Droits de l'Homme / Human Rights

AI's appeal against children's prosecution in Turkey
 
Since 2006, thousands of children in Turkey, some as young as 12, have been prosecuted under anti-terrorism legislation for their alleged participation in demonstrations. The demonstrations were focused on issues of concern to members of the Kurdish community and often involved violent clashes with the police.

Following their arrest, many children have been detained in adult detention facilities without record of the detention being made, and without the children having access to lawyers or their family. In many cases, once charged, the children have been remanded in custody, with pre-trial detention periods ranging from several months to over a year. During the detention period, these children often did not have access to education, health facilities and leisure activities. Many children have reported ill-treatment and torture during their arrest and their subsequent detention.

Earlier this year, the Turkish government amended the law to prevent the prosecution of child demonstrators under anti-terrorism legislation solely for their alleged participation in demonstrations. Under these amendments, all children previously convicted under the Anti-Terror Law will have their convictions quashed and all children prosecuted under other laws will be tried in Children’s Courts rather than adult Special Heavy Penal Courts.

While this is a positive step, in some cases children have not been released due to courts being slow to transfer the cases to Children’s Courts. There is also a lack of Children's Courts in some provinces, so it is likely that a number of these children are likely to be tried in adult courts

The prosecution of children under the same procedures as adults constitute a violation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Child Protection Law in Turkey. The Turkish authorities must ensure that the existing juvenile justice system is implemented in accordance with international human rights standards and Turkey’s domestic legislation.

The Turkish authorities have also failed in their obligation to effectively investigate the widespread, consistent and credible allegations that children were ill-treated during their arrest and detention in the context of the prosecutions.

Please click here to take action!

http://www.amnesty.org/en/appeals-for-action/turkey-all-children-have-rights

Testimonies of "Return to Life" Eye Witnesses

Bekir Şimşek, one of the complainants in the trial on the "return to life" operation, claimed in yesterday's hearing (26 November) that the people actually responsible for the incident were not the defendants currently at court.

The trial is concerned with the incidents in the Bayrampaşa (Istanbul) prison during the "return to life" operation on 19-22 December 2000. The police violently ended the "death fasts" of hundreds of political prisoners who had protested against a transfer from large wardens to F-type cells with only 3 or 4 prisoners. Twelve detained and convicted prisoners died in the Bayrampaşa Prison in the course of the operation.

The victims of the incident gave their statements in the second hearing before the Bakırköy (Istanbul) 13th High Criminal Court. 27 of the 39 un-detained defendants attended the hearing as well as the complainants and the lawyers of both parties.

Eye witness Ahmet Taner who was imprisoned at the time of the incident stated, "We did not want to go to F type prisons. They are places of torture. Military and civil bureaucrats are responsible for this operation".

Acquisition of video footage

Complainant Dinçer Otluçimen recalled, "I was not anticipation the operation at all. I did not hear the call to surrender either. The men were in the air conditioning shaft of the cell. Our friend Fırat was sprayed with gunfire after he had set himself on fire to force an end to the operation".

The joint attorneys filed a criminal complaint against the Eyüp Public Chief Prosecution which carried out the investigation into the incident under charges of "neglect of duty". They requested the acquisition of all related procedures particularly regarding Prosecutor Doğan Karakoç, then Minister of Justice Hikmet Sami Türk, Minister of the Interior Sadettin Tantan and Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Ferzan Çtici. The request was accepted.

The court announced that an investigation had previously been launched into former Minister of Justice Türk, Minister of the Interior Tantan, Gendarmerie General Commander Aytaç Yalman, Prosecutor Çitici, Prison Prosecutor Fikret Ünalan, Bayrampaşa Prison Commander Captain Zeki Bingöl, the manager and vice manager of the prison, the Ankara Gendarmerie Special Public Order Command, the Bayrampaşa Prison and Halkalı Gendarmerie Protection Battalion Command and the European Side Members Division Command.

The court declared that the investigations carried out by the Eyüp (Istanbul) Public Chief Prosecution in 2007 and 2009 were merged because of actual and legal connections by decisions dated 14.02.2008 and 17.02.2010. The court asked about what kind of procedures were carried out and about the outcome of the probe.

Furthermore, the court demanded the acquisition of the Bayrampaşa Prison Special Intervention Plan dated 15 December 2000. It was decided to issue a writ to the General Staff Presidency of the Operation Office, the Gendarmerie General Command, the Gendarmerie Regional Command and the Istanbul Gendarmerie Provincial Command in order to obtain information on the names, ranks and duties of the gendarmerie officers appointed to the operation. Moreover, the court decided to acquit the video records of the incident.

Arrest warrants for absent defendants

Defendants Hasan Köse, Yakup Yağcı, Asim Bulut, Murat Yılmaz, Abdullah Pala, Orhan Durgut and Musa Tarhan did not attend the hearing. The addresses of absent defendants Bayram Mavi, Mustafa Ece and Yusuf Aktepe could not be confirmed. The court decided to issue arrest warrants in their names. Three defendants did not attend the hearing despite a subpoena. The court decided to bring them in on compulsion.

Ercan Kartal, imprisoned leader of the Party and Revolutionary Front for the Liberation of the Turkish People (DHKP-C) who was also incarcerated during the "return to life" operation, and five further victims applied to court to attend the hearing as witnesses. However, the court dismissed their request and decided to take their statements upon an according directive.(BIA, Berivan TAPAN, 26 November 2010)

La Turquie condamnée pour violences policières sur un garçon de 12 ans

La Turquie a été condamné mardi par la Cour européenne des droits de l'Homme (CEDH), pour la lenteur de la procédure pénale consécutive à la plainte d'un garçon de 12 ans victime de violences policières, et la faiblesse des sanctions reçues par les policiers.

Le 7 octobre 2001, Cigerhun Öner avait été placé en garde à vue par la police de Narlidere (Izmir), après avoir refusé de donner son nom lors d'un contrôle d'identité.

Il avait été battu par un fonctionnaire, sur ordre d'un autre, et avait reçu une attestation d'incapacité de travail d'un jour.

Le parquet d'Izmir avait intenté une action pénale contre les policiers en août 2002, à la suite de la plainte déposé par la mère de la victime en octobre 2001. Cigerhun Öner s'était déclaré "partie intervenante" dans la procédure en juin 2003.

"Plus de sept ans plus tard, cette procédure est toujours en cours", ce qui représente une "durée excessive", a estimé la cour.

De surcroît, si une condamnation a bien été prononcée contre le policier coupable, elle a été "assortie d'un sursis à exécution de la peine", et le policier a bénéficié "de circonstances atténuantes compte tenu de son comportement exemplaire au procès, alors même qu'il n'a pas assisté à toutes les audiences", note la cour.

"Les dispositions législatives et répressives du droit national ont en réalité été utilisées pour éviter toute condamnation effective du policier", accuse-t-elle. la cour relève aussi que "la procédure disciplinaire s'est également finie sans sanctions".

La Turquie a été condamnée à verser 30.000 euros au jeune homme pour son dommage moral. Elle a trois mois pour faire appel. (AFP, 23 nov 2010)

Decade-old ‘return to life’ case sees first hearing in Turkey

Soldiers who allegedly took part in operations at Istanbul’s Bayrampaşa Prison 10 years ago that caused the deaths of 12 people were finally brought to trial at Bakırköy Courthouse on Tuesday on charges of murder and attempted murder.

The day of the first hearing saw the suspects and complainants identified, and indictment read inside a court surrounded by protesting crowds. The police took tight security precautions but the protests were conducted without incident.

“It has been 10 years. Let those who burned prisoners alive at Bayrampaşa on Dec. 19, 2000 be punished,” and,

“We were at Bayrampaşa on Dec. 19. We are the ones who were shot and burned alive. We want justice,” were the slogans written on two large banners a number of protesters held up outside the court.

“Operation: Return to life,” was conducted from Dec. 19 to 22, 2000, in 20 prisons around the country to intervene in hunger strikes prisoners were holding in protest of the F-Type prisons, where prisoners are contained in cells accommodating three people at most, rather than the larger, dormitory-type cells.

The operations were criticized for their use of excessive force, characterized by incidents such as prisoners being burned alive, being buried under the rubble of a wall toppled by earthmoving machines, and in one instance even an arm being torn off.

The court accepted relatives of the deceased as complainants in the case, but denied similar requests from the Peace and Democracy Party, or BDP, as well as six nongovernmental organizations. Protesters who stood watch throughout the trial were angry that only low-ranking soldiers were being tried as they blamed government officials and the general directorate of prisons for the deaths.

“Why are the people who gave the orders and handed the gas bombs to the privates not inside this courtroom as suspects?” asked lawyer Özkan Yücel in the courtroom.

Ali Taş, a former inmate at Ümraniye Prison and complainant in the case, said the state “could not carry the burden of what it did,” and that was the reason the case was finally being heard after such a long time. The state was trying to hide behind a statute of limitations to avoid having to pay compensation, he said.

The 39 gendarmerie staff are on trial without arrest for “knowingly committing murder during the execution of duty,” with a demand of 20 to 25 years prison sentence for each of the 12 people who died during the Bayrampaşa Prison raid – almost sarcastically titled “Operation: Return to life.”

A total of 26 of the defendants were present at the first hearing. The soldiers also face nine to 15 years for “attempting to knowingly commit murder during the execution of duty” of a further 29 victims each. The sentences were decided according to Turkish Penal Law, which says, “A person who carries out the provisions of the law will receive no punishment” and “One cannot be sentenced for acts committed in legitimate self defense and out of necessity.”

Taş told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review the raids were horrific. “The operation began during the night of Dec. 19 at 10 minutes to 4 a.m. Soldiers, police, helicopters … they charged without warning while shooting and throwing gas bombs. We notified friends on hunger strike, woke sleeping friends up and took action to save ourselves from this attempt of the state to massacre us.” When asked to describe the atmosphere, he said a massive amount of bombs was used and bullet holes covered the walls, which were also were being struck by earth-moving machines.

Columnist Oral Çalışlar, who was among the group mediating between the hunger-striking prisoners and authorities immediately before the operations, told private news channel NTV on Tuesday that some powers among the state wanted the operation performed the way it was.

Çalışlar said Hikmet Sami Türk, justice minister at the time, told him that he and Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit wanted to prevent the operation, but the state, and especially some powers among the military, had a strong intention to conduct the operation the way it was conducted.

Çalışlar also criticized the media at the time for helping state bodies to misinform the public about the operations. (Hürriyet Daily News, November 23, 2010)

Protestation: "Detention Turned into Punishment"

About 300 people demonstrated against the arrest of members the Socialist Democracy Party (SDP) and the Platform for Social Freedom (TÖP) on Istanbul's centrally located Taksim Square on Sunday (21 November). The members of both legal political groups were arrested on 21 September this year because of their alleged affiliation to the "Revolutionary Headquarters" terrorist organizaiton. Requests for their release were dismissed.

The protestors criticized the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) with banners reading "So this is the AKP Democracy, whose turn is it?" The demonstration went along the popular Istiklal Avenue towards Taksim Square and was also attended by Tayfun Görgün, Secretary General of the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions (DİSK).

Members of the SDP, TÖP and other protestors shouted slogans saying "Break down the dungeons, freedom to the prisoners" and "The conspiracies are not and will not be ripped out".

Atak: Detention is turned into punishment once more

Serkan Atak, Istanbul Provincial Chairman of the Labour Movement Party (EHP) read out a statement on behalf of the "Whose turn is it?" Initiative on Taksim Square. He criticized that an indictment had still not been prepared yet even though a full two months had passed.

"It is still uncertain when our friends are going to be taken to court. In the light of previous examples, the arrests as the result of this operation allegedly carried out as a precautionary measure are being transformed into a punishment once more. Just as it was said by President Abdullah Gül, they are being kept in prison for months without even knowing the charges pressed against them".

Atak called on the Justice Ministry and the Ministry of the Interior to announce the results of the investigation immediately. He claimed that an investigation regarding the detention of 13 people could not inflict that big a strain on the judiciary.

Detained for two months

13 left wing activists were taken into custody on 21 September 2010 and arrested four days later, among them SDP Chairman Rıdvan Turan, TÖP spokesmen Oğuzhan Kayserilioğlu and Tuncay Yılmaz, SDP Deputy Chairs Günay Kulibay and Ecevit Piroğlu, Central Steering Board Member Ulaş Bayraktaroğlu, SDP members Özgür Cafer Kalafat and İbrahim Turgut and TÖP member Semih Aydın.

Additionally, the former Chief of Police of Eskişehir, Hanefi Avcı, was arrested for allegedly aiding an illegal organization.(BIA, Erol ÖNDEROĞLU, 23 November 2010)

Students Convicted for Criticism of Prime Minister

The Sarıyer (Istanbul) 3rd Criminal Court of First Instance handed down a 1year and three months prison sentence each to 18 students of the Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ). The students were punished for protesting Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the course of the politician's visit on the occasion of an opening ceremony at the university.

The trial against the 18 students was opened two years ago in 2008. The court convicted the students under charges of opposing Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations. The sentences were postponed due to a lack of criminal record of the defendants.

The young defendants were convicted on 5 November. The sentence will be executed if they commit the same sort of crime within the coming five years. The students had shouted slogans critical of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) during the prime minister's visit and posted banners reading, "The İTÜ madrasah", "An AKP government movie", "The great invasion" and "The keynote speaker of the İTÜ opening ceremony, the rectorship is not a branch of the AKP".

Tüzer and Yılmaz detained for eight months

Ferhat Tüzer and Berna Yılmaz, two members of the "Youth Federation", have been detained for eight months now. They were arrested for displaying a banner reading "We want free education, and we will get it" during the speech of PM Erdoğan at the "Romani meeting" on 14 March this year in Istanbul.

Mother of detained student called on Prime Minister

The trial against Tüzer and Yılmaz started on 30 September before the Istanbul 10th High Criminal Court. Preceding the first hearing, Tüzer's mother called on the Prime Minister and President Abdullah Gül, "I am just as much a prisoner as my son. He did not hit anybody, he did not steal. He wanted free education which is the right of any student. My son experienced injustice. They should let him free. I am calling on the President, the Prime Minister and the President of YÖK [Higher Education Council] with the cry for help from a mother. Give an end to this injustice".

Tüzer and Yılmaz are charged with "membership of an illegal organization" and face imprisonment of between six to 15 years. The next hearing is scheduled for 14 December. (BIA, Erol ÖNDEROĞLU, 24 November 2010)

Imprisoned lawyer Erbey, elected as vice-chair of the IHD

The General Management Board of Human Rights Association (İHD), which was elected in the 15th Ordinary General Meeting, held its first meeting. IHD Diyarbakır Branch Chief Lawyer Muharrem Erbey, who is under arrest in the frame of KCK case, was assigned the Chair Assistant role in the meeting, where distributions of works were organized.

The IHD Administration leaded by Öztürk Türkdoğan, who was reelected with 15.Ordinary General Meeting, held its first meeting. Coming together under the presidency of Türkdoğan, the original and substitute members of general management determined the names of Co-Chairs and Secretary General after the 6 hours meeting. According to the amendments; IHD Diyarbakır Branch Chief Lawyer Muharrem Erbey, who is still under arrest in the frame of KCK case, and Ex-Secretary General Sevim Salihoğlu were assigned to Chair Assistant role, while lawyer Emrah Ayhanlıoğlu was assigned to General Secretary. Besides, Selam Güngör was assigned to General Accounting, İsmail Poyraz to General Secretary Assistantship responsible for education, Metin Uzunöz to General Secretary Assistant role responsible for organization, Reşat Çetinbaş and Gençağa Karafazlı to press.

Expressing the plans for the new period in the meeting, İHD General President Öztürk Türkdoğan stated that there exists a democracy and human rights problem in Turkey, adding that the Kurdish problem, religion and freedom for conscious are among the most important reasons of this problem. Türkdoğan said; “We now have difficult duties before us. We will overcome these difficulties all together. As İHD, we will actualize the language of peace”. (kurdish-info.eu/, 21 novembre 2010)

Rights of children violated despite new Anti-Terror Law amendment

On July 25, the amendment to the Anti-Terror Law (TMK) known as the “Child Stone Thrower’s Law” came into effect, yet the security authorities continue to trample on children’s rights. According to the revised TMK, children will not receive prison sentences for attending political demonstrations or protests unless they use firearms at the event in question.

Over the past 25 days, police have arrested 15 children in Mersin alone. Eyüp Sabri Öncel, a member of Human Rights Association (IHD) Central Executive Board, said that the legal change has not improved the condition of children or reduced the state’s prosecution of children involved in demonstrations.

In total, 20 children over recent days were taken into custody for allegedly “being members of an illegal organization,” “acting on behalf of an organization,” “bringing a member to the organization”, “damaging common property”, “using explosive material” and “opposing the law at a demonstration”. The children are all aged between 14 or 15 years.

Furthermore, some of the children’s families allege that their children were forced to perform labour for police while in custody and others were forced to sign false confessions, writing their signature on the bottom of a blank page before the police added fabricated confessions.

Tuncel believes that the amended TMK is nothing more than a worthless piece of paper: “The amendment was made to calm people not as a permanent solution.

It is still possible for Kurdish children to be accused of being members of an illegal organization or making propaganda. This violates international and national law on children’s rights as well as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children. The government needs to find a new way to address these issues instead of arresting children,” said Tuncel. (DIHA, 16 November 2010)

10 children victims in the last 8 months

Rojivan is the 10th child who were killed either by the police or due to unexploded explosive ordnances since April.Four and six year-old two siblings in Aslantepe village, between Cizre and Idil districts of Sirnak found a military object 20 meters away from the military base in the village. While they were playing with the object in order to understand what it was, the object exploded. As a result 6-year-old Rojivan died and 4-year-old Besir got injured.

Rojivan is the 10th child who were killed either by the police or due to unexploded explosive ordnances since April.

It is reported that while Rojivan died at Cizre State Hospital where she was taken after the explosion her brother Besir was taken to Diyarbakir in a helicopter.

While the kind of the explosion remains unknown it is reported that a military base was set up in 1994 where the children were playing. There is a watch tower 20 meters away from the venue where soldier are watching around.

15 children have been killed since 2009

15 children were killed either by security forces or unexploded explosive ordnance since last year. The first victim of these kind of executions by the Turkish police was 14-year-old Abdülsamet Erip who was killed in Hakkari on 23 April [Turkish children’s day festival] after KCK declared a ceasefire.

The last victim before Rojivan was 13-year-old Oğuzhan Akyükrek who died in an explosion on 25 May 2010 around Mustafa Muğlalı Barracks in Ozalp district of Van.

According to the human rights organisations and ANF records while at least 403 children have been killed between 1998-2009. The number of the children who have been killed since the beginning of this year is 10.

The incidents

11 November: Siblings Besir (4) and Rojivan (6) between Cizre- Idil districts found unexploded explosive ordnance in a former military station. While Rojivan died besir got injured.

10 October: 7-year-old Furkan Akçil who was among the protestors in Silopi district of Sirnak was hit by a car while trying to escape the tear gas fired by the police.

6 October: 12-year-old Ahmet İmre was killed by unexploded explosive ordnance which he was found around a military base in Guclukonak district of Sirnak. Another peer of Ahmet was reported to be injured.

29 September: 14-year-old İsa İbrahimzade who was from Urmiye city of the East Kurdistan was killed by the Turkish soldiers on the border in Yuksekova district of Hakkari. Isa was reported to have killed within the Turkish borders on asphalt road.

17 September: 15-year-old Enver Turan was shot dead by a specialised sergeant during a protest held at the first day of Eid.

22 July: 16-year-old Canan Saldık was killed with a bullet hit her head while having picnic in a village around Hacibekir Barracks in Van province.

22 June: 14-year-old Birem Basan who was hit by a police panzer was killed in Sirnak.

25 May: 13-year-old Oğuzhan Akyükrek was killed in an explosion on 25 May 2010 while playing around Mustafa Muğlalı Barracks in Ozalp district of Van. 4 other children were injured. A child claimed that the exploded object was thrown by a soldier in the barracks.

2 April: 14-year-old Mehmet Nuri, student of high school, was shot dead by the Turkish soldiers in Caldiran district of Van province.

23 April: A 14-year-old shepherd İzzettin Boz, was killed by unexploded explosive ordnance which he found while herding his sheep. The ordnance reported to be belonging the Turkish army. (kurdish-info.eu, Maxime Demiralp, November 12 2010)

Lack of Jurisdiction for Prosecution of Putchists

Hamza Keleş, Special Authority Public Deputy Chief Prosecutor, decided for a lack of jurisdiction regarding the prosecution of the group of military personnel, then members of the National Security Council, who are held responsible for the military coup on 12 September 1980. In the course of the referring legal amendment made after the referendum on the constitutional reform package in September this year, several non-governmental organizations had filed an according complaint, among them the Human Rights Association (İHD) and the Association of Human Rights and Solidarity for Oppressed Peoples (MAZLUMDER).

Keleş reasoned the decision by mentinoning that the State Security Courts (DGM) wich are in charge of handling violations of the constitution, are authorized to try crimes committed after 1984. The special authority prosecutions established after the closure of the DGMs cannot investigate incidents from before 1984, Keleş said.

Confusion of authorities

As reported by Vatan newspaper, there are three options for the defendants who were allegedly involved in the plotting of the 1980 coup. The file will either be investigated by the Ankara Chief prosecution, by the Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Prosecution or the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) Parliamentary Commission will be engaged.

According to the news, the complainants have the right to appeal to the decision for lack of jurisdiction. The appeal can be adjudicated by an Istanbul special authority high criminal court.

Possible outcomes

If nobody files an appeal or the appeal is being rejected, the decision will be given by İbrahim Ethem Kruiş who was appointed to the Ankara Chief Prosecution by the Judges and Prosecutors Supreme Council (HSYK) last week.

With the latest constitutional amendments, Chief Prosecutor Kuriş may proceed according to the provisions related to the prosecution of the Heads of the General Staff and the Forces Commanders before the Supreme Court.

There are again three options of the Ankara Chief Prosecution: The Chief Prosecution can either carry out the investigation itself or appoint the Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Prosecution or the TBMM that is in charge of preparing the files of the Supreme Court.

Precedents

According to the laws on the DGMs, special authority courts cannot try crimes committed before 1 May 1984. Hence, the main trials against the Revolutionary Path organization (Dev-Yol) and the terrorist organization Dev-Sol for instance were not heard at a special authority high criminal court but before the Ankara 6th High Criminal Court.

Constitutional amendments

After the constitutional amendments as an outcome of the referendum on 12 September 2010, numerous complaints were filed against the putchists who allegedly plotted the constitutional coup. The amendments included the abrogation of the temporary article 15 that protected the putchists from prosecution. (BIA, Burçin BELGE, 9 November 2010)

Women Protest PM Erdoğan in Women's Meeting

Women at the International Women's Istanbul Meeting protested Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during his speech at the Istanbul Congress Centre. They rose to their feet and held up banners reading "More of us are being killed when you say we are not equal" and "The men's love kills three women per day".

The women protested quietly. Security personnel in the hall took the banners and removed the women from the venue.

"The Prime Minister should think about our safety instead of the number of children"

Members of the Feminist Collective underlined that 236 women were killed in the first seven months of 2010. "Prime Minister Erdoğan continues to tell women to give birth to three children whereas he does not mention the women who died", they criticized.

The women reminded Erdoğan's statement made in a meeting with women organizations in Istanbul where he said, "I do not believe in gender equality". The women questioned "Prime Minister Erdoğan's policies to be implemented to provide safety for the life of women".

Başbakan Erdoğan'ın Dolmabahçe'de kadın örgütleriyle yaptığı toplantıda "kadın erkek eşitliğine inanmıyorum" dediğini hatırlatan kadınlar, "Başbakan Erdoğan'a kadınların can güvenliklerini sağlamak için hayata geçirecekleri politikaları" sordular:

"We do not ask Prime Minister Erdoğan to work on the women's 'disposition' or on 'how many children they should have'. We want him to fulfil his duty and prevent violence against women, oppression and discrimination. We want to hear that steps are being taken and policies are being implemented that guarantee our right to life and life safety. We want to hear that very urgently because on every day that passes with all these announcements, another three women are being killed".

"Women murders are not on the government's agenda"

The women made a press release including the following issues:

* According to the standards of the European Union (EU), one women's shelter should be opened per 7,500 people. Hence, there should be 7,500 shelters in Turkey, but in reality there are 38. They have a total capacity of 867 people.

* In the Gender Equality report of the World Economic Forum Turkey ranks in 126th position among a total of 134 countries.

* The number of women murders increased by 1,400 percent within the past seven years. There is no action plan to stop this development. In fact, the legislature and the executive do not even have an according agenda.

* At court, the murders benefit from an unjust mitigation of punishment because of provocation. The women are killed by their husbands after they come back from the police, from shelters and prosecutors.

Erdoğan again defended rights of "ladies with headscarves"

In his speech delivered at the International Women Istanbul Meeting, Erdoğan once more claimed that the rights of women with and without headscarves should be defended. Read the main points of his speech as follows:

Don't wait for you rights to be delivered: We appreciate to see more of our sisters in every area from politics to local administration, from work life to education and in culture and sports; we appreciate to see more successful women. Yet we know that this is not sufficient. Do not wait for your rights to be delivered but struggle for obtaining your rights.

Rights and freedoms are not the vision of a certain section: Rights and freedoms as basic human needs may not be assessed as owned by a certain section [of society] or as the dream of a certain section.

Headscarf question: Despite our struggle, both in the name of contemporary life and modernity it does not accord with equality, humanity or conscience to have young girls removed from school because of their way to dress. (BIA, Burçin BELGE, 8 November 2010)

La chasse au militant de gauche s’intensifie

Le 30 octobre dernier, la police antiterroriste turque a mené une série de perquisitions dans une association de quartier, l’Association anatolienne des libertés,  et dans plusieurs domiciles des arrondissements stambouliotes de Mustafa Kemal (surnommé Quartier du 1er mai par la population),  de Maltepe et de Gaziosmanpasa. Lors de cette opération appuyée par les hélicoptères des unités des opérations spéciales et par les escadrons d’intervention rapide, 16 militants présumés du DHKP-C ont été arrêtés au motif qu’ils auraient participé l’an dernier aux manifestations contre le FMI et la Banque mondiale. Douze d’entre eux ont été incarcérés pour appartenance au DHKP-C.

Le 3 novembre,  18 étudiants ont été raflés par la police à Kocaeli (120 km d’Istanbul) et à Istanbul pour leur appartenance au DHKP-C. Aux dires de la police, plusieurs ordinateurs, des CD-Rom, des DVD, des affiches et  des pancartes auraient été saisis. Les étudiants arrêtés sont membres de la Fédération de la jeunesse, une organisation de gauche proche du Front populaire. Cette opération intervient à trois jours des traditionnelles manifestations étudiantes visant le Haut-Conseil à l’Education (YÖK), une institution liberticide créée le 6 novembre 1981 par la junte militaire du général Evren mettant les écoles supérieures et les universités sous tutelle de l’armée.

Le 5 novembre, un cortège de la Fédération de la jeunesse a tout de même pu se former et marcher vers l’Assemblée nationale avec pour revendication l’abrogation du YÖK et la gratuité de l’enseignement. Une délégation de trois étudiants a même été reçue au parlement par Hasip Kaplan, un député du parti pro-kurde BDP.

Alors que la manifestation prenait fin, la police anti-émeute est violemment intervenue sur la place Kizilay pour disperser le cortège estudiantin. Onze membres de la Fédération de la jeunesse ont été battus devant les caméras de télévision et les badauds avant d’être embarqués. Un étudiant dénommé Cagri Ünver a perdu connaissance durant le passage à tabac de la police. Peu avant minuit, heure turque, il se trouvait encore en soins intensifs du département de chirurgie cérébrale à l’hôpital Numune. La plupart de ces étudiants auraient été relaxés en soirée. Certains d’entre eux seraient soumis aux interrogatoires de la Direction antiterroriste (TEM).

En moins d’une semaine, plus de 40 militants associatifs ont ainsi été arbitrairement arrêtés dans le cadre d’opérations visant le DHKP-C. (comitedeslibertes@gmail.com, 5 novembre 2010)

Festus Okey case: The protestors will stand trial

The court trying the case of Festus Okey didn’t impose penalty on the murderer police while beginning legal action against those who mention that they want justice.

The court trying the case of Festus Okey didn’t impose penalty on the murderer police as it is still occupied with “authentication”, while beginning legal action against those who mention that they want justice.

The case concerning the murder of Nigerian migrant Festus Okey, who lost his life on 20 August 2007 with a bullet of police gun in İstanbul Beyoğlu Public Security Office Department he was taken to as a detainee, is continuing today.

Defendant police officer Cengiz Yıldız and his lawyer were on the trial in Beyoğlu 4. High Criminal Court, while Göçmen Solidarity Net activists were also there, filing a petition to the court to express that they want to take part in the case.

The court board refused the involvement application and filed a criminal complaint against Göçmen Solidarity Net activists .

The board filed the complaint to Public Prosecution Office against the petition signer activists Didem Danış, Çağdaş Önder, Ufuk Ahıksa, Selim Can Yıldırım, Sema Coşkun, Ayşe Zeynep Akalın, Burak Boysun, Ahmet Murat Öğüt, Özhan Önder for their following statement on the petition; “The judgment process has extended much enough to damage the reliance in justice and the violation of right to live, which is the fundamental right, is neglected due to procedural discussions”. The chief judge İshak Eren claimed that the court board is insulted with these statements.

Eren also joined a TV program and decided for legal action against Contemporary Lawyers' Association lawyer Güray Dağ, who criticized the lawsuit process and said that the case is aimed to be procrastinated and lived down and claimed that the police officer would be returned a verdict of not guilty.

And the trial didn’t record any progression in Festus Okey’s murder. The court board reminded that the Ministry of Justice is responsible for Okey’s identifying information and consulting Foreign Ministry about the case. The court board decided for asking the answer of Foreign Ministry and suspended the trial to a forward date. (ANF, 5 November 2010)

352 prisoners died in Turkish prisons

Authorities are maintaining silence about the worsening situations of ill prisoners and closing their eyes to the death of 352 prisoners in the last 10 years.

Authorities are maintaining silence about the worsening situations of ill prisoners and closing their eyes to the death of 352 prisoners in the last 10 years. Ignoring warnings that “the prisoners cannot be treated in the prison”, authorities explain deaths as “natural death” and thus, they legally approve to leave other ill prisoners and convicts to the same fate.

While 97 seriously ill prisoners are waiting for their “time of death”, other prisoners also face similar illnesses. 

Authorities are remaining insensitive to ill prisoners that are progressing to death in prisons of Turkey. According to the report of TİHV Documentation Center concerning the right abuses in the first 6 months of 2010, 97 seriously ill prisoners and convicts are waiting for treatment. However, no positive step has been taken so far despite the big effort of tens of institutions and political organizations like İHD, MAZLUM-DER, TUHAD-FED, DTO, BDP, Blue Libra Jurists and regional bars that have appealed to government many times.

According to the researches made, the number of prisoners left to death in prisons has reached 352 in the last 10 years. While the insensitivity is bringing ill prisoners closer to death day by day, the worry of families is changing into uprising. By expressing deaths as “date of maturity”, authorities are giving a legal approval to further prisoner deaths like Abdullah Akçay, who got cancer before his 18 and lost his life in the prison he was jailed in. 

Forensic Report awaited for Soysal

The situations of some ill prisoners have become worrisome in the last two weeks. Bedfast prisoner Nurettin Soysal, who has no medical chance to live, is waiting for his death in Diyarbakır D Type Closed Prison. Soysal’s needs are met by his ward-mates. The decision of the Forensic Medicine Institution, where Soysal was taken for the third time, is awaited curiously.

Suffering on the way to the hospital!

Similarly, the thyroid gland cancer of prisoner İsmet Ayaz in Adıyaman E Type has evolved into throat cancer. Ayaz’s family wants to hire an ambulance for him as he cannot be taken to legal medicine with a ring vehicle due to his illness, but the prison administration doesn’t make any allowances for them. And the pains of osteoid cancer patient Halil Güneş in Diyarbakır D Type Closed Prison are eased with narcotics. (ANF, November 4, 2010)

Woman warrior wins after 117 days of resistance

Türkan Albayrak has won after a 117-day protest to gain her job back.

Albayrak went on hunger strike after the 112nd day of waiting in front of Paşabahçe State Hospital, where she used to work. Many NGOs, workers and performers had supported her in her fight for her job.

Now, Albayrak will work at any health department she chooses, closest to her home.

She was informed of her success by two officers from the Health Minister’s Health Department.

Now, she is only waiting for an official paper to conclude her historical resistance at the front doors of the hospital. (DIHA, November 4, 2010)

HRW: anti-terror law used to repress legitimate dissent

Human Rights Watch said it "unequivocally condemns the October 31, 2010 suicide bomb attack in Istanbul." According to the international organization "it is essential that Turkey's response targets the perpetrators, not legitimate dissenters."

Human Rights Watch released a report today documenting the use of anti-terror laws to prosecute hundreds of Kurdish demonstrators as though they were armed militants, violating free expression, association, and assembly.

The 75-page report, "Protesting as a Terrorist Offense: The Arbitrary Use of Terrorism Laws to Prosecute and Incarcerate Demonstrators in Turkey," is based on a review of 50 cases. It describes 26 cases of individuals prosecuted for terrorism even though they had nothing to do with violence such as the October 31 attack, but simply for taking part in protests deemed by the government to be sympathetic to the outlawed armed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Hundreds of Kurdish demonstrators are currently in prison pending the outcome of their trials or appeals against convictions. Others are serving long sentences that have been upheld by Turkey's top court of appeal.

"When it comes to the Kurdish question, the courts in Turkey are all too quick to label political opposition as terrorism," said Emma Sinclair-Webb, Turkey researcher at Human Rights Watch and author of the report. "When you close off the space for free speech and association, it has the counterproductive effect of making armed opposition more attractive."

Over the past three years, courts have relied on broadly drafted terrorism laws introduced as provisions of the 2005 Turkish Penal Code, plus case law, to prosecute demonstrators. The courts have ruled that merely being present at a demonstration that the PKK encouraged people to attend amounts to acting under PKK orders. Demonstrators have been punished severely for acts of terrorism even if their offense was making a victory sign, clapping, shouting a PKK slogan, throwing a stone, or burning a tire.

The report calls on the Turkish authorities to amend the laws that have resulted in the arbitrary and punitive application of terrorism charges against demonstrators, to suspend ongoing prosecutions against demonstrators under these laws, and to review the cases of those already convicted.

Following domestic and international criticism over the prosecution on terrorism charges of children who attended Kurdish demonstrations, parliament amended the laws in July to quash such convictions and prevent the prosecution of children in courts that specialize in terrorism cases.

But the laws otherwise remain unchanged, including article 220/6 of the Turkish Penal Code, prohibiting offenses committed on behalf of the PKK, which is used to prosecute demonstrators in conjunction with article 314/2, criminalizing armed membership in the organization.

"Ending the prosecution under these laws of most child demonstrators was an important step forward," Sinclair-Webb said. "But allowing laws clearly aimed at terrorism to be used against adult demonstrators inflicts immense damage on free expression, assembly, and association in Turkey."

Among the cases cited in the report are the following. In each case, the court concluded that the individual joined the demonstration under PKK orders because of news reports in advance of the demonstrations saying the PKK urged people to take part.

A university student, Murat Işıkırık, is serving a sentence of six years and three months for making a victory sign at the March 2006 funeral procession in Diyarbakır for four PKK members, and clapping during a March 2007 protest on the campus at Diyarbakır's Dicle University.

A mother of six, Vesile Tadik, was sentenced to seven years for holding up a banner with a slogan "The approach to peace lies through Öcalan" during a December 2009 protest in Kurtalan, Siirt, against the prison conditions of the imprisoned PKK leader. Her case is on appeal.

Medeni Aydın shouted, "Long live Chairman Öcalan" at a similar demonstration on the same day in Eruh, Siirt, and was sentenced to seven years. He is in prison pending his appeal. At the same demonstration Selahattin Erden was similarly punished for holding the edge of a banner with a pro-PKK slogan. He too remains in prison pending his appeal.

Fatma Gökhan, Tufan Yıldırım, and Feyzi Aslan received sentences ranging from 10 years and 5 months to 11 years and 3 months for shouting slogans, making victory signs and throwing stones during a March 26, 2008 demonstration in Diyarbakır. Their convictions for "committing crimes on behalf of the PKK", punishable as "membership in an armed organization," have been upheld, and they will serve at least seven years in prison, with an ongoing retrial on other charges against them following a July 2010 amendment to the Law on Demonstrations and Public Assemblies.

The ongoing prosecutions of demonstrators are part of a wider crackdown on pro-Kurdish legal political parties for alleged ties to the PKK. On October 18, 152 members and officials of the Democratic Society Party, which was closed by the Constitutional Court in December, 2009, and its successor, the Peace and Democracy Party, which has 20 members in parliament, went on trial in Diyarbakır on charges ranging from separatism, to membership of an armed organization, to aiding abetting that organization.

The defendants include serving and former mayors, a prominent human rights defender, and lawyers. Six of the serving mayors and a human rights defender were arrested last December and have been detained since that time. Another 53, including the lawyers, have been detained since April 2009. Across Turkey around 1,700 party members are in detention facing trial on similar charges.

"The government should complete the task of reform by changing laws relating to adult demonstrators, to bring them fully into line with Turkey's human rights obligations," Sinclair-Webb said. "Throwing people in jail is no way to halt terrorism - or protest." (ANF, Nov 1, 2010)

Pression sur les médias / Pressure on the Media

Journalist in Jail for Attending DTP Symposium

Dicle News Agency (DİHA) reporter İbrahim Açıkyer was sentenced to ten months behind bars under charges of "spreading propaganda for the PKK organization", the outlawed armed Kurdistan Workers Party, according to article 7/2 of the Anti-Terror Law (TMY).

Açıkyer and another 13 defendants had been taken into police custody when they were attending a symposium organized by the Konak District Youth Parliament of the banned pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) on 27 July 2006 in Izmir. In the hearing on 25 November, all 14 defendants were convicted by the Izmir 10th High Criminal Court.

The court did not accept the defence speech of Açıkyer's lawyers who put forward that their client attended the symposium as a journalist and followed the event out of professional reasons. The lawyers requested Açıkyer's acquittal in the final hearing of the five-year trial. However, the court ruled for a prison sentence of ten months.

Mazlum Tekdağ, former DTP member of parliament, and several other defendants each received prison sentences of one year and six months. The defence lawyers are preparing an appeal since the trial and the convictions were exclusively based on the records of the police.

RSF: Increase in trials against journalists based on Anti-Terror Law

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) issued an announcement on 22 November, drawing attention to an increase of investigations and trials under the Turkish Anti-Terror Law.

RSF called to release journalists Neşe Düzel, Adnan Demir, İsmail Beşikçi, Zeycan Balcı Şimşek, İrfan Aktan and Merve Erol. The Paris-based organization said, "Reporters Without Borders deplores Turkey's abuse of its anti-terrorism law to censor and punish journalists who raise the issue of its Kurdish minority or quote certain Kurdish leaders". (BIA, Erol ÖNDEROĞLU, 29 November 2010)

Cri de Pinar Selek: "Vivre comme un cafard"

C’est un véritable cri de désespoir qu’a lancé en 1998 une jeune femme de 28 ans du fond de la tristement célèbre prison d’Ümraniye à Istanbul.

"Que vouliez-vous dire en criant que vous ne vouliez pas vivre comme un cafard ?" a-t-on demandé à la sociologue Pinar Selek, accompagnée d’Aygul Erce (compositrice interprète), invitées à Rennes par le Collectif de soutien à Pinar Selek en France dans le cadre de la semaine de Solidarité internationale organisée par la Maison internationale de Rennes.

C’était la seule alternative que m’offraient mes tortionnaires, lors des interrogatoires auxquels j’étais cruellement soumise : vivre comme un cafard, c’est-à-dire vivre, en échanges de dénonciations d’amis, comme un cancrelat dans la peau d’un délateur, d’une balance, d’un indicateur de police.

Pinar Selek n’a pas cédé et est sortie plus forte encore de cette épreuve.

Née d’une famille stambouliote très ouverte et sensible aux injustices, elle s’est très jeune engagée pour défendre les plus démunis, les enfants des rues, les femmes, les groupes de populations marginalisés et victimes de discriminations, les peuples minorisés comme les Arméniens et les Kurdes. C’est dans cette direction qu’elle a naturellement orienté ses recherches en tant que sociologue tout en sachant pertinemment qu’elle s’exposait à quelque danger. Pour autant, elle n’avait jamais pensé que cette quête pour le respect du droit et des libertés allait la conduire en prison avec une accusation de "terrorisme" valant la réclusion à perpétuité. Aujourd’hui encore, bien que remise en liberté depuis décembre 2000 après avoir purgé une peine de 36 mois d’emprisonnement et acquittée en 2006, elle est à nouveau poursuivie en appel pour "terrorisme présumé" devant la 9ème chambre pénale de la Cour d’Istanbul qui a requis contre elle une peine de 36 années de prison. Un collectif de soutien a lancé une pétition en sa faveur.

Sociologue et écrivaine engagée

Malgré toutes ces vicissitudes, Pinar Selek continue son travail de sociologue et d’écrivaine engagée, dirige sa maison d’édition depuis l’Allemagne où elle est réfugiée, apporte sa collaboration à différents journaux turcs et a déjà à son actif de nombreuses écrits, notamment Barışamadık sur les luttes pour la paix en Turquie (2004) et Sürüne Sürüne Erkek Olmak sur le dressage machiste et militariste des jeunes recrues qui sont, lors du service militaire, transformées en "êtres rampants" (2008).

Etre loin de chez soi, mais jusqu'où?

"Être loin de chez soi, mais jusqu’où ?" était le titre de sa conférence à Rennes [1]. Le message que Pinar Selek a fait passer est celui de la détresse de ceux et de celles qui sont forcés à l’exil, quelles qu’en soient les raisons, politiques ou économiques. Cette errance est loin du nomadisme ancré dans la tradition des peuples éleveurs.

La migration forcée, c’est la mort. Les richesses culturelles d’une communauté contrainte d’émigrer sont abîmées, ses dynamiques sont détruites.

martèle Pinar qui s’affranchissait volontiers, quand elle était chez elle, dans sa maison, des pratiques ancestrales du patriarcat et qui avoue que, loin de sa terre, elle souffre d’être déracinée. Si elle refuse le repli communautaire, elle comprend néanmoins le désarroi de celui ou de celle qui a perdu tous ses repères et qui tente de reconstituer son chez soi. La "Maison des Mondes" que la MIR veut créer est une initiative à laquelle souscrit Pinar. Est-ce une utopie ? Certainement pas, répond-elle sans hésiter, mais ce projet requiert de la part des initiateurs beaucoup d’attention, beaucoup de patience et beaucoup d’amour : un immigré, même bien accueilli - et c’est son cas quand elle évoque tous ses amis qui lui ont ouvert leurs portes et leurs cœurs (Pinar Selek vit à Berlin ; elle est l’hôte de l’association Pen International qui soutient les écrivains en exil) – a besoin d’un temps d’adaptation pour se reconstruire : il faut qu’il soit fort dans son âme, il faut qu’il retrouve ses repères. ( Amitiés kurdes de Bretagne, André Métayer, 24 novembre 2010)

[1] "Cette conférence, qui fut un harmonieux mélange de philosophie, de poésie et de politique, enchanta un public venu d’horizons vraiment divers ; ce fait est si inhabituel qu’il mérite d’être signalé" (Ghania Boucekkine).

Sociologist Pinar Selek sentenced to life behind bars

The Supreme Court of Appeals in Ankara on Monday overruled an earlier acquittal of Pınar Selek, a sociologist and author, finding her guilty of planting the bomb that exploded in İstanbul's Spice Bazzar in 1998, killing seven people.
 
The Supreme Court of Appeals' General Criminal Council in February had rejected an objection lodged by the court's prosecutor's office against a Supreme Court of Appeals' 9th Criminal Chamber ruling, which had overturned a lower court decision acquitting Selek. Despite a vote of 17 for and six against, the council on Monday said it was clear that Selek had planted the bomb together with Abdülmecit Öztürk, both are suspected of cooperating with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Selek had previously been facing a sentence of three years’ imprisonment; however, the court of appeals increased Selek’s sentence to life imprisonment.

Selek, presently a scholar with the Writers in Exile program of German PEN -- part of an international association of writers and journalists -- may be retried in a Turkish local court if new evidence is presented.

Her sister, Seyda Selek, who serves as her lawyer, said the local court might again rule in favor of acquittal. “Nothing has been finalized yet. The judicial process might be different this time. The case is also recorded by the European Court of Human Rights [ECtHR] due to the torture that my sister was subjected to and how our right to a fair trial was taken away has also been documented. The European Court of Human Rights will look into the case of Pınar Selek,” asserted Seyda Selek.

Two-and-a-half years after her arrest, in 2000, Selek was acquitted by the İstanbul 12th High Criminal Court due to lack of evidence. Police reports said the explosion had been caused by a gas leak. However, at the Interior Ministry’s request, a legal expert was assigned to the investigation that resulted in the drafting of a report that alleged that the explosion was the result of a bomb, with the case being reopened in 2001.

In 2005, the prosecutors sought a life sentence for Selek, but the İstanbul 12th Criminal Court ruled against the demand since the cause of the explosion had not been determined.

Another development in the case was that the main witness for the prosecution admitted that his testimony had been obtained through torture.

Meanwhile, German PEN began a solidarity campaign in support of Selek. “With this campaign the German P.E.N. is protesting against the impending arbitrary act of the Turkish jurisdiction. We demand an immediate dismissal of the trial,” they announced on their website.

The campaign has so far found support from more than 3,000 people from 18 countries. Among the supporters are famous writers, artists and politicians such as Fatih Akin, Elisabeth Badinter, John Banville, Judith Butler, Dai Qing, Daniela Dahn, Renan Demirkan, Ulrike Draesner, Wieland Förster, Heiner Geissler, Günter Grass, Gregor Gysi, Peter Härtling, Elfriede Jelinek, Reinhard Jirgl, Joachim Kaiser, Necla Kelek, Ursula Krechel, Wolfgang Kohlhaase, Norbert Lammert, Herta Müller, Martin Mosebach, Cem Özdemir, Claudia Roth, Rüdiger Safranski, Joachim Sartorius, Tilman Spengler, Klaus Staeck, Wolfgang Thierse, Hans-Ulrich Treichel, Martin Walser, Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul and Christa Wolf.

Earlier this year, Selek was honored with the Duygu Asena Award by the Turkish PEN-center. Selek is a writer of non-fiction books on sociological topics and has authored children’s books as well. She is currently working on her first novel. A few months ago her book about the influence of the Turkish military on male identity, “Sürüne Sürüne Erkek Olmak” (“Mollycoddled to be a Man -- Drilled to be a Man”) was published in Turkey as well as translated into German. (Today's Zaman,  24 November 2010)

Selek's friends call for justice in 12-year trial

Friends of a woman accused of involvement in a fatal explosion in Istanbul in 1998 criticize a recent decision of the Supreme Court of Appeals' Grand Chamber, which will restart the court trial processes. Sociologist Pınar Selek's supporters say it is clear she is innocent in the explosion case and the recent decision against her was made because of political concerns

Friends of sociologist Pınar Selek, who faces a life sentence following a ruling by the Supreme Court of Appeals’ Grand Chamber, or YCGK, called for justice at a press conference in Istanbul on Thursday.

Selek was arrested by police two days after the July 9, 1998, explosion at Istanbul’s Spice Bazaar, in which seven people were killed and many injured. Four expert reports said the explosion was caused by a gas leak and there was no evidence of a bomb.

At the press conference, supporter Suzan Karaibrahimoğlu said the process that allows Selek to be tried for a possible life sentence despite twice being acquitted by a court is a political rather than legal move and called for justice to be served.

Selek spent 2.5 years in prison, but was later acquitted when a Court for Serious Crimes in Istanbul determined there was no evidence linking her to the blast based on the penal code’s Article 125, which deals with illegal activities that pose an existential threat to the state.

In a separate trial, however, the court found her guilty under Article 169, which covers the aiding and abetting of a crime ring, on charges of carrying explosive material used to make a bomb and keeping a bomb in her workshop. The court later dropped the charge because of the length of the trial.

“I was working with Pınar [Selek] in the workshop for street children where they claimed that she was hiding the bomb materials,” said Esmeray, an activist and actress who attended the press conference. “I was with her almost 24 hours a day, and if she is guilty of working in that workshop, I am guilty too.”

Esmeray added that it is “ridiculous” to blame Selek for a crime she did not commit.

Deniz Türkali from the sociologist’s support group, the Platform of Still Witnesses, said Selek was acquitted twice in 2006 and 2008 – decisions that were canceled by the 9th Criminal Department of the Supreme Court of Appeals in March 2009. That court demanded a life sentence for Selek.

The public prosecutor of the Supreme Court of Appeals objected to the decision of the 9th Criminal Department, but the YCGK denied the objection with a majority-vote decision, opening the way for a new trial in the local court.

According to Karaibrahimoğlu, the case will go to the local court once again due to YCGK’s decision. She added that the future legal procedure is not clear yet.

In an interview with BBC Turkey published on its Web site Feb. 19, Selek said she is tired of the unending trial processes.

Türkali said the legal developments are no longer only against Selek, but also pose a threat to everyone’s social existence. The only reason for accusing Selek in the explosion case is the testimony of Abdülmecit Öztürk, who said he knew Selek and that they made the bomb together, Türkali said, adding that Öztürk later claimed he gave this testimony to the police under torture.

“Öztürk’s acquittal is certain now, but Pınar Selek, who has [made] no testimony about the explosion, faces life imprisonment,” said Türkali. She added that when Selek was arrested on charges of involvement in the explosion, she was not asked anything about the incident and only learned of the charges from televisions in the prison.

Another member of the support platform, Yüksel Selek, said in the press conference that Pınar Selek had been victimized all these years because she is a woman who fearlessly sheds light on sociological problems.

“I want to remind the judges that maybe subconsciously, they are against Pınar [Selek] just because she is an undeterred woman in a patriarchal society,” Yüksel Selek said. (Hürriyet Daily News, March 4, 2010)

Legal Procedures against Taraf Journalists Kütahyalı and Miroğlu

The Ministry of Justice recently issued permission for the prosecution of Taraf newspaper writer Rasim Ozan Kütahyalı under article 301 of the Turkish Criminal Law (TCK). The General Staff Presidency complained about the journalist on the grounds of his article entitled "You are either vile or stupid...".

The ministry had previously denied permission for an investigation about Kütahyalı requested by reason of three articles published under the main title "You are not a statesman, you are a civil servant, İlker Başbuğ" (former  Head of General Staff). The latest article published on 2 January 2010 was evaluated as a possible "insult of the state's military corps via the media" by the Ministry of Justice according to article 301/4 of the TCK.

Investigation into alleged "institutional stupidity"

The following passage of the article on subject was assessed as a base for an investigation: "As I said, if these people who are doing challenging work do this on purpose, that is called vile. [...] These movements are the product of a mind that aims at the weak point of the Turkish state. [...] If one is sincerely concerned about the continuance of the Turkish state and its army and if one sincerely wants a strong army and a strong Turkey, then the actions I listed above are stupid. [...] It means that whichever institution does this kind of things, it suffers from serious institutional stupidity. [...] If we love this country, we have to reveal this institutional stupidity openly. [...] This is either villainy or stupidity. [...] There is not third option".

The Ministry of Justice received request for investigations related to a total of eleven writings of journalist Kütahyalı under Article 301and commented, "We only issued permission for an investigation on the grounds of one article".

The publication director of Taraf newspaper, Ahmet Altan, criticised the criminal complaint about Kütahyalı's article "You are not a statesman, you are a civil servant, İlker Başbuğ". Kütahyalı had criticized the fact that a military post in Van in the Kurdish-majority south-east of the country had been named after General Mustafa Muğlalı. Altan mentioned that Muğlalı "was convicted for shooting 33 Kurdish villagers unquestioned" and claimed that Kütahyalı's criticism could not be made the subject of a prosecution.

Another trial for journalist Miroğlu

Taraf newspaper writer and Kurdish politician Orhan Miroğlu is facing yet another trial because of his article "I cannot sleep with the waxing moon" published in the nation-wide daily on 2 November 2009.

He wrote, "The truth is that Kurds and Turks started to be afraid of each other. Maybe it is the first time in history that the Turks are that much afraid of Kurds after an age-long rebellion. In the end, they sent them to boroughs and villages in the Aegean region and Anatolia on trucks and by train together with their families regardless if young or old". Miroğlu is charged with "incitement of the people to hatred and hostility".

According to the indictment the journalist's column implies that "the Kurds are the oppressed and exploited section of society that has been treated unjustly since the foundation of the republic whereas Turks are shown as the exploiting, oppressing, assimilating part of society that benefits from cheap work power". The indictment seeks Miroğlu's prosecution under charges of inciting the public to hatred and hostility. (BIA, Erol ÖNDEROĞLU, 23 November 2010)

Article 19: Thorough Press Freedom Reform Indispensible

International press freedom organizations urge the Turkish government to review all laws that systematically oppress freedom of expression and to amend certain articles of the Criminal Law that lately created problems.

Most recently, the London-based human rights organization Article 19 called on the Turkish government "to fulfil its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights by taking immediate steps to address the country's alarming freedom of expression situation".

Article 19: Extensive reforms necessary

"As the current Chairman of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers, Turkey has an excellent opportunity to lead by example in fulfilling these obligations" to respect and protect the rigth to freedom of expression, the organization stated.

Dink and Hayırsevener journalist murders

In their announcement, Article 19 also drew attention to the murder trials of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink and journalist Cihan Hayırsevener. The organization furthermore demanded the punishment of the perpetrators that attacked Diclie News Agency (DİHA) reporter Ömer Çelik.

Prison threats and imprisonment...

The human rights organization referred to data revealed by the Freedom for Journalists Platform (GÖP) saying that 44 journalists are currently being imprisoned. The organization criticized the 11-month prison sentence handed down to HaberinYeri ('News Site') website official Cem Büyükçakır under charges of insult.

"The Turkish authorities use and abuse a range of criminal law provisions to silence critical voices. [...]In addition to the 50 journalists currently in prison or detention, according to the European Federation of Journalists, more than 700 others face lawsuits which could land them in jail. [...]The trends [...] present particular problems for marginalised groups in Turkey, including ethnic minorities (particularly Kurds) and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons, as their right to freedom of expression is often disproportionally restricted.", the organization propounded.

According to Article 19, Law No. 5651 on Internet Crimes is another reason for disproportional provisions and implementations. Moreover, the organizaiton criticized the KCK Trial against 152 Kurdish politicians, human rights advocators and other public figures and evaluated the legal procedures as "aimed at shutting down the political activities of Kurdish groups". (BIA, 22 November 2010)

Prosecutor Şanal Sues Journalist Saymaz

Yet another trial was opened against Radikal newspaper reporter İsmail Saymaz. He is facing a TL 7,000 (€3,500) compensation claim filed by Osman Şanal, Prosecutor of Erzurum (central Analtolia) on the grounds of his book "The Postmodern Jihad". The book deals with the Erzurum-Erzincan connections of the Ergenekon investigation. Şanal was appointed "Press Prosecutor' after his special authority had been lifted. He was described as a "supporter of postmodernism" in Saymaz's book.

Meanwhile, journalist Saymaz has a total of 12 trials pending against him and faces up to 97 years in jail in total. At the same time, the Erzurum Special Authority Public Prosecutor has launched another investigation into his book.

Complainant called a "Supporter of postmodernism"...

Şanal's lawyer Osman Sallı submitted his client's petition to the Ankara Magistrate Law Court on Duty on 14 October. The petition put forward an attack on Şanal's personal rights in certain passages of the book.

It read, "The complainant's reputation within his family and circle of friends was harmed by the book on subject that was printed and published and is currently on sale in bookstores all over the country. The defendant as the author of the book entitled 'The Postmodern Jihad' humiliated the complainant by describing him as a supporter of postmodernism and depicting him as a person who is performing the jihad [...]".

The lawyer claimed that Şanal's activities as part of his regular duty were mentioned in the book under different headings and in a distorted perspective. This, according to lawyer Sallı, harmed the prosecutor's professional success and his reputation.

In a statement made to the nation-wide Radikal newspaper, Prof. İclal Ergenç, Head of the Linguistics Department of the Ankara University Language History and Geography Faculty, explained that the word 'postmodern' did not imply any kind of insult. "It means the period that follows modernism. It is not a humiliating term", the academic said.

12 trials pending

Saymaz is tried in twelve different cases. For his article on technical listening equipment he is sued by Istanbul 13th High Criminal Court President Köksal and Kadır Özbek, Vice President of the Judges and Prosecutors Supreme Council (HSYK) for instance. Furthermore, Saymaz stands trial for reporting about Ergenekon defendant Engin Aydın's statement at the prosecution and for his writings concerned with the interrogation of Erzincan Public Chief Prosecutor İlhan Cihaner and former Deputy Head of the Special Operations Office İbrahim Şahin.

The cases are based on charges of "insult", "violation of the secrecy of an investigation" and the "attempt to influence a fair trial" according to articles 125, 285 and 288 of the Turkish Criminal Law (TCK) respectively.

Ergenekon

The Ergenekon organization is a clandestine terrorist organization charged with various crimes staged for the ultimate purpose of triggering a military coup. A total of 270 people, including 116 military officers and 6 journalists, are charged under seven separate indictments with plotting to overthrow the government and instigating armed riots. (BIA, Erol ONDEROGLU,  22 November 2010)

Un nouveau journal suspendu par la justice turque

Le 11e cour d'assises d'Istanbul a décidé le 21 novembre la suspension du journal hebdomadaire "Devrimci Demokrasi" (Démocratie révolutionnaire) pendant un mois pour propagande en faveur du Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK) et du Parti-Front de libération du peuple révolutionnaire (DHKP-C) dans le numéro 187 du journal, daté du 16 au 30 novembre. La cour a ordonné la saisie du même numéro incriminé.

«Ils nous demandent de faire du journalisme pour le jeu de démocratie dont le contour est désigné par eux-mêmes » a déclaré la direction du journal qui a condamné fermement la décision de la Cour.

Le journal refuse de faire comme « les trois singes », dans un silence collaboratrice envers les injustices, les répressions et les massacres.

Le gouvernement turc est sous le feu des critiques ces dernières années pour les restrictions devant la liberté d'expression et l'aggravation de la censure dans ce pays en voie d'adhésion de l'union européen.

Au moins cinq journaux se sont vus réduit en silence depuis le 1e janvier, rapporte l'agence de presse Firat. La justice turque a ordonné la fermeture de 42 journaux en 2009, dont dix décisions contre 27 journaux et quinze pour 7 revues, selon le rapport de la fondation turque des droits de l'homme TIHV. Outre les journaux, une chaine de télévision suspendue deux fois, 11 bureaux des journaux fermés, 3 chaines de télévisions et 2 radios perquisitionnés au cours de la même année.

Par ailleurs, 10 journalistes d'Azadiya Welat, premier quotidien en langue kurde, 5 journalistes de l'agence Dicle (kurde), 2 journalistes du journal İşçi Köylü (gauche) sont toujours en prison, dénoncent les associations des droits de l'homme.

Au moins 46 journalistes et écrivains ont été emprisonnés, la plupart en détention sans procès ni condamnation, avait déclaré récemment l'Association mondiale des conseils de presse (WAPC). Les journalistes enfermés sont majoritairement kurdes.

La liberté d'expression sur Internet est aussi menacée en Turquie. Plus de 5 000 sites sont actuellement bloqués, notamment pour atteinte à la mémoire d'Atatürk, qui reste, avec l'armée, la question des minorités (kurde, arménienne) et la dignité de la nation, l'un des sujets tabous en Turquie, selon Reporters sans frontières (RSF).

La Turquie figure pour la première fois dans la liste des "pays sous surveillance" dans le dernier rapport sur la liberté sur Internet, "Les Ennemis d'Internet", publié en mars 2010 par Reporters sans frontières. (www.mediapart.fr, Maxime Demiralp, 21 novembre 2010)

La Turquie doit présenter des excuses au chanteur kurde Ahmet Kaya

Nous avons le plaisir de partager avec vous un article et un poème écrit par un membre de notre bureau. Nous rendons hommage à Ahmet Kaya, le célèbre chanteur kurde mort en exil à Paris le 16 novembre 2000. (jeunessekurde.fr, 17 novembre 2010)

Ahmet Kaya est né à Malatya. Il était célèbre dans tout le pays. Turcs, kurdes, ouvriers (...) ou cadres l'aimaient. Il a plusieurs albums à son actif. Il a écrit plusieurs livres. 

Le jour qui a marqué un tournant dans sa vie

En février 1999, il reçoit le prix du ''meilleur chanteur de l'année'' à la soirée organisée par l'association de le presse magazine turque à Istanbul. Lors de la remise du prix, il monte sur scène sous les applaudissements de la salle pour prononcer un discours dans lequel il déclare : ''ce prix n'est pas qu'à moi. Je le dédie à l'association des Droits de l'homme (IHD), aux mères du samedi (association qui milite pour les 17.000 disparus en Turquie) et à toutes les personnes qui travaillent dans la presse magazine. J'accepte ce prix au nom de toute la Turquie. Par ailleurs, je souhaite ajouter une chose.

Que personne vienne me dire mais qui t'a confié cette mission ! C'est l'Histoire qui me l'a confié. Dans mon prochain album, du fait que je sois kurde, je vais inclure un titre en kurde et réaliser un clip. Je sais très bien qu'il y aura des gens qui auront le courage de diffuser ce clip. S'il ne le diffuse pas alors je sais comment ils s'entretiendront avec le peuple. (RIRE) Je vous remercie". La triste suite vous la connaissez. Certaines personnalités comme Serdar Ortaç et Ebru Gündes se sont levées pour se diriger vers lui et l'agresser. Ahmet reçoit des insultes, des huements, des fourchettes et des couteaux. Pourquoi ? Pour avoir dit ''je veux chanter en kurde''.

Par la suite on apprend qu'Ahmet Kaya ne souhaitait pas se rendre à cette soirée car il n'aimait pas l'ambiance des soirées protocolaires. De plus, il savait que le contexte politique du pays était difficile. Mais il tout de même fait le déplacement pour promouvoir le chanteur Cetin Oraner qui est très proche de lui.

La manipulation des médias 'made in Turkey'

Le lendemain, le quotidien turc Hurriyet publie un article et des photos montées. Dans ces photos truquées on voit Ahmet Kaya sous une grande carte du Kurdistan et un poster du leader kurde Ocalan lors d'un concert en Allemagne en 1993. Ces déclarations et photos fictives du journal n'avaient qu'un seul but : descendre le chanteur et monter la population contre lui. Le quotidien a également envoyé une lettre au tribunal d'Istanbul pour dire qu'il avait des documents en sa possession et qu'il pouvait partager avec la justice turque.

L'exil vers l'Europe et ses derniers jours

Ahmet Kaya a été lynché pendant des semaines par les médias turcs et certains milieux politiques. Il a été proclamé "Vatan haini", traître de la patrie.

Quelques mois plus tard, il se rend en Europe pour effectuer sa tournée qui était programmée mais aussi pour apaiser les tensions. Dans un premier temps, il va en Allemagne. Pendant son séjour, il voit que le nombre d'accusation contre lui ne cesse d'augmenter. Donc il décide de rester en Europe mais pas en Allemagne. Il choisit Paris Il aimait cette ville qui était selon lui cosmopolite et démocrate.

Ahmet vit loin des siens et de sa patrie. Sa famille lui rend visite très souvent. Il a beaucoup d'amis en Europe cependant il se sent mal car il n'est pas habitué au mode de vie. S'il repart en Turquie, il sera jugé par les DGM - tribunaux militaires de l'époque et atterrira en prison. Ahmet souffrait d'une maladie cardio-vasculaire et vivait mal son exil. Le 15 novembre 2000, Ahmet reçoit des amis chez lui. Quand ces invités quittent son domicile parisien, il leur demande de garder leur téléphone près d'eux pendant la nuit. Ahmet avait rendez-vous à la clinique le 16 novembre 2000 mais il meurt suite à une crise cardiaque.

Le gouvernement turc doit présenter ses excuses

Serdar Ortaç et d'autres personnes qui ont agressé Ahmet Kaya se sont excusés. Ces derniers mois les médias turcs parlent d'une erreur commise par la société à l'époque.

Le co-président du BDP (Parti pour la paix et la démocratie), Selahattin Demirtas et la soeur du chanteur Emine KAYA en visite à Paris ont demandé au premier ministre turc Erdogan de présenter des excuses au nom de la Turquie.

La langue kurde est toujours interdite !

Aujourd'hui, on compte plus de 20 millions de kurdes en Turquie. Nous sommes en 2010 et la langue kurde est toujours interdite. Elle n'est pas encore reconnue par la Constitution turque. Elle est proscrite dans les lieux publics. L'exemple le plus frais est celui des 151 prévenus kurdes du procès KCK qui se sont vus refuser l'interdiction de se défendre en kurde.

AZAD

Besikçi risks 7, 5 years prison for using the Kurdish “Q”

Turkish sociologist İsmail Beşikci risks 7, 5 years prison for using in his article the Kurdish letter “Q”. The Turkish prosecutor believes that the use of letters from the Kurdish alphabet is separatist propaganda. Today 37 Kurdish and Turkish journalists and writers are in prison in Turkey.

71-years old sociologist and leading intellectual Beşikçi who has been suffering 17 years in Turkish prisons since 1970s for writing books about Kurds, now once again is sentenced for 7, 5 years for using the Kurdish letter “Q”. Beşikçi published the article “The rights of the nations to self-determination for the Kurds" in the “Journal of Law and Society”, where he used the letter “Q”. The Turkish prosecutor Celal Kara believes that the using of letter “Q” represents the Kurdish separatist propaganda and a demand for Kurdish alphabet. The prosecutor asked that Beşikçi and the editor in chief of the magazine Zeycan Balci Simsek will be sentenced according the Turkish anti-terror law.

Turkey is accusing some positive and negative voices in Europe to stop the Turkish membership in EU, but at the same time the country is suffering from its anti-terror law which violates the freedom of the speech and press. Today 37 journalists and writers are in prison in Turkey and many other are sentenced according the Turkish anti-terror law. Most of them are Kurds or Turkish leftist journalists writing about Kurds. Beşikçi’s tragic case shows once again that Turkey has to do its homework if the country wants to be honorable member of the European community.

İsmail Beşikçi was born in 1939 in İskilip, Turkey. He studied at the Faculty of Political Sciences of Ankara University, and graduated in 1962. After his military duty he became an assistant professor at Atatürk University in Erzurum. He prepared his first anthropological study, an investigation of one of the last nomadic Kurdish tribes, the Alikan, here, which he submitted in 1967 to the Ankara Faculty of Political Sciences. His second encounter with the Kurds was during his military service when he served in Bitlis and Hakkâri where he first saw the nomadic Alikan tribe pass through Bitlis on their migrations from winter to summer meadows and back.

His book about the Kurdish society "The order of East Anatolia" first published in 1969, made him a public enemy in Turkey. The university took disciplinary measures against him which would lead to a trial after the 1971 coup. He was detained and put on trial for anti-national propaganda where he was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment for “violating the indivisibility of the Turkish nation”.

Beşikçi did not have to serve his full 13 years and benefited amnesty in late 1974. He unsuccessfully applied for a position at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Ankara, which in 1970 had appeared willing to employ him. He never found academic employment again and was henceforth to do his research as an independent scholar, in economically precarious circumstances.

Up to now, Beşikçi was charged for over 100 years and 10 billion Turkish Lira (TL) because of his articles and books about the Kurdish population in Turkey. He has served 17 years in prison on propaganda charges.

For many years, Ismail Beşikçi was the only non-Kurdish person in Turkey to speak out loud and clearly in defense of the rights of the Kurds. Continuing to write and speak in spite of all attempts to silence him, Beşikçi has become a powerful and important symbol for the Kurds and for the human rights movement of Turkey. He has been described as "modern Turkey's pioneer of Kurdish studies".

Beşikçi is a PEN Honorary Member. 32 of the 36 books that he has published have been banned in Turkey. (Ararat News-Publishing-ANP, Fiona Lorin / Roni Alasor, 14 November 2010)

WAPC: Freedom of press under threat in Turkey

The World Association of Press Council (WAPC) remarked that the freedom of press and expression are under threat in Turkey, recording that at least 46 journalists are in prison now and over five thousand investigations have been opened about journalists and writers.

At the statement signed by WAPC Secretary General Chris Conybeare and published on WAPC’s internet site, it was remarked that a number of alarming reports concerning freedom of press and expression in Turkey were handled at the Executive Council meeting in Nebal on 25 November.

“Turkish government started over 5 thousand investigations about journalists and writers. At least 46 journalists were put in prisons and most of them were imprisoned without any trial or sentence” said Conybeare and gave the examples of Mustafa Balbay and Tuncay Özkan.

Conybeare also stated that over 700 criminal investigations were conducted against journalists and writers, saying; “The repression of government and politics gave rise to dismissal of journalists including Bekir Çoşkun”. Reminding that the governmental and political repression resulted in Oktay Ekşi’s dismissal from Hürriyet paper, WAPC attracted attention to the tax fine of 3,5 billion dollars given to Doğan Press Group.

“Besides, right to information act is not applied in Turkey or it is neglected” said WAPC and added; “All these sentence investigations/cases, jailing journalists and writers, prohibitory enforcements against criticizing government and using the state power to take press under repression are signs of a noninstitutionalized democracy and disregard of basic human rights. Everyone has the freedom of thought and expression; this right includes also conveying opinions without inference and trying to reach information and ideas in anyway, regardless of country borders, and freeness to get and disseminate them”.

Condemning the government repression against Oktay Ekşi, WAPC recorded; “Turkey has the possibility of having a bright future. However, the way being followed now is such as to push the country to darkness and to lower roles among countries.

The statement ended with following sentences; “We are calling Turkish government and people to louden the democratic ideals and to give support to human rights. The release of jailed journalists and authors and a fast finalization of their judgment is in question next. After that, general well accepted penal code must be reviewed and freedom of expression must be expanded rather than restricting”.

WAPC FORGOT ABOUT KURDISH MEDIA

It took attention that WAPC didn’t mention anything about Kurdish and alternative media at the statement. Almost all of 46 jailed journalists are from Kurdish and alternative left media. Separately, Kurdish papers are receiving often closure ban. (ANF, Berna Özgencil, 12 November 2010)

Journalists Düzel and Adnan Prosecuted over PKK Interview

Journalists Neşe Düzel and Editor-in-Chief Adnan Demir of the Taraf newspaper are facing prison sentences on the grounds of interviews with Zübeyir Aydar and Remzi Kartal, executives of Kongra Gel, a parliament-like structure of the Democratic Confederation of Kurdistan (KCK) as the umbrella organization which includes the outlawed armed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The interviews were part of the series "Monday Talks" of the nation-wide daily.

The first hearing was held before the Istanbul 11th High Criminal Court on Wednesday (10 November). The interview lead by Düzel was published in three parts on 5-7 April 2010 and entitled "A period of conflict was entered". Imprisonment of up o 7.5 years is demanded by the prosecution for each of the defendants.

Defence lawyer Veysel Ok claimed at court that his clients used their right to freedom of the press as it was enshrined in the provisions of the Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights.

Düzel: I made political propaganda

Düzel and Demir are charged under Article 7/2 of the Anti-Terror Law on "making propaganda in connection with an illegal organization". Düzel stated in the hearing, "I did not make propaganda for an illegal organization. To the contrary, I made political propaganda". He pointed out that also the government was talking to the "organization" (PKK/KCK). The trial was adjourned to 2 March 2011.

Düzel talked to Aydar a few days after several people had been arrested and released subsequently in Belgium in the course of a police operation against the Kurdish television satellite channel ROJ TV. Aydar too was residing in Belgium at the time. He left Turkey 16 years ago after the pro-Kurdish Democracy Party (DEP) had been banned by the Constitutional Court in 1994. He lived abroad ever since.

The Istanbul Public Prosecutor, Hakan Karaali, put forward that "the contents of the interviews imply to the readers that resorting to violence was a necessary and rightful measure". The indictment claims that the thoughts voiced in the interviews cannot be evaluated within Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (Freedom of Expression). The prosecution stated that this freedom could be restricted in case it serves the national security, the territorial integrity, the protection of public safety, securing the public order and to prevent crimes.

Düzel had trials pending for years at the State Security Court (DGM) on the grounds of interviews published in Radikal newspaper held on the issues of the Kurdish or the Armenian questions.

Aktan Erol convicted by the same court

It was again the Istanbul 11th High Criminal Court that sentenced journalist İrfan Aktan from the Express magazine to 1 year and three months behind bars by reason of his article entitled "Weather Conditions in the Region and in Qandil / No Solution without Fighting".

Merve Erol, chief editor of the Express magazine, received a TL 16,000 (€ 8,000) monetary fine on the grounds of an article published in the 99th issue of the magazine on 15 October 2009.

The Anti-Terror Law was one of the main areas of concern in the context of press freedom and freedom of expression mentioned in the 2010 Turkey Progress Report issued by the European Union Commission this week (9 November). (BIA, Erol ÖNDEROĞLU, 12 November 2010)

"Freedom of Speech" still Fuels Concern in Europe

In the Turkey 2010 Progress Report issued on 9 November, the European Union Commission warned Turkey on the legislations regarding freedom of expression, the prosecution and conviction of journalists and pressure on the media.

The commission concluded that Turkey progressed towards meeting the criteria of the EU accession process, especially due to the constitutional reform package. The Commission pointed out the need for further improvement of fundamental rights, particularly in implementing freedom of expression in practice.

EU's Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Füle stated: "Despite overall progress in 2009, we are concerned that Turkey's accession process is losing its momentum. The key to changing this is primarily with Turkey, which is expected to fully implement its current contractual relations with the EU - the Customs Union - before it can gear up to full membership of the Union ".

"If Turkey proceeds to full implementation of its Customs Union obligations with the EU, and makes progress towards normalisation of relations with Cyprus, it will be able to accelerate the pace of negotiations", the report emphazised.

Criticism on trials against journalists

The report mentioned that a total of 4091 cases have been opened under charges of "violating the secrecy of an investigation" (Turkish Criminal Law TCK Art. 285) and "attempting to influence a fair trial" (TCK Art. 288) since 2007 in the scope of the Ergenekon investigation and other trials. The report underlines that restrictions of freedom of expression are continually being restricted under Article 301 of the TCK and other provisions.

The report presented the Kurdish newspaper Azadiya Welat as an example: "Pressure on newspapers discussing the Kurdish question or publishing in Kurdish increased.

In the course of the year, publication of the Azadiya Welat newspaper in Diyarbakır was

banned several times and its journalists were sentenced in prison under terrorism propaganda charges".

The report furthermore stated, "Overall, open and free debate has continued and expanded. However, the high number of legal sues against journalists and undue pressure on the media undermine freedom of the press in practice".

It was said that the debate in public and in the media on sensitive topics such as the Kurdish issue, minority rights, the Armenian issue and the role of the military was increasigly open and free. "The high number of cases initiated against journalists who have reported on the Ergenekon case" was criticized on the other hand.

Moreover, the report touched upon the issue of frequent and disproportionate access bans to websites.

Freedom of the press is still an area of concern according to the report in terms of political attacks against the press, referring to the Doğan Media group as an example: "The court case on the tax fine ordered in 2009 against Dogan Media Group, critical of the government, continues. The press exercises self restraint when reporting following the initiation of this case. Court cases have been opened against journalists about their work by politicians and highlevel authorities, including military authorities".

Beware of hate speech and intolerance

The Progress Report saw further room for improvement regarding hate speech and intolerance the targeting of minorities, criticizing hate speech in the pro-Islamist and ultra-national media.

The report highlighted an improvement in cultural rights in relation with broadcasts in languages other than Turkish: the Regulation on the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTUK) was amended in November, removing all restrictions on broadcasting in Kurdish and other languages by private and public channels at local level. Fourteen radio stations and TV channels have been given permission to broadcast in Kurdish and Arabic. Restrictions have been lifted". (BIA, Erol ONDEROGLU, 11 November 2010)

Acquitted of Proselytism, Sentenced for "Record of Personal Data"

The 1st Criminal Court of First Instance of Silivri (west of Istanbul) convicted Hakan Taştan and Turan Topal of "illegally registering personal data". Both un-detained defendants had been arrested and tried because of alleged missionary activities for Protestantism.

Taştan and Topal were acquitted of charges of "inciting hatred and hostility" and "insulting 'Turkishness'" under which they had been facing prison sentences of up to four years each according to the Turkish Criminal Law (TMY).

Cleared of articles 216 and 301, punishment for "personal data"

The case file of Taştan and Topal was one out of 73 files that were granted permission for an investigation and prosecution by former Minister of Justice Mehmet Ali Şahin.

The court acquitted both defendants of charges related to Article 216 on "inciting hatred and hostility amongst the public and humiliation of the public" and Article 301criminalizing "Insulting the Turkish People, Republic of Turkey and Governmental Institutions and Bodies" by reason of "lack of definite and convincing evidence". However, the defendants received a nine-month prison sentence each since they were found guilty of charges of "registering personal data".

Due to a lack of criminal record, the penalties were mitigated to seven months and 15 days each. Subsequently, the sentences were converted into monetary fines of TL 4,500 (€ 2,250) each, taking into account the defendants' remorse throughout the trial period regarding their personal, social and economic situation".

Ergenekon defendants complained

On Tuesday (9 November), defence lawyer Haydar Polat submitted a petition to court to appeal against the decision that was given on 14 October 2010. Among the complainants that filed the case were also lawyer Kemal Kerinçziz and his team. Kerinçsiz, former official of the Great Lawyers Union, is a detained defendant of the Ergenekon Case related to the clandestine ultra-nationalist Ergenekon organization charged with plotting to overthrow the government and to instigate armed riots.

In a previous hearing on 26 September 2007, the request of Sevgi Erenol, press spokesman of the Turkish Orthodox Church, for joint plaintiff status was dismissed. Erenol had been arrested in January the same year in the scope of the Ergenekon investigation.

On 18 July 2007, former Prosecutor Demirhükük pleaded for the acquittal of the defendants in reference to the Constitution and other laws. He had claimed, "The Constitution and our laws secure the preferred religious life and propagation of the people in the scope of freedom of religion and conscience". However, the prosecutor was assigned to a different task and a successor took over the case.

The indictment

The indictment, prepared by the Silivri Public Chief Prosecutor, was based on information conveyed to the gendarmerie via a phone call. It was claimed that Christians wanted to transform historic places in Silivri into sacred areas. They allegedly worked on getting organized in local schools and made speeches that supposedly humiliated 'Turkishness', the military service and Islam, according to the indictment.

The indictment pointed to information given to the gendarmerie concerning alleged missionary activities of the defendants who were members of the Turkish Protestant Church in Taksim / Istanbul. It was claimed that they handed out free bibles and other books and CDs related to Christianity to mostly students. (BIA, Erol ONDEROGLU, 11 November 2010)

Manifestation à Bruxelles en soutien à Mumia Abu Jamal

Ce lundi (08/11/2010) 23 personnes se sont réunis de 18h à 19h en face de l’ambassade américaine à Bruxelles en soutien à Mumia Abu Jamal (né Wesley Cook), un journaliste militant afro-américain condamné à mort en 1982 pour le meurtre du policier Daniel Faulkner et dont le sort (exécution ou détention à perpétuité) devrait être fixé aujourd’hui par une Cour d’appel américaine. Les manifestants bruxellois (composés notamment de militants du Secours Rouge, du CLEA, d’AvEG-Kon, du Belçika Halk Cephesi, d’Attac-Bruxelles1 et d’Egalité) ont fortement critiqué les Etats-Unis ainsi que les autorités bruxelloises tout en réclamant la libération de Mumia Abu Jamal.

Mampaka et Thielemans ne bougent pas

Prenant la parole pour un discours, Bahar Kimyongur a regretté le manque d’initiatives à Bruxelles en soutien au journaliste américain qui est emprisonné depuis 29 ans dans les couloirs de la mort et qui risque l’exécution par chaise électrique. “Pas si loin de chez nous, à Paris, le maire de la Ville Bertrand Delanoë a quand même eu le courage face aux pressions américaines de nommer Mumia Abu Jamal citoyen d’honneur de Paris.  Actuellement, à l’heure de notre rassemblement à Bruxelles, il y a également 6 rassemblements en France devant les 6 représentations consulaires américaines. A Bruxelles, nous n’avons que ce seul rassemblement. C’est triste car Bruxelles compte un échevin de la Solidarité internationale qui s’appelle Bertin Mampaka et qui aurait pu très bien organiser une telle initiative, Bruxelles compte un maire socialiste du nom de Freddy Thielemans qui aurait pu avoir le même courage que Monsieur Delanoë !“, estime le militant.

“Barbarie” avant Guantanomo

Critiquant la politique pénitentiaire des Etats-Unis, Bahar Kimyongur a rappelé que “la barbarie étasunienne n’a pas commencé avec Guantanamo, l’affaire Omar Khadr vient à peine d’être achevée, ce jeune homme de 24 ans a été condamné à 40 ans de prison alors qu’il était combattant à l’âge de 15 ans au Pakistan, cela fait déjà 8 ans qu’il est en prison et à 24 ans il a déjà passé un tiers de sa vie enfermé derrière les barreaux. Il y a aussi le cas terrible de Léonard Peltier, un militant amérindien, un vrai American Native qu’on appellerait peau-rouge dans le langage des enfants, il est en prison depuis 1976 ! Il y a environ 10 ans, le Président Clinton avait déjà promis de libérer mais ce militant qui souffre du diabète et du mauvais traitement des autorités pénitentiaires américaines est aujourd’hui toujours derrière les barreaux. Il y a aussi les inculpés de la communauté noire-américaine Move qui avaient décidé de vivre en marge du mode de vie américain, ils ont été arrêtés en 1978 et sont emprisonnés depuis cette date. L’armée américaine a même largué du napalm dans le quartier de cette communauté installée en Pennsylvanie. Il s’agit là d’un acte de barbarie et les Etats-Unis se livrent tous les jours à ce type de barbarie à l’égard des militants politiques et à l’égard de tous ceux qui refusent de vivre selon l’american way of life“.

29 ans dans une cellule avec une chaise électrique et un cercueil

Kimyongur estime qu’”il est important de se mobiliser pour Mumia Abu Jamal car il n’a maintenant plus aucun recours. Demain (mardi), c’est le jour du verdict final qui va sceller son sort, on saura s’il va être condamné à mort [chaise électrique] ou à mort [perpétuité]. Imaginez que cet homme vit depuis 29 ans dans une cellule où le seul mobilier est une chaise électrique et un cercueil ! Imaginez un peu que cet homme n’a pas pu respirer l’air de la liberté depuis 29 ans, certains d’entre vous n’étiez peut-être même pas nés. Il est temps de libérer cet homme qui représente le meilleur de l’Amérique, qui est l’un des meilleurs fils de l’Amérique avec Léonard Peltier, Rosa Parks et tout ceux qui ont refusé d’obéir à la tyrannie et de vivre dans un système ayant institutionnalisé l’esprit du Ku-Klux-Klan. Il faut qu’il vive au nom de l’humanité. Mumia a maintenant 56 ans, il a déjà passé plus de la moitié de sa vie en prison, donnons-lui maintenant la chance de vivre en liberté“.

A la fin de la manifestation, plusieurs militants ont rappelé la prochaine diffusion (samedi 27 novembre) d’un documentaire critique sur l’affaire Mumia Abu Jamal intitulé «Toute ma vie en prison» du réalisateur britannique Marc Evans dans le cadre du “11e Festival du cinéma d’Attac” au centre culturel Botanique à Bruxelles.(PARLEMENTO – INDEPENDENT NEWS AGENCY,Mehmet Koksal,  9 novembre 2010)

Journalists Pursue Freedom for Detained Colleagues

In the "Stand up for Journalism" action, the Freedom for Journalists Platform (GÖP) criticized the fact that 50 journalists are currently imprisoned in Turkey. The representatives of 23 journalism organizations made an announcement in Ankara in the centrally located Güven Park and demanded the release of their colleagues.

The action on Friday (5 November) was part of the campaign "Freedom for Journalists in Turkey" launched in co-operation with the European Journalists Federation (EFJ). Besides the demand to "release all detained journalists immediately", the organizers also addressed the government and the parliament with their call for immediate radical changes in the laws in order to prevent Turkey from this "dangerous course that might cut the country off from the democratic world".

Representatives of the press organizations are going to visit journalists Mustafa Balbay and Tuncay Özkan, detained defendants of the Ergenekon case, on 11 November. One day later, a delegation of the platform is going to monitor the hearing of sociologist İsmail Beşikçi. On 23 November, a group of representatives will follow up the trial against Filiz Koçali, publications director of the Günlük newspaper.

The members of the platform voiced their concern about a constant rise in the number of investigations and trials against journalists and about the increase of physical attacks, oppression and threats. They also criticized the course of the trials related to the murders of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink and journalist Cihan Hayırsevener.

Among the 23 organizations of the platform are the Turkish Journalists' Society (TGC), the Journalists Union of Turkey (TGS), the Contemporary Journalists' Association (ÇGD) and the Uğur Mumcu Resarch Journalism Foundation (UMAG). The platform announced, "The number of journalists in prison continually rises and thousands of trials and investigations have been launched against journalists. That is the result of the provisions in the Turkish Criminal Law and the Anti-Terror Law which restrict press freedom and which are still in force".

The platform pointed out that 50 press employees have been incarcerated in Turkish prisons since 30 September. 44 of them are detained and six have been convicted. This number, according to GÖP, continually rose in 2009 from 29 between January and April to 35 between May and August and 44 between September and December.

The platform emphasized the following key points:

- There are another 29 journalists who received monetary fines or prison sentences and who cannot file an appeal because either the judgement has not been finalized yet or the sentences was postponed for five years. More than 100 journalists are facing acute prison threats.

- At least 1,200 trials seeking monetary fines or prison sentences are currently pending against journalists and media institutions.

- Among the media institutions employing tried or convicted journalists are Akşam, Aydınlık, Birgün, Cumhuriyet, Evrensel, Güneş, Hürriyet, Kanal B, Milliyet, Radikal, Sabah, Star newspaper, Star TV, Sözcü, Taraf, TGRT, Türkiye newspaper, Ulusal Kanal, Vatan, Vakit, Yeni Şafak, Zaman, Azadiya Welat, Günlük, Özgür Radyo, Atılım, İşçi-Köylü, Dicle News Agency and Gerçek Gündem.

The majority of cases is based on charges of "violation of secrecy", "attempt to influence a fair trial" and "spreading propaganda for a terrorist organization". Many trials have also been launched on the grounds of "insult", an offence being sanctioned with imprisonment according to the Anti-Terror Law. The platform demanded to lift the according provision. (BIA, Erol ÖNDEROĞLU, 8 November 2010)

Journalists demand freedom with Ankara rally

Members of the Freedom for Journalists Platform staged a protest Friday in Ankara’s Güvenpark, calling for the release of imprisoned journalists.

“More than 100 journalists are facing the threat of imprisonment in the short term,” Atilla Sertel, chairman of the Turkish Journalists Federation, said in reference to 20 other journalists whose punishments have been stayed five years.

The platform, composed of 23 journalist organizations, brought together protestors as part of Nov. 5 “Stand up for Journalism” activities. The protestors chanted slogans demanding deep-rooted legal amendments to secure the release of jailed journalists and unfurled banners reading “Freedom to Journalists,” “Justice now” and “50 journalists are in prison.”

Speaking on behalf of the group, Sertel said 50 journalists were currently in prison, 44 of whom were under arrest, while the other six have been convicted and are serving a sentence.

Sertel said the figure stood at 29 in early 2009, noting that the numbers were increasing each day.

Members of the platform are also expected to visit journalists Mustafa Balbay and Tuncay Özkan, who have been detained as part of the Ergenekon investigation, at Silivri prison.

Sertel said Turkey was becoming a country where journalists are targets just because they write what they think about.

The European Federation of Journalists, or EFJ, joined the solidarity campaign.

The organization organized their activities around the theme “Set Turkish Journalists Free” for their international campaign this year.

“Each Nov. 5, across Europe, journalists stand up for journalism. They reject commercial pressure, political interference and attacks on working rights. Journalists are taking a stand to defend cardinal principles – authors’ rights, editorial independence, the right to decent working conditions, and the right to trade union organization. All of which are key to winning public trust in journalism as a force for democracy,” EFJ President Arne König said in a written statement released Friday.

It was highlighted in the statement that the day was used in Brussels to launch a solidarity campaign with the Turkish Journalists Union, or TGS, whose members constantly face a climate of fear and intimidation. The EFJ handed over a letter of protest to Ambassador Selim Kuneralp, Turkey’s permanent representative to the European Union, and demanded his government immediately release the 50 journalists currently in Turkish jails.

“If the future is to be as bright as journalists want it to be, we have to force governments to respect our rights such as the protection of sources and we have to force employers to end savage cuts in the newsroom which are turning journalism into a poverty-stricken profession,” said EFJ Secretary-General Aidan White.

"We also have to take our message to the citizens and all levels of civil society. Journalism at its best is a transformative power for social progress. It is a force for good, in the service of all,” White said. (Hürriyet Daily News, November 5, 2010)

Freedom for Journalists and Writers in Turkish Prisons

Journalists throughout Europe and in Turkey will stage activities across the continent Friday to demand freedom for incarcerated Turkish members of the press in a rare show of international solidarity, according to the president of a local journalists’ union.

“This struggle is not only for liberating imprisoned journalists, but also includes requests for amendments to legal provisions that are the basis of thousands of inquiries and claims,” Ercan İpekçi, president of the Turkish Journalists’ Union, or TGS, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.

Since 2007, a variety of activities carried out under the title “Stand Up for Journalism” have been arranged by the European Federation of Journalists, or EFJ. Each year on Nov. 5, EFJ protests the hardships endured by journalists, including the suppression of editorial freedom, the monopolization of the media, political pressure and various other violations of press freedom.

The “Set Turkish Journalists Free” campaign was launched in May by journalist organizations in Turkey who requested the liberation of all imprisoned journalists, including those who have been arrested as part of the Ergenekon trial in Turkey.

Campaigners are fighting against provisions in the Turkish Penal Code and the Anti-Terror Law that they say restrict free expression and the freedom of the press.

“There are imprisoned journalists or journalists on trial all over the world. That is why all press organizations and journalists should speak out against these violations and acts of discrimination. All journalists will continue to work under the threat of censorship as long as the current laws remain in place,” İpekçi said, adding that his group hoped to extend its message to all segments of society.

İpekçi said journalists in Turkey and throughout Europe would issue press statements in front of Turkish embassies across the continent as part of their activities.

Journalists’ unions that are members of EFJ will each send a letter to Turkish embassies in their countries, requesting an end to the restrictions on free expression and the freedom of the press in Turkey, İpekçi said.

Activities will be staged by representatives from 23 journalists’ organizations in Ankara’s Güven Park.

In addition to the TGS, the Turkish Journalists Association, or TGC, the Turkish Journalists’ Federation, or TGF, the Progressive Journalists’ Association, or ÇGD, and the Uğur Mumcu Investigative Journalism Foundation, UMAG, are also participating in events to be held in Turkey.

38 Journalists and Writers in Turkish Prisons during Sacrifice Holiday

The Solidarity Platform of Imprisoned Journalists (TGDP) reminds that 38 journalists and writers were still in the prisons as the country is going to celebrate Sacrifice Holiday. TGDP calls all to visit them in prison or to send them the messages of sympathy and solidarity.

The below list indicates the names of 38 prisoners with the mention of the media for which they had worked and the prison where they are kept:

Abdulcabbar Karadağ, Mersin correspondent of Azadiya Welat, Mersin E Tipi Kapalı Cezaevi
Ahmet Birsin, General Coordinator of Gün TV, Diyarbakır D Tipi Cezaevi
Ali Buluş, DIHA Mersin correspondent, Karaman-Ermenek M Tipi Cezaevi
Ali Çat, Azadiya Welat Employee, Mersin E Tipi Kapalı Cezaevi
Ali Konar, Elazig correspondent of Azadiya Welat, Malatya E Tipi Cezaevi
Baha Okar, Editor of Bilim ve Gelecek Review, Silivri L Tipi Cezaevi, B Blok
Barış Açıkel, İşçi Köylü publisher, Kandıra 1 Nolu F Tipi Cezaevi, Kocaeli
Bayram Namaz, Atılım columnist, Edirne 1 Nolu F Tipi Cezaevi
Bayram Parlak, Mersin correspondent of Gündem, Karaman-Ermenek M Tipi Cezaevi
Bedri Adanır, Publisher of Aram Yayınları, Editor of the journal Hawar, Diyarbakır D Tipi Cezaevi
Behdin Tunç, DIHA Sırnak correspondent, Diyarbakır D Tipi Cezaevi
Dılşa Ercan, Azadiya Welat Employee in Mersin, Adana Karataş Kadın Kapalı Cezaevi
Dilek Keskin, Atılım Correspondent, Antakya E Tipi Cezaevi
Doğan Akhanlı, Writer, Tekirdağ 2 Nolu F Tipi Cezaevi
Erdal Süsem, Eylül Review Editor, Edirne F Tipi Cezaevi
Erol Zavar, Odak publisher and poet, Sincan F Tipi Cezaevi, Ankara
Faysal Tunç, DIHA Sırnak correspondent, Diyarbakır D Tipi Cezaevi
Füsun Erdoğan, Özgür Radyo general coordinator, Gebze Özel Tip Cezaevi, Gebze/Kocaeli
Gurbet Çakar, Rengê Hêvîya Jinê Editor, Diyarbakır E Tipi Cezaevi
Hakan Soytemiz, Writer of Red ve Enternasyonal Reviews, Silivri L Tipi Cezaevi, B Blok
Hamdiye Çiftçi, DİHA Hakkari Cofrrespondent, Bitlis E Tipi Kapalı Cezaevi
Hasan Coşar, Atılım columnist, Sincan F Tipi Cezaevi, Ankara
Hatice Duman, Atılım publisher, Gebze Özel Tip Cezaevi, Gebze/Kocaeli
İbrahim Çiçek, İbrahim Çiçek, Atılım chief editor, Tekirdağ 2 Nolu F Tipi Cezaevi
Kenan Karavil, Radyo Dünya Director, Adana Kürkçüler Cezaevi
Mahmut Güleycan, Özgür Halk Employee, Van F Tipi Cezaevi
Mehmet Karaaslan, DİHA MersinCorrespondent, Karaman-Ermenek M Tipi Cezaevi
Mehmet Yeşiltepe, Devrimci Hareket Review, Tekirdağ 1 Nolu F Tipi Cezaevi
Mustafa Gök, Ekmek ve Adalet representative in Ankara, Sincan F Tipi Cezaevi
Nevin Berktaş, Bakırköy Kadın ve Çocuk Tutukevi, Istanbul
Nuri Yeşil, Azadiya Welat Gazetesi Employee in Tunceli, Malatya E Tipi Cezaevi
Ozan Kılınç, Former editor of Azadiya Welat, Diyarbakır D Tipi Cezaevi
Sedat Şenoğlu, Atılım general coordinator, Edirne 1 Nolu F Tipi Cezaevi
Seyithan Akyüz, Azadiya Welat Correspondent in Adana, Adana Kürkçüler Cezaevi
Suzan Zengin, İşçi-Köylü employee, Bakırköy Kadın ve Çocuk Tutukevi, Istanbul
Şahin Baydağı, Azadiya Welat Employee, Mardin E Tipi Kapalı Cezaevi
Vedat Kurşun, Azadiya Welat's former editor, Diyarbakır D Tipi Cezaevi
Ziya Ulusoy, Tekirdağ 1 Nolu F Tipi Cezaevi

Solidarity Platform With Imprisoned Journalists (TGDP)
November 4, 2017

CONTACT: Necati ABAY-TGDP Spokesperson, GSM: 0535 929 75 86
E-posta: info@tutuklugazeteciler.com, necatiabay@gmail.com,
Blog: http://tutuklugazeteciler.blogspot.com/

News Website Founder Büyükçakır Sentenced to 11 Months

Cem Büyükçakır, General Publication Director of the "Haberin Yeri" ('News Site') website, received an eleven-month prison sentence on the grounds of having published a reader comment that implied that President Abdullah Gül descended from an Armenian family. Büyükçakır currently prepares an appeal.

At the end of September, the Istanbul Büyükçekmece 3rd Civil Court of First Instance convicted Büyükçakır of "insulting President Gül". The founder of the HaberinYeri.net website removed the comment as soon as he had been issued a warning. The journalist announced that the sentences was neither postponed nor converted into a monetary fine.

The trial was opened upon a complaint by the Presidential Office. Defence lawyer A. Fatma Bülbül claimed that the publisher was not responsible for the reader comments and requested to drop the procedures. She pointed to the possibility of disclosing the identity of the person who posted the comment and demanded to appoint an expert accordingly.

"I just wanted the evidence to be investigated.."

Büyükçakır said after the hearing, "I received an eleven-month prison sentence for a comment that I removed as soon as the warning reached me. It is very strange that people still insist on controlling the internet press in this country. In terms of law it is upsetting that the author of the criminal comment is still publishing his columns at another website and that nobody initiated any legal proceedings against this person. I am not asking for much; I just want the evidence presented to court to be investigated. With today's possibilities is cannot be very difficult to understand that I am not the person who wrote that comment. I hope that the parties in and outside the parliament will not remain impassive to this issue".

Another problematic topic of the case file is the Turkish Criminal Law (TCK) that stipulates imprisonment for charges of "insult". The Council of Europe Committee of Ministers on the other hand decreed that a compensation fine should be the preferred legal solution for this kind of problems.

However, the TCK foresees prison sentences for charges of "insulting the President", "insulting a public official by reason of his duty" and "insult".

The reader comment was posted towards the end of 2008 at a time when the parliament discussed the internet campaign "I apologize to the Armenians". The campaign referred to the events of 1915, when, so many Armenians and also an increasing number of Turks say, millions of Armenian citizens of the Ottoman Empire were forcibly sent into exile. Many people starved, die of exhaustion or were killed by gangs.

Republican People's Party Deputy Canan Arıtman opposed statements that suggested tolerating Gül's legal action and said, "You will see once you look into the ethnic roots of his mother's family". Her statement was criticized by rights advocators and intellectuals. (BIA, Erol ÖNDEROĞLU, 4 November 2010)

Publisher Sancı: Prosecuted and Awarded in One Day

The International Publishes Association (IPA) rewarded the editor-in chief of Dosh Magazine from Chechnya, Israpil Shovkhalov, with their Freedom to Publish Award. This year's special award went to İrfan Sancı from the Turkish Sel Publishing Company. The prize giving ceremony was held on the occasion of the Istanbul TÜYAP Book Fair.

Sancı is facing imprisonment of up to nine years. Charges of "obscenity" are being pressed against the publisher on the grounds of three works of literature he introduced to the Turkish market. In his speech at the ceremony, Sancı deplored the "troublesome situation" in Turkey regarding the prosecution of texts that are acknowledged as world cultural heritage.  "This morning I was in court and the prosecutor requested my punishment, tonight I receive an award", he said.

Sancı told bianet that the Prime Ministerial Board for the Protection of Children from Harmful Publications issued a report stating that the (adult) books subject to the trial against him were found to be contrary to the public moral.

Smith-Simonsen: ECHR decisions should be considered

The Turkish publisher was given his prize by Bjorn Smith-Simonson, Chair of the IPA Freedom to Publish Committee. Smith-Simonson reminded the fact that Turkey was sentenced by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in February in regard to the book "The Eleven Thousand Rods" by Guillaume Apollinaire. He criticized the trial on Apollinaire's book "Adventures of the Young Don Juan" opened under charges of "obscenity" shortly after the ECHR's conviction as unacceptable. "In this situation, the difficulties faced by Sel Publishing become even more bewildering", he said.

Çetin Tüzüner, President of the Turkish Publishers Association (TYB), pointed out that despite positives steps towards more freedom, 27 publishers were tried between 2008 and 2010; 30 books were the subject of convictions in the same period of time.

The Chair of the TYB Freedom to Publish Committee and Deputy Head of the Human Rights Association (İHD), Ragıp Zarakolu, pointed in particular to the situations of Bedri Adanır, Erdoğan Akhanlı, Suzan Zengin and Muharrem Erbey as examples for writers, publishers and activists who were detained in recent times.

Zarakolu also mentioned Ahmet Önal from Peri Publishing and Muzaffer Erdoğdu from Pencere Publishing who are both on the doorstep to jail. "There have been huge problems with letters and alphabets in Turkey for many years. We have to free the letters so that we can try to relieve our country that is rich in believes from poverty and deprivation", Zarakolu said.

Referring to the killed Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink and the slain Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, Zarakolu claimed, "These plots must be stopped; otherwise this kind of incidents will happen incessantly".

Laureate Shovkhalov demanded to find the murderers of Politkovskaya. He continued, "We set off on this road together. Death took her away from us. With this award, we will go on invigorated".

Sanci stands trial before the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance for having published Ben Mila's book "The Fairy's Pendulum"; Guillaume Apollinaire's "Adventures of the Young Don Juan"; and "Letters of a Learned and Well-mannered French Bourgeois Lady" by P.V., facing up to nine years in jail. (BIA, Erol ÖNDEROĞLU, 4 November 2010)

YouTube de nouveau menacé d'interdiction en Turquie

Le site internet d'échanges de vidéos YouTube, récemment rouvert à la consultation en Turquie après trois ans d'interdiction, est à nouveau menacé de censure en raison des images compromettantes pour un politicien turc qu'il diffuse, a rapporté l'agence de presse Anatolie.

Un tribunal d'Ankara a donné droit mardi aux demandes de l'ancien chef du principal parti d'opposition CHP (Parti républicain du peuple), Deniz Baykal, qui avait dû démissionner en mai après la diffusion sur internet d'une vidéo montrant un individu lui ressemblant en pleine relation extra-conjugale.

La cour a ordonné l'interdiction de YouTube et saisi l'organe public de régulation d'internet. Celui-ci a indiqué qu'il demanderait par courrier aux administrateurs du site de supprimer les vidéos compromettantes, à defaut de quoi il empêcherait l'accès à celui-ci, a indiqué Anatolie.

Un tribunal avait levé samedi l'interdiction qui frappait le site depuis trois ans.

L'accès à YouTube était interdit depuis septembre 2007 à la suite d'une plainte d'un particulier dénonçant la diffusion de clips irrévérencieux à l'égard du fondateur de la République turque, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881-1938), considéré comme un héros par la plupart des Turcs.

En Turquie, pays candidat à l'adhésion à l'Union européenne, les sujets tabous tournent principalement autour d'Atatürk, de l'armée, de la question des minorités et de la dignité de la nation. A ce titre, plusieurs milliers de sites sont bloqués.

La situation est dénoncée par les défenseurs de la liberté d'expression, qui s'indignent du flou de la législation en vigueur et de l'opacité des procédures conduisant à la censure de sites. (AFP, 2 nov 2010)

Journalist Baransu: Witness and Defendant in One

Taraf newspaper reporter Mehmet Baransu is facing imprisonment under charges of "disclosing information related to the security and political interests of the state". The charges are based on the news item entitled "Aslan Pasha's guilty ears" published on 30 August 2010.

The Istanbul Public Prosecutor, Hakan Karaali, prepared the two-page indictment and demands imprisonment of five to ten years for the journalist.

Allegations: Disclosing information on state security

The complaint was filed by the Military Prosecution of the General Staff Presidency. The indictment seeks prison terms under article 329 of the Turkish Criminal Law (TCK) on "Disclosure of information relating to the security and political interests of the State".

The news item in the nation-wide daily read that Deputy Chief of General Staff, Aslan Güner, had "signed a scandalizing procedure" in his time on duty as Lieutenant General at the Intelligence Office Presidency in 2007. It was furthermore said that the General Staff Electronic Systems (GES) purchased from Israel with the alleged purpose to "wiretap members of the [militant] Kurdistan Workers Party [PKK]" was actually bought to eavesdrop on high-profile people.

The news put forward that only the National Intelligence Agency (MİT) held the authority to wiretap. Neither the police nor the gendarmerie held the authority to purchase listening devices for the GES Command or to eavesdrop, the news said.

Moreover, Baransu reported that Güner had presented a circular from 2002 as the reason for the illegal wiretapping. Based on the decision of the Defence Industry Executive Committee given five years earlier, he supposedly concealed his purchase from the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence, who are members of the Committee.

Baransu: I will disclose my documents if the facts are concealed

Baransu mentioned to bianet his disapproval of the prosecution on the grounds of his revealing of illegal wiretapping as a violation of the individual's right to privacy. He also criticized Güner's defence who stated that he bought the equipment "without authorization" to use them abroad.

Baransu was heard as a witness in the scope of the investigation launched over the published allegations by the General Staff Military Prosecution. He pointed to the fact that on the other hand he was a defendant due to the complaint filed by the General Staff to the prosecution.

Baransu will be tried at the Istanbul High Criminal Court. The first hearing has not been scheduled yet. Baransu indicated, "I went to the 1st Army Command and gave my statement in the scope of the military investigation. I will publish the documents I have in hand in case the General Staff attempts to obstructs or conceal the investigation. I will disclose the irregularities in the purchase of the equipment. I have documents regarding the use of the equipment in Cyprus and regarding the person who was given the responsibility for the equipment. I will publish these documents", the journalist said.

The Istanbul 14th High Criminal Court previously acquitted Baransu from the same charges that had been pressed against the journalist on the grounds of publishing alleged "classified" documents related to the raid of the Aktütün police station. (BIA, Erol ÖNDEROĞLU, 1 November 2010)

Prime Minister Litigates Journalist Ekşi

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan filed a lawsuit against Hürriyet newspaper and the nation-wide daily's editor-in-chief Oktay Ekşi on the grounds of the column entitled "We have not been as critical as we should". The article criticized the government's policies on the construction of the Hydroelectric Power Plants (HES) in the Ikizdere Valley in the eastern Black Sea region.

The column read, "Now we can see the abilities of that mentality which sells the essentials to its own advantage".

Subject of Ekşi's column was a writing regarding the transfer of the declared protected area from the Cultural and Natural Heritage Protection Board to the authority of the Ministry of Labour. The writing was published in the provincial issue of the daily. In the referring Istanbul issue it read, "Now we can see the abilities of the mentality which sells everything to its own advantage".

The column was published on 28 October 2010. The petition claims an "attack on PM Erdoğan's personal rights and moral personality" and seeks compensation of TL 100,000 (Euro 50,000) including interest.

After the publication of the article on subject, Ekşi issued a short note of apology and resigned as chief editor. (BIA, Erol ÖNDEROĞLU, 2 November 2010)

Strong reactions to libelous column force Ekşi to resign

Hürriyet daily chief columnist Oktay Ekşi, who insultingly referred to the prime minister and state ministers in one of his recent columns, announced his resignation from the daily over the weekend after he received harsh reactions from both the government and the public.
                                                                                                                          
Ekşi referred to members of the government as having a “mindset willing to sell one’s own mother” -- the phrase in Turkish is highly offensive and implies one who is willing to sell one’s own mother as a prostitute -- when criticizing Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yıldız and Environment Minister Veysel Eroğlu over a government project to build a hydroelectric complex in the Black Sea province of Rize in his column published on Oct. 28. He concluded his column with the sentence, “Now you are seeing the attainments of a mindset willing to sell one’s own mother.”

Erdoğan’s reaction to Ekşi was harsh. Commenting on Ekşi’s column on Friday during a reception he attended at the Çankaya Presidential Palace on the occasion of Republic Day, Erdoğan said, “If this is journalism, I not only stand but fight against such journalists.”

Ekşi later apologized in his column for his remarks, admitting that he overstepped his limits. However, his apology was still not enough to calm the rage of supporters of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), who had been sending e-mails to the columnist in protest of his remarks. The AK Party supporters held a demonstration in front of the Hürriyet office on Saturday calling on Ekşi to resign. The group chanted slogans such as “Resign Oktay Ekşi” and “Oktay Ekşi, do not try our patience.”

Following the negative reactions, Ekşi resigned from Hürriyet, where he had been working as a chief columnist for 36 years. Ekşi said he was not fired but resigned of his own volition. He added that he will continue with his position on Turkey’s Press Council, which he heads.

“I decided to part ways with the Hürriyet daily, of which I have been a part of since 1966 and where I held the title of chief columnist since 1974. I am proud of the fact that I worked with the best bosses and most wonderful journalists for such long years. I would like to thank them all,” Ekşi wrote in his last column yesterday.

Speaking to reporters at the inauguration ceremony of a school in Ankara on Saturday, Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç responded to questions on Ekşi’s resignation. Recalling that Prime Minister Erdoğan expressed his outrage over Ekşi’s column on Friday and Ekşi apologized later, Arınç said his remarks were so loathsome that they cannot be forgotten easily. “This resignation is not enough. … I think it would also be appropriate for him to resign from the chairmanship of the press council. This would be nice,” he said.

Kurdish Question / Question kurde

First Application in Kurdish Language to ECHR

Mahmut Alınak, former Provincial Chairman in Kars (north-eastern Turkey) of the banned Democratic Society Party (DTP), is being tried as one of 94 defendants in total on the grounds of a press release that condemned the closure of the pro-Kurdish political party. The DTP was banned by a decision of the Constitutional Court in December 2009. The defendants stand accused of "spreading propaganda for a terrorist organization".

Before his time in the DTP, Alınak was a member of parliament for the Democracy Party (DEP). He is going to apply to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) because the defendants were denied permission to present their defence in Kurdish as their mother tongue.

Request of an injunction from ECHR

The first hearing of the case was held on Wednesday (24 November) before the Kars High Criminal Court. Alınak criticized the fact that the court did not permit the defence speeches to be delivered in Kurdish. In an interview with bianet, Alınak indicated that he was going to work together with a group of lawyers in order to submit his application written in Kurdish to the ECHR in the coming week.

Alınak stated that he attended the press release issued in 2009 as an observer and a supporter but that he did not make any announcement himself on the occasion. "We will be the first applicants in history to submit an application in Kurdish to the ECHR. Furthermore, we will request an injunction so that the decision can instantly be considered in the pending case", Alınak indicated.

Alınak explained that nothing he said in Kurdish was included in the record during the hearing. Instead, it was registered in the minutes that "the defendant did not give a statement in Turkish".

Court postponed to 22 December

In an announcement made after the hearing, Alınak stated, "The Court of Kars has applied the state's century-old policy of rejection and denial, just as the Diyarbakır Court. It is clear that this is an agreement between the state legislation, the judiciary and the executive. Being a Kurd and 'Kurdishness' is considered as a crime by the government. TRT 6 [a Kurdish state channel in Kurdish] and similar implementations are deceiving and fake".

The trial will be continued on 22 December. (BIA, Erol ÖNDEROĞLU, 26 November 2010)

Pro-Kurdish Politicians Sentenced for "Propaganda"

The mayor of Batman, a province in the predominantly Kurdish south-east of the country, Nejdet Atalay, was sentenced to two years and six months in prison. Atalay was convicted on Monday (22 November) because he called Abdullah Öcalan, imprisoned leader of the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) "respectable" and "the leader of the Kurdish people".

The Diyarbakır 4th High Criminal Court based its verdict on an interview Atalay gave to a local newspaper in Batman last year. He was charged with "spreading propaganda for the PKK organization".

According to Günlük newspaper, Atalay did not attend the final hearing but was represented by his lawyer Mustafa Yıldız. The court found Atalay guilty of a violation of Article 7/2 of the Anti-Terror Law (making propaganda for illegal organizations) and sentenced him to 2.5 years in jail.

Lawyer Yıldız announced that they were going to appeal. "If the decision should be approved, we will apply to the European Court of Human Rights", he declared.

Şerif Gençdal sentenced as well

At the same time, Mehmet Şerif Gençdal, spokesman of the Group for a Peaceful and Democratic Solution (of the Kurdish question), received a 20-month prison sentence under the same allegations.

The same court again found the defendant guilty of "spreading propaganda for an illegal organization". The allegations in this case stemmed from a speech Gençdal gave in Cizre after he had entered the country from northern Iraq via the Habur check point. Günlük newspaper reported that Gençdal and his lawyer Ferda Miran had not been notified of the date of the hearing and thus were not able to appear at court.

2,473-year prison sentence pending for BDP members

554 police records have piled up in relation to 19 deputies of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) by reasons of speaking Kurdish in parliament and seeking a democratic and peaceful solution for the Kurdish question. The BDP members are facing imprisonment of up to 2,473 years in total.

The former co-chairs Ahmet Türk and Aysel Tuğluk of the banned Democratic Society Party (DTP) are facing prison sentences of up to 139.5 years in total. After the Constitutional Court decided for a ban of the pro-Kurdish political party, the status as members of parliament was lifted for the former DTP members, including Türk and Tuğluk.

Emine Ayna, BDP deputy of Mardin (south-eastern Anatolia), is one of the party's parliamentarians with the highest number of police records. The prison threat she is currently facing amounts to a total of 335 years based on 69 police records. She is closely followed by Özdal Üçer, deputy of Van (south-eastern Turkey) with 57 records and the Şırnak deputy Sevahir Bayındır. (BIA, Erol ÖNDEROĞLU, 24 November 2010)

Kurdish Deputies Face 2.5 millenia in Prison

Nineteen parliamentary deputies of the Peace and Democracy Party, or BDP, face a combined 2,473 years in prison for 544 cases opened against them.

The charges are leveled against every deputy in the party except Istanbul deputy Ufuk Uras, who was an independent before joining the BDP to help it attain the 20 seats required in order to be a recognized party in the Parliament. Uras currently faces no legal proceedings.

Charges have been filed alleging the deputies made statements constituting propaganda. Former leader of the now-defunct BDP-predecessor Democratic Society Party, or DTP, Ahmet Türk and former Diyarbakır deputy Aysel Tuğluk also face a total of 139.5 years in prison, separate from the current deputies’ legal woes.

Mardin deputy Emine Ayna is a defendant in the most cases, at 69. Van deputy Özdal Üçer and Şırnak deputy Sevahir Bayındır follow Ayna with 57 each.

The BDP deputies, who have accumulated thousands of pages of legal filings involving them, protest the situation and the disregard for their parliamentary immunity by not attending their trials.

The party draws both interest and controversy – often leading to further legal charges – with its speeches, questions, resolutions, bills and inquiry proposals in Parliament. During Ahmet Türk’s leadership of the DTP after the parliamentary elections July 2007, party deputies spoke to the assembly from the platform 426 times, submitted 670 written questions, authored 34 bills, proposed 65 inquiries, one general interview, one motion of non-confidence and organized 71 press meetings through Dec. 11, 2009.

Under the banner of the BDP, the deputies spoke to the assembly from the platform 431 times, submitted 650 questions, authored 57 bills and proposed 165 inquiries of study as of Oct. 31. The deputies who prepared the most draft bills were Sabahat Tuncel, Hasip Kaplan and Şeraffetin Halis. (Milliyet, November 22, 2010)

Resolutions of the 7th International Kurdish Conference at EP

The 7th EUTCC Conference has ended adopting long resolutions. In particular the Conference reiterates, that the EU must hold Turkey to the standards laid out as criteria for accession, rigorously monitor Turkey’s progress, exert pressure on Turkey to implement further reforms, and most importantly, follow up on these conditions to ensure that concrete progress is made and that any gains made remain permanent. Turkey must fulfil its obligations both under international law and as set out in the Copenhagen Criteria. There must be no leeway in negotiations when it comes to the assessment of whether the Copenhagen Criteria has been met.

Also with reference to the judgements of the ECtHR in several cases, including the case of Mr. Abdullah Öcalan vs. Turkey, regarding conditions of detention in Turkey the Conference calls on the Turkish government to implement the ECtHR judgement and CPT (Committee on Prevention of Torture) recommendations on conditions of detention specifically relating to the health of Mr. Öcalan.

According to the resolution adopted "the Turkish state must end its continued use of articles of the criminal code to prosecute writers, journalists, intellectuals, lawyers and many other defenders of free speech. Turkish anti-terror and press laws such as Article 301 are still being used to restrict legitimate freedom of the press. The Conference calls on the EU to ensure that Turkey remove restrictions on freedom of expression from their legal framework entirely. The Conference asks the EU to closely monitor the number of investigations opened and prosecutions launched in Turkey in relation to the expression of non-violent opinions, including cases where these do not result in convictions and must allow the freedom of expression of Roj TV and other Kurdish media channels in Europe."

The conference also suggested that "the EU should assist —both politically and financially— in the creation of a democratic platform for dialogue between Turkey and Kurdish representatives aimed at finding a peaceful and sustainable solution to the Kurdish issue and fully comply with their own freedom of expression obligations in respect of those Kurdish organizations and individuals who are concerned to promote the same. Local and regional authorities should be consulted in deciding how financial aid should be spent."

According to the Conference "Turkey must ratify the European Framework Convention on the Protection of Minorities as well as other UN Instruments concerning minorities and respect the existing cultural and minority rights of all groups. The conference calls on the EU to apply pressure on the Government of Turkey as a potential member of the EU to ratify the Framework. Recalling Articles 10, and 14, and Article 2 of the first Protocol of the European Convention on Human Rights and Article 8 of the European Charter for Regional or Minority languages, and the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly’s resolution 1519 of October 2006 on the cultural situation of the Kurds. In addition the Conference reiterates its call to the State of Turkey and the European Union to develop and promote a strategic plan for mother tongue education."

The Conference also noted that no further provision has been made in Turkey for the vast number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who are unable to return to their villages without government support and also face political difficulties. The EU could play a vital role in assisting Turkey and exerting political pressure to remedy the situation of IDPs. The Conference reiterates its call upon the EU to make this a vital criterion to the accession of the EU, to monitor the situation with regards to IDPs and their conditions, and to follow up on such monitoring. The Conference calls on the Turkish government to immediately cease the illegal expropriation of land related to the development of the Ilısu Dam, and notes that there is still no consultation plan, or plan for the resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons in place, and calls upon the EU and international community to abstain from funding or supporting the project.

Finally, the proposals for a negotiated settlement to the conflict could include:

In the interest of obtaining a peaceful, lasting resolution to the Kurdish conflict, the Conference urges Turkey to institute a democratic participation process for all political parties and civil society organisation, beginning with the release of Mr. Abdullah Öcalan and the recognition of the PKK as a non-terrorist group;

The Conference urges the EU and the United States to remove the PKK from their proscription lists in order to facilitate negotiations. We encourage the current reported discussions between the representatives of the Turkish state and Mr. Abdullah Öcalan and call on Turkey to go further still, by putting in place a process to establish the truth about the past.

The Turkish government must invite The Elders to mediate a negotiated settlement with representatives of all political parties and civil society organisations including constitution-making for an democratic constitution, as pledged by Prime Minister Erdoğan following the September referendum;

A truth and reconciliation commission should be established to recommend measures to bring an end to the conflict.

The Conference further asserts that more must and can be done on all sides and calls for the following measures to be adopted for the creation of a climate of peace:

The Conference calls on the Turkish government to respond to the PKK’s ceasefire and all military operations in northern Iraq (south Kurdistan) violating Iraq’s territory and urges Turkey to respect Iraq’s territorial integrity, human rights and the rule of law and to ensure that civilian casualties are avoided. These military operations are undermining the Kurdish Regional Government and threatening regional stability;

The Conference urges the Turkish government to ensure that Kurds are given full cultural and political rights in accordance with its obligations under the Council of Europe and EU accession criteria.

The Conference calls upon all political parties in Turkey to help foster the conditions within Turkey for a democratic platform for dialogue and for the EU member states to strongly and publicly support all EU requirements concerning democratic and legal reform within Turkey. In particular, the Conference calls upon the Turkish Government to ensure that all legally constituted democratic parties are allowed to engage in peaceful political activity without interference in accordance with Articles 10 and 11 of the European Convention of Human Rights. It further calls upon the Turkish Government to immediately cease the harassment and politically-motivated investigations of Kurdish politicians and to immediately release on bail the 151 Kurdish politicians, lawyers, mayors and civil society leaders who are part of the so-called KCK trial. The EU must unambiguously condemn the arrest and detention of politicians and human rights defenders who have been supportive of the state’s Kurdish population and ensure that political freedoms are protected.

The Conference calls on all members of the EU to negotiate in good faith with the view of Turkey obtaining accession to the EU as long as Turkey meets its membership obligations. (ANF, 19 November 2011)

International Conference on EU, Turkey and Kurds opened at European Parliament

The EU Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC) has organized, on November 17-18, 2010, the 7th International Conference on the “EU, Turkey and the Kurds” at the EU Parliament in Brussels. The purpose of the conference, which opens this afternoon, was to assess the current status of Turkey’s EU accession process in light of recent developments concerning the Kurdish situation in Turkey.

Speaking at the conference, BDP (Peace and Democracy Party) Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtas says that the main issue now is "building trust among the parties involved in the question". Demirtas underlined that "it is clear that there is a huge problem of trust, both the PKK and the Turkish government don't trust each other. We, as BDP attach a lot of importance to establish trust among parties. Because these are two equal powers, because one cannot succeed over the other."

Demirtas underlined that how "it is also been stated by PKK Murat Karayilan and Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan a peace process is more difficult than a violence process. If you want to have peace it's much more delicate because we need to bring together many more qualities.

As politicians we asked for peaceful qualities, patience, flexibility, respect intelligence and this might bring about trust."

Insisting on the question of trust, Demirtas says that "both parties should be sure that the other party is not playing a trick behind their back. We have not reached that point yet. We are not in a climate where parties trust one another. But until recently we could not even talk about having talks with Ocalan."

Demirtas then remembered that "we would not being standing where we are now if many people had not responded to the call of Ocalan, years ago. For the last 30 years many people spent time in prison, everyone had to pay a price."

It is now very important, says Demirtas, "to be careful to what we say. Each of us should very careful about what we say if we really want to build trust."

And so "everyone should have an attitude such to avoid any provocation.

BDP has the task to analyse what was done wrong in the past in order to complete the process."

Addressing the issue of what BDP can do in this process, Demirtas stated that "we should put into practice a policy to build trust. The Turkish people are not an enemy. Kurdish people are part of the democratic processes in Turkey and will continue to do so.

The government should share with the public opinion their plan for the Kurdish issue, if they have one. The government should accept that the Kurdish people are not terrorist and the leaders of the Kurds are not leader of a terrorist organisation."

But in order to show their willingness to build trust, according to the BDP Co-Chair, "the Turkish government should clearly state that they have no intention to liquidate, dismantled the PKK, they should say that Kurdish people have their right to live in this land and to education in mother tongue. Only then we could talk of trust."

Ending his speech Demirtas says that "more importantly that PKK putting aside their guns there is a more rational recommendation which is putting in place ways where everyone could do politics free from fear. We don't have the means to contribute to this process, because there is a 10% threshold and we have 2000 politicians in jail. So we cannot be asked to put water in the half full glass, while we are bound by these limitations.

In the Questions&Answers session at the end of the first day, Demirtas said that in order to further the search for peace and to respond to the unilateral PKK ceasefire the Turkish government should put an end to military operations, to stop the arrests of Kurdish politicians releasing those still in prison, and finally to lower the threshold before the next general elections on 12 June 2011.

Second day of conference on Turkey and Kurds at European Parliament

18 November 2010 -  The first day saw many contributions and proposals
Speaking at the opening session of the 7th international conference on “The EU, Turkey and the Kurds – The road to peace, facing the challenge,” German GUE/NGL MEP Jürgen Klute welcomed participants on behalf of GUE/NGL but also on behalf of the European Parliament’s Kurdish Friendship Group set up earlier this year, which includes members from all the Parliament’s political groups. “Freedom and justice for the Kurdish people is close to our hearts right across the political spectrum in this Parliament,” MEP Klute told the conference.

He said the conference was an opportunity to discuss recent developments such as the publication of the Commission’s report on Turkey’s progress towards accession and to “verify, underscore or contradict the contents of that report”. He welcomed the recent constitutional referendum in Turkey as an “exciting process” but regretted that expectations and demands from the Kurdish side were not taken into consideration. But, he added, the fact that there was a 70% turnout for the referendum shows that there is a “strong wish by Turkish society for a change in the direction of democracy. This should be used as a building block by the Turkish authorities to take this process forward.”

The event was introduced by Kariane Westrheim, Chair of the EU Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC), which co-hosted the conference, who said that opportunities still existed for Turkey to transform into a democracy “but only if all parties are involved”. She evoked the plight of imprisoned Kurdish political representatives and some 3000 children in detention saying that “these and other situations cry out for justice”. She urged Turkey for more initiative and more political will to resolve these problems once and for all.

The conference heard from Archbishop Desmond Tutu via a video message during which he expressed his continued support for the EUTCC “until we get settlement of the Kurdish issue in Turkey and until all the stumbling blocks to Turkey’s EU accession are removed”. Written messages were read from Iranian Nobel peace prizewinner, Dr Shirin Ebadi, who expressed her support for “the peaceful activities of human rights defenders in Turkey” and called on the Turkish government to facilitate EU accession “by reforming its policies and by the elimination of all kinds of discrimination against the Kurdish people” and other ethnic minorities. Other messages were heard from Osman Baydemir, a Kurdish politician, lawyer and human rights activist and current mayor of Diyarbakir,

Turkish writer and poet Vedat Türkali and Kamal Artin, Chair of the Kurdish National Congress of North America.

Addressing the conference, Sakharov Prizewinner, Leyla Zana, welcomed the recent “emergence of a peaceful and democratic will among all parties in the Kurds’ search for the rights, for justice and for freedom.” She spoke of the ceasefire announced by the PKK, saying that with the “suspension of hostile action, the political entity in power must engage in a mobilisation of education and information in which all institutional domains are included, where co-existence will be internalised and where the desire to find a solution will be shared with the people”.

Concluding the introductory session, MEP Jürgen Klute said that the fact that the PKK ceasefire had been extended until the elections next year was a “clear signal for a peaceful and just solution. It’s high time that the Turkish government responds with their own ceasefire and with the political will to reach a peaceful solution to provide justice, human rights and human dignity for all.” (ANF, 17-18 November 2010)

Le procès de Diyarbakir ajourné jusqu’au 13 janvier

La 6ème Haute Cour pénale de Diyarbakir s’est trouvée devant une situation, inédite jusqu’alors, depuis l’ouverture du procès le 18 octobre dernier intenté à 151 personnalités kurdes, élus politiques et associatifs, qui présentent leur défense en s’exprimant dans leur langue maternelle. Il en est de même pour les interventions de leurs avocats qui plaident en kurde et qui déposent plaintes sur plaintes pour entrave : les micros sont, en effet, systématiquement coupés et les contrevenants expulsés manu militari de la salle d’audience.

Le tribunal obstine à refuser l’emploi du kurde arguant du fait que les accusés peuvent s’exprimer en turc, et allant même jusqu’à déclarer que la langue kurde est un idiome "inconnu" ; les inculpés, dont un grand nombre sont détenus depuis de longs mois - avril 2009 pour certains - montrent en la matière une tranquille détermination.

C’est, tout le monde l’a compris, une formidable tribune pour le combat identitaire : il démontre que les "avancées" ne sont pas si conséquentes qu’on voudrait le dire ; même la Commission européenne dans son rapport annuel, note que les efforts du gouvernement turc en direction de la minorité kurde "n’ont produit que des résultats restreints" et réclame une nouvelle constitution.

La 6ème Haute Cour pénale de Diyarbakir s’est donc trouvée acculée à demander l’arbitrage de la 4ème Haute Cour pénale qui va statuer en appel et rendre sa décision le 13 janvier 2011.

Dans cette attente, le Pouvoir ne baisse pas la garde et la répression continue à s’exercer durement : les demandes de remise en liberté des détenus ont été refusées et aucune astreinte liée au contrôle judiciaire pour les prévenus en liberté conditionnelle n’a été allégée. (andre-metayer@orange.fr, 13 novembre 2010)

Terrorisme, le mot qui tue

Le mot "terrorisme" est tellement dévoyé en Turquie qu’il est difficile de l’employer à bon escient : mot de propagande par excellence pour diaboliser l’opposant, il est abondamment utilisé par le Pouvoir et complaisamment repris en boucle par les medias turcs et les agences de presse ; la confusion savamment entretenue entre "lutte armée" et "terrorisme" rend tout débat particulièrement délicat. Si le carnage à l’intérieur de l’église Notre-Dame du Salut à Bagdad (plus de 100 morts) ou l’explosion à Istanbul place Taksim (37 blessés) provoquée par un kamikaze et revendiquée par un groupe radical kurde, les Faucons de la Liberté du Kurdistan (TAK), ne peuvent être considérés comme des actes de guerre, il en est de même pour l’attentat de Geçitli (région d’Hakkari) contre un bus civil le 16 septembre dernier (9 morts), "attribué à un groupe proche de la contre-guérilla", comme le rapporte Laure Marchand dans Le Figaro du 13/10/2010. Mais qu’en est-il des attaques menées par des combattants kurdes contre des positions de l’armée turque et contre des convois militaires ? Qu’en est-il des raids de l’aviation turque bombardant les positions rebelles dans les monts Qandil, guidée par les drones "Heron" israéliens et les satellites américains ?

Si revendiquer mes droits est un crime...

Osman Baydemir, maire de Diyarbakir, n’utilise pas la langue de bois pour répondre à Pierre Barbancey, journaliste à L’Humanité, lors de l’interview qu’il lui a accordé le 25 octobre dernier :

- Que répondez-vous aux accusations de terrorisme ?

- Si défendre les Droits de l’Homme et la démocratie est un crime, alors, oui, je commets un crime. Si revendiquer le droit à ma culture, à mon identité, à ma langue, est un crime, alors, oui, je suis un criminel.

La seule argumentation développée à l’encontre du maire de la métropole kurde de Turquie et des milliers de responsables kurdes, élus politiques, syndicaux et associatifs, est en effet celle d’une collusion avec un mouvement "terroriste". Ils sont accusé les uns et les autres de "séparatisme" au motif qu’ils réclament le droit à la différence ; les partis pro kurdes DTP et BDP furent successivement sommés de dénoncer le PKK comme une organisation terroriste ; leur refus donne lieu à inculpation pour soutien, voir participation, à "l’organisation illégale, séparatiste et terroriste", appellation patentée pour désigner le PKK. Le maintien sans base juridique du PKK sur la liste des organisations terroristes montre que la Turquie peut compter sur l’appui américano-européen au nom de la "realpolitik".

La confusion entretenue entre "lutte armée" et "terrorisme" rend difficile tout débat tant pour ceux qui estiment que la résistance armée est légitime que pour ceux qui pensent le contraire, pour des raisons d’éthique personnelle, de convictions religieuses, de considérations politiques ou tactiques. La lutte armée, même légitime, n’est pas en effet exempte de tout reproche : erreurs de jugement, conflits d’intérêts, représailles inutiles, règlements de compte ont parasité nombre d’actions de légitime défense et de guerres révolutionnaires. Le PKK n’a pas échappé à la règle : Öcalan lui-même en convient dès 1999 et récemment Murat Karayilan, le chef militaire du PKK, admet, tout en faisant des offres de paix, des erreurs passées au sujet desquelles il exprime des regrets.

Le PKK ne se résume pas à 5 000 combattants retranchés dans la montagne

Pour les plumes autorisées de la realpolitik, la situation est vue comme un western de série B, avec d’un côté les "bons" et de l’autre les "méchants" ; elles parlent de "la question kurde" comme les plumes autorisées de naguère parlaient des "opérations de maintien de l’ordre pour mater la rébellion" dans ce qu’il a bien fallu, quelques années plus tard, appeler la guerre d’Algérie, y mettre un terme et reconnaître, après huit années de luttes armées et d’actes de terrorisme, l’impensable d’hier : l’indépendance du pays.

Les révoltes kurdes d’antan, marquées par le féodalisme, se sont muées aujourd’hui en un vaste mouvement de résistance qui a mûri et grandi après plusieurs décennies de lutte armée, certes, mais pas seulement : le Parti des Travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK) est un vrai parti politique créé dans la clandestinité en 1977, qui tient régulièrement congrès ; la nouvelle appellation de sa branche armée, depuis le 7ème congrès en 2000, est significative de son changement de stratégie : les HPG (Forces de Défense du Peuple) remplacent l’ARGK (Armée populaire de Libération du Kurdistan) ; ses nombreuses branches politiques qui étaient réunies dans l’ERNK (Front national de Libération du Kurdistan) forment aujourd’hui le CDK (Les Communautés démocratiques du Kurdistan) dont les membres militent dans les collectivités locales, au sein d’organisations politiques et dans nombre d’associations diverses.

Nul ne doit donc s’étonner de ne voir aucun rassemblement, aucune fête, aucune manifestation sans les portraits d’Abdullah Öcalan, sans les banderoles "vive Apo", "Liberté pour Öcalan", sans les slogans "Nous sommes tous PKK", "libérez nos prisonniers", "Paix au Kurdistan".

La paix n’est pas pour demain mais...

Ceux qui raffolent des westerns vont être déçus et le positionnement convenu des pays européens et de l’union européenne risque même d’être pris à contrepied par les propres forces politiques et économiques de la Turquie : nul ne fait mystère aujourd’hui de contacts entre le PKK et le gouvernement turc qui envoie aussi ses émissaires sur l’île Imrali rencontrer l’incontournable Abdullah Öcalan ; ces "négociations" n’empêchent pas la justice (aux ordres de qui ?) de condamner à de lourdes peines de prison des élus politiques accusés de complicité avec "l’organisation" ; « on ne négocie pas avec les terroristes » tonne Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, mais pour autant il sait aussi que le statut de terroriste n’est figé ni dans le temps, ni dans l’espace : l’histoire contemporaine ne regorge-t-elle pas de "terroristes" devenus chefs d’État ?

La puissante TUSIAD [1] presse les autorités du pays à procéder rapidement et en profondeur aux modifications qui s’imposent sur le plan constitutionnel pour répondre aux demandes identitaires et résoudre les problèmes relatifs aux libertés individuelles et collectives ; les milieux d’affaires ne veulent plus d’une constitution liberticide qui soit une entrave au développement économique et un frein à l’économie de marché.

L’opposition n’est pas en reste et tente de se rapprocher des représentants des forces politiques kurdes légales en vue des prochaines échéances électorales ; le CHP [2] semble vouloir s’écarter de la voie d’un nationalisme extrême et une laïcité rigide pour renouer avec les valeurs d’un parti social-démocrate, historiquement membre, comme le parti pro kurde, de l’Internationale socialiste et membre associé du Parti socialiste européen ; il ne serait plus hostile à une révision institutionnelle.

La paix n’est peut-être pas pour demain mais ces mouvements divers peuvent faire bouger les lignes. La pression internationale pourrait être déterminante dans le moment présent.

La paix des armes est négociable : elle passe par la reconnaissance de l’autre pour ce qu’il est, c’est-à-dire un militant, un combattant, non un terroriste.

André Métayer

[1] Association des industries et des entreprises de Turquie, membre de Business Europe, "voix des entreprises en Europe", la TUSIAD regroupe des entreprises, issues des secteurs de l’industrie et des services, employant 450 000 personnes et réalisant 44 % de la valeur ajoutée produite dans le pays et 39 % des exportations.
[2] Parti républicain du peuple, fondé par Mustafa Kemal Atatürk en 1923.

Kurdish women marchers arrested all together

Kurdish women marchers arrested all together in Urfa on their way to Ankara from Hakkari while the other marchers were in Diyarbakır.

The Women’s March from Istanbul to Ankara for women’s rights and against gender-based violence continues today, with some women marching since Tuesday from Hakkari. A couple dozen of women who are marching from Hakkari to Ankara were taken into custody in Urfa stop by police intervention. Intense atmosphere is still on in Urfa.

Women will arrive at Ankara on November 12 to present the reports and findings on the condition of women in Turkey to the Prime Minister and other authorities.

The march is organized by Human Rights Association (IHD), Confederation of Civil Servant Trade Unions (KESK) and Women Initiative for Peace against the murder, rape, sexual harassment and molestation of women, an increasingly common pattern throughout the country.

“We are Marching for Peace and to Fight against the Exploitation of our Identity, Body and Labor,” “Do not Harm my Body, Identity and Labor” and “Promote Women’s Organized Struggle, Make our Voice Heard and Existence Visible” are their cheered slogans.

According to the Justice Ministry, 953 women were killed in first 7 months in 2009, but this number was 236 for the same period in 2010.

Participants will join the march from such cities as Bursa, Yalova, Eskişehir, Van, Bitlis, Siirt, Batman, Diyarbakır, Urfa, Adıyaman and Kırşehir on their way to Ankara. (ANF, 10 November 2010)

BDP's Yildiz spoke Kurdish at the Turkish parliament

Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) deputy parliamentary group chairmand Bengi Yıldız spoke Kurdish during his party's group meeting at the Turkish parliament.

Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) deputy parliamentary group chairmand Bengi Yıldız spoke Kurdish during his party's group meeting at the Turkish parliament.

In his speech Yildiz criticized the treatment of Kurdish as an unknown language by the Diyarbakır 6th High Criminal Court in the ongoing trial of 152 prominent Kurdish politicians.

The judges turned off the microphones of the defendants who spoke Kurdish and said “the defendant spoke in an unknown language” for the record.

Yildiz said that all BDP MP's will speak Kurdish everywhere necessary until its understood that the language they speak is Kurdish.

Yıldız also directed criticisms to the Kurdish deputies in the ranks of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) for remaining silent over the treatment of Kurdish as an “unknown language” at the Diyarbakır court.

“On every occasion, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan recalls that there are 75 Kurdish deputies in the AK Party. I criticized the failure of any of the 75 Kurdish deputies in the AK Party to oppose to the Diyarbakır’s court naming Kurdish as an ‘unknown language.’ This is sufficient cause to be ashamed of those AK Party deputies.” he said.

When asked whether BDP deputies will also speak in Kurdish in the Parliament’s general assembly, Yıldız said, “We will speak in Kurdish wherever it is necessary.”

The public use of Kurdish was prohibited in Turkey following a 1980 military coup and the ban was in place until 1991.(ANF, 10 November 2010)

Anti-terror law victims quitting school

Kurdish children who have been imprisoned with terror crimes face police pressure at school which makes them leave the school.

Although the Kurdish children who have been imprisoned and charged with terror crimes merely on account of stoning the police in demonstration have been released, they face police pressure at school which makes them leave the school.

A Kurdish student M.E who was in Diyarbakir E Type Prison for 9 months went back to school upon his release. However, he is facing threats by the police which made him stop going to school. The father Ihsan Ekdi stated that they are worried about the situation.

The Father Ekdi said that his son who is at 9th year, have been stopped by the police on his way to the school and threatened. “In the last month plain cloth police officers have several times stopped my son in this way to the school and said that they are watching him. This happened to him at least 3 times. We are worried that the police will do something to our son” added the anxious father.

The father further stated that police is intimidating on purpose so that they can control them. He also stated that the harassment from the police has depressed their son who does not want to go to school anymore. “Our son is not going to school for 20 days. We are worried about what they are trying to do. Will have jail him again?” said the father.

Another victim of anti-terror law F.Y who was in prison for 8 months was again detained last week after their house was raided. The father Mehmet Yakar stated that their house was raided at 5 a.m and his son was kept in custody for 48 hours. He also stated that the police arrested him because he was “wiggling” too much.

Father Yakar further stated that since then his son has been depressed and is not going to school. “He has already lost a year because he was in prison and we don’t wan him lose another year. We are thinking of sending him to Antalya where his brother is living. The situation is depressing all of the family” added father Yakar. (ANF, 9 November 2010)

Court decided to remove Kurdish names from road signs

Turkish State Council decided to remove Kurdish names of the villages in Diyarbakır from the road signs.

Kurdish names of the villages and towns were added to road signs with the decision of Diyarbakir Cıty Council last year. But the Diyarbakir directorate objected the decision and appealed the State Council.

Turkish State Council yesterday decided to remove all the road signs which includes Kurdish names of the villages and towns. The Council's statement said that the road signs with the Kurdish names would cause problems for services like post and transport.

In Kurdish region names of all towns and cities were changed after creation of the Turkish Republic in 1923.

Kurdish mayors from Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) started an initiative and added Kurdish names of towns and villages to road signs.

Last year Turkish president called Guroymak district of Bitlis in its name in Kurdish, Norsin. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan used the name “Dersim” in a speech at the Turkish Parliament referring traditional name of Tunceli. (ANF, 9 November 2010)

Karayilan: Ceasefire extended after a letter from Ocalan

PKK’s acting leader Murat Karayilan said they extended the unilateral ceasefire against Turkey after receiving a letter from Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan.

PKK’s acting leader Murat Karayilan said they extended the unilateral ceasefire against Turkey after receiving a letter from Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan. Karayilan said it was only possible to extend the ceasefire if Ocalan’s power was brought into the process. And as soon as the leadership of the Kurdistan Worker’s Party received the 5 page letter they decided to declare a ceasefire until the general elections in June 2011.

“Our leader Ocalan saw the positive attitude of the state or the negotiating team for a solution (for the Kurdish Question) (…) and sent us a letter which calls for extension of unilateral ceasefire” Karayılan said.

He also said that the five conditions should be met by the Turkish state for a peaceful solution to the Kurdish Question. PKK demanded demanded to stop military and political operations and to release Kurdish politicians who are unjustly detained. The organization also requested to enable imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan’s active participation in the process.

According to the PKK, the dialogue should go beyond negotiation. In order to advance the process, the organization suggested establishing an investigative commission into the constitution and to remove the second-to-none election threshold of 10 percent.

Karayilan said that these demands are just and could be met by the Turkish government in the current political climate.

The PKK’s acting leader said they also have alternative plans if Turkish government fail to satisfy Kurds and met Kurdish demands. He said firstly Turkey has to accept the unjust policies which are implemented against Kurdish minority since the creation of Turkish Republic.

“They have to tell Turkish people the reality. They have to tell about the atrocities against the Kurdish people” he said.

“They are calling our leader ‘head of the seperatists’. Is this real? Do we want to be seperated from Turkey? No! Since 18 years we are struggling for cultural and identity rights of Kurdish people. (…) We want to solve the Kurdish Question by dialogue.” He called the Turkish government to seize the opportunity for peace and not underestimate the power of the PKK and Kurdish people. Karayilan said they have information about the level of negotiations with Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan and they will have a meeting to discuss about the negotiation points in two months with fellow PKK commanders.

He also added that Turkey did not respond the previous ceasefires declared by the PKK. Karayilan also accused Turkish media for providing false information about the PKK and Kurdish Question. (ANF, 8 November 2010)

BDP co-chairs met Mesud Barzani in Federal Kurdistan

BDP leaders Selahattin Demirtas and Gultan Kisanak visited the president of Kurdistan Region Mesud Barzani.

Visiting the Kurdistan Federal Region in Iraq, co-chairs of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) Selahattin Demirtas and Gultan Kisanak visited the president of Kurdistan Region Mesud Barzani.

BDP co-chair and the head of the parliamentary group of the BDP Bengi Yıldız arrived Regional capital Arbil (Hewler) on 3 November. The BDP delegation was received by the president of the Kurdistan Region Mesud Barzani. The visit came just after the KCK ceasefire which was extended until the general elections which are to be held on 1 November next year.

It is reported that in the meeting which took place in Salahadin city the possible solution of the Kurdish problem, extension of the ceasefire, Kurdish National Conference and the BDP Bureau in Hewler were discussed.

Barzani: We will fulfil what we need to do

Welcoming Barzani’s statements regarding the Kurdish problem in Turkey BDP delegation stated that more endeavours are needed. The President Barzani also said: “We believe that the Kurdish problem can be solved through dialog and peaceful manners and we will fulfil our part in this regard.”

National Congress

Regarding the Kurdish National Conference Barzani said the Kurds are closer to each other more than ever. “We will do our best and we hope the conference will take place soon” added Barzani.

BDP co-chair Gulten Kisanak has also given information about the Kurdish Women’s Conference which was welcomed by the President of the Region.

It is also reported that BDP Bureau in Hewler will be opened by the end of the year. (ANF, 6 November 2010)

Tens of thousands march to protest Diyarbakir court

Tens of thousands gathered in Diyarbakir to protest Diyarbakir courts refusal for usage of mother language in so-called KCK trial.

BDP MP's Emine Ayna, Ozdal Ucer, Sabahat Tuncel and Nezir Karabas as well as Kurdish mayors were among the protestors who marched from Dagkapi to Kosuyolu Parc.

Speaking to the crowd BDP MP Ucer said "If they don't recognize Kurdish, we don't recognize their court, their prosecutor and their judge". He critisized Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's remarks about "one nation, one state and one language" saying "It would have been good if Erdogan had a piece of mind"

Ucer also said that the judges act with the orders from the government and added "Our identity, our culture and our democratic politics are being tried in the court".

BDP MP Emine Ayna also spoke at the meeting. She said that it's an insult to Kurdish people to identify Kurdish language as an "unknown language" and called all Kurds to protest the Turkish state.

The crowd carried posters of jailed leader of the PKK, Abdullah Ocalan. A giant banner read "Our only demand is freedom".

Yesterday in KCK trial the defendants insisted on speaking Kurdish. Defendant Bayram Altun replied in Kurdish in the attendance check whereupon the microphone was switched off.

The judge said for the record that "Altun talked in an unknown language". Defendant Ramazan Morkoç criticized, "You cannot call Kurdish an unknown language. That is an insult of our language, our culture and our people". The judge reacted promptly and had Morkoç removed from the court room by army officers.

When the other defendants protested the situation as well, they were also expelled from the court room. (ANF, 6 November 2010)

Turkish court says Kurdish is an "unknown language"

Diyarbakır 6th High Criminal Court labelled Kurdish as an unknown language in todays session of the so-called KCK trial.

Diyarbakır 6th High Criminal Court labelled Kurdish as an unknown language in todays session of the so-called KCK trial. The defendants protested the judge's remarks and the trial adjourned after judges ordered all defendants out of the courtroom.

The trial of 152 high profile Kurdish politicians continued today with the first defense speech of a prominent Kurdish politician Bayram Altun.

Altun began his speech in Kurdish like yesterdays session but the judge turned off his microphone and said that the defendant is speaking in an "unknown language".

One of the defendants Ramazan Morkoc protested the judge for his remarks on Kurdish language saying that it's an insult to Kurdish people.

The chief judge then ordered Morkoc out of the court. All the defendants stood up to follow him at this point.

The court adjourned until afternoon.

152 high profile Kurdish politicians are standing trial on accusations of being a member of an illegal organization.

The Turkish court continuously rejected defendants applications to make the defence speeches in Kurdish. (ANF, 4 November 2010)

7th International Conference on the “EU, Turkey and the Kurds” 

The EU Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC) will hold its 7th International Conference on the “EU, Turkey and the Kurds” at the EU Parliament in Brussels, Belgium 17-18 November 2010. The purpose of the conference is to assess the current status of Turkey’s EU accession process in light of recent developments concerning the Kurdish situation in Turkey.

Specifically, prominent speakers from Turkey and several other involved states and groups will address 1) “Turkish-Kurdish dialogue: the only route to peace,” 2) “The impact of the present conflict on civil society and the future politics of solutions,” 3) and “Conflict resolution: engaging in political dialogue and peace building.”

The current political situation in Turkey regarding the Kurds concerns the renewed attempt to restart last year’s failed Kurdish (Democratic Initiative) and the run-up to next year’s national parliamentary elections which will then lead to an attempt to write a new Turkish constitution which, among others, will seek to implement Kurdish political, social, and cultural rights within the context of Turkish territorial integrity.

The EUTCC hopes that this conference will help renew Turkey’s stalled EU accession process by suggesting positive ways for that state to help solve its continuing Kurdish problem in co-operation with the Kurdish legitimate partners. 

The opening session will be held 17th November 2010, 15h, at Room ASP 3G2.

1st Day Speakers:

Ms. Kariane Westrheim, PhD, Chair of the "EU Turkey Civic Commission"
(EUTCC), Associate Professor at the University of Bergen, Norway
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Peace Nobel Prize Laureate (Video message)
Ms. Leyla Zana, EP Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, Rafto Prize Laureate, Turkey
MEP Jürgen Klute, GUE/NGL Group, on behalf of the European Parliament - Kurds Friendship Group, Germany
Mr. Guillaume Perrier , Correspondent from Turkey of the French daily newspaper "Le Monde"
Mr. Ahmet Türk, Co-Chair of Democratic Society Congress (DTK), Turkey
Mr. Cengiz Candar, Journalist, Turkey
Mr. Rusen Cakir, Journalist, Turkey
Mr. Selahattin Demirtas, Co-Chair of Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), Turkey

2nd Day Speakers:

Mr. Edgar Auth, Journalist, "Frankfurter Rundschau", Germany
Prof. Michael Gunter, EUTCC Board Member, USA
Ms. Gül Kiziltas, Democratic Free Women's Movement (DOKH), Turkey
MEP Hélène Flautre, Co-Chairman of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee, European Parliament, France
Mr. Emrullah Beytar, Vice-Chair of the Association of Human Rights and Solidarity for Oppressed People (MAZLUM-DER), Turkey
Mr. Ömer Günes, Lawyer, Turkey
Prof. Dr. Sebnem Korur Fincanci, Chair, Human Rights Foundation of Turkey, Turkey
Mr. Martin Dolzer, Sociologist, Germany
MEP Alexandra Thein, Liberals & Democrats Group, Germany
MEP Bart Staes, Greens-EFA Group, Belgium
MEP Søren Bo Søndergaard, GUE/NGL Group, Denmark
MEP Frieda Brepoels, Greens-EFA Group, Belgium
Dr. Hans Branscheidt, EUTCC Board Member, Germany
Raymond McCartney, MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly in the north of Ireland), International Affairs Spokesperson for Sinn Féin, Ireland
Ms. Nomfundo Walaza, CEO Desmond Tutu Peace Centre, South Africa
MEP Alyn Smith, Scottish National Party, Greens-EFA Group, Scotland, UK
Mr. John Austin, former Labour MP and member of the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe, UK
Ms. Dilek Kurban, Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV), Turkey
Ms. Songul Karabulut, Kurdistan National Congress (KNK), Belgium
Prof. Dr. Ihsan Dagi, Department of International Relations at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey
Ms. Sebahat Tuncel, Member of the Turkish Parliament, Turkey

To attend the meeting, an email should be sent to brussels_conference@yahoo.com (with name, date of birth and place of residence / a "personal badge / pass" will be prepared for you).

Contact:
gianfranco.battistini@europarl.europa.eu
Kariane Westrheim - Menneskerettighetenes plass 1 - 5007 Bergen, Norway. - Telephone: +47 976 42 088 - (www.eutcc.org)

Les Faucons de la liberté du Kurdistan (TAK) revendiquent l'attentat

Un groupe kurde armé, les Faucons de la liberté du Kurdistan (TAK), ont revendiqué jeudi sur leur site internet un attentat suicide contre la police qui a blessé 32 personnes dimanche en plein centre d'Istanbul, évoquant un "acte de vengeance".

"Il s'agit d'une attaque totalement planifiée et réalisée en personne par un de nos commandants, Vedat Acar, contre la police de l'Etat fasciste turc", indique cette organisation, qui affirme en outre ne pas reconnaître la trêve unilatérale des rebelles kurdes du parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK).

"La décision du PKK ne nous concerne pas, nous n'avons pas déclaré un cessez-le-feu. Notre position de combat est maintenu" contre les forces d'Ankara, souligne cette organisation menaçant de nouveaux attentats de ce type si l'Etat turc poursuit sa répression contre les Kurdes.

Les TAK ont revendiqué dans le passé plusieurs attentats survenus à Istanbul notamment, le dernier remontant au 22 juin lorsqu'une bombe avait explosé dans une banlieue d'Istanbul au passage d'un bus de militaires, tuant six personnes.

Le groupe kurde affirme que l'attentat de dimanche a visé les policiers, non des civils.

Les autorités turques affirment que cette organisation sert de prête nom au PKK quand celui-ci commet des attentats pouvant encourir la désapprobation populaire notamment quand des civils sont tués.

Le PKK rétorque que les TAK sont constitués d'éléments incontrôlés ayant quitté ses rangs.

Le kamikaze a déclenché sa charge d'explosif sur la place de Taksim, une esplanade très fréquentée en plein coeur d'Istanbul, première métropole et centre économique de la Turquie, où sont stationnées en permanence des unités de police anti-émeutes. L'explosion a eu lieu alors qu'il tentait de pénétrer dans un bus de la police, ce qui aurait pu provoquer un carnage.

Les autorités ont affirmé que l'assaillant avait été identifié comme un membre du PKK, en rébellion armée contre Ankara depuis 26 ans.

Le PKK a démenti lundi toute implication dans l'attentat, qui a blessé 15 policiers et 17 passants, et a annoncé en même temps une prolongation de la trêve qu'il avait décrété en août jusqu'aux prochaines élections législatives, prévues en juin. (AFP, 4 nov 2010)

Le kamikaze identifié comme un membre du PKK

L'auteur d'un attentat-suicide qui a fait 32 blessés dimanche dans le centre d'Istanbul était un jeune homme de 24 ans qui avait rejoint les rangs des rebelles kurdes en 2004, a affirmé mardi le gouvernorat d'Istanbul dans un communiqué cité par l'agence de presse Anatolie.

L'enquête a permis d'identifier l'auteur de l'attaque, qui visait des policiers des forces anti-émeutes, comme étant Vedat Acar, un Kurde né à Gürpinar, dans la province de Van (est), qui avait rejoint les rebelles du Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK) six ans plus tôt, a indiqué Anatolie.

Les déclarations des autorités turques interviennent alors que les rebelles ont démenti lundi toute implication dans l'attentat, qui a notamment blessé 15 policiers, et ont annoncé une prolongation de la trêve qu'ils avaient décrétée en août jusqu'aux prochaines élections législatives, prévues en juin.

La fin de la trêve a coïncidé dimanche avec l'attentat d'Istanbul.

La police de cette ville a identifié les proches du kamikaze et procédé à l'arrestation de sept suspects dans différents quartiers, tous des membres du PKK, écrit Anatolie.

La chaîne d'information télévisée NTV a pour sa part rapporté que l'auteur de l'attentat avait pénétré en Turquie trois mois plus tôt en provenance d'Irak par le poste-frontière de Habur (sud-est).

Les rebelles du PKK disposent de camps dans les montagnes du nord de l'Irak, depuis lesquels ils lancent des attaques contre les forces de sécurité dans le sud-est anatolien de la Turquie, peuplé en majorité de Kurdes.

Ankara s'est récemment engagé dans des échanges discrets et prudents avec les Kurdes pour convaincre le PKK d'abandonner les armes et de mettre un terme à un conflit qui a fait plus de 45.000 morts en 26 ans, selon l'armée.

Le chef emprisonné du PKK Abdullah Öcalan semble associé à cet effort, ses avocats servant d'intermédiaires. Des agents de l'Etat ont également des contacts avec lui sur l'île-prison d'Imrali ou il est incarcéré, affirment ses avocats.

Le quotidien Milliyet a écrit mardi que le PKK avait prolongé sa trêve après avoir reçu un courrier d'Öcalan transmis aux chefs militaires du mouvement, basés dans les montagnes du nord de l'Irak, avec l'aide de responsables turcs.

Dans un entretien publié jeudi par le quotidien turc Radikal, le principal chef militaire du PKK, Murat Karayilan, avait assuré que les rebelles s'engageraient à épargner les civils et à poursuivre sans limitation de temps leur cessez-le-feu unilatéral si le gouvernement turc acceptait le dialogue.

Le président Gül se réjouit de la trêve décrétée par les rebelles kurdes

Le président turc s'est réjoui mardi de la prolongation de la trêve unilatérale annoncée la veille par les rebelles kurdes tandis que le Premier ministre a affirmé sa détermination à combattre le "terrorisme".

"J'espère que l'abandon des armes va devenir permanent et que tout le monde va renoncer à cette erreur", a affirmé dans un discours prononcé dans le sud de la Turquie le président Abdullah Gül, cité par l'agence Anatolie.

Devant le Parlement, le Premier ministre Recep Tayyip Erdogan n'a pas mentionné la trêve mais a assuré qu'il continuerait de lutter contre le "terrorisme" tout en poursuivant ses efforts en faveur d'un accroissement des droits des Kurdes.

"Nous ne nous inclinerons jamais devant le terrorisme. Nous ne ferons jamais de concessions dans la lutte (contre le terrorisme) ou la démocratisation", a-t-il dit. (AFP, 2 nov 2010)

Erdogan: Moins d'opérations militaires après la trêve du PKK

Le Premier ministre turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan a affirmé mercredi que les opérations militaires pourraient être réduites contre les rebelles kurdes qui ont prolongé une trêve unilatérale jusqu'en été 2011.

"Tant que l'organisation terroriste (le parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan, PKK, ndlr) (...) dépose les armes il n'y aura pas lieu pour les forces de sécurité de s'engager dans de telles opérations", a-t-il dit devant la presse.

M. Erdogan a toutefois affirmé que l'armée et la police séviraient contre le PKK s'il menaçait l'ordre public. "Elles évalueront les renseignements obtenus et agiront", a précisé le Premier ministre et de s'interroger: "Est-il possible pour les forces de sécurité d'abandonner les armes. Ils rempliront leurs devoirs".

M. Erdogan a assuré qu'"il n'est pas question de mettre fin à la lutte anti-terroriste" en Turquie.

Ankara s'est récemment engagé dans des efforts discrets et prudents de dialogue avec les Kurdes pour convaincre le PKK de renoncer à la violence et mettre un terme à un conflit qui a fait plus de 45.000 morts en 26 ans.

Le chef emprisonné du PKK Abdullah Öcalan serait associé à cet effort, ses avocats servant d'intermédiaires. Des agents de l'Etat ont également des contacts avec lui dans sa prison, affirment ses avocats.

Sur ce point, M. Erdogan a reconnu que certains représentants avaient rencontré le chef rebelle mais rejeté des "marchandages avec les terroristes".

"L'Etat existe pour résoudre les problèmes (...) Si l'on veut surmonter des impasses, des initiatives de ce type doivent être prises", a-t-il ajouté. (AFP, 3 nov 2010)

Tuğluk: The dialog process has turned into negotiations

Co-chair of the Democratic Society Congress (DTK) Aysel Tuğluk visited the imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan in Imrali prison. Speaking to the journalists upon her return from Imrali Island Tuğluk said the meetings between the Kurdish leader and the state officials are continuing. She also reported Öcalan’s statement “The dialog process has turned into negotiations.” Tuğluk further stated that the ceasefire has been extended within the knowledge of Öcalan.

“[Mr. Öcalan] has stated that he is conducting serious and important meetings with the state officials which means they reached the negotiations phase. He also added that in fact the state is in favour of continuing the solution and peace process however, the obstacle is the politics.” stated Tuğluk.

She continued:

Opposition should fulfil its responsibilities

Öcalan added that “The political parties are acting according to their own interest which harms Turkey. AKP, CHP and MHP should fulfil their responsibilities in order to turn this process into solution. Especially the press should focus on this issue and support the approach of the officials and expose those who are self-interest-oriented.” Mr. Öcalan also added that he is in favour of living together and their solution do not require an independent state but a model for a mutual life.

Truth Commission should be established

Öcalan said Istanbul attack should be examined as a whole together with the roadside attack in Hakkari and killing 9 Kurdish guerrillas in Hakkari despite the ceasefire and those who are responsible should be found out. He reiterated his proposal for Truth Commission which are fundamental for peace and solution and said it should be the task of the parliament.

Öcalan: I am ready to implement the decisions of this commission

Upon a question from the journalist Tuğluk said that Öcalan wanted establishment of a Truth Commission and he will be ready to follow its decisions. He also added that such a commission should have the capacity and competence to decide about disarming and if this commission functions well than upcoming period can turn into a period of solution.

Meetings with the state officials are serious

Upon another question from a journalist who asked: “Öcalan said he would withdraw after 31 October. Has anything changed in this regard?” Tuğluk said the meetings are carried out which means he is in. She also added that they informed Öcalan about the fact that the public opinion wants him remain in the process and even to lead the process.

Tuğluk also denied the allegations that undersecretary of the Turkish National Intelligence Service (MIT) has met Öcalan in the prison. (ANF, Nov 2, 2010)

Le PKK dément son implication, prolonge la trêve

Les rebelles kurdes de Turquie ont démenti lundi toute implication dans l'attentat-suicide qui a fait 32 blessés dimanche à Istanbul et annoncé la prolongation de la trêve qu'ils avaient décrété en août, a rapporté l'agence Firat News, proche du PKK.

"Il n'est pas possible pour nous de mener une telle action au moment où notre mouvement a décidé de prolonger une trêve. Nous ne sommes en aucune manière impliqués dans cette attaque," a indiqué la direction du Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK) dans un communiqué, selon Firat.

La trêve, décrétée le 13 août, puis prolongée d'un mois le 30 septembre, devrait être prolongée jusqu'aux prochaines élections législatives, que le Premier ministre turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan a prévu début juin 2011.

"Notre mouvement (...) a décidé de prolonger son processus de non-action jusqu'aux élections générales de 2011 pour imposer (à Ankara) un processus de solution démocratique et assurer que les élections législatives en Turquie se tiendront de manière saine", a affirmé le PKK.

Le communiqué appelle le gouvernement à stopper les opérations militaires contre les rebelles et les procédures judiciaires visant leurs sympathisants, libérer les politiciens kurdes emprisonnés, négocier avec le chef emprisonné du PKK Abdullah Öcalan, réformer la Constitution et la loi électorale.

La fin du cessez-le-feu a coïncidé dimanche avec un attentat-suicide visant des policiers anti-émeutes en faction sur la place de Taksim, à Istanbul, qui a notamment blessé 15 policiers.

Les autorités se sont abstenues de tout commentaire sur les pistes qu'elles privilégiaient, mais les médias ont désigné les rebelles comme les auteurs les plus plausibles de l'attaque.

Dans un entetien publié jeudi par le quotidien turc Radikal, le chef militaire du PKK, Murat Karayilan, avait assuré que les rebelles s'engageraient à épargner les civils et à poursuivre sans limitation de temps leur cessez-le-feu unilatéral si le gouvernement turc acceptait le dialogue.

Ses déclarations sont intervenues alors que M. Erdogan a lancé une nouvelle initiative visant à résoudre le problème kurde. Les autorités ont, selon la presse, associé à cette initiative le dirigeant historique du PKK, Abdullah Öcalan, emprisonné à vie. (AFP, 1 nov 2010)

Minorités / Minorities

Colonel Öz Tried  in the scope of the Hrant Dink murder?

The Trabzon 2nd Magistrate Criminal Court applied for merging the trial against Colonel Ali Öz with the case tried at the Trabzon 1st High Criminal Court regarding seven gendarmerie officers in the scope of the Hrant Dink murder.

The Turkish-Armenian founder of the Armenian Agos newspaper, Hrant Dink, was lethally shot in front of his office in Şişli/Istanbul on 19 January 2007. Defendant Öz, then Provincial Gendarmerie Commander of Trabzon (eastern Black Sea coast) is considered as one of the key figures in the Hrant Dink murder case. He is currently tried for having disregarded crucial information conveyed to him prior to the murder.

A second trial against Öz started on 30 September upon a complaint of the Ministry of Justice. Due to the colonel's high military rank, the indictment was prepared by the Public Chief Prosecution of Rize, a neighbouring city to Trabzon. The case is heard before the Trabzon 1st High Criminal Court.

Dink family lawyers: Voluntary manslaughter by means of neglect

If the High Criminal Court accepts the request for a merger made by the Trabzon 2nd Magistrate Criminal Court, Öz will be tried at the High Criminal Court only. The coming hearings for both the new trial at the High Criminal Court and the case at the Magistrate Criminal Court are scheduled for 9 December. In both procedures, Öz as well as the other seven defendants are tried over allegations of "misconduct in office by neglect of duty".

The Wednesday hearing (24 November) at the Magistrate Criminal Court was attended by the lawyers of both parties. The lawyers of the Dink family claimed from the beginning of the trial that Öz and the other defendants remained impassive deliberately and thereby created the opportunity for the murder to be committed. Hence, the joint attorneys demanded to prosecute Öz and the gendarmerie officers over allegations of "voluntary manslaughter by means of negligent behaviour" according to Article 83 of the Turkish Criminal Law (TCK). The provision foresees an aggravated life sentence.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) found Turkey guilty of a violation of the right to life in the scope of the Dink murder case. The court was of the opinion that Turkey failed to take protective measures despite evidence of immediate danger.

Rakel Dink, widow of the slain journalist, and his brother, Hosrof Dink, appeared at the Bakırköy (Istanbul) 10th High Criminal Court on 24 September to give their statements in the scope of the second trial opened against Öz.

Rakel Dink: He could have prevented the murder

Rakel Dink, one of the family members who sue Ali Öz, argued: "He had information about the assassination plot against my husband. He had the possibility to prevent the murder but he did not. I think he is just as guilty as the defendants who committed the murder".

20 defendants of whom three are detained are tried in the scope of the murder case heard before the Istanbul 14th High Criminal Court. The case will be continued on 7 February 2011. By the time of the 15th hearing, the trial will be almost in its fourth year.(BIA, Erol ÖNDEROĞLU, 26 November 2010)

Büyükada orphanage in Istanbul to be transferred to Greek Patriarchate

Procedures to transfer the orphanage on the largest of Istanbul’s Princes’ Islands to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate have been completed and the deed will be delivered to Patriarch Bartholomew on Monday, daily Hürriyet reported Friday.

The patriarchate’s lawyer, Cem Sofuoğlu, said the transfer of the Büyükada orphanage would mark the first time an issue in Turkey related to minority property rights had been resolved without a legal case.

“We are witnessing such an incident for the first time in the history of the Turkish Republic,” Sofuoğlu said. “If there were not the political will, such a conclusion could not result because the case would go to the High Court of Appeals and getting [a decision] in favor of minorities is unfortunately not possible there.”

After paying a fee of 150 Turkish Liras to the Land Registry Office of the Princes’ Islands on Monday, Sofuoğlu will go to the patriarchate, located in Istanbul’s Fener district, and deliver the deed to Patriarch Bartholomew in a ceremony.

The Justice Ministry issued an official statement on the transfer, saying, “There is no alternative other than registering the orphanage to the Fener Greek Patriarchate’s records.”

Noting that both the Foreign Ministry and the Justice Ministry played a significant role in securing the outcome, Sofuoğlu said Turkey had stood by its signed commitment in the European Court of Human Rights and carried out the court’s decision in a period of three months.

“We hope that similar applications will not be impeded with the words ‘however,’ ‘but’ or ‘yet’ from now on and that our courts will take this decision as an example,” Sofuoğlu said.(Daily News , 26 November 2010)

Environ 3.000 manifestants à Bruxelles en soutien aux chrétiens d’Irak

Près de 2.800 manifestants selon la police, 5.000 selon les organisateurs, ont défilé samedi à partir de 11 heures à Bruxelles en soutien aux chrétiens d’Irak, à la suite de l’attaque le 31 octobre dernier de l’église catholique syriaque de Bagdad en Irak.

La manifestation s’est tenue dans le calme. Aucun débordement n’a été signalé, hormis les tirs de quelques pétards. Le cortège, parti de la gare du Nord vers 11 heures, est arrivé place Schuman en début d’après-midi. A partir de 13 heures, les manifestants quittaient petit à petit les lieux. Ceux-ci entendaient lancer un appel à l’opinion publique mondiale pour la fin des persécutions et des attaques contre les assyro-chaldo-syriaques en Irak.

Le 31 octobre a eu lieu à Bagdad l’une des attaques les plus meurtrières contre la communauté chrétienne d’Irak, représentant moins de 1% de la population totale du pays. L’église catholique syriaque de Bagdad a été la cible d’une prise d’otages revendiquée par un groupe irakien affilié à Al-Quaïda.

Les forces de l’ordre ont pris d’assaut l’église alors que les ravisseurs s’étaient mêlé aux otages.

Un bilan officiel fait état de 58 personnes tuées et 67 autres blessées, dont des enfants, des femmes et des personnes âgées. Selon les manifestants, ce bilan ne correspondrait pas à la réalité. Le nombre de personnes tuées serait supérieur à cent, selon certaines sources. (Belga, 13 novembre 2010)

Critiques juifs contre le rapport des Assises de l'Interculturalité

La mémoire du génocide commis en Belgique durant la seconde guerre mondiale avec la complicité de l'administration de l'Etat est le grand absent des recommandations du rapport des assises de l'interculturalité. Ce silence est renforcé par la proposition du comité de pilotage de ces assises d'éliminer toute référence à la Shoah dans la loi relative à l'interdiction du négationnisme."

Ce silence est renforcé également par le chapitre "Mémoire et colonialisme" qui indique que "La Belgique doit aussi mettre au clair sa propre histoire", toujours sans citer le génocide des Juifs. Il est fait en revanche mention d'une "importante communauté congolaise (qui) vit aujourd’hui en Belgique, (...) conséquence directe de la colonisation (...)". Le rapport remarque simplement à cet égard, sans toutefois faire aucune recommandation, que "L’idéologie qui est allée de pair avec cette colonisation, certaines violences qu’elle a impliquées, l’usurpation des richesses et le fait que cette page de l’histoire belge soit largement passée sous silence aujourd’hui encore, sont ressentis douloureusement par beaucoup de membres des communautés issues de l’immigration d’Afrique sub-saharienne."

Des personnalités juives telles que le grand rabbin Albert GUIGUI, Paul Dahan, le président du centre culturel judéo-marocain du musée du judaïsme marocain et Jean-Philippe Schreiber, professeur d'histoire à l'ULB avaient été choisis par la présidente du CDH pour faire partie du comité de pilotage de ses assises. On peut se demander comment ils ont pu accepter un tel silence à propos du drame raciste extrême qui a ensanglanté le pays.

La réponse à cette interrogation réside sans doute dans les modalités qui ont prévalus à la composition de ce comité de pilotage. Dans un pays où la représentativité des minorités ethniques, religieuses ou sexuelles n'est pas légalement organisée par une quelconque forme démocratique, il est inévitable que certains notables issus de ces minorités soient invités par le pouvoir politique à s'engager aux noms de leurs semblables. Ils sont alors redevable de ce statut de porte-parole non à ceux qu'ils représentent mais bien au pouvoir politique qui les nomme. Dans cette situation, il est tentant, si on tient à la conserver, de ne pas soulever de questions qui dérangent. Et certainement la question de la responsabilité de l'Etat belge dans l'assassinat de 24906 citoyens Juifs durant la seconde guerre mondiale reste une question dérangeante.

La subjectivité politique de Madame Milquet a été épinglée par le forum flamand des organisations juives. Il a écrit à la ministre de l'Egalité des chances, lui reprochant de n'avoir invité aucune association juive flamande aux assises de l'interculturalité. La N-VA a appuyé cette critiques. Selon Joodse Actueel, la ministre issue de l'ancien parti catholique a répondu que pour elle, la communauté juive est représentée par le grand rabbin Guigui.

Le rapport des Assises de l’interculturalité prône la disparition de la loi réprimant le négationnisme de "la référence explicite au génocide commis par le régime national- socialiste allemand pendant la seconde guerre mondiale, de manière à permettre aux juges de pouvoir l’appliquer à d’autres génocides".

Réagissant à cette proposition, les organisations juives, rwandaises et arméniennes Comité de Coordination des Organisations Juives de Belgique (CCOJB), Ibuka-Belgique et le Comité des Arméniens de Belgique appelent au contraire le gouvernement fédéral et les Chambres à mettre fin à la recrudescence du négationnisme  en complétant l’article 1er de la loi du 23 mars 1995. (Agence Diasporique d'Information, Eric Picard, 14 novembre 2010)

Communiqué pour l'extension de la punition du négationnisme

A l’occasion de la publication du rapport des Assises de l’interculturalité, le Comité de Coordination des Organisations Juives de Belgique (CCOJB), Ibuka-Belgique et le Comité des Arméniens de Belgique
 
- considérant que
 
1° la Belgique a pris position à l’égard du négationnisme par la loi du 23 mars 1995 réprimant la négation du génocide nazi, adoptée par une large majorité, en sorte qu’une marche arrière aurait des effets ravageurs,
 
2° cette loi se réfère explicitement au génocide nazi, non pas pour honorer les victimes mais parce qu’une telle référence était et reste juridiquement indispensable,
 
3° cette loi a fait ses preuves à la fois par son effet dissuasif  et son efficacité judiciaire,
 
4° depuis quelques années, le négationnisme renaît et se développe au sujet des génocides des Tutsi et des Arméniens, profitant de ce que la loi de 1995 ne vise pas ces deux génocides,
 
5° répondant à une recommandation du Conseil de l’Europe, en 2004, le gouvernement a soumis à la Chambre un projet de loi visant à étendre la loi de 1995, puis y a malheureusement renoncé,
 
6° le 28 novembre 2008, le Conseil européen a adopté une décision-cadre relative à la lutte contre le racisme et la xénophobie engageant les Etats membres à réprimer pénalement toute forme de négationnisme,
 
7 ° sur l’initiative de la ministre fédérale de l’égalité des chances, les Assises de l’interculturalité ont confirmé la nécessité d’étendre le champ d’application de la loi de 1995, encore que les voies d’action suggérées soient maladroites,
 
- appellent le gouvernement fédéral et les Chambres à mettre fin à la recrudescence du négationnisme de la même manière qu’en 1995, c’est-à-dire en complétant l’article 1er de la loi du 23 mars 1995 comme suit (les ajouts proposés sont en gras) :
 
« Est puni d'un emprisonnement de huit jours à un an et d'une amende de vingt-six à cinq mille francs quiconque, dans l'une des circonstances indiquées à l'article 444 du Code pénal, nie, minimise grossièrement, cherche à justifier ou approuve le génocide commis  par le régime national-socialiste allemand pendant la seconde guerre mondiale, par le régime jeune-turc ottoman pendant la première guerre mondial et  par le régime rwandais du Hutu Power d’avril à juillet 1994.
 
Pour l'application de l'alinéa précédent, le terme génocide s'entend au sens de l'article 2 de la Convention internationale du 9 décembre 1948 pour la prévention et la répression du crime de génocide. »
 
Maurice Sosnowski, président du Comité de Coordination des Organisations Juives de Belgique
Albert Gakumba, président d'Ibuka-Belgique
Michel Mahmourian, président du Comité des Arméniens de Belgique.
mahmourian@armencom.be

Présentation du documentaire "Diaspora et Renaissance Assyriennes"

L'Institut assyrien de Belgique et "Regionaal Integratiecentrum Foyer Brussel VZW" organise une soirée à l'occasion de la présentation d'un film documentaire sur "Diaspora et Renaissance Assyriennes"*, réalisé par Nahro Beth-Kinne et Vincent Halleux.

Le samedi 13 novembre 2010 à 20h
Centre communautaire Maritime
93, Rue vandenboogaerde
1080 Bruxelles

Contact:

nbkinne@gmail.be
vinchalleux@yahoo.fr

* "La Mésopotamie est l'un des plus grands berceaux de la civilisation. Entre le Tigre et l'Euphrate se sont développés plusieurs formes d'écriture, les mathématiques, la médecine, l'astrologie. Souvenez vous des cités Etats comme Babylone, Ninive...

Pourtant, au début du vingtième siècle, ses descendants ont été victimes d'un véritable génocide. Chassés de leur patrie sacrée, les Assyriens vivent depuis trente ans en diaspora.

Grâce au travail de mémoire minutieux réalisé par Nahro Beth-Kinne, et aux nombreux témoignages de scientifiques, d'historiens, et d'acteurs concernés, vous pouvez vivre par ce documentaire, l'incroyable épopée de ce peuple que l'on croyait disparu ou anéanti.

Aujourd'hui on assiste à la Renaissance de cette minorité qui est à l'origine de la Chrétienté."

Assyrian organizations around the world condemn attacks to churchs

The Assyria Council of Europe issued the following statement:

A Catholic church in central Baghdad was attacked yesterday by Islamist militants believed not to be from Iraq. Iraqi forces stormed the church and a gunfight ensued with the militants, who raided the church and took its parishioners hostage. Reports suggest at least 58 people are believed to be dead, including a priest, with 75 people more wounded.

Worshippers were attending their Sunday mass when gunmen wearing suicide vests detonated bombs outside and then entered Our Lady of Salvation church and started killing indiscriminately. Once the attention of the Iraqi security forces was gained, they proceeded to make demands calling for the release of Al Qaeda militants who had been caught and detained. Survivors have spoken of religious taunts and killing at random. The militants started shooting hostages by saying "We will go to paradise when we kill you, and you will go to hell". Iraqi commandos along with American helicopters arrived on the scene shortly after. Questions must be raised about the methods employed during the rescue as many lives were lost in the process.

Violence towards the Assyrian Christian community is a persistent and endemic problem in Iraq. The Assyrians have endured a terrible time since and before Saddam Hussein's removal. Current security is highly inadequate as seen here with a large number of Assyrians being murdered by apparent foreign nationals with criminal intentions.

The Assyria Council of Europe's view is that "Assyrian Christians are once again the victim of a horrendous attack on their culture, their religion, and most importantly, their position within their homeland. This will prompt even more Assyrians to leave in search of safety. It is vital that Assyrian Christians are afforded with the same rights as other ethnic groups in Iraq.

These include being granted a province, in accordance with federal law, which provides a secure geographically defined region where all minority groups, including Assyrian Christians, are given administrative responsibility and the authority to locally derive their security forces. More than 1 million Assyrian Christians have left Iraq post-Saddam, and this cannot be allowed to continue."

The Assyrian Universal Alliance issued the following statement:

The Assyrian Universal Alliance (AUA) condemns the barbaric attack on the Our Lady of Salvation Syriac Catholic Church in Baghdad.The attack happened during worship services on October 31, 2010 and claimed the lives of numerous innocent Assyrian parishioners, priests, and Iraqi security forces.

These criminal acts are targeted against the Assyrian people in an attempt to force them to flee their homeland. We are confident that these criminals will not achieve their goals and that the indigenous people of Iraq will remain in their homeland. The Assyrian nation has over 7,000 years of history rooted in Iraq, and while the nation is shaken, it will pull itself out of the ashes and carry on with its mission of bringing peace and harmony amongst all citizens of Iraq.

The Assyrian Universal Alliance extends its deepest sympathy to the families who have lost their loved ones in this attack, and wishes a speedy recovery to all those who were injured. Bearing in mind both past and present heinous and unrestrained atrocities leveled against our people, we urge our collective national institutions to unilaterally and unequivocally demand justice for Assyrians in Iraq.

We call upon the Iraqi government to take swift and definitive action to stop the vicious attacks against our people, instituting immediate measures to address the humanitarian crisis threatening our future in our homeland. As Iraq's indigenous people, the Assyrian nation demands the establishment of an Assyrian autonomous region on our ancestral lands as an integral part of the Federal Republic of Iraq and administrated by Assyrians under the jurisdiction of Iraq's central government, in which we will provide the security forces necessary to safeguard our people.

We appeal to all democratic governments and human rights organizations around the world to take action against what is happening to the Assyrians of Iraq. By fulfilling the Assyrian demand for the aforementioned autonomous region, the government of Iraq will be protecting a peace-loving people and establishing a country in which Iraqis of all religions can live together in harmony. (AINA, November 3, 2010)

Politique intérieure/Interior Politics

Erdogan sème le doute sur la possible entrée d'une élue voilée au Parlement

La presse turque s'interrogeait samedi sur des propos du Premier ministre islamo-conservateur Recep Tayyip Erdogan ayant jugé possible l'entrée prochaine d'une élue voilée au Parlement, où le voile islamique est banni au nom du principe de laïcité.

Interrogé vendredi dans son avion au retour d'une visite au Liban par une journaliste sur la possibilité de voir une élue voilée siéger à l'Assemblée après les élections législatives, prévues en juin, M. Erdogan a répondu: "En politique, tout est possible", a rapporté le quotidien à grand tirage Hürriyet.

"En politique, même 24 heures, c'est beaucoup", a-t-il ajouté, quand la journaliste lui a fait remarquer qu'il ne restait plus que six mois avant les élections, a indiqué Hürriyet.

Les déclarations de M. Erdogan interviennent alors qu'une décision du
Conseil de l'enseignement supérieur (YÖK) en octobre a déjà conduit à un assouplissement de l'interdiction du port du voile islamique à l'université.

Les laïcs, dont l'armée et la haute magistrature, considèrent le foulard comme un défi à la laïcité et craignent toute mesure qui assouplirait son interdiction dans les administrations et les écoles.

Ils soupçonnent le Parti de la justice et du développement (AKP, issu de la mouvance islamiste) de M. Erdogan de vouloir islamiser la Turquie en catimini.

Le vice-premier ministre Bülent Arinç a enfoncé le clou samedi en affirmant sur la chaîne TV8: "En fait, dans l'article du règlement intérieur de l'Assemblée régissant la tenue, il n'y a pas de mention précisant si la tête doit ou non être découverte", a rapporté l'agence de presse Anatolie.

M. Arinç a rappelé la mésaventure de Merve Kavakçi, une parlementaire islamiste qui, en 1999, alors qu'elle venait d'être élue, avait été empêchée de prêter serment puis expulsée du Parlement car elle portait le voile islamique. Elle appartenait à la même formation que MM. Erdogan et Arinç.

"Peut-être faut-il penser cette question en termes de démocratisation et de libertés. Car les femmes voilées peuvent être élues dans de nombreux pays européens. La Turquie y gagnerait si elle déplaçait cette controverse vers le terrain des libertés", a commenté M. Arinç, cité par l'agence de presse Anatolie. (AFP, 27 nov 2010)

Présidence mondiale des élus locaux: Istanbul succède à Paris

Le maire d'Istanbul, Kadir Topbas, a été élu à Mexico à la présidence de l'association mondiale d'élus locaux et régionaux Cités et Gouvernements Locaux Unis (CGLU), où il succède au maire de Paris Bertrand Delanoë.

M. Delanoë, qui avait annoncé son intention de renoncer au mandat qu'il exerçait depuis six ans, a été nommé président honoraire de l'association qui rassemblait à Mexico 3.000 maires et élus locaux et régionaux de 114 pays.

CGLU, qui concluait samedi son troisième Congrès mondial, consacré notamment aux "répercussions locales des crises mondiales" et à "la Ville de 2030" dans une mégapole de 8,5 millions d'habitants au coeur d'une agglomération de plus de 20 millions de personnes, a décidé que le prochain, dans trois ans, serait organisé à Rabat.

Le Congrès de CGLU s'est prolongé dimanche par le premier Sommet mondial des maires, qui doit signer un "Pacte de Mexico" créateur d'un "Carbon Cities Climate Registry", le "tout premier registre international des initiatives durables des villes afin de rendre leurs actions transparentes et quantifiables" en matière de lutte contre le réchauffement climatique, avait annoncé M. Delanoë.

Ce "Pacte" sera soumis à la conférence de l'ONU sur le climat, du 29 novembre au 10 décembre à Cancun, célèbre station balnéaire du Sud-Est du Mexique.

Face à la difficulté à parvenir à un accord global pour succéder au protocole de Kyoto sur le climat, "nous devons dire à la communauté internationale que c'est dans les villes que se gagnera la bataille pour freiner le réchauffement" du globe, avait déclaré M. Ebrard, à l'ouverture du rendez-vous de Mexico. (AFP, 21 nov 2010)

CHP leader hopes to win hearts of Turkey's Kurds

Visiting a region long neglected by his party, the head of the main opposition expressed optimism over the weekend about closer ties with the country’s Kurds and a “third way” to solve the problems they face.

“I apologize to the people of this region. We should have come more often in the past, but I promise we will do so from now on,” Republican People’s Party, or CHP, chief Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said in his address to people in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır.

The party leader visited Diyarbakır and Şanlıurfa, two prominent cities in Southeast Anatolia, over the weekend in an attempt to boost the CHP’s popularity in the region, where its support has diminished over the last decade.

Recalling a 2008 visit to Diyarbakır under former party leader Deniz Baykal, Kılıçdaroğlu said Saturday that the city was considered a “loss” for the party during that time.

“If we come here more, if we pay attention to the region’s problems, we can win over Diyarbakır,” the CHP chief told journalists.

“The response surpassed my expectations. This indicates that a third way is possible. This visit opened up the path. Democracy has arrived in Diyarbakır,” Kılıçdaroğlu said.

The CHP is paving the way for a third solution for the Kurdish people through democracy, peace and acceptance, Kılıçdaroğlu said, calling this route an alternative to the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, and the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party, or BDP.

“We will not use beliefs like the AKP, or ethnic identity like the BDP, as a political tool. Bringing ethnic identity to the forefront does not unite; it separates,” Kılıçdaroğlu said, adding that people in the region want peace.

“They want to walk on the streets freely. They are victims of terror. Our aim is more democracy and more freedom. You can’t get anywhere through restraints,” the CHP leader said. “The Kurdish population has demands. They want jobs. It is upsetting that people are voting for a mentality that promises a prison instead of a factory.”

Deputy party leader Gürsel Tekin used the Internet service Twitter during the visit to thank locals for their “splendid” reception. “We are told that a party leader has not been able to walk the streets this comfortably for 10 years,” Tekin wrote.

In his meetings with local residents, Kılıçdaroğlu asked them to vote for the CHP in the upcoming general elections if they seek a sincere approach to solving the region’s problems.

“We will make Diyarbakır the Paris of the East,” he said, adding that the party’s policies will solve the Kurdish problem through creating new job opportunities and other social tools.

Baykal warns of ‘trap’

Former party leader Baykal meanwhile warned CHP members against following in the footsteps of the ruling AKP.

Speaking in Trabzon the same day Kılıçdaroğlu made his remarks, Baykal said the CHP does not pursue ethnic and religious initiatives. “Will we fall for this trap after 80 years?” he asked.

“We are not a party that works only when in power. We do our job in the oppositional position, too,” Baykal said. “We’ve had important tasks as the opposition, to prevent negativity, to uphold Turkey’s basic principles.” (Hürriyet Daily News, November 21, 2010)

Chaos in the Republican People's Party (CHP)

The chaos in the Republican People's Party (CHP), which started with efforts to put new party bylaws into effect and later turned into a “battle for leadership” between CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and former secretary-general of the party, Önder Sav, continues to deepen, with the main opposition party eventually finding itself facing the hardest test in its history as it has already split into two camps, and possibly three, according to most.
                                                                                                                           
For some, the CHP should hurry up and hold an extraordinary congress to end the deadlock surrounding the leadership status, but for some others, the congress will not help to ease the trouble because it will not be held in a fair manner for many reasons. For over one week, the main opposition party has been going through tough times due to an order from Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalçınkaya to put the party's new bylaws into practice within two weeks. The new bylaws are mainly intended to significantly reduce the role of Sav in the administration of the party. Sav is better known as the “leader behind the scenes” of the CHP. However, the former secretary-general was unwilling to see his power curbed. When Kılıçdaroğlu made a major change in the party administration as part of efforts to implement the new bylaws, Sav got furious and started to gather signatures from delegates for an extraordinary congress. He planned to use his power over CHP delegates to change the party leader in the congress. Neither Sav nor his close circle of friends appeared in the new CHP administration.

Initially, over 50 members of the CHP Party Council signed the “call for a congress” document, but some of them withdrew their signatures on Thursday. Kılıçdaroğlu, in response, reacted harshly. On Wednesday evening, he called a press conference and said the formation of the new party administration was aimed to “destroy an empire of fear.” He was openly criticizing Sav’s influence on CHP delegates. “The party seats do not belong to anyone. I was brought to the CHP leadership by the party organization, and I will be sent back by no one but the organization itself. I will respect any decision made by the organization. If someone insists on protecting his seat and threatens to revolt if he is removed then that’s not correct. I will never allow such attempts,” he stated.

Throughout his address, Kılıçdaroğlu focused on “fears” and “freedoms,” which strongly hinted that the CHP administration has long remained under the hegemony of Sav.

CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu

“We demolished the empire of fear in the CHP. We are the party of the public, but not the party of some people. Seats are not entrusted to people so that they can occupy them for ever. The seats do not belong to us or others. People who receive their power from elsewhere will not remain in the party,” the CHP leader added.

He also appealed to CHP delegates to support him. He said the “new CHP” he leads will bring democracy to the main opposition party.

Kılıçdaroğlu clarified his definition of the “new CHP” in a press conference on Thursday. He said what he meant by the new CHP is the new party administration. “This is an administration that receives its power from the public. This is a pro-freedom administration. No one will manage to carry this administration outside of freedoms and the law,” he noted.

The CHP is currently in a mess. Sav and CHP members who were removed from office by Kılıçdaroğlu on Wednesday packed their belongings and emptied their rooms at CHP headquarters in Ankara. Sav later filed a complaint at the Supreme Court of Appeals against Kılıçdaroğlu, arguing that he appointed new names to the CHP administration in violation of the laws. He also called provincial chairmen of the CHP to convene for a meeting on Saturday.

CHP’s new Secretary-General Süheyl Batum responded to Sav’s complaint, saying that the new bylaws are “clear” on appointments and that the best response to Sav’s complaint would be given by the chief prosecutor of the Supreme Court of Appeals.

Kılıçdaroğlu was “hopeful” when he arrived at the party headquarters to attend his party’s Central Executive Board (MYK) meeting. He said Turkey needs hope and a good party administration. “We are living in a pessimistic democracy. We need to get rid of this pessimism. The CHP will become the hope of the public,” he noted.

It was not immediately clear whether the main opposition party will hold a congress on Nov. 27 or 28 as was declared on Wednesday. There are rumors that the military may intervene to thaw the ice between Kılıçdaroğlu and Sav to prevent a real separation within the party. The military believes that the CHP is a guardian of the secular regime in Turkey. It would not like to see it lose power as it would lead to a loss of power on the secularist front. For some, the military may ask Sav to “take his hands off” the CHP administration. Otherwise, the main opposition may see a major split between the supporters of Sav, Kılıçdaroğlu and Deniz Baykal, the party’s former leader.

Is a congress a way out?

Both Kılıçdaroğlu and Sav are now seeking a way out of the crisis. Sav is confident that he will emerge victorious from a congress because he is supported by the majority of party delegates. If the CHP heads to an extraordinary congress, Kılıçdaroğlu will have almost no chance to remain as the party’s leader. The former secretary-general is reportedly looking for a candidate for CHP leader. The candidate will run in the congress against Kılıçdaroğlu. There are rumors that he may pick Haluk Koç or Hakkı Süha Okay as the candidate.

Süheyl Batum, who was appointed as the new CHP secretary-general, said the main opposition party would head to an extraordinary congress if the problems are unsolved. “Do not worry. Everything will return to normal in a few days. If we cannot solve the problems, we will head to an extraordinary congress,” he told reporters.

Atilla Kart, a CHP Konya deputy, said the main opposition party should hold a congress in order to renew the party council. He said the right to decide on a congress is vested in the party’s leader alone.

Former CHP Deputy Chairman Hakkı Süha Okay, however, disagreed, and said delegates may decide to head to a congress. “At the point we have reached, we have no opportunity to work together,” he told reporters, and added that the internal rift within the CHP may be settled at a congress or at the hands of judicial bodies.

According to CHP İstanbul Provincial Chairman Berhan Şimşek, the congress should be deferred until after the next parliamentary elections in 2011. He expressed surprise to see the main opposition party in an internal conflict. “This was not what we imagined. … I see what we are experiencing today as a nightmare. The CHP is the spine of Turkey,” he said.

Who is who in the ‘new CHP?’

With Kılıçdaroğlu’s appointments on Wednesday, the CHP administration saw a major change. Here are the new positions of leading CHP figures: Gürsel Tekin will be responsible for the party organization, Hurşit Güneş will be responsible for administrative and fiscal affairs, Mesut Değer will be responsible for legal and elections-related affairs, İsa Gök will be responsible for promotion and press relations of the party, Alaattin Yüksel will be responsible for local administrations and İzzet Çetin will be responsible for relations with professional groups, unions and nongovernmental organizations. (Today's Zaman, ERCAN YAVUZ/MUSA TAŞPINAR, 5 November 2010)

Forces armées/Armed Forces

Three senior military officers suspended for involvement in a complot

Turkey’s problematic civil-military ties have witnessed another surprising move to further de-fang the armed forces with two prominent ministers suspending three senior military officers for alleged involvement in the Sledgehammer coup case.

Interior Minister Beşir Atalay suspended Gendarmerie Maj. Gen. Halil Helvacıoğlu on Monday and Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül did the same for Maj. Gen. Gürbüz Kaya and Rear Adm. Abdullah Gavremoğlu on Wednesday. The three officers later Wednesday applied to the military's Supreme Administrative Court to annul the decision. There was no official reaction from the chief of General Staff late Wednesday when the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review went to print.

The suspensions come amid heightened tensions in the wake of a military boycott of an official ceremony hosted by the president to mark the founding of the republic on Oct. 29. The relations were already strained due to the sharp disagreements between the military and the ruling government over promotions for military officers during the annual meeting in August.

Daily Star reported that the suspension of three military officers of such high ranking was a first in the history of the republic.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan defended the move Wednesday, but said he didn’t know if it was a first. “The ministers are given this authority and they used it within their legal rights,” Erdoğan told reporters in a press conference before departing for Lebanon.

According to Article 65 of the Law on Turkish Armed Forces’ Personnel, the interior and defense ministers have the right to suspend military personnel.

The suspension letter that Atalay sent Monday mentioned the Sledgehammer coup case and that the serious charges against Helvacıoğlu had been taken into consideration. The Sledgehammer case is a part of the Ergenekon probe into an alleged anti-government coup plot.

The three senior officers were not promoted during the last Supreme Military Council, or YAŞ, meeting in August due to their involvement in the Sledgehammer case. They took their cases to the military's Supreme Administrative Court, where a decision was made bypassing YAŞ’s decision. However, the Turkish Armed Forces Personnel Law gives the interior and defense ministers the authority to override such decisions.

While the three suspensions stemmed from involvement in alleged plots to overturn the government, Kemal Anadol of the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, called the suspensions a “civil coup” and “revenge.”

“It clearly shows the mentality of Erdoğan and his party,” Anadol said, adding that the ruling party should pay more attention to the customs of the military.

Oktay Vural of the Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP, also criticized the move Wednesday, asking why the ministers chose to wield their authority now.

Numan Kurtulmuş, leader of the People’s Voice Party, or HAS Party, said he welcomed the move while criticizing the government for not solving the problem completely, speaking to reporters Wednesday.

“We have suggested to the government that it should change the constitutional articles to replace the Chief of General Staff’s rank in the protocol. It could easily be amended and could leave it under the authority of the Defense Ministry instead of the Prime Ministry. But they have never done it,” he said. “What is important is to democratize the system.”

In response to criticisms, Hüseyin Çelik, spokesperson for the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, said the ministers used their legal rights and accused the CHP of declaring the military untouchable. “If Turkey will be a democratic republic based on genuine rule of law, there should not be different applications in running judicial processes between public employees,” he said at a press conference. 

‘Late but right’

Daily Taraf Ankara representative Lale Kemal described the move as a “late but right decision.’

“Both the interior minister and the defense minister acted within their authority. What they did was a legal action that is granted to them by the law,” Kemal told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.

She said the laws are and should be applied to everyone regardless of civilian or military background and democratic supervision of the military is essential.

“The ministers simply used their legal rights. It was a late but right move. They should have used their authority even earlier,” Kemal said. “Some circles consider the move a kind of revenge, but it was a legal action as the laws are too clear. If there is suspicion that a military figure committed an offense, then he or she cannot be tolerated.” 

The YAŞ meeting in August witnessed high tension between the military and the ruling government over which officers would be promoted.

The ongoing investigations into different coup plots in which several active and retired military officers are charged for alleged involvement in plans to overthrow the government affected promotions at the YAŞ meeting. On the eve of the YAS meeting, a court summoned 19 officers and various retired officers to testify as part of the Ergenekon probe into an alleged anti-government coup plot.

The government refused to consider the promotion of military officers allegedly involved in the coup plots, delaying the promotion of 11 generals and admirals for whom arrest warrants had been issued in the ongoing Sledgehammer coup investigation.

Move comes after reception boycott

The move came after Turkish military chiefs boycotted an official ceremony at the Presidential Palace to mark the 87th anniversary of the foundation of the Turkish Republic on Oct. 29 because of the presence of women wearing Islamic headscarves at the reception.

For this year’s celebration, President Abdullah Gül decided to merge separate Republic Day receptions into one event and open it to women wearing headscarves. The leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, boycotted the event, as did the Turkish Armed Forces, or TSK, which hosted an “alternative” reception at the same time.

The boycott was criticized by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whose wife also wears a headscarf. (Daily News, November 24, 2010)

Conscientious Objector Süver to be Hospitalized on Compulsion

The Aegean Army Command Military Court rejected the request to release conscientious objector İnan Süver. Süver has been in detention for three and a half months now. He had stated, "I am a conscientious objector and I do not want to do even one day of military service".

His case was continued on 8 November. The Military Court decided to extend Süver's detention in the Buca Prison (Izmir). The Initiative Against Crimes of Thought announced that the trial was postponed to 6 December. Süver will have been imprisoned for four months by then because of his thoughts on conscientious objection.

Imprisoned since 5 August

The court decreed to transfer Süver to a military hospital in order to have a report issued on him. It had already been decided to hospitalize him in the previous hearing but he was not transferred. Süver protested the court for its decision and said that he did not ask for a report because he was a conscientious objector.

Süver was conscripted in 2001but used his right to conscientious objection. The married father of three children was arrested in 2003 and detained in the Şirinyer Military Prison, nicknamed by conscientious objectors as the "Şirinyer Military Torture House".

Süver is an activist of the Kurdish Conscientious Objection Movement. An arrest warrant was issued in his name in the scope of an investigation into alleged desertion. He was taken into custody from his home in Istanbul on 5 August 2010.

Lawyer Erkan: Application to the ECHR

He was arrested by the military prosecution and taken to the Kasımpaşa (Istanbul) Prison. He started a hunger strike by the time he was transferred to the Izmir Şirinyer Military Prison on 24 August.

Lawyer Davut Erkan told bianet that his client started a hunger strike on 9 August. He gave a break when he was released from hospital and resumed the hunger strike on 31 August.

Erkan said that an investigation was launched about his client under allegations of "absence without permission". "He reacted this way because he considers his arrest and prosecution as contrary to the law, so he started the hunger strike", Erkan explained.

The lawyer announced that he is preparing an application to the European Court of Human Rights together with his colleagues form Izmir in order to end this "injustice that has been going on for ten years". He said to refer to the ECHR decision of the case of Osman Murat Ülke as a precedent.

Süver: I strike for exclaiming my innocense

Süver was born in the south-eastern Kurdish majority province of Van in 1977. Erkan said that members of the Human Rights Association (İHD) and lawyers of the Turkish Human Rights Foundation (TİHV) are visiting Süver on a daily basis. The lawyer indicated that his client's situation will be clear within one month.

Lawyer Abdullah Öztürk said after his visit to Süver, "During our meeting he told me that he was on strike to exclaim his innocence". (BIA, Erol ÖNDEROĞLU,  15 November 2010)

Southeastern city never liberated, renames Liberation Day

Mardin has renamed a local holiday to better reflect the area’s history, which does not include foreign invasion.

Even though it was not invaded by enemy powers after World War I, the southeastern province of Mardin celebrated Nov. 21 as “Liberation from Enemy Occupation Day” for 91 years, news agencies reported Thursday.

For this reason, the municipal assembly has renamed the day “Honor Day,” said Mardin Mayor Beşir Ayanoğlu.

There are, however, official documents proving that British forces wanted to take Mardin, Ayanoğlu told Doğan news agency.

As well, a French commander known as Col. Norman came to the city and informed officials that he wanted to invade it. “However our ancestors, with great courage, stood against this demand and the colonel left the city after staying one or two nights and rejected the invasion idea. Consequently Mardin was not invaded, according to official documents,” Ayanoğlu said. “A Liberation Day is not possible for a city that was not invaded.”

Aysel Fedai, a historian from Mardin Artuklu University, made a presentation to the municipal assembly about the issue. “Mardin was not invaded directly after the Armistice of Moudros [between the Ottoman Empire and Allied powers of World War I],” she said. “Mardin did not allow bullets to be shot and had some precautions about that. The enemy was unable to show the courage to use guns here,” Fedai said. “That is why we now consider this special day Honor Day.” (Daily News, November 12, 2010)

La Turquie veut engager des soldats professionnels pour lutter contre le PKK

La Turquie envisage de déployer des unités composées de professionnels notamment à sa frontière avec l'Irak pour enrayer l'infiltration sur son sol des rebelles kurdes depuis le nord de l'Irak, a affirmé le ministre de la Défense dans des déclarations publiées mardi.

"Dans une première étape" 50.000 hommes seront engagés dans les rangs de l'armée pour une durée d'"au moins trois ans" et seront "utilisés dans le cadre de la lutte anti-terroriste", a précisé Vecdi Gönül, cité par le journal Milliyet.

Par lutte anti-terroriste, le ministre entend parler du combat engagé par les forces d'Ankara contre les rebelles kurdes du Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK) que la Turquie et nombre de pays considèrent comme un mouvement terroriste.

Ces hommes, qui deviendront de simple soldats, sans grade, seront choisis parmi d'anciens conscrits, a-t-il souligné.

La frontière turco-irakienne, longue de quelque 350 km et particulièrement montagneuse, est propice aux infiltrations des militants du PKK.

Le PKK compte environ 2.000 hommes dans ses repaires de la montagne irakienne, selon Ankara. L'aviation turque les bombarde régulièrement depuis 2007 mais cela n'a pas empêché les attaques rebelles.

M. Gönül n'a pas précisé quand les unités composées entièrement de professionnels seront déployées.

Malgré certaines démarches en faveur d'une armée de métier, l'armée turque, la deuxième en nombre au sein de l'Otan (515.000 hommes environ) après les Etats-Unis, est largement composée de conscrits. (AFP, 9 nov 2010)

Un général turc écroué dans une enquête sur la mort de six soldats

Un tribunal militaire d'Ankara a ordonné le placement en détention provisoire d'un général dans le cadre d'une enquête sur la mort de six soldats tués par une mine dans le sud-est de la Turquie en 2009, un incident alors imputé aux rebelles kurdes, a rapporté la presse dimanche.

La cour a prononcé vendredi la mise sous écrou du général de brigade Zeki Es pour avoir causé la mort des six militaires, ont indiqué les journaux.

Six soldats turcs avaient été tués et huit autres blessés le 28 mai 2009 par l'explosion d'une mine au passage de leur véhicule à proximité de la localité de Cukurca, dans la province de Hakkari, près de la frontière irakienne.

Les autorités avaient imputé l'incident aux rebelles du Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK), qui utilisent souvent des mines dans leurs attaques contre les forces de sécurité.

L'aviation turque avait riposté le même jour en bombardant des positions des rebelles kurdes dans le nord de l'Irak, que le PKK utilise comme base arrière pour ses opérations.

Mais l'enquête a révélé que l'engin provenait des stocks de l'armée.

Des enregistrements de conversations téléphoniques supposées entre le général Es, qui commandait alors une brigade de gendarmerie dans la région, et d'autres officiers ont par ailleurs été diffusées sur internet, dans lesquels le général admet avoir fait poser la mine, pour des raisons de sécurité, affirment les quotidiens.

Longtemps intouchable, l'armée, qui se considère comme la gardienne du régime laïque turc, a été amenée au cours des dernière années à répondre de ses actes devant la justice, conséquence de la lutte de pouvoir qui l'oppose au gouvernement, issu de la mouvance islamiste.

Un officier turc a été condamné en novembre 2009 à neuf ans de prison pour la mort de quatre soldats, alors qu'il avait ordonné à l'un d'eux en guise de punition de garder dans sa main une grenade dégoupillée. L'armée avait dans un premier temps conclu à un accident, mais la presse avait révélé l'affaire. (AFP, 7 nov 2010)

Affaires religieuses/Religious Affairs

Islamists forced Nobel laureate Naipaul to scrap Istanbul trip

VS Naipaul, the winner of a Nobel Prize for Literature, has chosen to abandon his trip to Istanbul for a writers’ conference following a storm of controversy over his past comments on Islam. But the writer who first started the debate, Hilmi Yavuz, says, ‘The one being targeted is not Naipaul but me. I am being persecuted for warning the public’

V.S. Naipaul has chosen to cancel his trip to Istanbul after a fierce debate.

Nobel laureate writer Sir V.S. Naipaul has canceled plans to attend the European Writers Parliament in Istanbul after attracting a storm of controversy for past comments on Islam, yet the debate surrounding him seems likely to continue.

“The politicization of the conference in the Turkish media in regards to Sir V.S. Naipaul’s participation has altered the original conception of the event and his contribution to it as a celebrated author. For this reason, by mutual agreement between the EWP and Naipaul, [the author] has withdrawn his attendance,” the EWP said in a statement released Wednesday.

The EWP is a large international literary event that will bring together a number of global writers in Istanbul between Thursday and Saturday. Before releasing the statement, the event’s organizers gathered and first considered canceling the whole event, but instead decided to tell the author about the reactions in Turkey against him, daily Radikal reported Wednesday. The daily said that after conversing with the author over the phone, it became clear he was not coming to Turkey. The report said the organizers also considered canceling Naipaul’s invitation if he had insisted on coming.

Naipaul’s decision not to attend is the latest incident in a week of debate that began Nov. 17 when poet Hilmi Yavuz wrote in daily Zaman that it was disrespectful to Turkish society to invite a writer who has insulted Islam in the past. Some were also angered by reports that Naipaul was to be the event’s guest of honor even though organizers said he was only to give the opening speech.

“I don’t have a personal problem with Naipaul; I have a problem with the mentality,” Yavuz told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review on Tuesday. “I don’t care what the world thinks about me. As a Turkish intellectual, my mission is to illuminate my own society. He might have received the Nobel prize, but it does not give him the right to insult the Muslim world.”

“Islam has had a calamitous effect on converted peoples,” Naipaul, a Trinidad-born English writer of Indian origin, said in 2001. “To be converted you have to destroy your past, destroy your history. You have to stomp on it, you have to say, ‘My ancestral culture does not exist, it does not matter.’”

Asked if he thought he had made Naipaul into a target for fundamentalist groups, Yavuz said: “I have become the target, not Naipaul. I have been persecuted for warning my society. I want to ask the Turkish intelligentsia – who define themselves as intellectuals – whether they want to sit at the same table with such a man or not. I don’t think about the developments. I don’t care what the world will think of me.”

‘Let’s ban Dostoyevsky’

Yavuz’s stance on Naipaul has been widely supported, but it has also drawn criticism from other quarters.

“If we are against Naipaul, then let’s put a ban on [Fyodor] Dostoyevsky, saying he is an enemy of Turks. Let’s withdraw his books from the market,” writer and journalist Ragıp Zarakolu, who is also founder of the Turkish Human Rights Association and the owner of Belge International Publishing House, told the Daily News.

“What kind of mentality is this? Of course Naipaul’s insult should not be accepted and tolerated, but people already face ethnic discrimination because of their identity in this country. As an intellectual, I want to ask Yavuz the reason for his attitude. If they continue like this, they will not be able to find a name to invite,” Zarakolu said.

Scriptwriter and journalist Refik Erduran, the brother-in-law of world-famous Turkish poet Nazım Hikmet, said he could not accept Yavuz’s manner but added that there should have been no plans to highlight Naipaul at the event.

“I am not against his invitation to Turkey, but it is very funny that he was to be honored. But it does not mean that I approve Yavuz,” Erduran said.

Senem Kale, media coordinator of Art Kült Reflex, which is helping organize the EWP, said her group was upset because of the developments.

“We invited Naipaul to deliver the opening speech only, but we saw no harm that he was depicted as the ‘guest of honor’ in the media,” she told the Daily News. “We did not imagine the events would reach this level. We don’t understand that an event, to which 65 leading writers from all around the world have been invited, is being discussed in this way.”

Echoes of Kusturica protest

The controversy surrounding Naipaul is reminiscent of last month’s protest of Serbian director Emir Kusturica. The Bosnian-origin director was invited as a jury member to the 47th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, but his invitation was protested for apparent insensitivity toward Bosnian victims during war in the former Yugoslavia.

He quit the jury because of the protests, saying, “It is a barbarous scandal and primitiveness.” Kusturica said afterward that his statements on the war had been misunderstood.

V.S. Naipaul

Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul was born in Trinidad and Tobago in 1932 and educated at Queen's Royal College, Trinidad, before studying at Oxford on a government scholarship.

His first three books are comic portraits of Trinidadian society. “The Mystic Masseur” won the Mail on Sunday/John Llewellyn Rhys Prize in 1958 and was adapted to film with a screenplay by Caryl Phillips in 2001.

A collection of short stories, “Miguel Street,” won a Somerset Maugham Award while his acclaimed novel, “A House for Mr. Biswasi,” focused on his father's life in Trinidad.

His first novel set in England, "Mr. Stone and the Knights Companion," won the Hawthornden Prize.

Naipaul is also the author of a number of works of non-fiction including three books about India, including “An Area of Darkness,” “India: A Wounded Civilization,” “India: A Million Mutinies Now,” and two books about Islamic societies, “Among the Believers: An Islamic Journey” and “Beyond Belief: Islamic Excursions.”

The author was knighted in 1989 and was awarded the David Cohen British Literature Prize by the Arts Council of England in 1993, as well as the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2001.

He holds honorary doctorates from Cambridge University and Columbia University in New York, as well as honorary degrees from the universities of London and Oxford. He lives in Wiltshire, England.(Daily News, VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU, November 24, 2010)

Nationalization of massacre hotel not enough, say Alevis

Alevi communities have welcomed the nationalization of a privately owned hotel building in Sivas in which 37 Alevis were burnt to death at the hands of a religious mob in 1993 but also said it was equally important to them how the building would be used in the future.

Alevi groups would like to see the hotel transformed into a museum in memory of the victims. The government says it is not very keen on the idea for fear that this might provoke the religious sensitivities of others. It has said it will use the building as a library and perhaps include a memorial corner inside.

The future of the building had long been a matter of contention between the government and Alevi communities. The nationalization of the building, which has long been used as a kebab house, was one of the major demands of the Alevi community raised during meetings with the government in a series of seven workshops, the last of which was held on Jan. 28-30, 2010.

On Tuesday, Minister of Culture and Tourism Ertuğrul Günay said in comments about the building: “That place is a center of shame. It is one of the most disgraceful places in history.”

He underscored that many governments have come and gone since the massacre occurred, but none of them took any steps on the Madımak Hotel until the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government’s nationalization of the building.

Günay added that the building would serve to “confront the past” but that the ultimate decision on how it will be used will be made following feasibility studies. Günay said the building would either be a memorial house or a cultural center.

“We have no intention of allowing this to be forgotten,” he said. Fevzi Gümüş, chairman of the Pir Sultan Abdal Culture Association (PSAKD), one of the largest Alevi associations, said the hotel’s nationalization was not nearly enough and that work to turn it into a memorial museum had to start immediately.

Gümüş said they have been struggling to open a museum in the building for 17 years now, noting that this would keep the memory of the victims alive and serve as a reminder of past grievances to future generations. Gümüş also said that the idea of dedicating only a small part of the hotel as a memorial corner was not acceptable.

In a written statement released on the subject, Gümüş said, “The Alevi community will most certainly upset the government’s plans to appear as if it is responding to Alevi demands without actually fulfilling any of our requests.”

He also dismissed the notion that transforming the hotel into a museum would cause sectarian hostility. “To confront the past and condemn crimes against humanity will only serve to bring the different cultures, identities and beliefs closer together,” he said.

Cafer Solgun, chairman of the Confrontation with the Past Association, told Today’s Zaman that the nationalization decision was a late but a very positive step. “But the question is the future of the hotel. To turn this building into a memorial center which will be dedicated to the human race and not to our differences will help the Alevi community overcome their feelings of insecurity,” Solgun said.

The Sivas 2nd Court of Law on Tuesday ruled for the expropriation of the Madımak Hotel, whose future had long been a matter of contention between the government and Turkey’s Alevi communities, for TL 5,601,000. Sources from the region say the owners were dissatisfied with the amount and were preparing to appeal against the ruling.

Sivas massacre

On July 2, 1993, 35 people who traveled to Sivas to attend the Pir Sultan Abdal Festival died when the Madımak Hotel was set on fire following provocations. Among those killed were writer Asım Bezirci, poet and singer Nesimi Çimen, poet Metin Altıok and folk music singer Hasret Gültekin. Fifty-one people, including atheist writer Aziz Nesin, the main target of the attacks, were wounded.

The attackers were protesting Nesin’s translating Salman Rushdie’s “Satanic Verses” into Turkish. Some people passed out flyers ahead of the festival warning “the Muslims” against the festival attendees. As the hours passed, people in the hotel found themselves besieged by an angry mob.

The city’s inhabitants claim that some of the perpetrators were not even from the city and that some passersby had been wrongly accused State Minister Faruk Çelik, who is in charge of the government’s Alevi initiative, said in a statement made during a commemoration ceremony for the Sivas massacre earlier this year that the incident still remains unresolved and that they highly doubt that the provocations were orchestrated by clandestine groups.

“There are ongoing investigations in Turkey to solve dark events [of the past], one of which is the Sivas incident. Even though 17 years have passed, the real perpetrators of the crime have not been exposed,” he had said as the first state official to ever participate in a commemoration service for Madımak victims. (Today's Zaman, AYŞE KARABAT, 25 November 2010)

Idea of cremation finds few takers in Turkey

With graveyard space running out in many parts of Turkey, Antalya Mayor Mustafa Akaydın's comments about opening a crematorium in the Mediterranean city have sparked debate around the country. Funeral companies say there is increasing demand for cremation and that the practice is legal, but Islamic scholars argue that it is against religious values

Crowded conditions at graveyards in the Mediterranean city of Antalya have sparked debate within Turkey about the possibility of establishing crematoriums in the country.

“We can’t solve the problem of finding space for graveyards; our current graveyards will be filled up in three months,” Antalya Mayor Mustafa Akaydın told daily Hürriyet last week. “I have thought about opening a crematorium as a solution, but I know that I will get negative reactions for saying that. We live in a Muslim country.”

Though current law allows municipalities to open crematoriums if there is demand, it does not specify how to do so, and those who wish to provide or make use of such services may face opposition from the country’s majority Muslim population, as Islamic religious authorities oppose cremation of the body after death.

“There is increasing demand for being cremated, especially from foreign people who live in Turkey,” Murat Arslanoğlu, the owner of Fempa Funeral Services in Antalya, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. “Almost 5 percent of our customers want to be cremated and I think it should be a matter of freedom.”

Arslanoğlu said he has applied to both the Istanbul and Antalya metropolitan municipalities to build a crematorium in Turkey, but received negative responses.

“The Istanbul Metropolitan Mayoralty told us that the issue is outside the scope of its power,” Arslanoğlu told the Daily News. “But I think it said this since there is no specification about how [a crematorium] can be implemented.”

The current public sanitation law delegates responsibility for designating and managing graveyard spaces to city administrations.

“If the law allows [cremation] but doesn’t specify the requirements, it should be interpreted as a legal right,” Ali Ersin Gür, the former president of the Contemporary Lawyers Association, told the Daily News. “There are many people with different beliefs in Turkey and if they have such a demand, legally it is a right.”

Religious restrictions

Islamic religious authorities, however, oppose cremation. “According to Islamic rules, the dead can only be shrouded and buried,” said Saim Yeprem, a divinity professor at Istanbul Marmara University. “Therefore, a Muslim person cannot be cremated.”

Mehmet Nuri Yılmaz, the former president of the country’s Religious Affairs Directorate, agreed. “It is not a valid practice in Islam,” Yılmaz told the Daily News. “Islamic traditions require burying the body under the earth. However, if a person wants to be cremated, they should be given that choice.”

Turkish actress Meral Okay is among the people who identify as Muslims but still want to be cremated after they pass away. “I am not a person close to Buddhism or far from Islam. I am a very devout person,” Okay said during an interview. “But I think it should be left to us, not to the state, to decide what to do with our bodies after we die.”

Some believe Turkish society is not ready to accept crematoriums. “It is something that people are not used to, especially in small cities,” Ali Tekinsoy, who offers burial services in Konya, a city in Central Anatolia, told the Daily News. “Since there is less ethnic diversity, the burial services here are very traditional. Therefore, many people will oppose such an idea, saying that it is against religion.”

Cemetery prices

The debate about crematoriums comes amid increasing prices, and decreasing space, in the country’s graveyards. According to a report by daily Milliyet, grave plots in Istanbul range between 1,250 and 12,000 Turkish Liras, plus burial services, which may cost as much as 4,000 liras. In Ankara, there is only enough space left enough for the next three years of burials.

“We really don’t have much space left for new graveyards. A crematorium will help resolve this problem. Seventy percent of the dead in England are cremated each year,” said Fempa Funeral Services owner Arslanoğlu. “But another solution would be to privatize the graveyards so that new spaces can be found. This is also a model applied in many European countries.”

The Gencer case

Despite the urgency surrounding the current debate, it is not the first time cremation has been discussed in Turkey. When famous Turkish opera singer Leyla Gencer died two years ago, she was cremated according to her requests in Italy, where she spent her life. Her ashes were subsequently brought to Turkey and scattered over Istanbul’s Bosphorus Strait.

The law determining whose ashes can be brought to Turkey was modified in January 2010, however. Under the new regulations, only Turkish citizens or those who have a Turkish citizen as a first-degree relative have the right to have their remains transported back to Turkey after being cremated.

“It must be a right for everyone,” said Arslanoğlu. “Especially if we want to be a member of the European Union, we need to provide such freedom.”

A crematorium in the 1930s

There are no crematoriums currently in Turkey, but documents show that one such facility existed in the 1930s at Istanbul’s Zincirlikuyu Cemetery.

According to General Director of Burial Sites Adem Avcı, the graveyard remained open for almost five years, but was later closed due to lack of use.

Another attempt was made in 1975 to erect a crematorium in Ankara, but it was unsuccessful. (Hürriyet Daily News, IŞIL EĞRİKAVUK, November 19, 2010)

International Conference on Religious Intolerance in Turkey

On 16-17 November, the Order of St Andrew held a conference entitled "Turkey's Bridge to the European Union" at the European Parliament  in Brussels. Human Rights Without Frontiers was invited to a panel addressing "Issues and Concerns of Religious Minorities in Turkey". Hereafter the paper presented by Human Rights Without Frontiers.

By Willy Fautré, Human Rights Without Frontiers

HRWF (17.11.2010) - www.hrwf.net - Our organization started dealing with Christians in Turkey when in the early 1990s the first waves of Syriac Orthodox and Chaldeans arrived in Western Europe as asylum-seekers. They were then victims of the Turkish army and of the Kurds. They left their villages and homes, often destroyed, in search of a better and more tolerant world where their security would be guaranteed, where their daughters would not be kidnapped to be forcibly married to a young Muslim, where their crops would not be burnt.

The message that they also brought us is that the Armenians were not the sole victims of the genocide perpetrated during WWI by the Young Turks. They had also been victims of that genocide that they called "Seyfo" (The Sword).

The genocide is far behind us but we remain concerned about the persistent anti-Christian feelings that still prevail in Turkey. The battle for fair laws and equality of religion is certainly a priority but improving the legal framework regulating the life of religious communities, and in particular non-Muslim religious groups, is not sufficient to eradicate the problems of religious intolerance that they have been experiencing for years.

According to some recent surveys, Turkish society does not demonstrate a tolerant or respectful attitude towards people of different religious communities,.

Surveys measuring religious intolerance

An interesting study conducted by Istanbul's Sabanci University in 2009, "Religiosity in Turkey - An International Study", reveals that of those who joined the study, 66 per cent said that members of other religions should not be allowed to expound their ideas by organizing meetings open to the public. Indeed, 62 per cent said they should not be allowed to give out books that explain their views.

The survey also found that almost 40 percent of the population of Turkey said they had "very negative" or "negative" views of Christians. In the random survey, 60 percent of those polled said there is only one true religion; over 90 percent of the population of Turkey is Sunni Muslim.

Ali Çarkoglu, one of two professors at Sabanci University who conducted the study, said no non-Muslim religious gathering in Turkey is completely "risk free."

"Even in Istanbul, it can't be easy to be an observant non-Muslim," Çarkoglu said.

The report was part of a study commissioned by the International Social Survey Program, a 45-nation academic group that conducts polls and research about social and political issues. The survey quantified how religious the population is in each of its 43-member countries.

The study has been conducted previously three times at roughly 10-year intervals. This year marked the first time study data has been collected in Turkey. Turkey was the only Muslim-majority population in the study.

The survey includes significant nuance. While 42 percent of the population agreed with the statement that religious people should be tolerant, 49 percent of those surveyed said they would either "absolutely" or "most likely" not support a political party that accepted people from another religion. But 20 percent of those surveyed said they had "very positive" or "positive" views of Christians - 13 percent "very positive," and 7 percent "positive."

Çarkoglu said the results of study could be attributed to the Turkish educational system, which mandates religious studies for both junior high school and high school students - classes in which Christians and Jews "are not even mentioned" or are portrayed as "the others."

"That instills in these students a severe point of view of intolerance," he added.

The survey is available in Turkish from http://research.sabanciuniv.edu/13119

A Protestant concurred with the result of the Survey, stating that "this is exactly our experience. Commitment to freedom of religion is often in general terms supported by people. But when it comes to specifics, there is a strong resistance to allowing the teaching of one's religion, the establishment of churches, etc. This resistance comes both from officials and from ordinary citizens."

This study was just confirming an earlier survey carried out in 2005 by the Pew Global Attitudes Project which also suggested a distinctly negative attitude towards Christians among Turks, with 63 percent describing their view of Christians as "unfavorable," the highest rate among the countries then surveyed.

Such societal attitudes can explain a number of hate crimes targeting or planned to target Christians in the last few years. It is not with laws that they can be fought against but through education of the public, children and youths in schools and in the media.

Hate crimes

On 3 August 2009, a young Muslim took a Christian Turk at knife point, draped his head with the national flag and threatened to slit the throat of the "missionary dog" in broad daylight in Istanbul.

Yasin Karasu, 24, held İsmail Aydın, 35, hostage for less than half an hour on Monday in a busy district on the Asian side of Istanbul in front of passersby and police who promptly came to the scene. The two men had known each other for about a year. While in the army, Karasu showed interest in learning more about Christianity and would call Aydin, a convert from Islam, to ask questions and talk, saying he was interested in other religions. Karasu was then sent to prison for the duration of criminal investigations into the case. The crime is punishable by four years in prison, but Justice Tahsin Dogan ruled six months later that Karasu should be released unconditionally, without serving the remainder of his sentence.

In April 2007, two Turkish Protestants, Necati Aydin and Ugur Yuksel, and a German, Tilmann Geske, were killed in the Christian publishing house where they worked in Malatya. They were tied up and stabbed to death. Two years later, plaintiff attorneys moved the focus of the trial away from the then five suspects - Salih Gurler, Cuma Ozdemir, Hamit Ceker, Abuzer Yildirim, and alleged ringleader Emre Gunaydin - to local officials believed to be liaisons or masterminds of the murders. On 15 October 2010, a court in southeast Turkey ordered the arrest of a suspected "middleman", journalist Varol Bulent Aral, who allegedly incited five young men to stab to death the three Turkish Christians.

In December 2007, a Catholic priest in the coastal city of Izmir was stabbed by a 17-year-old Turk, Ramazan Bay. He had met with Father Adriano Franchini, a 65-year-old Italian and long-term resident of Turkey, after expressing an interest in Christianity following mass at St. Anthony church. During their conversation, Bay became irritated and pulled out a knife, stabbing the priest in the stomach. Two years later, a judge in Turkey sentenced the 19-year-old Muslim to four-and-a-half years in prison.

Bay, originally from Balikesir 90 miles north of Izmir, reportedly said he was influenced by an episode of the TV serial drama "Kurtlar Vadisi" ("Valley of the Wolves"). The series caricatures Christian missionaries as political "infiltrators" who pay poor families to convert to Christianity.

The media and religious intolerance

Every year, the Alliance of Protestant Churches of Turkey (TEK) releases a report about violations of the rights of Protestants in Turkey and the abuses faced by their congregations.

Their reports make it clear that violent attacks, threats and accusations are symptoms arising from an anti-Christian milieu of distrust and misinformation that the Turkish state allows to exist.

The report cites both negative portrayal in the media and state bodies or officials that "have created a 'crime' entitled 'missionary activities,' identifying it with a certain faith community" as being primarily responsible for the enmity felt towards Christians.

The TEK urges the government to develop effective media watchdog mechanisms to ensure the absence of intolerant or inflammatory programs, and that the state help make the public aware of the rights of Turkish citizens of all faiths.

The TV series "Valley of the Wolves" also played a role in a foiled attack on Antalya pastor Ramazan Arkan in December 2007. The author of the violent crime, Murat Tabuk, reportedly admitted under police interrogation that the popular ultra-nationalist show had inspired him to plan this attempted murder. The plan was thwarted, with the pastor receiving armed police protection and Antalya's anti-terrorism police bureau ordering plainclothes guards to accompany him.

Together with 20 other Protestant church leaders, Arkan on Dec. 3, 2007 filed a formal complaint with the Istanbul State Prosecutor's office protesting "Valley of the Wolves" for "presenting them as a terrorist group and broadcasting scenes making them an open target."

The series has portrayed Christians as selling body parts, being involved in mafia activities and prostitution and working as enemies of society in order to spread the Christian faith.

"The result has been innumerable, direct threats, attacks against places of worship and eventually, the live slaughter of three innocent Christians in Malatya," the complaint stated.

The Protestant leaders demanded that Show TV and the producers of "Valley of the Wolves" be prosecuted under sections 115, 214, 215, 216 and 288 of the Turkish penal code for spreading false information and inciting violence against Christians.

Television shows such as "Valley of the Wolves" may not be the norm, but the recent publication of a state high school textbook in which "missionary activity" is also characterized as destructive and dangerous has raised questions about Turkey's commitment to addressing prejudice and discrimination.

As part of a concluding appeal attached to one of their reports they urged the state to stop an "indoctrination campaign" aimed at vilifying the Christian community.

Conclusions

It is important to note that the government focused its efforts mainly on preventing violent attacks on non-Muslim individuals and their property. Indeed, the AKP government seems to be trying to show that they embrace positive policies in favour of freedom of religion or belief in Turkey. Some suspect that the government's real concern is to prevent attacks that would damage its reputation internationally.

However, the European Commission Turkey 2009 Progress Report has highlighted many serious freedom of religion or belief problems, which have either not been raised, or only referred to in passing, in criminal trials. These issues must be resolved to turn rhetoric on religious freedom into reality.

The issues requiring a quick solution include among others: the property disabilities and confiscations faced by communities as varied as the Alevi Muslims, Catholics, the Greek Orthodox, Protestants, the Syrian Orthodox Church; the lack of legal status of religious communities themselves under the Foundations and other laws; the non-existent legal possibility of conscientious objection to military service, especially for Jehovah's Witnesses; and compulsory intolerant religious education in public schools.
 
Willy Fautré
Director of Human Rights Without Frontiers
Member of the International Consortium on Law and Religious Studies
International.secretariat.brussels@hrwf.net

Fête du Sacrifice: plus de 3.000 sacrificateurs turcs à l'hôpital

Plus de 3.000 bouchers amateurs turcs ont fait un passage à l'hôpital mardi après s'être blessés en tentant d'égorger un animal à l'occasion de la fête musulmane du Sacrifice, ou Aïd-el-Adha, a rapporté l'agence de presse Anatolie.

Les hôpitaux du pays ont dû soigner 3.232 sacrificateurs improvisés, la plupart pour des coupures aux mains ou aux jambes, en dépit des encouragements des autorités à recourir à des sacrificateurs professionnels, a précisé Anatolie.

Un précédent bilan à la mi-journée comptabilisait 1.192 maladroits.

La fête du Sacrifice donne lieu chaque année en Turquie à des scènes "sanglantes", avec des images de sacrifices de moutons et de taureaux dans la boue, aux abords des grandes métropoles, ou de courses poursuites entre des bêtes terrifiées destinées à l'abattage et des bouchers improvisés.

Cette année, l'importation de bovins de souche Angus, particulièrement irascibles et toniques, a été pointée du doigt par plusieurs sacrificateurs malheureux comme la cause de leurs accidents.

Istanbul a remporté la palme de la maladresse avec 820 blessés. (AFP, 16 nov 2010)

Feast of Sacrifice: To slaughter or not to slaughter?

The annual practice of putting millions of sheep and cattle to the knife in the name of honoring God is once again prompting debate in Turkey as the Kurban Bayram holiday begins Tuesday.

Critics of the ritual sacrifice involved in the holiday, which is celebrated throughout the Muslim world, say the practice is outdated and fosters violence; they call for it to be reformed – or eliminated altogether.

The age-old tradition, known as Eid al Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice) in Arabic, has become controversial in Turkey as conservative immigrants from rural Anatolia have migrated to Istanbul and other large cities, where it is neither easy nor welcome to slaughter an animal on the street. Doing so creates “disturbing scenes” according to some urban Turks and Turkish media outlets that have been complaining about encountering animals, and their bloody remains, in unexpected parts of the city.

Staunchly secular columnist Bekir Coşkun stirred up the debate recently with a piece in daily Cumhuriyet in which he denounced the “culture of slaughter” he claimed the animal sacrifices instill in people’s minds, implying a link between the traditional celebration of the holiday and violent crime in Turkish society. Conservative commentators reacted to the column, accusing Coşkun of disrespecting sacred values and pointing out that violence exists in all societies, saying Coşkun only put the blame on an Islamic ritual due to his own bias.

Though the 4,000-year-old story behind the Feast of the Sacrifice is common to all believers in “Abrahamic” religions – Jews, Christians and Muslims – in the modern world, only adherents to Islam commemorate it in a literal way. As the story is told in both the Bible and the Quran, God tested Abraham’s faith by telling him to sacrifice his beloved son to his Lord. Abraham obeyed the order, but at the last moment, God showed his mercy by miraculously sending a lamb to be the victim of the sacrifice instead.

During the holiday celebrating this miracle, every adult Muslim who can afford it is expected to either sacrifice an animal or – more commonly these days – have it done by a butcher. The meat is then divvied up, some of it kept to be consumed at home, and the rest distributed to neighbors, especially the less fortunate.

The reform agenda

As even some religious conservatives have come to find the practice disturbing, more modern solutions have recently been developed so Muslims can fulfill the duty of sacrifice without witnessing the bloodshed. Municipalities and various charity organizations collect money – generally a few hundred Turkish Liras – from believers in return for a package of meat delivered from a modern slaughterhouse. Other groups sacrifice the animals in foreign lands, to distribute all of the meat in starving regions of Africa or Asia.

In addition to this type of modernizing “reform,” some Islamic scholars argue for a much more radical change: abandoning the practice all together. İhsan Eliaçık, a popular theologian known for his reinterpretations of the Quran, has argued that the religious text does not actually say ritual slaughter is a duty for all Muslims. “When we look at the Quranic verses on animal slaughter, we see that all of them are related to pilgrimage,” he said. In earlier times, he explained, Arabs used the kaabah in Mecca – now the most sacred site in Islam – as a pagan pantheon and slaughtered animals there during pilgrimages to honor their idols. Islam called for the kaabah, the pilgrimage and the slaughter ritual to be reserved exclusively for Allah, the one and only God.

“But later scholars thought that not just the pilgrims but all Muslims should do a sacrifice during the time of pilgrimage,” Eliaçık said. “This is a later interpretation that we can question and change.”

Among the reforms Eliaçık supports is using electroshock to stun the animals into unconsciousness before they are slaughtered in order to reduce the amount of pain they experience. More conservative Muslims, along with Orthodox Jews – who use similar traditional slaughtering practices, known as “Shechita,” to obtain kosher meat – have rejected this pre-stunning, arguing that it will make the animals ritually unclean.

A shamanic tradition?

“Among Muslim countries, Turkey has the highest observance of the slaughter ritual,” Eliaçık said, adding that he believes this is connected to the shamanic faith and practices of pre-Islamic Turks who also carried out ritual killings of animals. He compared this to the common aversion to pork, which he said was also shunned as unclean by the ancient Turks. “Of course pork is banned by the Quran, but many Turks indulge in other things banned by the Quran, such as wine, while never ever touching pork,” he said.

Ultimately, Eliaçık suggested, the Feast of the Sacrifice should be abandoned and turned into a “Feast of Solidarity,” in which charity for the needy is provided in ways other than through meat distribution. Another popular Islamic thinker, Hüseyin Hatemi, thinks similarly. “In the prophet’s time, animals were slaughtered for the hungry pilgrims who traveled for days to reach the kaabah,” he said. “Today, we Muslims really don’t need this ‘meat festival.’”

Such reformist views are popular with the media and seem appealing to the more modernized part of Turkish society. Yet millions of others see the Feast of the Sacrifice as a part of Islam that should never be abandoned, and dismiss the critics who see the practice as brutal. As a post on one Islamic website argued, “Unless one is a vegetarian, then, as a meat-eater, he has no right to object to the Feast of the Sacrifice.” (Hürriyet Daily News, MUSTAFA AKYOL, November 15, 2010)

Turkish vegetarians call for animal rights during Feast of Sacrifice

Many vegetarians in Turkey find themselves in a tough spot this week, torn between their religious and dietary practices as their countrymen sacrifice animals to mark the Kurban Bayram (Feast of the Sacrifice) holiday.

“Even members of the Vegetarians Club in Istanbul sacrifice animals for Kurban Bayram,” Ebru Arıman, the group’s chairwoman, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.

The holiday, which traditionally involves slaughtering a sheep or cow as a way of honoring God, does not only create qualms among vegetarians, Arıman added. She said even people who normally eat meat sometimes oppose the ritual sacrifice of animals due to physical and psychological pain the livestock experience.

“Although sacrificing will keep being practiced on religious grounds, one must make sure this is not turned into a painful process,” Berfin Melikoğlu, an ethics professor at Ondokuz Mayıs University’s Veterinary Faculty in the Black Sea province of Samsun, told the Daily News. Calling animal welfare essential, she said sheep or cows should be treated well before and during the sacrifice. In addition, she said, the slaughtering “must be done out of children’s sight” in order not to create emotional or psychological harm.

“Looking it at from an animal-rights point of view, I personally believe [animals’] lives must not be taken through sacrificing,” Seçil Aracı, a vegetarian and a philosophy Ph.D. candidate at Boğazici University in Istanbul, told the Daily News. She agreed with Melikoğlu that if people really believe they have to sacrifice animals to meet their religious obligations, it must be done properly, causing a minimum level of physical or psychological pain.

Though the ritual slaughtering during the Kurban Bayram holiday has become controversial, some believe the story behind the tradition actually highlights the importance of animals. The holiday commemorates the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God, who gave him a ram to sacrifice instead. “Thus, sacrificing an animal is as dear as sacrificing one’s own child, as interpreted in the thesis of Adil Bor, a professor at Haseki Theological Education Center in Istanbul,” Aracı said.

Turkish vegetarians such as Aracı are not only focused on the Kurban Bayram holiday, but also fighting throughout the year for the rights of animals, that they say are often mistreated in industrial farms before they end up on dinner tables.

“In my childhood, I believed that animals have rights too, but I did not know how far this notion could be extended,” Aracı told the Daily News. She decided to become a vegetarian four years ago, after her research for her master thesis showed her how animals were treated in factory farms. “I had doubts in the beginning as to whether I could survive without eating meat,” she said, adding that no excuse was enough to clear her conscience about the terrible treatment animals receive in such facilities.

According to Aracı, people have been eating the meat of animals for a very long time, without even questioning the fact that animals are as aware of their existence as human beings are of theirs. Animals have cognitive abilities that allow them to build social relations among themselves and with people, Aracı said. “Even the concept of grand-parenting exists in cows,” she added.

Even on farms that are considered “modern,” animals experience a lot of psychological and physical violence, said Karanfil Soyhun, a philosophy professor at Boğaziçi University. She told the Daily News in a recent interview that they suffer broken bones, are injected with hormones to make them grow more than normal and experience pain during the milking process. Soyhun has been a lacto-vegetarian – someone who consumes no animal products other than milk – for about three years and said she was planning to soon quit consuming milk and milk products to protest the treatment of animals at dairy farms.

“Eating animals is a luxury,” Soyhun said, adding that although most people believe eating meat is essential for their health, many studies show the opposite to be true. “Sometimes [eating meat] can even be harmful for our health,” she said.

Turkish doctors generally share the common view that eating meat is essential, Arıman told the Daily News, adding that she has been a vegetarian for five years and has been healthy the entire time. “Although the variety of food is more limited for vegetarians, we can get all nourishment necessary for a healthy life from vegetables,” she said, adding that Turkish doctors should be more aware in this regard.

Vegetarianism has been practiced since ancient times not only for ethical reasons, but due to nutritional and health concerns, and recently for economic and environmental ones as well. “Raising animals [for food] is one of the main factors that cause global warming,” Soyhun said, noting the contribution of factory farms to climate-changing emissions. According to a 2006 study by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, the livestock industry is one of the largest contributors to environmental degradation worldwide, and modern practices of raising animals for food contribute on a “massive scale” to air and water pollution, land degradation, climate change and loss of biodiversity.

In addition, Aracı said, raising animals for food is not economically efficient and its elimination would significantly contribute to reducing global poverty. “We [consume meat] thinking it tastes good, without considering the economic rationale behind it,” she said, adding that limiting meat consumption would allow resources to be reallocated to resolve poverty issues all over the globe. (Hürriyet Daily News, ERİSA DAUTAJ ŞENERDEM, November 15, 2010)

La Turquie discute maintenant du voile islamique à l'école

Le Premier ministre turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan a jeté un pavé dans la mare en s'abstenant de se prononcer sur le port du foulard islamique à l'école tout en affirmant que cette question brûlante constituera l'un des thèmes de sa campagne aux prochaines élections législatives.

"J'ai une conception très différente concernant les libertés" individuelles, a-t-il dit mercredi aux journalistes qui l'interpellaient sur des déclarations de la Première dame (voilée) de Turquie qui s'est opposée au port du foulard à l'école primaire, obligatoire pour les enfants de 6 à 13 ans.

Mme Hayrünnisa Gül porte depuis l'adolescence le "türban", qui couvre la tête et le cou, comme l'épouse de M. Erdogan, Emine, et les femmes et filles de nombre de dirigeants de son parti islamo-conservateur de la justice et du développement (AKP).

"Le voile ne peut-être porté à l'école primaire", a dit Mme Gül, s'en prenant aux parents "ignorants" de plusieurs élèves qui se sont présentées ainsi vêtues à leurs écoles ces derniers temps dans le but de défier la stricte interdiction frappant le couvre-chef islamique dans l'enseignement primaire.

Le président Abdullah Gül a aussitôt pris le parti de sa femme, défendant l'interdiction en vigueur dans une Turquie musulmane mais laïque.

Mais en refusant de dire ouvertement s'il était opposé ou au contraire partisan d'une libéralisation du port du voile à tous les échelons de l'enseignement, "M. Erdogan a vendu la mèche: il souhaite que le +türban+ soit autorisé à l'école", a commenté l'éditorialiste Mehmet Yilmaz dans le journal Hürriyet.

M. Erdogan, qui dirige la Turquie depuis 2002, a laissé entendre que le débat autour du foulard, que ce soit à l'université, à l'école ou dans la fonction publique, serait l'un des thèmes de campagne de l'AKP pour le scrutin parlementaire prévu pour juin 2011.

"Les prochaines élections législatives sont très importantes (...) Nous allons lutter avec notre peuple pour que cette question soit clairement prise en compte", a-t-il souligné, sans dire comment il espérait incorporer le sujet dans les lois.

La formation de M. Erdogan a payé cher deux ans plus tôt une loi qui visait à libéraliser le port du voile à l'université: la réforme avait été déclarée anticonstitutionnelle et l'AKP avait échappé de justesse à une dissolution pour "activités anti-laïques".

Les laïcs, dont l'armée et la haute magistrature, considèrent le foulard comme un défi à la laïcité et craignent toute mesure qui assouplirait son interdiction dans les administrations et les écoles.

Selon les sondages, une majorité de Turcs sont pourtant favorables au port du voile à l'Université.

Fort du soutien populaire à ses modifications constitutionnelles pro-libérales adoptées par référendum en septembre, l'AKP a réussi récemment à assouplir de fait le bannissement à l'université grâce à une démarche du Conseil de l'enseignement supérieur, institution qui imposait autrefois une laïcité très rigide mais qui a été depuis remaniée par l'AKP.

Pour Kemal Kiliçdaroglu, le chef du parti républicain du peuple (CHP), sensible sur l'interprétation de la laïcité, M. Erdogan va "utiliser" la question du voile dans sa campagne électorale, qui pourrait déboucher en cas d'une victoire de l'AKP - qui n'a perdu aucune élection depuis 2002 - sur "la Constitution civile" qu'il a promis pour remplacer l'actuelle, dictée par les militaires après leur putsch de 1980.

Un nouveau texte qui ouvrirait les portes au voile en Turquie. (AFP, 11 nov 2010)


Socio-économique / Socio-economic

Un incendie endommage le toit de la gare centenaire de Haydarpasa

Un incendie a endommagé dimanche à Istanbul le toit de la gare historique de Haydarpasa, terminus des trains en provenance d'Anatolie, sans faire de victimes, ont affirmé des responsables locaux.

Le sinistre s'est déclenché vers 15H30 (13H30 GMT) pour une raison encore inconnue sur les toits du vaste bâtiment de six étages, construit en 1909 sur la rive orientale du Bosphore, a annoncé l'agence de presse Anatolie.

L'incendie a été maîtrisé dans l'heure par les nombreuses unités de pompiers déployées sur les lieux, notamment des bateaux-pompes, a affirmé sur la chaîne d'information NTV le gouverneur d'Istanbul Hüseyin Avni Mutlu.

"Il n'y a pas de mort, pas de blessé", a déclaré M. Mutlu, qui a toutefois jugés "très attristants" les dommages subis par le bâtiment.

NTV a précisé que des travaux en cours dans la gare pourraient être à l'origine de l'incendie.

Après avoir diffusé des images d'un vaste panache de fumée noire et de hautes flammes s'élevant du toit de la gare, la chaîne a montré les résultats apparents du sinistre: des charpentes noircies et fumantes. Le reste du bâtiment ne semblait pas affecté par l'incendie.

Terminus des trains en provenance d'Anatolie, la gare de Haydarpasa a initialement été édifiée sous la conduite d'architectes allemands pour accueillir les convois assurant les liaisons Istanbul-Bagdad et Istanbul-Damas-Médine (actuelle Arabie saoudite), alors possessions de l'Empire ottoman. (AFP, 28 nov 2010)

Le gouvernement turc veut lancer un plan d'amnistie fiscale

Le gouvernement turc a présenté lundi un projet de loi d'amnistie fiscale qui permettrait aux entreprises et aux particuliers qui ont fraudé de régulariser leur situation à moindre coût, et de lutter contre une économie souterraine de vaste ampleur.

Le vice-Premier ministre Ali Babacan, qui a présenté ce texte à la presse, n'a pas précisé quelle somme il entendait récupérer avec cette initiative, qualifiant de "rumeurs" les affirmations de la presse selon laquelle le gouvernement espère engranger jusqu'à 50 milliards de livres turques (25,4 milliards d'euros).

"Il y a là une opportunité significative... Et à partir de maintenant, la pression de l'Etat sera plus forte. La vie sera plus dure pour ceux qui agissent en dehors de la loi", a-t-il dit.

Ce projet, qui a pris corps l'an dernier notamment du fait de la crise mondiale, concerne les impôts sur les entreprises, les droits de douane, les charges sociales, les amendes, les factures d'électricité et d'eau, et même les frais universitaires, payables avant le 31 juillet.

Les sommes non payées pourront l'être avec des intérêts minimes, sans les amendes cumulées, et selon un échelonnement sur 36 mois, à condition que les contrevenants se mettent en règle au 31 juillet, a ajouté M. Babacan.

Les sommes récupérées ne seront pas prises en compte dans le budget 2011, selon le ministre qui a précisé que leur utilisation n'a pas été décidée pour le moment.

Le gouvernement islamo-conservateur, au pouvoir depuis 2002, tentera en juin prochain d'obtenir un troisième mandat de suite des électeurs, lors d'élections générales.

Ce projet fiscal doit être approuvé par le parlement, un processus qui pourrait prendre plusieurs semaines.

La Turquie, qui est candidate à l'Union européenne, a enregistré aux premier et deuxième trimestres des taux de croissance de son Produit intérieur brut de respectivement 11,7% et 10,3 %. Mais le chômage reste élevé, en particulier dans le sud-est du pays, de même que le travail au noir. (AFP, 15 nov 2010)

Relations turco-européennes / Turkey-Europe Relations

Call for End of Violence against Women

"The vital problem of violence against women and its consequences can be eliminated by implementing the necessary social policies. In order to achieve this, first of all institutions belonging to the government and the political powers should assume responsibility and the entire number of related non-governmental and official institutions should co-operate".

This is the base where the recommendations of the Central Steering Board of the Psychiatric Association of Turkey against violence emerge from. Dr Agah Aydın and Assoc. Prof. Ayşe Devrim Başterzi read out an announcement on behalf of the association on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November.

Recommendations for the prevention of violence

In their announcement, the association analyzed the sources of violence, the kind of harm inflicted to the women who were exposed to violence and the role of the language that contributes to a permanent form of violence and its occurrence, the role of the media, the school curriculum and legal regulations. The Psychiatric Association of Turkey announced a number of precautions to prevent violence against women.

* International agreements must be implemented and the Prime Ministry should immediately implement positive approaches such as the "Violence" Circular without waiting for fundamental structural solutions regarding legal regulations.

* A serious and comprehensive action plan must be prepared to guarantee the women's right to life. All necessary steps should be taken accordingly and implemented de facto.

* The 'mitigation of punishment due to unjust provocation' applied in trials on violence against women should be lifted. Article 29 of the Turkish Criminal Law (TCK) on 'unjust provocation' has to be lifted. So-called 'honour' killings should be recognized as extrajudicial killings according to international law. Different strategies on various levels must be developed to prevent these murders.

* Women who are exposed to violence and death threats must be protected by providing the use of all legal rights and taking special precautions and the number of women shelters should be increased to meet the demand.

* Large-scale epidemiological studies should be supported to reveal the frequency of mental illnesses in gender roles and the effects of the emanating problems. Factors for protecting and improving influences on the women's mental health should be defined.

* Women, men and children, i.e. all citizens should be able to benefit from social security, to access health services without restrictions and free of charge.

* The media should report about violence against women and rape in an ethically correct language. The violence involved in a rape should not be hidden and reports about rape must refrain from any sort of arousing manner.

* Writings and visuals in the press, movies and music should not express any kind of male dominance and humiliation of women. Curriculums at all educational institutions including pre-school should be free of gender discrimination.

* Opinions of women and women organizations must be considered for any kind of regulations regarding women. Requests of non-governmental organizations should be met and their work should be supported.

Purple Roof: Struggling against violence for 20 years

The Purple Roof ('Mor Çatı) Women's Shelter Foundation has been struggling for an end of violence against women in Turkey for the last 20 years by supplying legal, social and psychological aid for women and children who experienced violence. The foundation declared that the awareness on violence against women has increased over time. Yet, the alternatives regarding places to apply to in order to escape the violence have not increased in the same ratio, the foundation criticized.

"Where is the Family Minister when 3 women are killed per day?"

The Ankara Women Platform submitted a file to the Prime Minister on the Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The platform criticized the Minister for Women and Family Affairs, Selma Aliye Kavaf, and other officials for remaining silent on the problem of violence against women and demanded urgent measures. Subsequent to a protest march through the capital of Ankara, the women issued a press release, saying, "We are living in a country where three women are killed per day on average and where women murders have increased by 1,400 percent over the past seven years".

"We revolt against women murders!"

Members of the Istanbul Feminist Collective went to the streets as well to draw attention to the high number of women murders. They organized a demonstration in the scope of their campaign "We revolt against women murders". They shouted slogans such as "Male affections kills three women every day! The murderers are in our houses".(BIA, Burçin Belge - Nevra Taşlıdan, 26 November 2010)

Venice Commission urges Turkey to write 'unifying charter'

Turkey’s ruling and opposition parties should work together to redraft the country’s Constitution to ensure it becomes a tool for unification rather than division, according to a senior official of the Venice Commission.

“What is needed for a new constitution is a wide consensus. Both the drafting process and other spheres should be inclusive and made through dialogue. We don’t want a constitution solely reflecting the AKP’s [Justice and Development Party] or any other party’s views,” Secretary of the Venice Commission Thomas Markett told a press conference late last week.

The Venice Commission advises countries mainly on constitutional matters and was founded by the Council of Europe in the early 1990s to help newly independent countries adapt their charters to European constitutional models.

Markett said a delegation from the commission was slated to visit Turkey on Nov. 25 and 26 to discuss reshaping the Constitution, which has already seen reforms in the procedures of the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors, or HSYK, following the Sept. 12 referendum.

“We understand there is a consensus for a new constitution. Among the reasons we have observed is the character of the current text, which is based on distrust toward citizens and civil society,” Markett said.

“[The current constitution carries] a sort of guardianship approach and gives power to institutions like the military and the judiciary,” he said, adding that the most important requirement of the reform process is the creation of a document that reflects a European approach to fundamental freedoms.

While calling on the ruling AKP to cooperate with opposition parties, Markett also urged opposition parties not to oppose reform proposals out of hand. “Both sides are needed for this constitution, and this new document should give the emphasis on a united country and not a divided country,” he said.

Unchangeable articles

Markett said the Venice Commission was “skeptical” about recent arguments in Turkey saying the first three articles of the current Constitution cannot be altered because a clause in the document forbids doing so.

“Looking at the issue from the perspective of social needs and future generations, we cautiously look at this extreme [reticence],” he said. According to Markett there is no problem in enshrining the secular nature of the state in the constitution, but doing so should not restrict the protection of personal freedoms.

Turkey seeks opinion

Markett also said the Turkish Justice Ministry has sought the opinion of the Venice Commission on how to harmonize legislation following the referendum. The commission is set to propose recommendations on how the right of individual applications should be formulated in the yet-to-be drafted law. Markett said Turkish and commission officials would discuss these issues during the commission’s visit.

“Basically, the Venice Commission thinks the referendum is a step forward. It is not an ideal solution but is better than past experiences,” he said. (Hürriyet Daily News, SERKAN DEMİRTAŞ, November 15, 2010)

EHRC found inadmissible the application against the1980 junta

The European Court of Human Rights found the application against the impunity for the junta regime in Turkey inadmissible that came to power following the military coup of 12 September 1980.

The European Court of Human Rights found inadmissible the application against the impunity for the junta regime in Turkey  that came to power following the military coup of 12 September 1980.

Reacting against the inadmissibility of the Court Lawyer Kazım Genç said: “Since the negotiations between Turkey and EU started on 14 January 2005 Turkey and EU got closer which also affected the Court decision. ECHR is standing by the Turkish state against the victim citizens. This decision also means that the Court stands by Turkey against the victims of the coup.”

The Federation of the 1978 Generation held a press conference concerning their application against the putschers of military coup of 12 September 1980 which was found inadmissible by the European Court of Human Rights. Speaking at the conference the president of the federation Hüseyin Esentürk said after the decision from the Turkish Court of Appeals which stated that putschers cannot be held responsible legally of financially and therefore no investigation can be launched against them, the federation exhausted the domestic remedies and took the case before the ECHR on 5 September 2007. “The Court pronounced its decision 3 years later on 7 October 2010. The decision is based on Article 35/3 of the Convention.” added Esentürk.

Esentürk futher stated that with the recent referendum on constitution the interim article 15 of the constitution which was the obstacle before bringing the putschers before a court has been lifted. He also wanted the parliament and the government fulfil their responsibilities. “Prosecutor of the Court of Appeals should take this constitutional amendment into consideration and re-launch the investigation against putschers.” added Esentürk.

Speaking at the conference Lawyer Kazım Genç said the Court rejected the decision on account of the fact that trying putchers is not a right protected by the Convention. “This state has not been tried for the 30 years and we are victims. However, the negotiations started with the EU have also affected the approach of the Court. Such a decision means supporting Turkey against the victims of the military coup.” (ANF, 13 November 2010)

La Turquie prend la présidence tournante du Conseil de l'Europe

La Turquie a pris mercredi la présidence tournante du Conseil de l'Europe, succédant à l'ex-République yougoslave de Macédoine, a annoncé l'organisation à Strasbourg.

Le ministre turc des Affaires étrangères, Ahmed Davutoglu, a évoqué à cette occasion ses priorités pour six mois. Il a cité la réforme en cours de cette organisation paneuropéenne et celle de son bras juridique, la Cour européenne des droits de l'Homme (laquelle a condamné Ankara plus de 2.000 fois depuis sa création).

M. Davutoglu a salué l'initiative du Conseil de créer un "Groupe d'éminentes personnalités" chargé de formuler des propositions face aux nouveaux défis liés à la résurgence de l'intolérance et de la discrimination en Europe.

Le ministre turc a également insisté sur l'importance d'une adhésion de l'Union européenne à la Convention européenne des droits de l'Homme, actuellement en pourparlers.
 La présidence turque survient au lendemain de la publication du rapport annuel de la Commission européenne, qui a dressé à Bruxelles un tableau peu encourageant de l'avancée des négociations d'adhésion de la Turquie à l'UE.

Bruxelles a salué la poursuite du "processus de réformes" mais demandé à Ankara des progrès en matière de liberté de la presse, de religion, droits de la femme, égalité des sexes ou droits des syndicats.

La Turquie a adhéré au Conseil de l'Europe dès sa création, en 1949. Elle assure pour la 7ème fois la présidence de son Comité des Ministres, l'organe exécutif de l'organisation ayant son siège à Strasbourg.

Elle a ratifié 98 des 200 conventions du Conseil de l'Europe, dont celle relative aux droits de l'homme en 1954. Elle en a signé 38 autres qui restent en attente de ratification.

Un turc, Mevlüt Çavusoglu, est actuellement président de l'Assemblée parlementaire (APCE), le "parlement" du Conseil de l'Europe.

La Turquie cédera la présidence du Conseil le 11 mai prochain à l'Ukraine dans le cadre d'une rotation qui suit l'ordre alphabétique en anglais des 47 Etats membres. (AFP, 10 nov 2010)

Protestations des hommes politiques français

par Amitiés kurdes de Bretagne

Philippe Tourtelier, Député d’Ille-et-Vilaine, Vice-président de la Commission du développement durable et membre de la Commission des Affaires européennes, a fait part au gouvernement de Turquie, par le truchement d’un courrier adressé à l’ambassade de Turquie à Paris, sa vive préoccupation après l’ouverture du procès de 151 personnalités kurdes à Diyarbakir, parmi lesquelles se trouve Osman Baydemir, maire de la ville de Diyarbakir.

Il note qu’il s’agit souvent de maires et de conseillers municipaux, dont certains, élus avec plus de 60% des voix, sont très connus en France comme Osman Baydemir et que ces personnalités de la société civile sont celles qui peuvent précisément contribuer à trouver une solution politique et démocratique comme l’avait laissé espérer le Premier Ministre Recep Tayip Erdogan :

Vivre ensemble dans le respect des différences me paraît être la base de toute conception démocratique au sein d’une société. La liberté, la paix et la démocratie, me semble être ce que réclament les 151 prévenus.

Claudy Lebreton, Président du Conseil général des Côtes-d’Armor, s’adressant au Ministre de la Justice de Turquie, demande que cesse cette politique répressive envers les militants politiques et que soient levées les poursuites à l’encontre d’Osman Baydemir et des membres du DTP/BDP :

De part son histoire, sa culture sa position géographique et sa population, la Turquie est le pays qui fait l’objet d’une observation suivie et très attentive de la part de ses voisins européens et proche-orientaux. Par conséquent, elle se doit d’être exemplaire d’autant plus que son ambition affichée est d’être une grande nation démocratique.

Jean-Louis Tourenne, Président du Conseil général d’Ille-et-Vilaine, qui aurait souhaité être présent à l’ouverture du procès, "reste de tout cœur" avec nous et nous assure de son soutien.  (andre-metayer@orange.fr, 11 novembre 2010)

La voie de la Turquie vers l'Union européenne se rétrécit

La Commission européenne a dressé mardi un tableau peu encourageant de l'avancée des négociations d'adhésion de la Turquie à l'UE, s'inquiétant de l'impasse chypriote alors que la frustration réciproque ne fait que croître face à la lenteur des progrès.

Dans son rapport annuel, Bruxelles salue certes la poursuite du "processus de réformes" avec le référendum de septembre, que le parti islamo-conservateur AKP du Premier ministre Recep Tayyip Erdogan a présenté comme une "démocratisation" de la Constitution héritée du putsch de 1980.

Mais la Commission insiste à présent sur une "mise en oeuvre adéquate" de ces réformes et suggère une "nouvelle constitution civile" pour renforcer la démocratie en Turquie.

Et en matière de liberté de la presse, de religion, droits de la femme, égalité entre les sexes ou droits des syndicats, Ankara a du pain sur la planche, selon le rapport.

Si Bruxelles reconnaît "l'atout" que peut présenter la politique étrangère turque, elle souligne qu'elle doit être développée "en coordination avec l'UE". Les Européens n'ont guère apprécié qu'Ankara s'oppose à l'ONU aux sanctions contre l'Iran, approuvées et même renforcées par l'UE.

Surtout, la Commission a tiré la sonnette d'alarme sur la République de Chypre, membre depuis 2004 de l'UE mais qu'Ankara ne reconnaît pas. La Turquie refuse toujours de faire entrer dans ses frontières les marchandises de la partie chypriote-grecque de l'île divisée.

"Il est maintenant urgent que la Turquie remplisse ses obligations" en la matière et "fasse des progrès vers la normalisation de ses relations avec Chypre", a lancé le commissaire à l'Elargissement, Stefan Füle.

Cette question bloque une partie des pourparlers d'adhésion ouverts en 2005.

"Si l'on évalue le rapport dans son ensemble, on constate qu'il s'agit d'un document qui met en perspective d'une manière équitable et positive l'état actuel de la Turquie", a néanmoins estimé le ministre turc chargé de l'Union européenne Egemen Bagis lors d'une conférence de presse.

"Ce rapport est à cette date le plus encourageant et le plus positif pour la Turquie", s'est félicité le ministre qui est aussi le négociateur en chef de son pays avec l'UE.

Autre obstacle potentiel pour Ankara, M. Füle a jugé "vital" le soutien des citoyens "tant dans l'UE que dans les pays candidats" au processus.

"Aucun pays ne va rejoindre l'UE avant d'être 100% prêt à le faire", a souligné M. Füle, de même que l'UE doit "être 100% prête à inclure de nouveaux pays".

Seulement 38% des Européens sont d'accord avec l'adhésion de la Turquie, contre 48%, selon un récent sondage. Quant aux Turcs, ils ne sont plus que 38% à souhaiter rejoindre l'UE alors qu'ils étaient encore 74% en 2004.

Sur 35 chapitres thématiques de négociation, seul un a été bouclé. Dix-huit sont bloqués soit du fait de la question chypriote, soit parce qu'ils impliquent une adhésion pleine et entière, une perspective à laquelle la France, mais aussi l'Allemagne ou l'Autriche sont de plus en plus opposées.

"On va dans les prochaines années au-devant d'une crise de la négociation dont la responsabilité incombe aux trois-quarts aux Turcs", estime un diplomate d'un de ces Etats.

Si la présidence belge de l'UE entend ouvrir un nouveau chapitre thématique avant la fin de l'année, il n'en restera en effet plus que deux à ouvrir. (AFP, 9 nov 2010)

Ankara se félicite d'un rapport, campe sur ses positions pour Chypre

La Turquie a salué mardi un rapport de la Commission européenne sur sa candidature à l'UE malgré le sombre tableau qu'il dresse sur sa candidature et affirmé qu'elle ne prévoyait pas de changement de cap sur la question chypriote qui entrave les négociations en cours.

"Si l'on évalue le rapport dans son ensemble, on constate qu'il s'agit d'un document qui met en perspective d'une manière équitable et positive l'état actuel de la Turquie", a indiqué le ministre turc chargé de l'Union européenne Egemen Bagis lors d'une conférence de presse.

"Ce rapport est à cette date le plus encourageant et le plus positif pour la Turquie", s'est félicité le ministre qui est aussi le négociateur en chef de son pays avec l'UE.

Dans son rapport actuel publié mardi, Bruxelles salue le "processus de réformes" en Turquie mais dresse un tableau peu encourageant de l'avancée des négociations d'adhésion qui piétinent à cause notamment de l'impasse chypriote.

La Commission suggère une "nouvelle constitution civile" pour renforcer la démocratie en Turquie après un référendum sur des amendements à la Constitution que le parti islamo-conservateur turc a présenté comme une "démocratisation" de la loi fondamentale héritée du putsch de 1980.

Bruxelles relève aussi que si Ankara affirme soutenir un règlement de la question chypriote, la Turquie n'a fait "aucun progrès" dans la normalisation de ses liens avec Chypre (partie grecque), membre depuis 2004 de l'UE mais qu'Ankara ne reconnaît pas.

Cette question bloque depuis 2006 une partie des pourparlers d'adhésion ouverts en 2005.

De fait, sur 35 chapitres thématiques, seul un a été bouclé. Dix-huit sont bloqués soit du fait de la question chypriote, soit parce qu'ils impliquent une adhésion pleine et entière, une perspective à laquelle la France, mais aussi l'Allemagne ou l'Autriche sont opposées.

"La Turquie s'efforce de trouver un compromis à Chypre", a insisté M. Bagis qui a appelé l'UE à "honorer ses engagements" pour mettre un terme à l'isolation économique et politique du nord (turc) de l'île que la communauté internationale ne reconnaît pas.

"La Turquie a fait tout ce qu'elle devait faire et davantage", a-t-il ajouté, laissant entendre qu'elle n'était pas prête à ouvrir ses ports et aéroports aux avions et navires chypriotes (grecs) comme l'exige Bruxelles. (AFP, 9 nov 2010)

Le président turc dénonce la "courte vue" des dirigeants européens

Le président turc Abdullah Gül a dénoncé l'attitude "à courte vue" de plusieurs dirigeants de l'Union européenne réticents sur l'entrée de la Turquie dans l'UE.

"L'Union européenne ne sera pas affaiblie, mais renforcée politiquement et économiquement par l'adhésion turque", a souligné M. Gül, venu lundi à Londres pour recevoir un prix de relations internationales à Chatham House, un institut londonien d'études stratégiques.

"Il est triste d'observer que certains dirigeants européens ne voient pas bien l'avenir du monde dans les 20, 50 ou 70 ans", a-t-il poursuivi. "Cette courte vue est l'obstacle majeur à la réalisation de l'idée d'une Europe en tant qu'acteur global, capable d'assumer de plus grandes responsabilités sur les questions politiques et de sécurité, en complément de l'influence économique"

"Dans le contexte d'un équilibre international qui penche vers l'Est et l'Asie", avoir la Turquie pour membre constituerait "évidemment" pour l'Union européenne "un impératif stratégique", a ajouté le président turc.

Interviewé par la BBC, il s'est en outre déclaré déterminé à faire le maximum en faveur de l'adhésion de la Turquie: "nous remplirons toutes les conditions posées pour notre adhésion, nous ferons tout de notre côté", a-t-il assuré. "Mais du côté européen, je ne suis pas sûr", a-t-il ajouté, "parce que je vois des obstacles très artificiels, injustes" dans le processus de négociation.

Interrogé par la BBC, M. Gül a appelé à utiliser "toute la force diplomatique" à propos du dossier nucléaire iranien.

L'Iran a annoncé dimanche qu'il était prêt à reprendre en Turquie les négociations avec les grandes puissances.

"Nous devons travailler dur avant de songer à entrer en guerre, et utiliser toute la force diplomatique (...) et la Turquie est une chance pour l'Alliance (Atlantique), et je suis sûr que les dirigeants, ici, aux Etats-Unis et ailleurs, s'en rendent compte", a-t-il souligné. (AFP, 8 nov 2010)

Bruxelles propose une nouvelle constitution civile en Turquie

La Commission européenne devrait réitérer cette année ses critiques quant à la situation des droits fondamentaux en Turquie et suggérer la mise en place d'une nouvelle constitution civile, selon un projet de rapport vu jeudi par l'AFP.

Selon ce projet de rapport d'étape faisant le point sur les négociations d'adhésion à l'UE, également révélé jeudi par le quotidien allemand Die Welt dans son édition en ligne, la réforme constitutionnelle adoptée en Turquie par référendum en septembre a encore besoin d'une "mise en oeuvre adéquate" dans la pratique.

"Une nouvelle constitution civile fournirait une base solide pour un renforcement de la démocratie en Turquie", juge le texte, qui doit être finalisé d'ici mardi prochain en même temps que d'autres rapports sur la Croatie, la Macédoine et l'Islande notamment.

Par ailleurs, "la liberté d'expression et des médias doit encore être renforcée en Turquie aussi bien dans la loi que dans la pratique", déplore Bruxelles, comme déjà dans ses rapports annuels précédents.

De plus, "une série de manquements demeure dans l'exercice de la liberté de religion. Des progrès sont également requis concernant les droits de la femme et l'égalité entre les sexes et les droits des syndicats", relève ce projet de rapport.

Quant aux efforts du gouvernement turc en direction de la minorité kurde, ils n'ont "produit que des résultats restreints", déplore la Commission européenne dans ce texte.

Par ailleurs, en dépit d'un soutien public affiché par la Turquie aux négociations sur la question chypriote, "il n'y a eu aucun progrès en direction d'une normalisation des relations bilatérales avec la République de Chypre", membre depuis 2004 de l'UE, relève encore la Commission.

Il est "urgent" que la Turquie règle ce problème, qui bloque une partie des pourparlers d'adhésion.

Le texte souligne toutefois que "des progrès ont été réalisés dans le domaine de la lutte contre la corruption".

Enfin, il salue la politique étrangère turque, qui "est devenue plus active dans son voisinage élargi".

"C'est un atout pour l'Union européenne, à condition qu'elle soit développée de façon complémentaire au processus d'adhésion et en coordination avec l'UE", juge la Commission.

 La Turquie a entamé les négociations en 2005 mais elles n'avancent que très lentement du fait des réticences grandissantes d'une série de pays comme la France, l'Allemagne ou l'Autriche et de l'impasse à Chypre.

L'UE, mais aussi Chypre et la France bloquent 18 des 35 chapitres thématiques des pourparlers d'adhésion, en raison principalement du problème chypriote. La présidence belge souhaite ouvrir un des trois derniers chapitres qui peuvent encore l'être. (AFP, 4 nov 2010)

Turquie-USA/ Turkey-USA

WikiLeaks: suspicion grandissante des Occidentaux à l'égard de la Turquie

Les télégrammes américains obtenus par WikiLeaks montrent la suspicion grandissante des Occidentaux à l'égard de la Turquie, pays membre de l'Otan mais dont le Premier ministre "hait Israël", selon les termes de diplomates américains.

Selon ces câbles datant de février, qui sont analysés par l'hebdomadaire allemand Der Spiegel, les diplomates américains se méfient du Premier ministre Recep Tayyip Erdogan, qu'ils jugent isolé et mal informé, et qualifient son ministre des Affaires étrangères d'"exceptionnellement dangereux".

M. Erdogan se méfie de tous et "s'est entouré d'un cercle de conseillers qui le flattent mais le méprisent", écrivent les diplomates.

Ancien militant islamiste qui renie son passé et dirige un gouvernement islamo-conservateur depuis 2003, M. Erdogan prend ses informations presque exclusivement dans les journaux islamistes et les analyses de ses ministères ne l'intéressent pas, assurent encore les diplomates américains à Ankara.

Le chef de la diplomatie turque Ahmet Davutoglu est, lui, qualifié d'"exceptionnellement dangereux" par un informateur des diplomates américains qui les met en garde contre son influence islamiste sur M. Erdogan.

M. Davutoglu, qui est en visite à Washington, a annoncé lundi à la presse qu'il allait aborder le sujet de ces "documents révélés" avec la secrétaire d'Etat, Hillary Clinton.

M. Davutoglu est l'artisan de la diplomatie du "zéro problème" de la Turquie avec ses voisins, qui s'est concrétisée par une très nette amélioration des relations entre Ankara et la Syrie, l'Irak, et l'Iran.

Ankara s'est dans le même temps brouillé avec Israël, son ancien allié stratégique et militaire, et a voté contre les dernières sanctions de l'ONU contre l'Iran, qui est soupçonné de vouloir se doter de l'arme nucléaire.

Selon un autre câble diplomatique américain, des responsables israéliens ont déclaré l'an dernier à des officiels français que le gouvernement turc a autorisé le transfert par son territoire d'équipements utiles au programme nucléaire iranien.

Ce câble fait état d'une réunion franco-américaine, en octobre 2009, rendant compte de discussions entre la France et Israël: selon le diplomate français Frédéric Bereyziat, les Israéliens ont affirmé que "Les Turcs avaient autorisé des équipements liés à des armements destinés au programme nucléaire iranien à transiter par leur territoire, avec la pleine connaissance" de M. Erdogan.

Des diplomates américains affirment dans d'autres câbles que M. Erdogan "hait tout simplement Israël", en commentant sa virulente réaction à l'offensive israélienne contre Gaza, en 2008 et 2009.

Ils précisent qu'ils soutiennent la thèse de l'ambassadeur d'Israël à Ankara, Gabby Levy, selon laquelle les virulentes déclarations anti-israéliennes du chef du gouvernement turc sont avant tout "émotionnelles, car il est un islamiste".

"Du point de vue de la religion, il nous hait et son mépris se propage" dans son pays, indique l'ambassadeur israélien aux diplomates américains.

Ces câbles rédigés en octobre 2009 interviennent avant l'abordage par un commando israélien le 31 mai 2010 d'une flottille pro-palestinienne pour Gaza, au cours duquel neuf militants turcs ont été tués lors d'affrontements.

Cet événement a mis les relations bilatérales au point mort. M. Levy est toujours présent à Ankara, mais la Turquie n'a pas renvoyé d'ambassadeur en Israël, exigeant excuses et compensations.

En janvier 2009 à Davos (Suisse), M. Erdogan avait violemment condamné l'offensive israélienne à Gaza devant le président israélien Shimon Peres. L'épisode avait fait de lui une sorte de héros dans le monde arabe.

Clinton s'excuse pour les fuites sur la Turquie (Davutoglu)

La secrétaire d'Etat américaine Hillary Clinton a présenté ses excuses pour les fuites concernant la Turquie de notes diplomatiques américaines orchestrées par le site WikiLeaks, a annoncé lundi à Washington le ministre turc des Affaires étrangères Ahmet Davutoglu.

"Mme Clinton s'est excusée auprès de la Turquie du fait qu'elle était citée dans ces notes confidentielles rendues publiques", a-t-il dit dans une déclaration à des journalistes à Washington après avoir rencontré son homologue américaine dans le cadre de sa visite de travail aux Etats-Unis.

Le ministre était cité par les chaînes de télévision turques.

M. Davutoglu a affirmé que les câbles ne mettaient pas en cause les bons rapports entre son pays et les Etats-Unis.

"Ces notes ne changent pas le regard que nous portons sur les Etats-Unis", a-t-il déclaré.

Dans certains télégrammes diplomatiques rendus publics par WikiLeaks, Ahmet Davutoglu est qualifié d'"exceptionnellement dangereux" par un informateur des diplomates américains en poste à Ankara. (AFP, 29 nov 2010)

WikiLeaks: Aide de la Turquie aux militants d'Al-Qaïda en Irak?

Les Etats-Unis s'évertuaient vendredi à devancer un nouveau tourbillon de révélations par WikiLeaks, s'adressant à leurs alliés et partenaires partout dans le monde dans l'espoir de limiter l'impact de fuites potentiellement embarrassantes.

Washington, qui a admis se préparer "au pire scénario", avait annoncé mercredi que les services diplomatiques américains avaient entrepris de préparer des gouvernements étrangers à la publications prochaine de documents secrets par WikiLeaks susceptibles de créer des "tensions" avec eux.

A Ankara, un diplomate turc de haut rang a indiqué que la Turquie avait également été mise au courant.

A Bagdad, l'ambassadeur des Etats-Unis, James Jeffrey, a affirmé vendredi que sa mission était "inquiète", face à des révélations susceptibles de saper "des discussions de confiance".

Le site spécialisé dans la révélation de documents confidentiels a promis lundi de mettre en ligne sept fois plus de documents confidentiels que les 400.000 récemment publiés sur la guerre en Irak.

Le département d'Etat américain a indiqué s'attendre à la publication de câbles diplomatiques concernant "un large éventail de dossiers et de pays".

Les premières fuites de WikiLeaks, en juillet sur l'Afghanistan, contenaient peu d'importantes révélations, et celles émanant d'Irak se concentraient en majorité sur des exactions commises entre différentes factions irakiennes.

Washington pourrait être plus embarrassé par la divulgation de documents rédigés par ses diplomates, en particulier s'ils mettent en cause des partenaires étrangers des Etats-Unis.

Selon un haut responsable israélien, Israël, dont Washington est le plus important allié, a été informé que ces fuites de câbles diplomatiques pourraient porter sur des rapports confidentiels adressés par l'ambassade américaine à des responsables israéliens.

A Moscou, le quotidien Kommersant a affirmé que ces fuites comportaient des appréciations "désagréables" qui pourraient blesser Moscou.

Ces révélations "peuvent provoquer une brouille entre les Etats-Unis et la Russie", tout comme avec la moitié des pays de la planète, écrit le quotidien.

Mais le ministre russe des Affaires étrangères, Sergueï Lavrov, a pris de haut ces informations, demandant aux journalistes qui l'interrogeant sur ce dossier pourquoi ils s'intéressaient "à des petits voleurs qui courent sur Internet".

A Rome, le ministre des Affaires étrangères Franco Frattini a été prévenu par Washington que des documents concernaient l'Italie, le gouvernement italien a aussi fait état de "possibles répercussions négatives" pour son pays.

Des responsables en Grande-Bretagne, mais aussi en Norvège, au Danemark et en Finlande, ont aussi indiqué que leurs pays avaient été informés par les Etats-Unis.

A Helsinki notamment, l'ambassade américaine a indiqué aux autorités finlandaises qu'elle pensait que cette publication allait être "la plus grave", a déclaré à l'AFP la porte-parole du ministère des Affaires étrangères Anna Wickstom-Noejgaard. (AFP, 26 nov 2010)

Turkey as the "Trojan Horse of the Middle East"

The NATO summit in Lisbon on 19/20 November brought an agreement on the missile shield that had initially been opposed by Turkey. The country was against putting down Iran as its direct neighbour as an explicit threat and the request was accepted on the summit.

Throughout the coming ten years, the NATO is going to intervene in the areas of territory security, terrorism, cyber attacks and energy security in case of a threat even if that threat lies beyond the borders of NATO territory.

Co-operation with international organizations will be enhanced in order to make interventions more effective. The mobility of military forces will be increased, nuclear deterrence will be positioned, efforts in political and civil areas are going to be increased and defence policies will pursue more completeness.

The NATO was established in 1949 and comprises 28 member states and cooperates with 22 non-member states. Turkey became a member in 1952 after the country had sent military troops to the Korean War. There are NATO bases in Izmir, Konya, Marmaris, Şile and Balıkesir. The Incirlik base hosts nuclear warheads.

Turkey's role did not change as the Trojan Horse in the Middle East

Turkey's acceptance of the USA missile shield system under the roof of the NATO was characterized as a "zero problem policy with neighbour states". Political scientist and writer Assoc. Prof. Haluk Gerger said that this would not contradict the country's foreign policies.

"Is Iran not a target anymore when the country is not explicitly named? Sarkozy said 'we call a spade a spade". In Turkey, we do not always call a spade a spade but we act as if we did so. What President Abdullah Gül and Prime Minister Recept Tayyip Erdoğan said about the missile shield was a bluff", Gerger said in an interview with bianet.

Gerger has been doing research on the USA's Middle East policies and the Turkish foreign policies. According to the scientist, Turkey's role did not change with the renewed NATO strategy.

NATO follows its line

Gerger called the NATO a "global attack organization of imperialism" and emphasized that the actual change within the organization occurred with the collapse of the Soviet Union.

"The NATO was launched as a defence organization against the Soviets. It comprised both sides of the Atlantic and declared the area stretching from the USA all the way to Turkey as an area with a single responsibility. Later on, the Soviet Union collapsed but the NATO was continued. We saw in Afghanistan and Iraq that its area of responsibility was exceeded and it was transformed into a global military organization".

According to this definition, NATO's target is "the countries opposing imperialism. Iran is a good example". Gerger reminded that not only countries but also "people's movements" such as the Hamas and the Taliban are a target of the NATO. "Now they have been put down as threats and methods to fight them have been determined that stretch from cyber attacks to missile shields", Gerger said.

Turkey as the Trojan Horse in the Middle East

"This means that Turkey is taking its role within this definition", Gerger indicated. He explained that Ankara had been assigned two roles in the past. The first role was that of an outpost against the Soviets, providing armoury and a base for the USA. Second, Turkey was in charge of the "role of a paramilitary shooter".

"The first role is over. Turkey does not have the military strength and there are other countries like Israel who can do this better. Additionally, the United States themselves are in the region now. The NATO exceeds its area of responsibility and sends forces".

In this situation, Gerger referred to the discussion of a "shift of axis" in Turkey, saying that Turkey transformed from a "shooter to a Trojan horse".

"Relations have to be established in order to be the Trojan horse. One way to establish relations with the Hamas and with Syria is to criticize Israel. This is seen as a conflict. Before, historic relations were mentioned, cultural relations were emphasized, it was said that you share the same language. So it is said that you do what we cannot do and what we cannot suggest".

Gerger reminded the fact that a Trojan horse also contains soldiers. He said that there was also a military side to this sort of role and emphasized that this was covered by the missile shield as well.

Who can press the button?

Gerger stated that it was another bluff of the government to say that the "button of the shield is with us".

"Turkey cannot press that button. Turkey will blow the whistle and the USA will repel the missiles", Gerger concluded. (BIA, Erhan ÜSTÜNDAĞ, 23 November 2010)

Turkey unshielded from NATO debate

Turkish officials expressed their satisfaction with the new Strategic Concept approved at a NATO summit in Lisbon over the weekend, yet the country is likely to be at the center of continued debate following the meeting.

Turkey plays a major role in two key, and heated, subjects discussed at the Lisbon Summit: creating a shield against ballistic missiles and a formula for better-functioning relations between the alliance and the European Union.

One of the few members of NATO that is not also a part of the EU, Turkey objected to singling out Iran as a threat to be thwarted by the missile shield. The alliance’s decision not to mention Iran was seen in Ankara as a successful result to the Lisbon Summit.

“The alliance does not consider any country to be its adversary. However, no one should doubt NATO’s resolve if the security of any of its members were to be threatened,” the new concept read. Despite granting Turkey’s request not to name Iran as the main source of a potential attack, NATO members’ concerns about the country’s controversial nuclear program were the primary reason for speeding up the missile-shield efforts.

Diplomats cautioned that the text of the Strategic Concept was “only highlighting the principles and calling on NATO to quickly ready necessary guidance covering technical details,” but these have not yet been worked out.

The NATO meeting also marked a breakthrough in relations with Russia, with President Dmitry Medvedev attending a summit with the alliance for the first time in two years and pronouncing himself happy with his welcome, Agence France-Presse reported.

“A period of very difficult, tense relations has been overcome,” Medvedev said, promising that Moscow would study Europe’s plans to design a joint missile defense system and consider taking part in its development.

According to the joint communiqué issued Saturday after the completion of the summit, the North Atlantic Council will develop “missile defense consultation, command and control arrangements” by the time NATO defense ministers meet in March 2011 and have created an action plan to implement the missile shield by June 2011.

By clearly setting the timetable for political and technical preparations for the missile shield, the communiqué signals further negotiations within the alliance, and between Turkey and main powers of NATO.

According to the initial plan, the missile shield is expected to function by 2012 after a consensus is reached on where the radars and other technical equipment will be deployed, how the system will be commanded and how it is going to be financed.

“Turkey was asking to be part of the command system especially on matters directly concerning Turkey,” Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said.

Ankara seeks to have NATO’s İzmir headquarters designated as the missile-defense command center instead of Germany’s Ramstein base, as the United States has insisted. Turkey’s good relations with countries such as Iran and Syria – both believed to be developing nuclear weapons – will help reduce the tension between the alliance and these countries, Ankara has argued.

NATO had planned to close the İzmir base as part of a restructuring program of its operational headquarters and command centers, but Turkish officials want it to remain open in order to retain Ankara’s influence within the alliance.

Ongoing discussions at NATO’s Brussels headquarters additionally foresee Turkey as the venue for radar deployment and some Eastern and Central European countries as the venue for delivery systems of the anti-ballistic missiles.

“Nothing is certain yet,” a Turkish diplomat told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review on Sunday, adding that the negotiations will continue. “The technical sphere of the issue is multidimensional. Setting aside political preferences, the technical requirements and defensive necessities will be much more important.”

NATO-EU relationship still vague

The other key issue facing Turkey going into the Lisbon Summit was how to best formulate the cooperation between NATO and the European Union, which comprises 21 of the alliance’s 28 members. Though the new Security Concept agreed to in Lisbon touched on this issue as an important matter, it did not provide much in the way of overcoming the ongoing stalemate. Noting that countries such as Turkey and Norway, both non-EU members of the alliance, had made significant contributions to address common security challenges, the concept advised: “For the strategic partnership between NATO and the EU, [these countries’] fullest involvement in these efforts is essential.”

Though Turkey seems to be satisfied with the use of the term “fullest involvement,” diplomats underscored that the current situation did not offer much to change the playing field. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen is known to be working on the matter and is tasked with submitting a plan in April 2011. (Hürriyet Daily News, SERKAN DEMİRTAŞ, November 21, 2010)

Gül: La Turquie ne veut pas que le bouclier antimissile désigne l'Iran

La Turquie n'acceptera pas que le projet de bouclier antimissile de l'Otan désigne spécifiquement l'Iran comme la menace contre laquelle ce système est destiné à protéger l'Europe, a déclaré le président turc Abdullah Gül.

"L'Otan est une organisation de défense. Un système de défense est en train d'être mis au point contre quiconque dans le monde possède des missiles balistiques et n'appartient pas à l'Otan", a dit M. Gül dans une interview diffusée lundi.

"Désigner un seul pays, l'Iran (...) est erroné et ne se produira pas. Un pays en particulier ne sera pas visé (...). Nous ne l'accepterons certainement pas", a ajouté le président turc dans une interview au service turc de la BBC, diffusée par la télévision turque.

L'Otan et les Etats-Unis veulent déployer un système d'interception de missiles pour protéger l'Europe contre la menace qu'ils jugent grandissante d'un lancement de missiles à courte et moyenne portée à partir du Moyen Orient, et plus particulièrement de l'Iran.

Cette question sera au centre du sommet Otan-Russie prévu la semaine prochaine à Lisbonne. Le président russe Dmitri Medvedev, dont le pays est très méfiant face à ce projet de bouclier antimissile en dépit des assurances qu'il ne vise pas la Russie, participera à ce sommet.

La Turquie, membre de l'Alliance, craint que le système, une fois mis en place, n'aboutisse à détériorer ses relations avec l'Iran et la Russie, qui se sont nettement développées ces dernières années.

Selon des diplomates, la Turquie réclame que le bouclier protège l'ensemble du territoire turc et non pas seulement les zones proches de l'Iran.

Le gouvernement islamo-conservateur du Premier ministre Recep Tayyip Erdogan a adopté une position plus modérée que les pays occidentaux sur le programme nucléaire de l'Iran, insistant sur une solution diplomatique.

La Turquie a notamment refusé de voter les sanctions contre l'Iran adoptées en juin par le Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies, suscitant la contrariété des Etats-Unis. (AFP, 8 nov 2010)


Relations régionales / Regional Relations

Erdogan: La Turquie "ne se taira pas" si Israël attaque le Liban

La Turquie "se ne taira pas" si Israël attaque de nouveau le Liban ou la bande de Gaza, a affirmé jeudi son Premier ministre Recep Tayyip Erdogan en visite à Beyrouth, au moment où les relations entre ces deux anciens alliés stratégiques sont au plus bas.

"Veut-il (Israël) entrer au Liban avec les avions et les chars les plus modernes, tuer les femmes et les enfants et détruire les écoles et les hôpitaux et puis nous demander de nous taire?", a demandé M. Erdogan dans un discours prononcé à l'occasion de la réunion annuelle de l'Union des banques arabes.

"Veut-il utiliser les armes les plus modernes et les bombes au phosphore et à sous-munitions et entrer à Gaza pour y tuer les enfants et puis nous demander de nous taire?", a-t-il répété, en présence du Premier ministre libanais Saad Hariri.

"Nous ne nous tairons pas et nous soutiendrons de tous nos moyens la justice", a-t-il indiqué.

Les relations entre la Turquie et Israël, autrefois alliés stratégiques, connaissent de vives tensions depuis l'offensive israélienne menée fin 2008/2009 contre la bande de Gaza contrôlée par le mouvement islamiste Hamas, aggravées depuis mai par l'affaire de la flottille internationale.

Le 31 mai, un raid de commandos israéliens contre cette flottille qui voulait forcer le blocus imposé par Israël à Gaza, a provoqué la mort de neuf Turcs parmi les passagers.

Depuis, M. Erdogan, dont le gouvernement islamo-conservateur renforce ses relations avec le monde arabe, ne tarit pas de critiques contre l'Etat hébreu. (AFP, 25 nov 2010)

La Suisse appelle à une normalisation des relations turco-arméniennes

La présidente suisse Doris Leuthard a exhorté jeudi la Turquie et l'Arménie à aller de l'avant dans le processus de normalisation de leurs relations, actuellement en panne.

"Il ne faut reculer devant aucun effort pour poursuivre sur la voie du dialogue et de la coopération, comme l'ont fait avec un grand courage la Turquie et l'Arménie ces dernières années", a déclaré la présidente en accueillant son homologue turc Abdullah Gül, arrivé jeudi pour une visite d'Etat dans la Confédération.

"La Suisse se réjouit d'avoir pu contribuer à la paix et à la stabilité dans le cadre du processus de rapprochement entre la Turquie et l'Arménie", a-t-elle ajouté, citée dans un communiqué.

De son côté, Gül s'est engagé à aller de l'avant dans la normalisation des relations avec l'Arménie qui piétinent depuis la signature il y a près d'un an en Suisse de deux protocoles visant à mettre fin à des décennies d'hostilités.

"Nous maintenons notre ferme volonté pour que lesdits protocoles, qui visent la normalisation des relations turco-arméniennes, entrent en vigueur", a-t-il dit.

L'Arménie et la Turquie ont conclu en octobre 2009 un accord historique, sous la médiation de la Suisse et des Etats-Unis, pour établir des relations diplomatiques et rouvrir leur frontière commune, après des décennies d'hostilité ayant pour origine les massacres d'Arméniens en 1915 à la fin de l'empire ottoman, qu'Erevan qualifie de génocide.

Mais la ratification de cet accord n'a pas encore eu lieu, la Turquie la liant à la résolution du conflit du Nagorny Karabakh (région de l'Azerbaïdjan peuplée majoritairement d'Arméniens) entre l'Arménie et l'Azerbaïdjan.

Ankara a fermé sa frontière avec l'Arménie en 1993, en solidarité avec son voisin et allié azerbaïdjanais, après la prise de contrôle par l'Arménie du Nagorny-Karabakh.

L'Arménie a déclaré en avril surseoir elle aussi à la ratification de l'accord, dans l'attente d'une évolution de la position d'Ankara.

Malgré tous ces obstacles, "puisse le processus de normalisation se poursuivre entre les deux Etats", a souligné Mme Leuthard. (AFP, 25 nov 2010)

KNK condamne les traitements infligés par les autorités iraniennes

Le communiqué de la Commission de la Femmes du KNK:

Nous condamnons fermement les traitements barbares infligés par les autorités iraniennes aux membres du PJAK (Parti pour une Vie Libre au Kurdistan) et aux militants politiques kurdes. La politique iranienne de la peine de mort n’est conforme ni à la démocratie, ni aux droits humain, ni non plus à aucune croyance. En un mot, c’est de la barbarie

L’Etat iranien utilise depuis longtemps la peine de mort dans le but de terroriser et de punir les personnes qui luttent pour les droits et libertés fondamentaux. Avec cette politique de la mort et de la potence, il cherche à soumettre et asservir les individus et les peuples. Les lois antidémocratiques permettent de piétiner les droits les plus fondamentaux et d’envoyer des personnes à la potence, sans même respecter leur droit à la défense.

Depuis plusieurs mois, on n’avait plus de nouvelles de Zeynep Celaliyan, militante kurde des droits des femmes condamnée par le régime iranien à la peine de mort en même temps que 19 de ses amis, le 14 janvier 2009. On a découvert récemment qu’après avoir subi de lourdes tortures dans différentes maisons d’arrêt, dont celle d’Evin à Téhéran, elle avait été transférée dans la prison de Kermanshah en septembre dernier.

 Du fait des lourdes tortures dont elle a été victime au cours de sa détention, Zeynep Celaliyan souffre aujourd’hui de graves problèmes de santé qui mettent sa vie en danger. Elle peut en outre être exécutée à tout moment.

Cette tragédie ne concerne pas seulement Zeynep Celaliyan. Plusieurs dizaines de militants politiques kurdes attendent actuellement dans les couloirs de la mort. C’est le peuple kurde dans son ensemble qu’on tente ainsi d’éliminer. Nous devons agir pour stopper les exécutions. Nous devons protester contre les ambassades, consulats et autres représentations iraniennes.  Nous nous adressons à tous les partis politiques kurdes : il s’agit là d’une politique d’extermination menée par l’Iran contre les Kurdes. Il faut que, dans ce contexte, les Kurdes s’unissent pour agir ensemble contre l’Iran.

Nous appelons toutes les organisations internationales, en particulier les Nations Unies et l’Union européenne, à prendre des mesures urgentes pour s’opposer à cette barbarie. En soutenant Zeynep Celaliyan, nous pouvons empêcher son exécution.

Nous appelons tout le monde à ne pas rester spectateur de cette barbarie et ne pas être complice de ce crime. (KNK, 24.11.2010)

Erdogan appelle le Liban à trouver une solution à la crise

Le Premier ministre turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan, en visite au Liban, a appelé les partis rivaux libanais à trouver une solution à la crise liée au tribunal de l'ONU chargé d'enquêter sur l'assassinat en 2005 de l'ancien Premier ministre libanais Rafic Hariri.

M. Erdogan a souligné "la nécessité que le Liban reste politiquement stable et qu'il y ait une entente entre Libanais en vue de trouver une solution aux questions liées au Tribunal" spécial pour le Liban (TSL), a indiqué un communiqué publié à l'issue d'une rencontre avec le président libanais Michel Sleimane.

La Turquie "oeuvre en vue de contribuer à la préservation de l'unité du Liban", a par ailleurs affirmé M. Erdogan, après une rencontre avec le président du Parlement libanais Nabih Berri, quelques heures après son arrivée à Beyrouth pour cette visite de deux jours.

Sa visite intervient alors que la tension monte de plus en plus dans le petit pays méditerranéen, qui s'attend à ce que le Tribunal spécial pour le Liban (TSL) publie prochainement un acte d'accusation impliquant le Hezbollah dans le meurtre de M. Hariri.

Une éventuelle mise en cause du parti chiite, le plus puissant mouvement militaire au Liban, suscite des craintes d'un regain de violences et d'un effondrement du gouvernement d'union de Saad Hariri, auquel participe le Hezbollah.

Un responsable gouvernemental a affirmé à l'AFP sous le couvert de l'anonymat que M. Erdogan avait souligné auprès des dirigeants libanais la nécessité d'éviter une guerre civile.

A la veille de sa visite, M. Erdogan, dont le pays renforce ses relations avec le monde arabe, a déclaré au quotidien libanais As Safir qu'il ferait tout ce qui est en son pouvoir pour empêcher l'éclatement d'un conflit interne au Liban. "Si des signes de guerre font surface, la Turquie et d'autres pays dans la région feront tout pour empêcher cette guerre", a-t-il dit.

En soirée, M. Erdogan a affirmé lors d'une conférence de presse avec son homologue libanais qu'il avait contacté le président syrien Bachar al-Assad avant sa visite et qu'il le contactera de nouveau à son retour à Ankara pour évaluer" la situation.

"Le Liban doit se libérer de ces tensions (...) nous espérons qu'il retrouvera la stabilité", a-t-il ajouté.

De son côté, M. Hariri a tenté de rassurer les Libanais.

"Que les Libanais se rassurent. Il n'y aura pas de dissension, personne ne nous entraînera vers la discorde", a-t-il poursuivi. "Le dialogue est essentiel. Nous devons privilégier le dialogue", a-t-il répété.

Il a assuré par ailleurs que "le TSL est lié à des résolutions du Conseil de sécurité de l'ONU et personne ne peut changer cela", en référence à l'appel du Hezbollah au boycottage de cette instance.

Les deux hommes ont auparavant signé un accord de libre-échange entre les deux pays, cinq mois après l'accord sur la création d'une zone de libre échange entre la Turquie, la Syrie, le Liban et la Jordanie.

Cet accord, stipulant une exonération progressive des droits de douane notamment sur les produits industriels, "assurera les intérêts commerciaux et économiques des deux pays, a indiqué M. Hariri, qui a annoncé le lancement du Conseil de coopération stratégique entre Beyrouth et Ankara.

Jeudi, le Premier ministre turc doit s'entretenir avec des responsables du Hezbollah et inspectera le contingent turc au sein de la Force des Nations unies dans le sud du Liban. (AFP, 24 nov 2010)

Bouclier antimissile: l'Otan ne désignera pas l'Iran comme la menace

L'Otan, réunie en sommet vendredi et samedi à Lisbonne, va lancer un bouclier antimissile en Europe sans désigner publiquement l'Iran comme la menace principale afin de rallier à ce projet une Turquie très sensible à ses relations de bon voisinage avec Téhéran.

"On ne mettra pas noir sur blanc dans les documents à adopter les origines de la menace qui est en train d'émerger", a indiqué la présidence française, alors que la France, avec d'autres pays, avaient au départ l'intention de citer l'Iran.

"La déclaration finale du sommet ne mentionnera pas l'Iran", a confirmé un diplomate, rappelant que le secrétaire général de l'Otan Anders Fogh Rasmussen avait ces derniers jours souligné plusieurs fois l'inutilité d'une telle mention.

M. Rasmussen, depuis des mois, souligne que la menace est diffuse et évolutive, avec une trentaine de pays menant des programmes balistiques.

Jeudi, néanmoins, les alliés continuaient de discuter de l'opportunité de dresser la liste des pays susceptibles de représenter un danger dans un rapport annexe mais confidentiel que leurs dirigeants doivent adopter à l'issue du sommet, selon le même diplomate.

Les dirigeants des 28 pays de l'Otan devraient entériner dans la capitale portugaise la décision de principe de doter l'alliance d'un bouclier antimissile pour protéger l'Europe.

Mais la formulation de la décision de l'Otan posait deux problèmes, avait expliqué lundi un haut responsable américain.
 Il fallait d'abord éviter que la Russie ne se sente visée, "ce qui est facile puisque on va lui demander de coopérer au projet de bouclier", a-t-il expliqué.

Il fallait ensuite trancher la question de savoir si on désignait le programme balistique et nucléaire iranien comme étant la principale cause d'inquiétude.

Certains pays de l'Otan "voulaient que soient nommés des pays, des régions, afin d'être plus clair", avait-il ajouté. Or, "d'autres pays n'étaient pas à l'aise devant la perspective de nommer leurs voisins". Une phrase qui ne pouvait s'appliquer qu'à la Turquie, qui a fait savoir à plusieurs reprises sa répugnance à dénoncer son voisin iranien, sans parler du reste du Moyen-Orient.

"Désigner un seul pays, l'Iran, (...) est erroné et ne se produira pas. Un pays en particulier ne sera pas visé (...). Nous ne l'accepterons certainement pas", a déclaré récemment le président turc Abdullah Gül dans une interview au service turc de la BBC.

Le 12 novembre, le Premier ministre turc Recep Tayip Erdogan est revenu à la charge, en signalant que son pays ne s'était pas encore décidé sur sa participation au projet de bouclier antimissile de l'Otan. Ce qui voudrait dire que la Turquie n'abriterait ni radar ni silos de missiles antimissile.

"J'ai fait part au président américain (Barack Obama) des sensibilités de notre pays à l'égard de ce projet," a-t-il dit aux journalistes après un
entretien avec Barack Obama en marge du sommet du G20 à Séoul, cité par l'agence de presse Anatolie.

Le gouvernement islamiste modéré d'Ankara a pris une attitude plus tempérée que ses alliés occidentaux à l'égard du programme nucléaire de l'Iran, au grand agacement de Washington.

De concert avec le Brésil, la Turquie a concocté en mai un accord avec Téhéran sur l'échange de combustibles nucléaires. Et en juin, elle a refusé de voter les nouvelles sanctions contre l'Iran adoptées par le Conseil de sécurité de l'ONU. (AFP, 18 nov 2010)

La Turquie réclame à nouveau des excuses

Le Premier ministre turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan a réclamé à nouveau mercredi qu'Israël présente des excuses et paie des compensations à son pays après l'opération le 31 mai contre la flottille de Gaza qui avait fait neuf morts: huit Turcs et un Turco-Américain.

Interrogé par la chaîne de télévision France 24 sur une éventuelle reprise des relations israélo-turques, Recep Tayyip Erdogan répond qu'"Israël doit s'excuser". "Et Israël devra payer des compensations. Ensuite nous pouvons commencer à négocier".

Seul "Israël est responsable de l'état actuel" des relations israélo-turques, poursuit-il. "Comment oublier des attaques aériennes et maritimes contre un bateau sous pavillon turc transportant des passagers du monde entier cherchant à aider d'autres gens?", demande-t-il, en rappelant que le raid israélien s'est produit dans des eaux internationales.

"Ont-ils trouvé des armes? Non (...), donc il n'y a aucune excuse pour un tel comportement", juge le Premier ministre turc.

Les relations entre la Turquie et Israël, autrefois alliés stratégiques, connaissent de vives tensions depuis l'offensive israélienne menée fin 2008/2009 contre la bande de Gaza contrôlée par le mouvement islamiste Hamas, aggravées depuis mai par l'affaire de la flotille internationale. (AFP, 10 nov 2010)

Un député suédois d'origine turque expulsé d'Israël

Un député suédois d'origine turc, qui avait participé à la flottille pour Gaza interceptée le 31 mai par un commando israélien dans les eaux internationales, a été expulsé dimanche à son arrivée à l'aéroport Ben Gourion, a annoncé une porte-parole du ministère de l'Intérieur.

Le parlementaire Mehmet Kaplan ainsi que l'artiste israélien Dror Feiler installé en Suède, qui a renoncé à sa nationalité et qui se trouvait également à bord de l'un des bateaux de la flottille, ont "été expulsés car ils n'ont pas respecté la procédure", a affirmé à l'AFP la porte-parole Sabine Hadad.

"Lors de leur détention après l'arraisonnement des bateaux de la flottille tous les passagers qui étaient à bord ont signé avant d'être expulsés une lettre dans laquelle ils s'engagent à demander un permis d'entrée en Israël auprès de l'ambassade d'Israël de leur pays respectif avant de tenter de revenir", a ajouté la porte-parole.

"Ils étaient parfaitement au courant de ces dispositions qu'ils n'ont pas respectées", a-t-elle poursuivi.

Début octobre, la militante pacifiste nord-irlandaise Mairead Maguire, prix Nobel de la paix, avait elle aussi été interdite de séjour en Israël. Elle avait été auparavant expulsée en juin ainsi que tous les passagers d'un autre bateau humanitaire irlandais qui tentait de briser le blocus maritime imposé à la bande de Gaza.

Le 31 mai, des militants pro-palestiniens ont tenté de forcer ce blocus à bord de plusieurs navires. Neuf passagers turcs ont été tués lors du raid d'un commando israélien contre le Mavi Marmara, un bateau turc de la flottille. (AFP, 7 nov 2010)

L'Iran prêt à des négociations en Turquie avec le groupe 5+1

L'Iran a demandé dimanche que la reprise des négociations avec les grandes puissances autour du dossier nucléaire iranien controversé, interrompues depuis un an, ait lieu en Turquie, considérée par Téhéran comme un allié dans ce dossier.

"Au cours des derniers jours, nous avons informé nos amis turcs que nous sommes d'accord pour mener les négociations en Turquie", a déclaré le ministre des Affaires étrangères Manouchehr Mottaki lors d'une conférence de presse.

La chef de la diplomatie européenne Catherine Ashton, intermédiaire des grandes puissances sur le dossier nucléaire iranien, a réagi en affirmant qu'elle attendait une "proposition officielle de l'Iran" pour l'examiner avec les pays du groupe 5+1 (les cinq membres du Conseil de sécurité de l'ONU plus l'Allemagne).

Mme Ashton avait proposé au nom des 5+1 une rencontre à Vienne du 15 au 18 novembre.

La Turquie a donné son accord de principe pour accueillir les négociations, ont affirmé dimanche des sources diplomatiques turques.

L'Iran et les 5+1 ont affirmé le mois dernier leur volonté de reprendre les discussions pour tenter de régler le conflit autour du dossier nucléaire iranien, interrompues en octobre 2009 après le rejet par l'Iran d'une offre d'échange de combustible nucléaire.

En demandant que les négociations aient plutôt lieu en Turquie, Téhéran cherche à impliquer dans les négociations un pays considéré comme allié pour contrebalancer le poids des pays occidentaux, selon les médias iraniens.

Ankara a cosigné en mai, avec le Brésil, une contre-proposition iranienne d'échange du combustible nucléaire avec les grande puissances, prévoyant l'envoi "en dépôt" en Turquie de 1.200 kg d'uranium faiblement enrichi en attendant qu'il soit échangé contre du combustible produit par la Russie et la France pour le réacteur de recherche de Téhéran.

Cette proposition a été ignorée par les grandes puissances qui ont estimé que Téhéran cherchait à gagner du temps pour éviter de nouvelles sanctions internationales.

La Turquie et le Brésil ont ensuite voté contre une résolution du Conseil de sécurité de l'ONU renforçant le 9 juin les sanctions contre l'Iran, soupçonné par la communauté internationale de chercher, malgré ses démentis, à se doter de l'arme nucléaire.

L'Iran et le groupe 5+1 doivent également se mettre d'accord sur la date et surtout le contenu des négociations. Téhéran refuse en effet que les négociations soient concentrées sur son dossier nucléaire comme l'avait demandé Mme Ashton.

"J'espère que nous arriverons prochainement à un accord sur la date et le contenu des négociations", a déclaré dimanche M. Mottaki, qui s'est dit par ailleurs "très optimiste" sur un démarrage rapide du dialogue.

Les grandes puissances, qui souhaitent essentiellement obtenir que Téhéran renonce à son programme d'enrichissement d'uranium, envisagent de leur côté de proposer une nouvelle offre d'échange de combustible nucléaire.

Selon le New York times, une formule prévoirait que l'Iran expédie près de 2.000 kilos de son uranium faiblement enrichi en Russie et en France pour obtenir en retour du combustible hautement enrichi pour le réacteur de Téhéran.

Selon le journal français Le Monde, les Etats-Unis envisageraient eux de proposer à l'Iran d'envoyer à l'étranger 1.200 kg d'uranium faiblement enrichi en échange de combustible pour le réacteur de Téhéran, mais aussi 2.000 kg en Russie où il serait transformé en combustible pour la centrale nucléaire de Bouchehr, construite par les Russes et qui doit démarrer prochainement.

La Russie s'est engagé à livrer le combustible de la centrale pendant dix ans.

Washington demanderait aussi à l'Iran de livrer les 30 kg d'uranium enrichi à 20% qu'il a accumulés depuis le lancement de la production d'uranium hautement enrichi en février. (AFP, 7 nov 2010)


Chypre et la Grèce / Cyprus and Greece

De "sérieuses divergences" entre dirigeants chypriotes grec et turc (ONU)

Le chef de l'ONU Ban Ki-moon a souligné jeudi que de "sérieuses divergences" perduraient entre les dirigeants chypriote grec et turc, tout en laissant transparaître son impatience à voir les négociations aboutir.

"Nous sommes tombés d'accord pour nous rencontrer à nouveau fin janvier à Genève". "Entre-temps, les dirigeants vont rechercher de nouveaux points de convergence et aborder les questions centrales qui doivent encore être résolues", a ajouté Ban Ki-moon au terme de plusieurs heures d'entretiens avec le président chypriote-grec Demetris Christofias et le dirigeant chypriote-turc Dervis Eroglu.

"Ceci va aider les Nations unies à déterminer leurs prochaines étapes", a-t-il dit. Cette phrase sibylline pourrait laisser transparaître l'impatience de Ban Ki-moon devant des pourparlers qui s'éternisent sans donner de résultat probant.

"De sérieuses divergences demeurent" entre les deux hommes, a dit M. Ban devant la presse. Mais "les deux dirigeants ont exprimé leur engagement à travailler ensemble en tant que partenaires" en vue d'un accord pour la réunification de l'île divisée depuis 1974, a-t-il ajouté.

"Les dirigeants sont tombés d'accord aujourd'hui pour intensifier leurs contacts dans les prochaines semaines de façon à établir un plan pratique pour surmonter les grands désaccords qui demeurent", a-t-il encore indiqué.

"Le peuple de Chypre et la communauté internationale veulent une solution, pas des discussions sans fin", a-t-il martelé.

"Nous irons à cette rencontre avec de bonnes intentions et apporterons notre contribution pour surmonter les difficultés", a de son côté déclaré le dirigeant chypriote-turc.

"Les négociations de paix sur Chypre perdaient de leur dynamique et avaient besoin d'une relance pour que les deux parties arrivent à un accord, tant qu'il est encore temps et tant qu'il existe une opportunité politique pour le faire", a encore souligné le secrétaire général de l'ONU, une autre phrase qui semble illustrer son impatience.

"Seuls les dirigeants peuvent relancer (ces négociations). Les Nations unies peuvent les aider, comme nous l'avons fait par l'intermédiaire du travail de mon conseiller spécial et son équipe. Mais seuls les dirigeants peuvent arriver à une solution", a-t-il insisté.

Ban Ki-moon avait convié les deux dirigeants au siège de l'ONU à New York dans le but de relancer les négociations qui durent depuis 2008 sans aucun progrès, en vue de la réunification de l'île.

Chypre est divisée depuis le 20 juillet 1974, lorsque la Turquie a envahi le nord de l'île à la suite d'un coup d'Etat fomenté par des nationalistes chypriotes-grecs soutenus par la junte des colonels alors au pouvoir à Athènes et visant à rattacher le pays à la Grèce.

La République de Chypre est internationalement reconnue tandis que la
République turque de Chypre du Nord (RTCN) est autoproclamée et uniquement reconnue par Ankara.

M. Ban a encore indiqué qu'il dresserait d'ici fin novembre un rapport pour le Conseil de sécurité qui apportera une évaluation de l'état des négociations. "J'ai promis aux dirigeants que le rapport serait franc et honnête", a-t-il dit. (AFP, 18 nov 2010)

Premières patrouilles européennes à la frontière greco-turque

Une centaine de gardes-frontières européens, dont une dizaine de Français, ont commencé des patrouilles à la frontière greco-turque pour tenter de freiner les arrivées massives de migrants irréguliers en Europe via la Grèce, a constaté l'AFP vendredi.

Au total, quelque 170 gardes-frontières venus de 26 pays différents participeront jusqu'à fin décembre à cette opération, qui a lieu pour la première fois dans un pays de l'UE, sous l'égide de l'agence chargée de la surveillance des frontières (Frontex), après un appel à l'aide lancé par la Grèce.

Le déploiement des gardes-frontières, désignés par leur acronyme anglais Rabits (pour Rapid Border Intervention Team ou équipes d'intervention rapide aux frontières) est une "mesure forte de solidarité", a souligné vendredi la Commissaire européen chargée des Affaires intérieures, Cécilia Malmström, venue sur place assister aux premières patrouilles.

Le ministre français de l'Immigration Eric Besson, à ses côtés, a indiqué que la France était "totalement mobilisée pour lutter avec la Grèce contre les filières qui exploitent les migrants au mépris des lois humanitaires les plus élémentaires".

Le déploiement des Equipes Rabits "constitue une étape décisive", a-t-il ajouté en souhaitant un engagement "durable" de l'UE et de ses Etats membres vis-à-vis de la Grèce dans le domaine de la lutte contre l'immigration clandestine comme celui de l'asile.

Outre la gestion des arrivées irrégulières, la Grèce a un "plan d'action très ambitieux" pour moderniser son système d'asile, que la Commmission "veut soutenir avec des financements mais aussi des moyens humains, interprètes ou agents administratifs", a d'ailleurs relevé Mme Malmström. "Nous souhaitons soutenir la Grèce", a-t-elle ajouté.

Le ministre grec de la Protection du citoyen Christos Papoutsis s'est pour sa part félicité qu'un problème "européen" ait trouvé une "solution européenne".

En choeur, les trois responsables ont néanmoins mis l'accent sur la responsabilité de la Turquie dans le domaine de la lutte contre les arrivées d'immigrants illégaux via cette frontière.

Alors qu'un haut représentant de l'Onu a récemment qualifié "d'inhumaines" les condition de détention en Grèce des migrants sans papiers, les trois responsables ont pu visiter un centre de rétention où la presse a vu de nombreux enfants.

Selon Frontex, plus des trois quarts des 40.977 personnes interceptées aux frontières de l'UE au premier semestre 2010 sont entrées via la Grèce.

La grande majorité sont des réfugiés économiques exploités par des réseaux de trafiquants d'êtres humains.

Pour les patrouilles de Frontex, les équipes mixtes sont composées d'un Grec et de deux étrangers. Seul le policier grec a le droit de procéder à des interpellations sur le territoire grec.

"Nous, on signale. C'est aux Grecs d'agir", a commenté à l'AFP Janek Pinta, un garde-frontière estonien, arrivé depuis deux jours après avoir participé à une mission d'observation sur cette frontière en septembre. "Le problème c'est qu'évidemment en face, les Turcs ne les reprennent pas", a-t-il ajouté.

Un de ses collègues français, qui a requis l'anonymat, a précisé qu'au premier jour du déploiement sur le terrain, jeudi, les équipes ont déjà procédé à l'interception d'une centaine de migrants: "Pour eux, l'Europe, c'est l'Eldorado". (AFP, 5 nov 2010)


Immigration / Migration

Le prix Lux du Parlement européen au film allemand "Nous partons"

Le Parlement européen a décerné mercredi son prix Lux 2010 au film allemand "Nous partons" ("Die Fremde"), de Feo Aladag, sur les difficultés d'une jeune Turque qui se sent rejetée par sa famille aussi bien à Istanbul qu'à Berlin.

Le président du Parlement, Jerzy Buzek, a remis le prix dans l'hémicycle strasbourgeois. Le Prix Lux entend récomposer des films qui "illustrent ou questionnent les valeurs fondatrices de notre identité européenne, révélant la diversité culturelle de l'Europe ou éclairant le débat sur l'intégration européenne".

"Notre film traite de la manière de dépasser l'intolérance, parce que nous vivons dans une société multiculturelle qui doit trouver des façons de combler les divergences", a expliqué la réalisatrice, en recevant sa récompense.

Dans "Die Fremde" (dont le titre original signifie "L'étrangère"), elle raconte les tribulations d'une jeune Turque ayant fui avec son enfant Istanbul où son mari la rend malheureuse, pour Berlin où sa famille va la rejeter.
 Ce prix va permettre de financer le sous-titrage du film dans les 23 langues officielles de l'UE et d'adapter la version originale pour les personnes atteintes d'un handicap visuel ou auditif, et donc d'assurer la diffusion de l'oeuvre au-delà du monde germanophone.

Deux autres films étaient en lice pour ce prix européen: "L'Académie de Platon" de Filippos Tsitos (Grèce/Allemagne) et "Illégal" d'Olivier Masset-Depasse (Belgique). Le jury était composé de députés européens.
 L'an dernier, le prix Lux avait été décerné au film français "Welcome" de Philippe Lioret, une chronique sur l'aide bénévole aux étrangers en situation irrégulière qui avait entraîné une polémique avec le ministre français de l'Immigration de l'époque, Eric Besson. (AFP, 24 nov 2010)

Action devant le Parlement européen contre la répression en Allemagne

Le Comité des libertés organisera un rassemblement ce lundi 15 novembre de 14h à 16h sur la place du Luxembourg à Bruxelles pour attirer l'attention sur le sort des militants politiques turcs en Allemagne poursuivis en vertu de l'article 129b du Code pénal allemand qui étend le champ d'application de la loi antiterroriste allemande (art. 129) aux "organisations étrangères".

A 15h, une petite délégation composée de parents de prisonniers politiques turcs incarcérés en Allemagne sera reçue par Mme Hélène Flautre, présidente de la délégation à la commission parlementaire mixte UE-Turquie et membre de la Commission des libertés civiles, de la justice et des affaires intérieures.

Nous appelons l'ensemble des démocrates  et des progressistes à se solidariser avec les militants poursuivis en se joignant au rassemblement devant les institutions européennes.

Pour plus d'infos sur la campagne que la Fédération anatolienne lancera le 15 novembre en France et Belgique, puis, du 16 au 27 novembre, dans toute l'Allemagne, veuillez cliquer sur ce lien :

http://www.halkinsesi.tv/images/Dosyalar/AnadoluFedrsy-uzunYuruyus-20101116.pdf

Le Comité des libertés

comitedeslibertes@gmail.com

Indignation en Autriche après des propos de l'ambassadeur turc

Le gouvernement autrichien a vivement réagi mercredi après des déclarations de l'ambassadeur turc à Vienne, qui a vertement critiqué la politique d'intégration du pays envers les Turcs.

Le chancelier Werner Faymann (social-démocrate, SPÖ) s'est dit "indigné" par les propos "inacceptables et non professionnels" de Kadri Ecved Tezcan, a fait savoir la chancellerie dans un communiqué.

Dans une interview au quotidien Die Presse, l'ambassadeur a reproché en des termes peu diplomatiques au gouvernement de coalition entre les sociaux-démocrates et les conservateurs de ne pas favoriser l'intégration des Turcs, qui se retrouvent de facto parqués dans des ghettos, et aux Autrichiens en général "de ne pas s'intéresser à d'autres cultures, sauf quand ils sont en vacances".

Il a critiqué aussi Angela Merkel pour ses propos d'octobre dernier. La chancelière conservatrice allemande avait déclaré que le modèle multiculturel dans lequel cohabiteraient harmonieusement différentes cultures avait "complètement échoué".

"Quand les Turcs font une demande de logement à Vienne, ils sont toujours envoyés dans le même coin, et parallèlement on leur reproche de former des ghettos", s'est emporté Kadri Ecved Tezcan dans l'interview.

Il a reconnu aussi que la communauté turque, quelque 112.150 personnes en Autriche, devait faire davantage d'efforts pour s'intégrer, l'apprentissage très tôt de la langue allemande étant une priorité.

Le parti d'extrême droite FPÖ a demandé la suspension immédiate des relations diplomatiques avec la Turquie.

L'ambassadeur turc a été convoqué au ministère des Affaires étrangères et à la suite des entretiens, Werner Faymann décidera de la procédure à suivre dans cette affaire, a précisé la chancellerie.

Le ministre des Affaires étrangères Michael Spindelegger a protesté auprès de son homologue turc Ahmet Davutoglu. "Je ne peux pas m'imaginer que la Turquie soit d'accord avec le fait qu'un ambassadeur agisse de la sorte", a déclaré le ministre à l'agence de presse APA.

Le chef de la diplomatie turque a selon lui indiqué ne pas avoir eu connaissance de l'interview et promis d'informer son homologue des suites qui seront données à l'incident. Il a réaffirmé ses propos d'octobre où, lors d'une visite à Vienne, il avait loué les relations bilatérales entre les deux pays. L'Autriche est sans doute le pays de l'Union européenne qui "comprend le mieux la Turquie", avait-il alors déclaré.

L'ambassadeur turc a concrètement reproché à l'Autriche de ne pas appréhender correctement le problème de l'intégration turque.

"L'intégration est un problème culturel et social. En Autriche, le ministère de l'Intérieur est responsable de l'intégration. Je trouve cela incroyable", a-t-il ajouté. "Si on confie un problème au ministère de l'Intérieur, la solution est souvent policière", a-t-il estimé. (AFP, 10 nov 2010)

Terrorisme et statut de réfugié ne sont pas incompatibles

Avoir été membre d'une organisation terroriste n'empêche pas de prétendre au statut de réfugié dans l'Union européenne sauf si l'on est reconnu "individuellement responsable" d'actes terroristes, a jugé mardi la Cour de justice de l'Union européenne.

La justice européenne était appelée à trancher sur le cas de deux ressortissants turcs d'origine kurde, réfugiés en Allemagne, dont l'un avait été membre du Parti-Front de libération du peuple révolutionnaire (DHKP-C) et l'autre un responsable du Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK).

Ces deux organisations sont considérées comme des groupes terroristes par l'Union européenne et le Conseil de sécurité de l'ONU.

Les deux anciens militants, dont les noms n'ont pas été communiqués, avaient affirmé avoir quitté leur organisation respective et demandé le statut de réfugié en Allemagne en arguant de menaces à leur encontre de la part des autorités turques ainsi que de leur ancien parti.

Les autorités allemandes avaient rejeté la demande d'asile de l'ancien membre du DHKP-C et refusé de lui accorder le statut de réfugié. Le droit d'asile et le statut de réfugié qui avaient été octroyés précédemment à l'ex-militant du PKK avaient été quant à eux révoqués.

L'exclusion du statut de réfugié d'une personne ayant appartenu à une organisation terroriste est subordonnée à "un examen individuel des faits précis" permettant à l'autorité compétente d'apprécier si le demandeur a commis ou organisé un crime grave de droit commun, a rappelé la Cour de Luxembourg.

Avoir été membre d'une organisation terroriste ne saurait suffire à "l'évaluation individuelle des faits précis qui devrait précéder toute décision d'exclure une personne du statut de réfugié", a noté le tribunal.

Dans le cas de l'ancien responsable du PKK, on peut "présumer que cette personne a une responsabilité individuelle pour des actes commis par cette organisation", a affirmé la Cour. Mais, a-t-elle ajouté, "il reste nécessaire d'examiner l'ensemble des circonstances pertinentes avant que ne puisse être adoptée une décision d'exclusion" du statut de réfugié.

La Cour a également noté que l'exclusion du statut de réfugié n'est pas subordonnée au fait que la personne concernée représente un danger actuel pour l'Etat d'accueil. "Les clauses d'exclusion ne visent à sanctionner que des actes commis dans le passé", a-t-elle souligné.

D'autre part, la Cour a indiqué qu'une personne exclue du statut de réfugié pouvait obtenir le droit d'asile. (AFP, 9 nov 2010)

L'ambassadeur de Turquie fustige la politique autrichienne

L'ambassadeur de Turquie à Vienne a critiqué vertement, dans une interview à paraître mercredi, la politique autrichienne à l'égard des immigrés, provoquant des tensions diplomatiques.

"Lorsque des Turcs demandent un logement à Vienne, on les envoie toujours dans les mêmes quartiers. Et en même temps, ils sont accusés de créer des
ghettos", a déclaré l'ambassadeur, Kadri Ecved Tezcan, au quotidien autrichien Die Presse.

"Vous devez apprendre à vivre avec les autres", a lancé le diplomate turc à l'adresse des Autrichiens, ajoutant: "Quel est le problème de l'Autriche ?".

"Si j'étais le secrétaire de l'ONU, de l'OSCE ou de l'OPEP, je ne resterais pas ici", a-t-il assuré, en faisant référence aux nombreuses organisations internationales qui ont leur siège dans la capitale autrichienne.

Un porte-parole du ministre autrichien des Affaires étrangères Michael Spindelegger a annoncé mardi que M. Tezcan serait convoqué au ministère, et l'ambassadeur d'Autriche à Ankara a demandé à être reçu au ministère turc des Affaires étrangères.

Le chef de la diplomatie autrichienne devrait également avoir mercredi une conversation téléphonique avec son homologue autrichien Ahmet Davutoglu.

Le vice-chancelier autrichien Josef Pröll a vivement critiqué les déclarations de l'ambassadeur turc.

"Il est absolument inapproprié et inacceptable qu'un diplomate fasse de tels commentaires sur la politique interne du pays qui l'accueille et qu'il parle publiquement dans ces termes d'un membre du gouvernement", a déclaré le porte-parole de M. Pröll.

Dans son interview, M. Tezcan a appelé la ministre autrichienne de l'Intérieur, Maria Fekter, à se tenir à l'écart des questions d'intégration des immigrés, affirmant qu'elle ne savait que faire appel à la police.

Au cours des dernières semaines, Mme Fekter a été critiquée pour les pratiques de la police lors d'expulsions de demandeurs d'asile dont les demandes avaient été rejetées, y compris lorsque des enfants étaient en cause.

Le diplomate turc a reconnu que les immigrés turcs devraient faire un effort pour apprendre l'allemand. Mais il a souligné que le Parti de la Liberté (FPÖ), une formation d'extrême droite, avait remporté 27% des voix lors d'une élection locale le mois dernier à Vienne.

"Si vous n'êtes pas le bienvenu dans une société et que vous êtes marginalisé constamment, pourquoi voudriez-vous appartenir à cette société ?", s'est interrogé l'ambassadeur de Turquie.

Il s'est enfin prononcé absolument contre une interdiction du foulard islamique. "Vous n'avez rien à dire là-dessus: tout le monde a le droit de mettre ce qu'il veut sur la tête", a-t-il dit. "Si vous avez le droit ici de vous baigner nu, vous devez aussi avoir le droit de porter un foulard", a encore argumenté le diplomate turc. (AFP, 9 nov 2010)

L'Allemagne, terre d'immigration des Turcs et des Européens de l'Est

Près d'une personne sur cinq vivant aujourd'hui en Allemagne est étrangère ou descendant d'étrangers, ce qui fait de ce pays sans colonie depuis la fin de la Première Guerre mondiale une terre d'immigration, en majorité turque, d'ex-URSS et d'Europe de l'Est.

LES TURCS:

Sur les quelque 15,6 millions d'étrangers ou personnes d'origine étrangère en Allemagne, ils sont les plus nombreux, avec plus de 2,9 millions de représentants. "Invités pour travailler" au miracle économique allemand et pallier au manque de main-d'oeuvre pendant les trente Glorieuses (1950-1973), ces "Gastarbeiter" sont en grande majorité restés dans ce pays et y ont été rejoints par leur famille.

Malgré quelques exemples de réussites personnelles, comme celle du coprésident des écologistes allemands, Cem Özdemir, du footballeur Mesut Özil et du cinéaste Fatih Akin, les Turcs constituent le groupe d'étrangers considéré comme le moins bien intégré.

Les enfants de la deuxième ou troisième génération ne maîtrisent parfois pas toujours bien la langue de Goethe, font moins d'études que les Allemands et occupent souvent des emplois moins qualifiés, selon différentes études qui pointent du doigt l'absence par le passé de politiques pour faciliter leur assimilation.

LES RESSORTISSANTS DE L'EX-URSS ET EUROPEENS DE L'EST:

Près de 2,9 millions de personnes originaires de l'ancienne Union soviétique, 1,4 million de Pologne et 1,3 million de l'ex-Yougoslavie vivent en Allemagne.

Parmi eux, des groupes d'origine germanique qui parlaient encore parfois un allemand vieillot en famille et vivaient dans des pays communistes, comme les Saxons de Transylvanie ou les Allemands de la Volga. Leur immigration a commencé dans les années 1980 et s'est accélérée après la chute de l'Empire soviétique.

Entre 1990 et 2008, l'Allemagne a également accueilli environ 200.000 Juifs originaires de la Communauté des Etats Indépendants (CEI), un geste d'apaisement après l'Holocauste.

Actuellement, de nombreux Européens de l'est continuent de s'installer en Allemagne --comme les Polonais qui étaient 398.513 en 2009-- pour étudier ou travailler dans des emplois qualifiés ou non, allant du saisonnier au médecin, en passant par le plombier.

LES ITALIENS ET LES GRECS

Ils sont respectivement près de 795.000 et 391.000 à vivre en Allemagne. Comme les Turcs, ils sont venus d'abord y travailler au moment du miracle économique. Leur intégration est considérée comme beaucoup moins problématique. (AFP, 3 nov 2010)

Les garde-frontières européens arrivent à la frontière Grèce-Turquie

Des garde-frontières de 26 différents pays européens ont commencé à arriver mardi à Orestiada, dans le nord-est de la Grèce, pour aider à lutter contre un afflux de migrants venant de Turquie, a annoncé mardi l'Agence européenne de surveillance des frontières extérieures (Frontex).

Les garde-frontières, dont l'action est coordonnée par la police grecque, vont réaliser des opérations de surveillance des frontières jusqu'à fin décembre et d'identification des migrants illégaux, dans l'espoir d'enrayer une vague migratoire à laquelle la Grèce ne parvient pas à faire face.

Au total, environ 170 garde-frontières devraient être à pied d'oeuvre à partir de jeudi, a indiqué un porte-parole de Frontex, Michal Parzyszek, joint d'Athènes au téléphone.

Avec 41 policiers envoyés, l'Allemagne est le principal pays contribuant à ces équipes d'intervention rapide aux frontières (Rabit, acronyme anglais pour Rapid Border Intervention Team), déployées pour la première fois dans un pays de l'Union européenne. La France a envoyé 17 policiers.

Les garde-frontières ont déjà effectué ensemble six entraînements collectifs, au Portugal, en Slovénie, en Roumanie, en Slovaquie, en Espagne et en Grèce, a précisé M. Parzyszek.

Ils vont avoir différents types de mission, a-t-il expliqué, patrouilles de jour le long de la frontière, patrouilles de nuit avec l'aide de caméras thermiques, entretiens avec les migrants et identification de leur nationalité "afin de les renvoyer" dans leur pays.

"Nous voulons que tous les gens qui traversent la frontière soient identifiés et nous voulons que le flux migratoire soit sous contrôle" a ajouté M. Parzyszek. Les empreintes digitales des migrants seront enregistrées, a-t-il dit en précisant qu'ils ne pourraient pas être renvoyés directement en Turquie, mais interrogés pour connaître leur pays d'origine avant d'être renvoyés.

"Peut-être cette action aura-t-elle un effet dissuasif" a-t-il commenté.

Selon Frontex, plus des trois quarts des 40.977 personnes interceptées aux frontières de l'UE au cours du premier semestre 2010 sont entrées via la Grèce. La grande majorité sont des réfugiés économiques exploités par des réseaux de trafiquants d'êtres humains.

Depuis août, 200 à 350 personnes par jour traversent la frontière terrestre entre la Grèce et la Turquie. Athènes a récemment demandé l'aide de l'Union européenne pour l'aider à endiguer cette vague.

Une ONG grecque de soutien social aux immigrés et immigrants a dénoncé mardi dans un communiqué l'opération de Frontex, qualifiée de "chasseur d'immigrés" en fustigeant "l'identification totale" de la politique du Premier ministre socialiste Georges Papandreou à celles de "Sarkozy et Berlusconi".

La commissaire aux Affaires intérieures Cécilia Malmström sera vendredi sur place, avec des responsables politiques grecs et le ministre français de l'immigration Eric Besson, a-t-on appris auprès de la Commission à Bruxelles et du gouvernement grec. (AFP, 2 nov 2010)

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