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The Human Rights Impact of Mass Displacement Caused by the Construction of the Ilisu Dam

Speech delivered by Anna Irvin, Development and Outreach Officer, Kurdish Human Rights Project, at El Faro civil society pavilion at the “Water and Sustainability”-themed Zaragoza Expo, 3 July 2008, and at the Foro Mundial de las Luchas del Agua side event, 4 July 2008

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Turkey’s Anti-Terror Laws: Threatening the Protection of Human Rights

This briefing paper explores Turkish anti-terror legislation in the wake of amendments in 2006 that brought into effect a series of draconian provisions which fail to meet the country’s human rights obligations under international law and which have in practice been used to violate the human rights of it citizens. In particular, the new law fails to respect international human rights obligations by containing a definition of terrorism which is too wide and vague, by increasing the range of crimes that can count as terrorist offences, and by posing a serious threat to the freedoms of expression and association, the right to a fair trial, and the prohibition of torture. Such legislation only serves to further the deterioration seen in the human rights situation in Turkey since 2005 and should therefore be amended.

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Submissions to the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting 2008

Submissions made by KHRP to the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting held in Warsaw from 29 September to 10 October 2008.

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Human Rights and the Kurds in Syria: Discrimination and Repression

Speech Delivered by KHRP Deputy Director Rachel Bernu at an Event at the Houses of Parliament on 21 October 2008 entitled ‘Human Rights and the Kurds in Syria: Discrimination and Repression’

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Freedom of Association and Labour Rights Under Threat: The Situation of Trade Unions in Turkey

This briefing paper assesses the extent to which the situation of trade unions in Turkey has changed in recent years, in the context of the country’s bid to accede to the European Union. The evidence suggests that the Turkish state is yet to recognise the valuable role that trade unions have to play as necessary social partners within the democratic system. Several pieces of Turkish legislation remain at odds with its commitments to respect trade union rights under various international agreements. In practice, too, the Turkish authorities continue to violate the rights of employees – particularly those working in the public sector – to associate freely, to bargain collectively and to go on strike. The situation is particularly bad in the Kurdish regions of south-east Turkey, where violations of trade union rights are exacerbated by a de facto state of emergency, restrictions on expressions of Kurdish culture, and factors such as poverty, discrimination and displacement.

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Response to the European Commission's 2008 Turkey Progress Report

Response of the Kurdish Human Rights Project to the 2008 Turkey Progress Report, Published by the European Commission on 5 November 2008.

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