval’. (in Kobanê everyone calls each other ‘heval’ [comrade, friend] regardless of age). We introduce ourselves, saying we would like to spend the day with them to understand how they live. She is delighted and invites us in. She says she is 65 and that her name is Sediqê Xelil. The house has a quite large hall which is rather cold. There are two rooms and a tiny kitchen. There are very few things, only a few carpets and cushions and blankets, otherwise there is nothing. Suddenly we are surrounded by children who come out of one of the rooms. When they see our camera they make the victory sign.Morning with the Cido familyWe go into the room, where Sediqe’s husband Muslim Cido is trying to keep warm with a blanket. There is no stove or heater in the house. Muslim Cido is 70 years old and has no medication for his cold. Twenty people live in this house: Sediqe and her husband, six sons, three daughters in law and nine grandchildren. Preparations are being made for breakfast around a small table. After breakfast, 3 of the sons, Osman, Anter and Huseyin go to work in tailor shops, repair shops and refectories belonging to the government and the YPG providing for the needs of the city.Warning about mortarsWe start to chat to Sediqe and Muslim. We learn that the Cido family used to live in the village of Situyê 15 kilometres to the west of Kobanê prior to the ISIS attacks. The family made a living planting barley, wheat and cumin, but had to flee to the city once the attacks started. The family was given the house by the government. Muslim Cido says they don’t want to cross into Turkey. Sediqe warns her grandchildren not to go out on account of mortars. Sometimes children ignore warnings and go out to play. There is the sound of a mortar exploding. Everyone goes out to see how the children are. The shell has landed on waste ground. The children are brought inside. It is difficult for the children. Sometimes they cry because they cannot go out to play. They also complain about not being able to go to school.We continue to chat to Muslim and Sediqe. ISIS plundered all their possessions and food in the village. Muslim has just learned that the gangs damaged their house in the village and is sad. Sediqe says that ISIS have installed many Turkish speaking families in villages it has occupied. She says the families are mainly young couples and that some Arab families to whom they are close told them this.YPJ fighters come to visitWhile we are chatting a group of YPJ fighters visit the house. They are carrying balloons and when the children see the YPJ fighters and the balloons their faces light up. They grab the balloons and start playing in the hall. After the fighters have asked the family if they need anything, they leave. There is no electricity in the house during the day. In the evenings they turn on a generator, which they switch off at night. The whole family, including the children, are only wearing thin garments. Around noon Sediqe and her daughters-in-law heat water at a makeshift stove outside. This is how the family bathes and does its laundry. As there is no electricity or paraffin they burn twigs and pieces of cardboard they have found in the area. They use the small amount of paraffin they have to heat food.In the afternoon they prepare the evening meal. There is no midday meal. The children are just given some bread and tomatoes. They brought some dried vegetables and bulghur with them from the village. Sediqe says they brought the provisions with them from the village, thinking they would need them. She puts the bulghur through a sieve with the small grains to be cooked for the evening meal while the larger grains will be ground for another day. Her daughter Berivan prepares the dried vegetables while Kewser Celal, a daughter in law, boils water. As the meal is prepared family members begin to return home. It is beginning to get cold. Although we are wearing thick jackets as we sit in the house we feel cold, whereas the children and other members of the family have no warm clothes. Blankets are brought out and the children get under them. The youngest is only ten months old and the government provides milk and baby food, but it is not enough.The whole family is there for the evening meal. There is only one other family in the street. They are also invited. They say everything is shared with the neighbors and stress the importance of solidarity at this time. After the meal people get under blankets. As time passes the neighbors leave and the generator is switched off. The members of the family try to sleep in the cold that chills to the bone.In Kobanê this is how almost all civilians live. Despite the support of the government and the YPG there are serious shortages of food and medication, and hardship caused by lack of heating. Security of life is the biggest problem as ISIS fires dozens of mortars and shells into the city every day. However, despite this they are determined not to leave their land, and it is this perseverance that allows them to surmount these difficulties. Posted by Urun Harvest at 4:14 PM No comments: Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest Women commemorate the life of MLKP fighter Sibel Bulut/Sarya Eylem Deniz killed in Kobanê This post comes from the ANF news service. We will be writing much more about the death of comrade Sibel Bulut/Sarya Eylem Deniz or Sarya Özgür as we posted some items and photos over the weekend. The executive body of the Komalên Jinên Kurdistan (KJK), which represents different women’s groups in Kurdistan, has released a statement in which they commemorate the life and sacrifice of Sibel Bulut and pledge to increase their resistance in the memory of all of their martyrs. Sibel Bulut, also known by her codename Sarya Eylem Deniz, was a member of the Marxist–Leninist Communist Party (MLKP) who had joined with the YPG and YPJ (Rojava's People's/Women's Defense Forces) in the defense of Kobanê last week week. The KJK’s statement read: “The Rojava revolution is a resistance which crosses borders and has become a site of common freedom for revolutionaries who are realizing the free unity of communities and the spirit of revolutionary resistance in their hearts. Our comrade Sibel Bulut (Sarya Eylem Deniz) joined the resistance and the ranks of the YPG and YPJ as a MLKP militant, and helped to grow this legendary resistance by taking a place on the most forward position. She exhibited the greatest connection with the revolutionary legacy by taking sides in a conflict over the honor of humanity.” Resistance Is An Historical Duty Of Humanity “Resistance against the massacres carried out by the nation-states are (shining light on the collapsing nightmare that surrounds) the people of the Middle East, as well as their gangs of proxies and collaborators such as ISIS, is a humanitarian duty. The struggle of our comrade Sarya, who possessed a consciousness that resistance and struggle were among the most rooted historical strengths of peoples and who was martyred in the ranks of the resistance, is the consciousness of this historical humanity. In the ancient lands of the Middle East, the consciousness of a common life and a common resistance over the course of thousands of years has taken on an internationalist spirit under the leadership of women. The Arin’s, the Kader’s, the Sibel’s and the thousands of other women have proved this with a passion for freedom that recognizes no borders and with their magnificent resistance both in Kobanê and with their years of resistance against hegemony. Women, with their belief in the unity of socialist struggle and the free will of peoples will strengthen their organizations and resistance with a passion for freedom.” Join The Resistance In Kobanê The KJK statement concluded with a call to join the resistance in Kobanê, reading,“We are calling on all women with a passion for freedom to strengthen the ranks of the resistance, to develop common organizations, and to join the resistance in Rojava where there exists the free unity and future of the peoples. We once more salute all of our martyrs in the person of comrade Sarya and promise to the grow the flames of resistance.” Posted by Urun Harvest at 3:54 PM No comments: Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest "We hope that the Syriac and Armenian peoples and our Êzîdî brothers and sisters will forgive us.” Ahmet Türk has given a lifetime to the liberation movement and now serves the people as the Co-Mayor of the Mardin Metropolitan Municipal region. He has spoken at a seminar in Stockholm and has expressed sorrow at the participation by some Kurdish tribes in the genocide of 1915 and has apologized to the Syriacs, Armenians and Êzîdîs. Also on the Stockholm panel were Mardin Co-Mayor Februniye Akyol, Sigtuna Municipality Mayor Gun Eriksson, Municipal chair Lars Bryntesson, Social Democratic Labor Party MP Yılmaz Kerimo and publisher Ragıp Zarakolu. Ahmet Türk said that in 1911 the three leaders of the Party of Union and Progress made historic decisions aimed at the reduction of the non-Moslem population, the Sunnification of the Alevis and the assimilation of the Kurds. We will not forget the pain we inflicted on our fraternal peoples Ahmet Türk said that the decisions taken in 1911 had been implemented throughout the years of the Republic and that the same mentality still exists. He added that the efforts to create a nation-state based on the denial of peoples is still continuing, adding, “While implementing these decisions in 1914-15, unfortunately the Kurdish people were openly used in the name of Islam. We, the grandchildren and children, feel the pain caused by the participation of our grandfathers and fathers in that massacre. We will never forget the pain we inflicted on our fraternal peoples. And we must not forget. We hope that the Syriac and Armenian peoples and our Êzîdî brothers and sisters will forgive us.” The struggle of the Kurds is a struggle to liberate the peoples of the Middle East Ahmet Türk said a new period was dawning in the Middle East and Mesopotamia, and that the Kurdish people and the peoples of Mesopotamia are waging a brave resistance and paying a heavy price for a free future, adding that the Kurdish Freedom Struggle that has continued for 30 years is not only a struggle to liberate the Kurds but is also a struggle to liberate all the peoples of the Middle East, emphasizing that it is a struggle for peace and friendship among peoples. Ahmet Türk drew attention to the fact that the Syriac and Armenian communities have joined the Kurdish Freedom struggle in Qamışlo, Sinjar and Haseki, and that the 21st century presents significant opportunities for the Kurds and the peoples of the Middle East, adding that the Kurdish resistance and struggle that has continued for 30 years has played an important role in this. Peace and democracy in the Middle East are not possible without the Kurds Ahmet Türk said that they have witnessed the sordid relationships of forces who cannot stomach the gains of the Kurdish struggle and wish to prevent them, adding, “The savage ISIS gangs emerged as a result of these relationships. The dominant forces in the four parts of Kurdistan realize that the Kurds are a significant actor in the Middle East. They can also see that peace and democracy will not be possible without the Kurds. Those forces that want to weaken the struggle are today openly supporting the ISIS gangs in Kobanê and Sinjar.” He also emphasized that everyone should be aware that peace and democracy cannot come to the Middle East by declaring the Kurds to be terrorists and by terrorizing them. Posted by Urun Harvest at 3:32 PM No comments: Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest Sunday, December 14, 2014 Solidarity in Rojava, in the Urmiye (Orumiye) central prison, from South African women, among workers in Ankara today It is difficult to sum up the events which are of most interest to us in Turkey, North Kurdistan, Rojava and Iran over the past 72 hours. If there is a common thread connecting thee events, it is one of solidarity. And it is no coincidence that women are leading many of thee efforts. We have posted two items on the death of Eylem Deniz/Sarya Özgür below. We must also mention many other items of interest.In RojavaRojava's Women's Defense Units (YPJ) has announced the formation of the Martyr Arin Mirkan's Battalion in Tel Kocher. The military academy administration has held a ceremony marking the founding of the battalion of 25 female fighters. The ceremony began with a moment of silence in honor of sacrifices of those who have fallen and the attendance of many YPJ commanders.Jiyan Tolhidan, a YPJ commander, said in a speech that the sacrificial operation conducted by Martyr Arin Mirkan when she targeted the terrorist ISIS members in Kobani is symbol of sacred sacrifice and a legend of bravery. She also referred to the critical rule of the YPJ in Rojava's democratic revolution and then she congratulated all of fighters and the people of Rojava for the formation of the new battalion.At the end of the ceremony, the fighters praised the courageous resistance of the YPG/YPJ (Rojava's People's/Women's Defense Forces) and pledged to follow their comrades' footsteps to victory.Arin Mirkan (Deilar Kanj Khamis) was a brave YPJ fighter who detonated an explosive device when facing capture by ISIS forces in Kobane in early October. Her action took the lives of at least 10 ISIS fighters as well as her own. She was 22 years old and was already an experienced activist and fighter. We have referred to her many times on this blog. We are posting this video knowing that most of our readers will not understand Kurdish. However, we believe that the footage communicates something of the spirit of Arin's life and the revolution.In the Urmiye (Orumiye) central prisonWe have not written about the resistance of political prisoners in Urmiye’s (Orumiye) central prison ((Darya) even though their action has won worldwide attention and solidarity. The resistance and hunger strike in the prison has been going on for over three weeks now. Urmiye is in Rojhilat, or "Iranian Kurdistan" and the the political prisoners are Kurdish. They have gone forward with heroic determination even as their health deteriorates and after they have been threatened with dire consequences, even death, by regime authorities and intelligence agents.A prison official recently said, “The case of the hunger strike by political prisoners is no longer dealt with by prison authorities, but rather government officials will manage and decide on the case.” Last week Urmiye’s Ministry of Intelligence held a meeting and told Urmiye’s Imam, “Do not pay attention to their hunger strike and ignore their demands.”The original core group of resisters was made up of perhaps 24 or 27 political prisoners but they have since been joined by others. Kurdish lawyer Masoud Shams Nejad recently joined the strike and has been attacked and harassed by prison guards. Masoud Shams Nejad has himself been persecuted by the regime in the past for contacting Kurdish media outlets and has defended Hossein Khezri and Habibollah Golparipour as a lawyer and for such activities his license to practice law was taken away. Political prisoners being held in Sine, Rajae-Shahr, Minab, Zahedan and Bandar-e Lengeh have also declared their support for the political prisoners in Urmiye. Their cause has been taken up by the Kurdish freedom movement and progressive forces across the region.Political prisoners Sirwan Najawi, Abdullah Temoue, Sherko Hassanpour and Ali Afshari are now at great risk as their health is deteriorating. Alireza Rasouli began the hunger strike 35 days ago.Revolutionary and democratic support for the prisonersThe Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) Executive Council Co-Presidency has released a statement regarding the hunger strike and urging the Iranian regime to immediately abandon its policies against the Kurdish political prisoners.The KCK statement says that the hunger strike was launched in protest against the Iranian regime's decision to transfer criminal prisoners to the political prisoners’ ward and that the Kurdish prisoners joining the strike are facing the threat of execution. The statement stresses that the reason leading to problems are that the Kurdish question remains unresolved.The KCK Executive Council Co-Presidency also pointed out that all present problems, the Kurdish issue being in the first place, must be resolved through dialogue and negotiations. “It is obvious that anti-Kurdish policies imposed in the process of significant developments in the Middle East introduce no solution," the KCK statement emphasizes. The KCK also warned that the hunger strike launched by Kurdish political prisoners against ill-treatment, torture and threats of execution will lead to a loss of lives as well as more severe and more substantial problems.The KCK urged Iran to fulfill the demands of the prisoners, to come up with an urgent solution to their problems, while also calling on the Kurdish people and sensible circles in the four parts of Kurdistan to be in active solidarity with the Kurdish political prisoners on hunger strike.Sabri Ok, a member of the KCK Executive Council also called on Iran to end its brutality against Kurdish prisoners and said that for Iran the only way to solve its problems with Kurds is to negotiate with them. He made these remarks in Qandil (liberated Southern Kurdistan).Sabri Ok said that they are closely following the on-going situation of Kurdish prisoners in Iranian jails and asked Iran to create a culture of tolerance toward minorities. “It seems that Iran does not read well the current situation in the Middle East. It continues its primitive nationalistic policies of the past and preventing demands for a peaceful co-existence. Iran should change itself, welcome a democratic culture and solve its problem within this context,” Ok said.A South African womens' delegation visits the guerrillasA delegation of different women's organizations from South Africa has visited the East Kurdistan Free Women’s Community (KJAR) in the Medya Defence Areas and has spoken to women guerrillas there. The delegation said that they had arranged the visit to see Kurdistan and meet Kurdish women guerrillas.Newroz TV ran the news that Samanta Osmal, Leme Kotze, Tumn Solivade and Lin Payine of South Africa said that they had come to meet the women guerrillas of the Kurdish Freedom Movement that they had heard about through the international media. The South African women said they were happy to have made the acquaintance of the Kurdish women guerrillas and were given information regarding the struggle of the KJAR. The Newroz TV broadcast went into East Kurdistan and Iran.Samanta Osmal, speaking on behalf of the delegation, told Newroz TV that they were happy to meet the women guerrillas at Kandil, adding, “We believe in their struggle and that the Kurdish women’s movement will succeed. How happy for us that you are saying to us: ‘we are your friends.’”The South African women said that they believed in God and that they would pray for the success of the Kurdish women. Osmal added, “May God give them strength. Their path is the path of peace. We are alongside them in their struggle. Representing different women's organizations we know that the world needs peace and we support them on the path to peace.”The spokesperson for the delegation said that they are also aware of the situation of imprisoned Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan, and that they hoped he would be free soon. The delegation also emphasized the importance of the situation of women in Iranian jails.Zilan Vejin spoke on behalf of KJAR and stressed the entirety of the women’s struggle throughout the world. She added, “As women from East Kurdistan we have met women activists from South Africa. We believe that from now on we will be able to wage a more effective struggle. This demonstrates the futility of trying to impose restrictions on women. Women everywhere can come together and wage a joint struggle.”Zilan Vejin said that they believe in joint struggle, adding, “For a free society and free women every individual can come together around joint aims and wage a successful struggle.”The humanitarian crisis in Kobanê and a call for solidarityKobanê Canton's Prime Minister Enwer Muslim has reiterated the need for a humanitarian corridor to be opened to Kobanê. ISIS first attacked Kobanê almost 3 months ago and the heroic resistance of the people of the city, led by the YPG/YPJ (Rojava's People's/Women's Defense Forces) forces, is continuing to push the ISIS gangs from the city inch by inch.Enwer Muslim evaluated the current situation and said, “ISIS has caused serious damage with its onslaught using tanks and heavy weaponry, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee and posing a lethal threat to the thousands who remain under their mortar fire. The YPG/YPJ has broken the back of the ISIS attacks militarily, politically and as regards morale. The YPG/YPJ resistance is continuing with the support of the peshmerga and coalition air strikes. The people of Kobanê (who are) defending their land and fighting in the ranks of the YPG will be victorious.”Enwer Muslim emphasized that the resistance in Kobanê has defended the canton against the ISIS gangs using the heavy weapons they brought in from Rakka and other places, adding that they would remove the gangs from their positions on the eastern, southern and western fronts and “send them back to from whence they came.” He said, “We are struggling not only for Kobanê canton, but for a democratic Syria within which all beliefs and communities can co-exist in peace."Enwer Muslim also said that the thousands of civilians still in Kobanê were in a similar position to the YPG fighters in that they had to take cover from ISIS attacks. He added that with the onset of winter conditions are harsh and that there is a shortage of fuel. He said that unfortunately, despite repeated calls for a humanitarian corridor to be opened, they had not received a positive response, either from international or regional powers. “Since the legitimacy of our struggle has been internationally recognized, we hope that a humanitarian corridor will be opened as soon as possible in order at least for our civilian population to receive aid,” he added.Enwer Muslim said that the people of North Kurdistan, the municipalities in the region and NGOs are very important, but were insufficient, adding that the numbers of refugees involved necessitates action by the EU and international aid organizations. He also called on Kurdish businesspeople all over the world to contribute to aid efforts. He concluded by saying that both military and political support is needed in Kobanê, adding, “In Kobanê a struggle for democracy and human life is going on, and this war against ISIS, which is a threat to all humanity, directly interests everyone.”Workers' solidarity in Ankara protestsTens of thousands of workers gathered in Square Sihhiye in Ankara today and marched against the government's 2015 budget. The progressive KESK (Confederation of Public Workers Unions) and DİSK (Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions) labor federations led the demonstration under the slogan "A people's budget, democratic Turkey against a budget of war, poverty and looting." The workers arriving at the Ankara train station danced halays and were accompanied by drums and horns.The workers are demanding an egalitarian budget on their placards and banners. KESK General Co-chairs Lami Özgen and Şaziye Köse, DİSK General Chair Kani Beko, MPs and union leaders also joined in the march. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Gaal Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Syria and “Conspiracy Theories”: It is a Conspiracy By Felicity Arbuthnot Global Research, September 04, 2013 ========== http://www.globalresearch.ca/syria-and-conspiracy-theories-it-is-a-conspiracy/29596 =============================================== “We have met the enemy and he is us.” (Walt Kelly, 1913-1973.) It was political analyst Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya, in November 2006, who wrote in detail(1) of US plans for the Middle East: “The term ‘New Middle East’, was introduced to the world in June 2006, in Tel Aviv, by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (who was credited by the Western media for coining the term) in replacement of the older and more imposing term, the “Greater Middle East’ “, he wrote. Sanity dictated that this would be a U.S. fantasy rampage too far and vast – until realization hit that the author of the map of this New World, planned in the New World’s “New World Order”, was Lt. Colonel Ralph Peters, who, in one of the most terrifying articles ever published, wrote in 1997: “There will be no peace. At any given moment for the rest of our lifetimes, there will be multiple conflicts in mutating forms around the globe. Violent conflict will dominate the headlines …The de facto role of the US armed forces will be to keep the world safe for our economy and open to our cultural assault. To those ends, we will do a fair amount of killing.”(2) (My emphasis.) At the time, Peters was assigned to the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, where he was responsible: “for future warfare.” His plans for Iraq worked out just fine – unless you are an Iraqi. A month after Nazemroaya’s article was published, William Roebuck, Director for the Office of the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, was composing an end of year strategy for Syria(3) from his study in the U.S. Embassy in Damascus, where he had been based between 2004-2007, rising to Deputy Chief of Mission. The subject title was: “Influencing the SARG (Syrian Arab Regime Government) in the end of 2006.” “The SARG ends 2006 in a much stronger position domestically and internationally (than in) 2005.” Talking of President Assad’s: “growing self-confidence”, he felt that this might lead to: “mistakes and ill-judged … decisions … providing us with new opportunities.” Whilst: “additional bilateral or multilateral pressure can impact on Syria”, clearly he had even more ambitious plans: “This cable summarizes our assessment of … vulnerabilities, and suggests that there may be actions, statements and signals, that the USG (US Government) can send that will improve the likelihood of such opportunities arising .” The proposals would need to be: “fleshed out and converted into real actions and we need to be ready to move quickly to take advantage of such opportunities.” (no, not a Le Carré, Forsyth, or Fleming, “diplomat” in Damascus.) “As the end of 2006 approaches” wrote Roebuck, “Bashar appears … stronger than he has done in two years. The country is economically stable …regional issues seem to be going Syria’s way.” However: “vulnerabilities and looming issues may provide opportunities to up the pressure on Bashar … some of these vulnerabilities “(including the complexities with Lebanon)”… “can be exploited to put pressure on the regime. Actions that cause Bashar to lose balance, and increase his insecurity, are in our interest.” The President’s: “ mistakes are hard to predict and benefits may vary, if we are prepared to move quickly and take advantage of opportunities …” A “vulnerability”, wrote Roebuck, was Bashar al Assad’s protection of: “Syria’s dignity and international reputation.” Pride and “protection”, clearly a shocking concept. In the light of the proposed Tribunal in to the assassination of Lebanon’s former`Prime Minister, Rafick Hariri (14th February 2005) killed with his friend, former Minister of Economy Bassel Fleihan and twenty colleagues and bodyguards, in a huge bomb, detonated under his motorcade, this “vulnerability” could be exploited. Unproven allegations have pointed the finger at Israel, Syria, Hezbollah and myriad others, as behind another Middle East tragedy, but Roebuck regarded it as an: “opportunity to exploit this raw nerve, without waiting for the formation of the Tribunal.” Another idea outlined under a further “vulnerability” heading, was the growing alliance between Syria and Iran. “Possible action”, was to: “play on Sunni fears of Iranian influence.” Although these were: “often exaggerated”, they were there to be exploited: “Both the local Egyptian and Saudi missions here … are giving increasing attention to the matter and we should co-ordinate more closely with their governments on ways to better publicize and focus regional attention to the issue.” Concerned Sunni religious leaders should also be worked on. Iraq-style divide and rule model, writ large. The “divide” strategy, of course, should also focus on the first family and legislating circle, with: “ targeted sanctions (which) must exploit fissures and render the inner circle weaker, rather the drive its members closer together.” The public should also be subject to: “continual reminders of corruption … we should look for ways to remind …” Another aspect to be exploited was: “The Khaddam factor.” Abdul Halim Khaddam, was Vice President,1984-2005, and acting President in 2000, during the months beween Bashir al Assad’s accession and his father’s death. Thought to have Presidential ambitions himself, there was a bitter split between Khaddam and al Assad after Hariri’s death. Allegations of treasonous betrayal by Khaddam have validity. The ruling party, writes Roebuck: “…follow every news item involving Khaddam, with tremendous emotional interest. We should continue to encourage the Saudis and others to allow Khaddam access to their media … providing him with venues for airing the SARG’s dirty laundry.” Morever, it was anticipated that: “an over reaction by the regime [would] add to its isolation and alienation from its Arab neighbours.” On January 14th 2006, Khaddam had formed a government in exile, and had predicted the end of the al-Assad government by the year’s end. He is currently regarded as an opposition leader, and has claimed, on Israel’s Channel 2 TV.(4) receiving money from the US and the EU to help overthrow the Syrian government. The ever creative Mr Roebuck’s further plans included: “Encouraging rumours and signals of external plotting.” To this end: “Regional allies like Egypt and Saudi Arabia should be encouraged to meet with figures like Kaddam and Rifat (sic) al Assad, with appropriate leaking of the meetings afterwards. This … increases the possibility of a self-defeating over-reaction.” Rifaat al Assad, Bashar’s uncle, was in charge of the Defence Brigade, who killed up to thirty thousand people in, and flattened much of, the city of Hama, in February 1982. So much for endlessly trumpeted concerns for: “human rights violations.” Rifaat al Assad lives in exile and safety, in London. Khaddam lives in Paris.(5) Here is a serious cause for concern for the overthrow-bent: “Bashar keeps unveiling a steady stream of initiatives on reform and it is certainly possible he believes this is his legacy to Syria …. These steps have brought back Syrian expats to invest … (and) increasing openness.” Solution? “Finding ways to publicly call into question Bashar’s reform efforts.” Indeed, moving heaven and earth to undercut them, is made clear. Further: “Syria has enjoyed a considerable up-tick in foreign direct investment”; it follows: foreign investment is to be: “discouraged.” In May of 2006, complains Roebuck, Syrian Military Intelligence protested: “what they believed were U.S. efforts to provide military training and equipment to Syria’s Kurds.” The Iraq model, yet again. The answer was to: “Highlight Kurdish complaints.” This, however: “would need to be handled carefully, since giving the wrong kind of prominence to Kurdish issues in Syria, could be a liability for our efforts … given Syrian … civil society’s skepticism of Kurdish objectives.” In “Conclusion”, this shaming, shoddy document states: “The bottom line is that Bashar is entering the New Year in a stronger position than he has been, in several years”, meaning “vulnerabilities” must be sought out. “If we are ready to capitalize, they will offer us opportunities to disrupt his decision-making, keep him off balance – and make him pay a premium for his mistakes.” The cable is copied to: The White House, U.S. Secretary of State, U.S. Treasury, U.S. Mission at the UN, U.S. National Security Council, CENTCOM, all Arab League and EU countries. The only U.S. Embassy which recieved a copy is that in Tel Aviv. William Roebuck worked at the Embassy in Tel Aviv (2000-2003) embracing the invasion of Iraq year. In 2009, he was Deputy Political Consul In Baghdad: “leading efforts to support the critical 2009 Iraqi elections.” The “free and fair, democratic” ones, where people were threatened with the deaths of their children even, if they did not vote the “right” way. The result was Nuri al Maliki’s premiership, complete with his murderous militias. The man under whose Ministry of the Interior, U.S. soldiers discovered tortured, starving prisoners. The Damascus cable comes courtesy Wikileaks. Lt. Colonel Peters called, on Fox News, for founder, Julian Assange, to be assassinated. The forty second clip(6) is worth the listen. The Colonel also writes fiction and thrillers under the name Owen Patterson. Perhaps he is living the dream. ===== Felicity Arbutnot is Global Research’s Human Rights Correspondent based in London Notes 1. http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=3882 2. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article3011.htm 3. http://wikileaks.cabledrum.net/cable/2006/12/06DAMASCUS5399.html 4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COqBQYcrd9Q 5. http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=29501 6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS5h59iZg3o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dolva Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 Our comrade Sarya has become immortal in Kobane's resistance The following statement on the death of Sarya Ozgur (Sibel Bulut) in Kobane comes to us from the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party. We continue to talk about Sarya and her party on this blog. Please see previous posts for more information and context. Our comrade, Sarya, has become immortal in Kobane resistance Comrade Sarya Ozgur (Sibel Bulut), a member of our party MLCP (Marxist-Leninist Communist Party) was martyred on December 12, 2014 in the resistance to defend Kobane in Rojava (Syrian Kurdistan). With her action, comrade Sarya has come forward in the united and regional revolutionary resistance of our peoples. She became the symbol of communist women's freedom and commandership against the fascist ISIS mobs, the puppet of imperialists and the colonial powers. Responding to the call of our MLCP party comrade Sarya took the flag from other comrades, Serkan Tosun and Paramaz Kizilbas. And she carried it until her death with honor, revolutionary will, commitment and self-confidence. She marched towards the reactionary and fascist ISIS mobs, the enemies of people and freedom just like other comrades, Arin Mirkan and Kader Ortakaya, who martyred in Kobane! In the first years of her becoming a revolutionary,comrade Sarya worked for the Atilim Newspaper. She faced investigations from the fascist regime. For some time, she took part in the Kurdistan Organisation work of our party. Later she turned her eyes on the mountains, believing that the freedom of women can only be achieved through the leadership of women. She fulfilled the tasks given to her by her party with great belief, desire and will-power. She fought against the mobs in the ranks of YPG/YPJ (Rojava's People's/Women's Defense Forces) as a member of the MLCP. She was applauded for her resistance, commitment, will-power, class anger and action, and showed super performance as a warrior. During her stay in Kobane, comrade Sarya called on revolutionaries, the youth, women and people; local, regional and international forces fighting for revolution and socialism to "defend revolution" and to "touch the revolution." She said, "Defending Rojava's revolution means defending free future...If necessary, we will become martyrs... The task of the revolutionary is to make revolution." She lived what she taught and said. She handed us the red flag saying "Wherever the oppressed are, the communists must be there." Our comrades Serkan, Paramaz and Sarya, who became immortal in Rojava's revolution, point out the historic and political tasks of the revolutionaries. They are showing the way for freedom and the fight for socialism. Our MLCP party will continue to march on their path with consciousness, will-power and commitment to victory. Our comrade's call is also a call for International Brigades. It is a call for regional and world revolutionaries, revolutionary parties and groups to come to Rojava for Rojava's revolution and Kobane's resistance. Long Live Revolution and Socialism! Comrade Sarya is Immortal! Join the Rojava Revolution and Kobane Resistance! MLCP International Bureau Posted by Urun Harvest at 3:41 PM No comments: Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest "We will die honourably in our own land" The following report comes from our friends at DİHA. We have not edited the report. İBRAHİM ASLAN/MEHMET ZEKİ ÇİÇEK KOBANÊ (DİHA) - ISIS gangs target everyone in the places they occupy, whether armed or unarmed, slaughtering the people they capture with brutal methods. They then do not hesitate to publicise their massacres from their websites and on social media, claiming they perpetrate these acts in the name of ‘Islam’. After 3 months of attacks on Kobanê the ISIS gangs have been forced back by the resistance of the YPG/YPJ fighters and are suffering heavy losses. The ISIS gangs are now resorting to firing mortars and artillery into civilian areas on an almost daily basis. Two days ago 3 civilians, including a child, were killed when a mortar shell exploded in Kobanê. Two people were injured. 'While we were near the border Turkish soldiers fired gas at us' Fatma Mislim, whose 12-year-old son Mistefa Ebud and husband, 50-year-old Arab Ehmed Ebud were killed and whose 16-year-old daughter Emira Ebud was wounded, explained what happened. "We came from the village of Tewşo and moved in with our relatives. My husband took our animals across to Turkey so that they would be safe, but most of them were stolen, and he sold the rest for half price. While we were near the border Turkish soldiers fired gas at us so we came to the city. When the mortar landed I was at my neighbours’. I learned a shell had fallen on our house. The ISIS savages killed my 12-year-old son. My life is over.” Fatma Mislim said: “Can human beings do this? They say they are Moslems. Do Moslems chop people’s heads off? This isn’t Islam.? My daughter is still in shock from and cannot sleep from seeing her father and brother in pools of blood.” ‘We will die honourably in our own land’ A friend of the Ebud family, Bılal Tırki, said: "This is not the work of Moslems, it is the work of savages. They bombard us with mortars, but they will not achieve their aims. We will resist to the end and die honourably in our own land. We will not leave even if our houses are destroyed by shells. We would rather die here than go to Turkey.” 'ISIS gathers savages from different parts of the world...' Kerho Kino, whose 8-year-old daughter Azize died in a mortar attack on 12 November, said: "What is ISIS, that attracts savages from all over the world, doing here? What do they want from us? My eight-year-old daughter was killed by one of their mortars. I’ve heard they call Kobanê ‘Jerusalem’. Jerusalem is not here, it’s in Israel. If they’re Islamists they should go there. How can Moslems kill other Moslems? We may die but we won’t leave Kobanê. How can we leave when so many of our young people have shed their blood here?” Posted by Urun Harvest at 3:27 PM No comments: Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest Wednesday, December 17, 2014 Social movements fight back in North Kurdistan and Turkey Kadir Çakmak as a child A police killing in Amed/ Diyarbakır A special operations police team killed 16-year-old Kadir Çakmak in the Sur district of Amed/ Diyarbakır late yesterday. Witnesses who asked to remain anonymous stated that special operation team officers wearing snow masks deliberately fired on Kadir from armored vehicles during a demonstration. The teenager's face wasn't covered and he didn't have a stone in his hand. Kadir was severely injured after being hit with three bullets. People took the boy from the scene to another place while police units were firing. According to the witnesses, Çakmak lost much blood while waiting for an ambulance summoned by the people. Police reportedly stopped the ambulance in front of the Yenişehir police station and did not allow it to reach Kadir. The witnesses said that Kadir Çakmak drew his last breath in their arms, adding that they had managed to take him to the hospital in a taxi they called. Bullets fired by the police yesterday evening can be seen on many streets in the neighborhood where Kadir Çakmak was killed. Raids and detentions in Ankara Six young people were detained in police raids and remanded into custody yesterday on the grounds of joining activities marking the founding of the PKK (Kurdistan Worker's Party) in the Elvankent district of Ankara on November 27. The teenagers had previously been taken under these charges previously and released. Two other people were also detained and remanded into custody under the same accusation 3 days ago. The detainees have been sent to Sincan closed prison. çArşı trial postponed An Istanbul court has postponed the coup attempt case set against 35 members of the Beşiktaş’s çArşı supporters’ group until April 2. The court also lifted a ban on leaving Turkey for the 27 suspects that it heard yesterday. The ban had been handed down to all 35 of the suspects. The probation order placed on the remaining eight suspects remains in place. On September 11 the court accepted an indictment charging members of çArşı with “attempting a coup” against the government after they took part in last year’s Gezi resistance, the people's struggle. The indictment accused the brave çArşı members of attempting to capture the Prime Ministry’s offices in Ankara and Istanbul with the aim of creating “Arab Spring-like upheaval” and attempting to overthrow the government and made some other accusations as well. The shoddy case rests on vague charges and wire taps that do not prove the government's case. çArşı leader Erdem Işık demanded a lifting of the travel ban in court yesterday, arguing that Beşiktaş has a crucial match coming against Liverpool in the Europa League on February 19 in the U.K. Erdem Işık perhaps backtracked a bit in his testimony yesterday and çArşı member Erol Özdil said that he did not attend any rallies during the Gezi protests and that he had used the masks that were found in a police search of his home while drawing placards for matches. The authorities have tried to prove that the masks are evidence that çArşı members were trying to protect themselves against tear gas in the demonstrations. İbrahim Aydın, another çArşı member, said that he was on his honeymoon during the Gezi protests but took a somewhat different approach in his testimony. “Even if Beşiktaş is an (illegal) organization, we are a member of it,” he said. Bülent Ergenç said that he had attended some of the Gezi protests, but that he was in another city and at a wedding on the night of the rally at the Prime Ministry building. “Çarşı is not an illegal organization. It does not have a leader or a manager. It only has its customs,” he said. He argued that a gun found in a police search of his home was for his protection. Engin Sarar said that he was working at the front desk of Gezi Hotel, near the park where the protests took place, and that he was a victim because the hotel was affected by the tear gas shot by police during the demonstrations. “I am a good person and a good Beşiktaş fan,” he said. Murat Eroğlu said that the case has caused his divorce from his wife. “My wife became afraid and left when I was accused of being a member of a terrorist organization," he said. A döner kebab knife found in his house belonged to his father, who runs a kebab restaurant. Other people from çArşı or who are considered suspects in the case and who were in court easily defended themselves as well. One person was asked about his involvement in seizing a police anti-riot car and a bulldozer and said that he did not even have a driver’s license at that time. Another person said that he is a Fenerbahçe futbol club fan, which drew applause from fans present in the courtroom. A prominent çArşı member who owns a restaurant defended feeding the protesters as a good business move. People outside of the courtroom chanted slogans and football songs. If the çArşı defense is not always brave or consistently militant, we must also say that the çArşı members showed great bravery during the Gezi resistance and formed a part of working class support for the protests. We must also say that the hearing has exposed the weaknesses and stupidity of the government's case. Officials try to shift blame in the assassination of Hrant Dink Ahmet İlhan Güler, who was head of the Istanbul police’s intelligence unit at the time of Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink’s assassination in 2007, has accused former Trabzon police intelligence head Ramazan Akyürek of hiding information about the killing. “From the beginning, Akyürek has had hidden information...from inspectors to cover up the intelligence, to put us in a troublesome situation and to absolve their responsibility on the issue,” Güler said in his testimony as a suspect in the murder case. Güler also claimed the Trabzon police intelligence unit sent a notice to their department saying that “a significant attack will take place,” which was different from a notice that was sent to the Turkish National Police’s Intelligence branch that said “He will be killed regardless of its results.” Immediately at stake here is the matter of a phone that was used by Osman Hayal, the brother of Yasin Hayal, who has been charged with instigating the assassination and is serving an aggravated life sentence. The issues of what happened to the phone logs and the quality of the investigation into the murder then naturally arise. The long-term issue here concerns the conspiracy to assassinate Hrant Dink and the likely possibility that the conspiracy was put in order by civil servants and others working in concert for political reasons. Beyond that we have the question of who organized, oversaw and coordinated that conspiracy and for what ends. With each hearing the case against certain civil servants grows and none civil servants are being investigated for negligence in the murder. Government efforts to dodge blame and responsibility in the case also grow weaker or seem more far-fetched as the case continues. Attempts by the government to pin the murder on the Gülen movement have so far been unsuccessful, although the charges often distract people from the facts of the case. Progressive Turkish-Armenian journalist and publisher Hrant Dink was assassinated by Ogün Samast, in broad daylight on a busy street outside the office his newspaper January 19, 2007. Samast is serving a lengthy sentence in a F-Type closed prison but has said that he has much to say about the case now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dolva Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 Damascus, Dec 19 (Prensa Latina) Some 190 members of the Islamic State (IS) were killed in the recent 72 hours by the Syrian army in the city of Deir Ezzor, about 460 kilometers northeast of Damascus, said today military sources. Armed Group Backed By Washington Swears Loyalty to IS in SyriaA military spokesperson said that ISâ�Ö attempt to occupy the military airport in the southwest of the city for more than three weeks has failed.IS had numerous casualties during the clashes in Al Mariiyyah and Al Jafra, near the airport.As part of its counteroffensive, the Brigade 104, from the Republican Guard Army liberated Al Dagheem farms, in Al Mariiyyah.With this advance, the army pushes IS eastward and hinders the attack with mortars against the air base, said sources.The media reported that the army approached the Deir Ezzor aquarium, located in a strategic area and the occupation of which would break the siege of the Islamic State on the airport.This week, Syrian television reported that IS killed dozens of its members who fled during the clashes with soldiers in the city.Meanwhile, the army continues its offensive to liberate the strategic island of Saqer, on the Euphrates River, which divides Deir Ezzor, partly controlled by the army.sc/eav/tgj/rob Modificado el ( viernes, 19 de diciembre de 2014 )Armed Group Backed By Washington Swears Loyalty to IS in Syria PDF Imprimir E-MailDamascus, Dec 19 (Prensa Latina) The Shuhada Al Yarmuk Brigades, an armed group formed by 2000 members and backed and trained by the US for two years to fight against the Syrian Government, has sworn loyalty to the Islamic State (IS), broadcast Al Manar television channel today.The change of that group, with presence in the southern Syrian province of Daraa, could lead to the collapse of other armed groups in that zone, and represents a threat for Jordan and Israel, broadcast the television channel, also warning that about 45 kilometers of the border zone between Syria and Israel are now under IS control.According to Al Manar, the incident shows that The Westâ€Ã–s statement over the existence of alleged moderated rebel groups in Syria is false.The Israeli Haaretz daily also reports that apart from the Shuhada Al Yarmuk, the Abu Mohammed al Tilawi, and Bayt al Maqdis brigades swore loyalty to the terrorist group and its self-proclaimed Caliph Abu Bakr al Baghdadi.The Damascus Government has denounced in several occasions the U.S. and its regional and European allies´ support to several extremist groups operating in Syria.More than 2000 people have died and millions have been forced to leave their houses since the beginning of the conflict in March 2011.sus/ajs/tgj/rob Progress in revolutionary Rojava and in the fight against ISIS Revolutionary Rojava continues to resist and progress.In the Cizîre CantonThe Cizîre Canton Ministry of Defense has opened many self-defense centers in the canton to inform families about the Law of Defense and register young people in the People's Defense Forces (YPG).The law was approved on July 23 and requires young people join the YPG forces in defense of Cizîre Canton. There are 12 officers of the ministry working on informing and registering people and maintaining records in Serêkaniyê city. They stated that so far 115 people from the Arab and Kurdish populations have registered for self-defense.A new training session on traffic management has begun for female members of the Asayîş (Public Security) and Traffic Office in Rimêlan city in the Cizîre Canton. The training has 40 women and is held at the Star Thought and Ideology Center. The Asayîş and Traffic Office female staff come from the cities of Serêkaniyê, Qamişlo, Hesekê, Amûdê, Tirbespiyê, Dêrikê and Girgê in the Cizîre Canton.Aytan Ferhad, the General Commander of Rojava Women's Asayîş Forces, opened the training with a speech in which she drew attention to the role of women in Rojava's Revolution. She said that it is a must for all women to know about their history and strengthen the Women's Asayîş.The Asayîş is not a police force. Rather, they attempt to build and strengthen the revolution through public activism, as visible signs of popular power and as an expression of the people's will. They operate in the context of democratic self-management.Representatives of the Assemblies of Dêrik city and the Koçeran and Berav provinces held a congress at the Center of Art and Culture in Dêrik. The delegates elected the Assembly of Dêrik and people from all ethnic and religious groups to the People's Assembly of Cizîre Canton.The delegates elected 11 people from the Kurdish, Armenian and Assyrian groups. A committee from the People's Court observed the election and explained the requirements for running and voting.News from the common-front struggle against ISISIn the common-front fighting against ISIS today we can report that ISIS gangs have fired on the border village of Perepere in the Suruç district of Urfa with an anti-aircraft weapon they have placed on the Turkish border. A civilian from Kobanê, İslim Müso, was seriously wounded when she was hit in the chest in the ISIS attack. İslim Müso is 30 years old and the mother of 8 children. Turkish soldiers stationed on the border fled to a military post.The ISIS gangs coming from the Heyho hamlet in Qeremox village east of Kobanê brought the anti- aircraft weapon to the border and placed it near the railway on the Turkish side and then fired on the village of Perepere.İslim Müso was taken to the Suruç state hospital by the villagers after the ISIS attack and was later referred to another hospital in Urfa. She had been staying in the Perepere village since she fled the ISIS gang attacks on Kobanê. Villagers have said that the attack on their village went on for two hours and that all of the Turkish soldiers on the border fled the scene and went to the military guard post in the nearby village of Oğan. When villagers asked for help, the soldiers said that "We cannot do anything, you must protect yourselves."Almost all of the houses in the village were hit by ISIS fire. Local people tried to protect themselves by laying on the ground and waiting for 2 hours for the firing to stop. Turkish soldiers have not returned to the village, which now resembles a battlefield. In the meantime, the ISIS forces are still waiting at the border area with their anti-aircraft weapon pointed towards the village.The YPG (People's Defense Units) Press Center has announced that the ISIS gang attacks against Kobanê have continued into the 94th day.The YPG statement reports that YPG/J (People's/Women's Defense Forces) forces now have the advantage throughout the city and are making further advances against the ISIS gangs.According to the statement, the YPG/J fighters launched an attack against the ISIS gangs near the Yermuk school on the southern front last night, inflicting severe blows on the gangs and recapturing three positions they formerly occupied. Eleven ISIS fighters were killed in the fighting in this area.Sporadic fighting also broke out around the Culture and Art Center on the southeastern front, but the number of casualties could not be verified. YPG/J fighters carried out another attack against the ISIS gangs based in the village of Taktak last night, killing at least one ISIS fighter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dolva Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 Nicole Gohlke and other Left Party (Die Linke) leaders facing repression Nicole Gohlke The struggle to remove the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) from the various lists of "terrorist organizations" and free imprisoned Kurdish liberation movement leader Abdullah Öcalan is probably reaching its high point and stands the best chance of success now. The PKK and Abdullah Öcalan are seeking a principled peace with the Turkish state and the PKK's armed wings are major forces in the fight against ISIS. Rojava's revolution has taken many of Abdullah Öcalan's ideas and put them into practice. Still, the struggle remains difficult. We have previously posted here about the advanced efforts underway in Germany to delist the PKK and we have focused on the efforts of the Left Party (Die Linke) and Kurdish workers and students there in this effort. On November 18 and December 13 some Left Party leaders unfurled PKK flags, first at a demonstration in Munich and then in the Federal Parliament. In response to these protests the Berlin Public Prosecutor’s Office has initiated a criminal investigation into the ten Left Party deputies who held up a PKK flag last month. The Federal Parliamentary Immunity Commission in Munich has revoked the immunity of Left Party deputy Nicole Gohlke and the prosecutor’s office is using a social media photo as evidence that a crime was committed. Support for Nicole Gohlke by other parliamentarians has brought more charges and repression. Parliamentarians Diether Dehm, Karin Binder, Sabine Leidig, Pia Zimmermann, Hubertus Zdebel, Wolfgang Gehrcke, Alexander Ulrich, Andrej Hunko, Kathrin Vogler and Ulla Jelpke have all received letters from the Berlin Prosecutor’s office informing them that an investigation has been initiated into their solidarity protest for Nicole Gohlke. The Prosecutor’s office stated that the photograph shared on social media is considered evidence of a crime, as the PKK has been banned in Germany since 1993. Jelpke: Ban must be lifted immediately Parliamentarian Ulla Jelpke reacted angrily to the prosecutor’s decision to launch an investigation, saying that the PKK ban must be lifted immediately. She said that the ban criminalized tens of thousands of Kurdish activists in Germany, and added, "Even conservative political circles and media in Germany now say the PKK ban should be lifted.” Last week the Left Party, which has 64 deputies and is the main opposition party, entered a motion in the federal parliament for the lifting of the ban, saying that the Kurdish freedom movement was the motor of democratization in the Middle East. "A stain on German democracy" Nicole Gohlke unfurled a PKK flag at a solidarity event in Munich on November 18 and said, "A struggle for freedom, democracy and human rights has been waged under this flag.” Less than a month later the Federal Parliamentary Immunity Commission in Munich pulled her immunity. Kurdish and left democratic circles in Germany subsequently carried out solidarity actions with Nicole Gohlke. Ten Left Party deputies held up a PKK flag in parliament in solidarity with their colleague and then shared the photo on Facebook. Less than 24 hours later deputy Diether Dehm removed it from his account. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now