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KHRP Public Statement: Turkish-Iraqi Border Tensions - the Bigger Picture

The portrayal of the current crisis on the Turkish-Iraqi border by the media and the Turkish government leaves the major issues informing the conflict in south-east Turkey unaddressed.

The reported clashes between Turkish security forces and the PKK in the past week do not comprise an escalation in conflict there, merely an escalation in the rhetoric surrounding such conflict. Clashes have taken place continually in the past number of years, and are caused by an insistence on militarism and violence on both sides. The idea that the PKK is the sole instigator of unrest and violence in the region is mistaken. South-east Turkey is heavily militarised, with many regions remaining in a de-facto state of emergency years after martial law was officially lifted. Basic human rights continue to be violated on a daily basis and there exists an ongoing feeling of mistrust towards the state by many amongst the population. This situation does not lend itself to stability, reconciliation or an end to violence. Both the PKK and the Turkish Security forces are responsible for ongoing militarism in the region and for endangering stability and the lives of those living there.

KHRP Mourns Death of Mehmet Uzun

Mehmet Uzun 1953-2007

Kurdish Human Rights Project is extremely saddened at the death on 11 October in Diyarbakır of Kurdish writer and cultural figure Mehmet Uzun after a long battle with cancer.

A prolific writer and linguist of the Kurdish language, Uzun lived in exile in Sweden from 1977, where he led successful literary career. He was the writer of Turkey’s first modern Kurdish novel, Tu (You, 1985) and edited the first anthology of Kurdish literature which included over one hundred writers and poets from across the Kurdish regions. Over the years his work has faced censorship and restrictions in Turkey, but has been lauded internationally and translated into over 20 languages.

International NGOs Collaborate on Fact-Finding Mission on Media Freedom in Turkey

In July, KHRP undertook a fact-finding mission to Turkey in conjunction with Article 19, Index on Censorship, the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales and the Centre for European Studies at the University of Limerick, Ireland. Its aim was to investigate the current situation with regard to freedom of the media. During the 8-day mission, the delegates visited Istanbul, Diyarbakır and Batman, and met with a cross-section of representatives from broadcasting, print and online media, as well as with state officials, local lawyers and civil society groups. In particular, the mission was interested in finding out about the impact of the harmonisation package introduced as part of the EU-Turkey accession negotiations, especially on Kurdish, socialist and Islamist oriented media (reportedly the main targets of violations due to sensitivities to their discussions of the Kurdish question and/ or their socialist/ Islamist agendas).

KHRP carries out first ever ECtHR training in Hakkari, South-East Turkey

Jemima Stratford, C Huroglu, Nevzat Anuk On 5 May KHRP legal team member Jemima Stratford travelled to Yüksekova, Hakkari in south-east Turkey to deliver a one-day training seminar entitled “How to Bring a Claim before the European Court of Human Rights”. The training followed a request from the Hakkari Bar Association for KHRP to pass on its expertise in European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) litigation to local activists and practitioners. The diverse audience of over 30 was made up of lawyers, members of local government, journalists, trade union representatives and members of non-governmental organisations, including representatives of a women’s rights organisation. The Mayor of Yüksekova kindly arranged the venue for the seminar and welcomed the participants.

KHRP Deputy Director completes FFM investigating human rights in Kurdish regions of Iraq

Rachel Bernu and camp representative Hussein Karimi (right) in Baryka UNHCR Refugee Camp, Iraq, Jan 2007

In January, KHRP sent a fact-finding mission to the Kurdish Regions of Iraq, which comprised visits to Sulemanya, Dohuk and Arbil in the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), as well as to Kirkuk. The mission sought to investigate human rights developments in a region which has been transformed in so many ways since the fall of the Baathist regime in Iraq in 2003.

The particular focuses were the treatment of minorities, freedom of expression and the awareness and understanding of human rights. The mission met with a range of government, intergovernmental and NGO representatives. Observations and recommendations will be laid out in full in a report in April.

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