kurdish news weekly briefing

7/30/2019 Kurdish News Weekly Briefing

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KURDISH NEWS WEEKLY BRIEFING, 9 23 August 2013

NEWS1. Islamist Rebels Force 20,000 Syrian Kurds to Flee to Iraq

2. Kurdish Mission to Probe Reports of Massacres in Syria by Jihadi Groups

3. Syrian Kurd leader back in Turkey

4. Turkey meets with PYD leader, other Syrian Kurds

5. Syrian refugees pour into Iraqs Kurdistan6. New appeal to Amnesty International for Rojava

7. Syrian Deputy Premier: The Kurds Must Unify Their Demands8. Details of Kurdish National Congress released

9. KCK: Government Must Take A Step Forward

10. Facebook censorship against Kurds continues

11. Hakkari Mayor Convicted to 15 Months of Prison

12. Kurds remember 15 August

13. Halt Ilisu Dam construction

14. The Kurdish Spring: New book published

COMMENT, OPINION AND ANALYSIS15. War Within A War: Kurds, Arabs Battle In Northern Syria

16. The Day After Assad Wins: The Hard Truths About Post-War Syria

17. Syria's Kurds Take the Offensive

18. The Muslim Brotherhood's Fall Lands Turkey an Unexpected Ally: Kurds

19. Which Side Are You On?

20. No friends but the mountains: Washington seeks to ensnare Kurds21. To those who doubt the massacres in Rojava - Part One

22. VIDEO: Minority Misery: 'Jihadists cleansing Kurds in Syria', thousands flee

23. Syrian Kurds are on the verge of genocide

24. Al-Qaeda: A Force for Good25. Imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan to become regional player?

26. Erdogans historic gamble on PKK peace begins to falter

27. Sherko Bekas: A Poet for Humanity, A Hero of the Nation

28. The Kurds in a new Middle East

29. The Tightening Screws on Press Freedom in Turkey

30. The Stack Monocle Magazine

31. Dangerous Friends: Power Struggle Splits Turkish Ruling Party

32. Lonely command

33. Turkeys Gambles34. Who Poisoned Former Turkish President Ozal?

35. Westminster University Focuses on Alevi-Kurdish Suicides in London

ACTIONS36. Urgent plea to President Barack Obama

NEWS1. Islamist Rebels Force 20,000 Syrian Kurds to Flee to Iraq - 21 August 2013 / Catholic Register

Following recent clashes in Syria between al Qaeda-linked rebels and Kurdish forces, 20,000 Syrianrefugees have fled to Iraqi Kurdistan, an autonomous region of northern Iraq, in the last six days. Thefactors allowing this sudden movement are not fully clear to us at this stage, said Adrian Edwards,United Nations high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR) spokesman, at an Aug. 16 news briefing.Around noon on Aug. 15, a group of some 750 Syrian refugees crossed a new bridge across the Tigris

River on the border between Syria and Iraq near the Iraqi town of Faysh Khabur. Later that day, anothergroup numbering between 5,000 and 7,000 people followed.


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http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/islamist-rebels-force-20000-syrian-kurds-to-flee-to-iraq/

2. Kurdish Mission to Probe Reports of Massacres in Syria by Jihadi Groups - 14 August 2013 /Rudaw

Leaders from across the Kurdish regions of Iraq, Turkey, Syria and Iran agreed to a fact-finding missionto Syrian Kurdistan, following reports of Kurdish massacres by Islamist fighters and a vow by KurdistanRegion President Massoud Barzani to defend fellow Kurds if those reports are true. He (Barzani)cannot just take any action without proper investigations, explained veteran Kurdish politician and MPMahmoud Othman. He needs to know if massacres are happening, and if so, it should first be known tothe world and then the Kurdistan Region can act and should act, he told RudawTV.The investigative team will include representatives from Iraqs autonomous Kurdistan Region as well asfrom Kurdish parties from Iran and Turkey.http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/14082013

3. Syrian Kurd leader back in Turkey - 14 August 2013 / Hurriyet

The leader of the main Kurdish group in northern Syria, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), hasreportedly returned to Turkey for talks with Turkish officials, in his second visit in less than a month.The Turkish government had expressed strong concerns about the imposition of a de facto autonomous

region in northern Syria after the PYD, which is affiliated to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party(PKK), increased its control in the area. While underlining that there was no problem in Ankara inholding talks with PYD leader Salih Muslim, Turkish officials declined to specify an exact date for theimminent arrival of the Kurdish politician. However, Frat news agency, which is known to have closelinks to the PKK, reported that Muslim has arrived in Turkey.http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/syrian-kurd-leader-back-in-turkey.aspx?pageID=238&nID=52490&NewsCatID=352

4. Turkey meets with PYD leader, other Syrian Kurds - 15 August 2013 / Todays Zaman

A delegation from the Foreign Ministry has wrapped up its talks with Saleh Muslim, the head of Syria'sDemocratic Union Party (PYD) -- an offshoot of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) -- for asecond time in stanbul, after also having had separate discussions with the other Syrian Kurdishleaders about the situation in northern Syria.

Turkish diplomatic sources said the talks with the PYD leader that ended on Thursday were follow-upones from Muslim's first visit to Turkey at the end of July. The Turkish delegation was led by mernhon, the Turkish ambassador for political affairs, and was composed of Foreign Ministry officials,along with the officials from other institutions, including the National Intelligence Organization (MT).http://www.todayszaman.com/news-323602-turkey-meets-with-pyd-leader-other-syrian-kurds.html

5. Syrian refugees pour into Iraqs Kurdistan - 19 August 2013 / Middle East Online

Thousands of Syrian Kurds have poured into Iraq over the past few days, to escape deadly clashesbetween Kurdish fighters and jihadists and seeking a respite from privation. The UN says more than15,000 refugees have crossed into Iraq in the latest influx since Thursday, with more expected to follow.The sudden influx of Syrians across the border stands in marked contrast to the relatively small

numbers of refugees taken in by Iraq in recent months compared to other neighbouring countries andhas forced the UN refugee agency to scramble aid to the region. The vast majority of refugees pouringinto Iraq's autonomous Kurdish regions in the north are women, children and the elderly.http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=60794

6. New appeal to Amnesty International for Rojava

17 August 2013 / ANF

A new appeal to Amnesty International and human rights defenders have been issued by the PYD(Democratic Union Party) and other organizations. In the appeal Kurdish political parties, organisationsand Community members in exile "call on the International Community to protect the civilians - Kurds,Arabs and other Syrian multi-ethnicities, Assyrians, Armenians, Christians - against the brutal ethniccleansing attacks taking place against the peacefully co- existing ethnicities in the Kurdish region in

Syria".A detailed account of what has been happening since 17 July 2013 has been attached to appeal.
http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/islamist-rebels-force-20000-syrian-kurds-to-flee-to-iraq/http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/islamist-rebels-force-20000-syrian-kurds-to-flee-to-iraq/http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/14082013http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/14082013http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/syrian-kurd-leader-back-in-turkey.aspx?pageID=238&nID=52490&NewsCatID=352http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/syrian-kurd-leader-back-in-turkey.aspx?pageID=238&nID=52490&NewsCatID=352http://www.todayszaman.com/news-323602-turkey-meets-with-pyd-leader-other-syrian-kurds.htmlhttp://www.todayszaman.com/news-323602-turkey-meets-with-pyd-leader-other-syrian-kurds.htmlhttp://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=60794http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=60794http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=60794http://www.todayszaman.com/news-323602-turkey-meets-with-pyd-leader-other-syrian-kurds.htmlhttp://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/syrian-kurd-leader-back-in-turkey.aspx?pageID=238&nID=52490&NewsCatID=352http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/14082013http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/islamist-rebels-force-20000-syrian-kurds-to-flee-to-iraq/


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http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/new-appeal-to-amnesty-international-for-rojava.htm

7. Syrian Deputy Premier: The Kurds Must Unify Their Demands - 21 August 2013 / Rudaw

Qadri Jamil is the Syrian deputy prime minister, as well as the secretary of the newly-licensed Peoples WillParty. In this interview with Rudaw, he speaks about an unwritten cooperation agreement between the

Syrian government and the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), and admits that Qamishli airport is

being jointly controlled by the two. Jamil says that in order to have a stronger voice, Syrian Kurds should

overcome their divisions and must unify their demands. Here is an edited transcript of his interview.

http://rudaw.net/english/interview/21082013

8. Details of Kurdish National Congress released - 20 August 2013 / ANF

The drafting committee of the Kurdish National Congress has issued a press release about itspreparations going on for the last one month since the Hewler meeting which was attended by allpolitical circles from four parts of Kurdistan on 22 July. The Kurdish National Congress will take placeon 15-16-17 September 2013 and will witness the participation of 600 delegates and 300 guests. Theopening speech of the press release was made by drafting committee secretariat member Ronahi Serhatwho condemned the closure of Kurdish channels MMC, Nue TV and Roj Tv by Danish judiciary.

Serhat remarked that the preparations for the congress have been based on ensuring the participationand support of all organized structures and individualshttp://en.firatnews.com/news/news/details-of-kurdish-national-congress-released.htm

9. KCK: Government Must Take A Step Forward - 23 August 2013 / Bianet

KCK Executive Council Co-Presidency released a statement on the ongoing peace process, urging theTurkish government to take concrete steps as soon as possible.Kurdish movement has done for its part but the Turkish government delayed the process by not takingany concrete steps, the statement said. There is nothing left expect the governments mentality to nottake any steps forward.Some of the highlight from the statement are as follows:* Withdrawal of [our] armed forces was a manifestation of willingness. The Kurdish LiberationMovement has paved the way for Turkish governments to take steps forward. Instead of appreciatingthis and having series steps forward, we observe no progress. And on the contrary, we observe thatTurkish government is constructing new patrol stations and dams, hiring new village guards. We alsoobserve that some gangs are attacking Kurds in Rojava [in Syria], and arrests are being made. Thesealone show how Turkish government is not approaching this issue seriously. []http://www.bianet.org/english/politics/149400-kck-government-must-take-a-step-forward

10. Facebook censorship against Kurds continues - 15 August 2013 / ANF

According to Turkish paper Radikal, the social network Facebook has closed the accounts of Kurdishparties and personalities, as well as of opponents, "as part of an agreement with the Turkishauthorities". Among the pages which have been closed during the month of July are the account of the

main Kurdish party, the BDP, as well as those of its members: deputies Hasip Kaplan, Srr Sreyyander and Ayla Akat Ata, DTK co-chair Ahmet Trk, Diyarbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir and deputyLeyla Zana the Sakharov Prize. The Turkish Minister of Communication Binali Yildirim had said in lateJune that "Facebook has a long harmonious collaboration" with the authorities. An approach that hasnot been shared by Twitter. According to the Minister, Twitter refused to cooperate.http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/facebook-censorship-against-kurds-continues.htm

11. Hakkari Mayor Convicted to 15 Months of Prison - 22 August 2013 / Bianet

Hakkari Mayor Bedirhanolu has been convicted to 15 months of prison for attending the funeralceremony of PKK guerrilla Ferdane Kna on August 10, 2012.bianet retrieved the information from Yksekova Haber, a local news website that referred its article toDicle News Agency. Yksekova 2nd Assize Court found Bedirhanolu guilty of attending illegaldemonstration or protests and refusing to disperse despite warning and force, sentencing him to 15months of prison.
http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/new-appeal-to-amnesty-international-for-rojava.htmhttp://en.firatnews.com/news/news/new-appeal-to-amnesty-international-for-rojava.htmhttp://rudaw.net/english/interview/21082013http://rudaw.net/english/interview/21082013http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/details-of-kurdish-national-congress-released.htmhttp://en.firatnews.com/news/news/details-of-kurdish-national-congress-released.htmhttp://www.bianet.org/english/politics/149400-kck-government-must-take-a-step-forwardhttp://www.bianet.org/english/politics/149400-kck-government-must-take-a-step-forwardhttp://en.firatnews.com/news/news/facebook-censorship-against-kurds-continues.htmhttp://en.firatnews.com/news/news/facebook-censorship-against-kurds-continues.htmhttp://en.firatnews.com/news/news/facebook-censorship-against-kurds-continues.htmhttp://www.bianet.org/english/politics/149400-kck-government-must-take-a-step-forwardhttp://en.firatnews.com/news/news/details-of-kurdish-national-congress-released.htmhttp://rudaw.net/english/interview/21082013http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/new-appeal-to-amnesty-international-for-rojava.htm


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Bedirhanolu released a statement, criticizing the ruling.On the aforementioned date, I have attended a funeral ceremony in Gever along with BDP Hakkarideputy Adil Zozani. I was convicted to 15 months of prison because of that. Unfortunately attendingfunerals is punishable [in Turkey].http://www.bianet.org/english/minorities/149360-hakkari-mayor-convicted-to-15-months-of-prison

12. Kurds remember 15 August - 15 August 2013 / ANF

The 15 of August 1984 is an important date for the Turkish-Kurdish conflict as it marks the first PKK(Kurdistan Workers' Party) attack, led by Mahsum Korkmaz (known as "Agit"). The 15 of August isremembered throughout Turkey, Kurdistan and Europe by thousands of Kurds. In the PKK's secondparty Congress, which was held from 20 to 25 Augustus 1982 in Daraa (Syria) it was decided that thePKK would start preparing for an insurgency inside Turkey. Training camps were opened in Syria and inLebanon's Beqaa Valley and propaganda teams were sent across the border to make contact with thelocal populations. After years of preparation the PKK launched it's first major attacks on August 15,1984. The attack was led by the founder of the PKK's military wing.http://en.firatnews.com/news/features/kurds-remember-15-august.htm

13. Halt Ilisu Dam construction - 21 August 2013 / ANFThe Save the Tigris and Iraqi Marshes Coalition has released a statement ahead of the visit next week byKemal Kldarolu to Baghdad. In particular the statement draws attention to the controversial andmuch objected construction of the Ilisu Dam. "Iraqs civil society and the Save the Tigris Campaign - saysthe statement - call upon the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) to include discussion of the Ilisudam issue in its agenda for Mr. Kldarolus visit to Iraq. In particular, the Ministry of Foreign Affairsshould take this opportunity to remind Turkey of its important economic partnership with Iraq, andaffirm that the Ilisu dam is a threat to long term economic development and relations between the twocountries. Because the Ilisu dam construction is not yet complete, the MoFA should re-iterate to Mr.Kldarolu that its construction must be halted till a joint and sufficient evaluation are completed onthe impact of this dam on the Iraqi side".http://en.firatnews.com/news/features/halt-ilisu-dam-construction.htm

14. The Kurdish Spring: New book published - 23 August 2013 / Peace in Kurdistan Campaign

A new book entitled The Kurdish Spring: Geopolitical Changes and the Kurds, published by Mazda, is thelatest publication by Professor of Political Science and secretary-general of the EU Turkey CivicCommission, Michael M Gunter, and his colleague Mohammed M.A. Ahmed, Executive Director andfounder of the Ahmed Foundation for Kurdish Studies. The book features contributions from scholarlyexperts such as Michael B. Bishku, Ofra Bengio and Joost Jongerden, who analyse the Kurdish Spring asa long-running and growing movement for democracy, cultural, social and political rights and self-determination across Syria, Turkey, Iran and Iraq.http://peaceinkurdistancampaign.wordpress.com/2013/08/23/the-kurdish-spring-new-book-published/

COMMENT, OPINION AND ANALYSIS

15. War Within A War: Kurds, Arabs Battle In Northern Syria - 22 August 2013 / Radio Free EuropeIslamist and Kurdish militias are fighting a war within a war in Syria that is not just creating tens ofthousands of new refugees. It's also increasingly becoming an ethnic-based conflict between Arabs andKurds that gives new reasons to worry Syria will break apart. A glimpse of the increasingly ethnicdimension of the combat in northern Syria comes as tens of thousands of mostly Kurdish refugees havecrossed into Iraq since fighting broke out in the middle of last month. One of the refugees told RFE/RL'sRadio Free Iraq that Arab Islamist groups regarded killing Kurds as "halal," or religiously condoned."There is violence and killing and kidnapping in the Kurdish areas. They made Kurdish blood 'halal,'" hesaid.http://www.rferl.org/content/syria-kurds-arabs-war/25083315.html

16. The Day After Assad Wins: The Hard Truths About Post-War Syria - 21 August 2013 / Washington Institute

We will probably never know whether Bashar al-Assad lost any sleep over the horrific chemical

weapons attacks he allegedly ordered during his country's ongoing civil war. But Syria's president hasprobably already taken solace in the fact that, despite the thousands of Syrians who have lost their lives
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in the fighting, things could have easily gone worse for him personally. With insurgents losing ground tothe regime's forces and succumbing to ever more infighting among themselves, it seems increasinglylikely that Assad will avoid losing the war -- which will qualify, in this context, as an outright win.http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/the-day-after-assad-wins-the-hard-truths-about-post-war-syria

17. Syria's Kurds Take the Offensive - 22 August 2013 / The National Interest

If the Syrian civil war wasnt already murky and complex enough, the countrys Kurdish minority hasadded a new element of instability in recent weeks. Kurdish militias have launched offensives againstSyrian rebel forces operating in the northeast and have scored significant victories. That developmentsets off alarm bells with both the Obama administration and the government of Turkey. The Kurdishagenda in Syria is increasingly clear: to establish a de facto independent state in northeastern Syriasimilar to the self-governing Kurdish region in northern Iraq. Since the authority of Bashar al-Assadsregime is now nearly nonexistent in northeastern Syria, the militia victories over Syrian rebel forcesbrings the realization of that goal tantalizingly close.http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/syrias-kurds-take-the-offensive-8929

18. The Muslim Brotherhood's Fall Lands Turkey an Unexpected Ally: Kurds - 16 August 2013 / The Atlantic

Today, Turkey and Egypt recalled their ambassadors from each other's capitol, signaling a majordownturn in bilateral ties. At the same time, Turkey's influence in Cairo seems to be winding down.Indeed, Turkey's ambitious drive to become a Middle East power by influencing the region's MuslimBrotherhood-inspired parties appears to have been upended. The Brotherhood has fallen fromgovernment in Egypt, failed to elect its candidate to lead the Syrian opposition, and has been sidelined inLibya. Qatar, which had hitherto allied itself with Ankara to fund MB-style parties, appears to bechanging its heart after an unexpected change in leadership.http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/08/the-muslim-brotherhoods-fall-lands-turkey-an-unexpected-ally-kurds/278775/

19. Which Side Are You On? - 15 August 2013 / ANF

In Rojava (Western Kurdistan / Northern Syria) a horrible war against the Kurds who seek to defend

their homeland from the Islamist aggressors is going on. Jihadists from all over the world, especiallyfrom Africa, Afghanistan, Sudan, Nigeria, United Kingdom, Germany and Turkey have traveled to Syria tofound an Islamic caliphate. But in reality, their main purpose is to prevent Kurds from achieving peaceand the success of the 'third way' that have undertaken long ago. Now a horrible war begun with attackscarried out by aggressive invaders who fight against local fighters for peace. On the one hand is the YPG(People's Defence Units) defending all the peoples who live in Rojava while on the other side are al-Qaeda-linked groups acting in agreement with the Free Syrian Army (FSA) supported by foreigninvaders.http://en.firatnews.com/news/features/which-side-are-you-on.htm

20. No friends but the mountains: Washington seeks to ensnare Kurds - 15 August 2013 / RT

The targeting of Kurdish civilians in Syria by US-supported armed thugs is part of a deliberate attempt

to galvanize the Kurds and pit them in a resurgent struggle against the non-Kurd regions. The KurdishDemocratic Union Party and other sources are now reporting that Kurdish men, women, and childrenare systematically being tortured, raped, and executed. Fighting has broken out between Syrian Kurdsand the insurgent forces supported by the US, UK, France, Turkey, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.http://rt.com/op-edge/us-galvanize-kurds-tortured-crossfire-531/

21. To those who doubt the massacres in Rojava - Part One - 14 August 2013 / ANF

Last week, at least 50 Kurdish civilians were killed and 350 others were kidnapped by jihadists in twovillages of the region of Aleppo. To avenge the heavy defeat suffered by Kurdish fighters, jihadists arediving deeper into crimes against humanity, committing barbaric acts. In the villages of Til Hasil and TilAran, in the region of Aleppo, lived about 40 thousand Kurds. Many young people including women andchildren were abducted by groups linked to al-Qaeda after the attack on Til Hasil and Til Aran between

28 July and 2 August 2013. Two women with few children and a boy managed to escape from the handsof al-Nusra Front and reached Afrin. Now they are free, but their wounds are still burning. Survivors of
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the massacre have told the agency ANHA what they saw and experienced.http://en.firatnews.com/news/features/to-those-who-doubt-the-massacres-in-rojava-part-one.htm

22. VIDEO: Minority Misery: 'Jihadists cleansing Kurds in Syria', thousands flee - 20 August 2013 / RT

Iraq is facing an unprecedented influx of refugees - almost thirty thousand people have crossed itsborder with Syria since Thursday. The lion's share of those displaced are Kurds - who have foundthemselves caught in the middle of the war. And as RT's Paula Slier reports - this is yet another sign thatthe conflict can't be contained within Syria.http://youtu.be/mPycsevHbS4

23. Syrian Kurds are on the verge of genocide - 13 August 2013 / Kurdish Aspect

The Al Nusra Fronts fatwa: Kurds are Kufar (unbelievers) and killing Kurds, taking their women,plundering their property and destroying of their homes is just and fair. The Al Nusra Front and Daulatal-Islam are Islamist groups that are Al Qaeda-linked militia groups and a part of the Free Syrian Army(FSA). They have been in open and extreme war against the Kurdish Protection Forces of YPG, whichcontrols most of the Kurdish territory in northern Syria. The Islamists do not differentiate betweencivilians and fighters, and the groups hold hundreds of Kurdish civilian hostages and have killed tens ofthem. In one event, around 50 Kurdish men, women, and children were killed in a village near Aleppo.

According to the latest reports, tens of women and children were recently killed in the city of Tal Abyad.Civilian Kurds run for their life in fear of the extreme Islamists, who have declared fatwas (religiousstatements) against the killing of Kurds, as they regard them as Kufar.http://www.kurdishaspect.com/doc081313SS.html

24. Al-Qaeda: A Force for Good - 9 August 2013 / Rudaw

Trouble is ominously brewing in the once-quiet, northeastern Kurdish corner of Syria where violentterrorist groups affiliated with al-Qaeda, Jabhat al-Nusrah and Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS)have begun cold-bloodedly attacking the Kurds.Bloodthirsty beheadings, reminiscent of Nick Berg, the American cruelly carved up in Iraq in 2004,horrifically bloat todays Kurdish news. Kurds are alarmed. Americans should be too. But America isclosing its eyesand closing its embassies around the world in the face of Al-Qaeda inspired terrorist

threats. Puzzled Kurds have asked me why America is so indifferent to the Kurdish beheadings,especially when these same disciples of enforced ignorance attacked Americans only a decade ago. Iwonder too, and paraphrase Heraclitus who said, Character is destiny, and tell them: Geography isdestiny. http://rudaw.net/english/opinion/09082013

25. Imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan to become regional player? -

21 August 2013 / Journal of Turkish Weekly

Turkish Kurds are increasingly vociferous against Erdogan, accusing his government of actuallysabotaging the agreements with the Kurdistan Workers Party, PKK, on moving to a political settlementof the Kurdish problem. The government has decided to retaliate, and Erdogans adviser has counteredthe accusations. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogans chief adviser, a deputy of the Justice and

Development Party, AK Party, Yalcin Akdogan, has written an article for The Star newspaper, to bitterlycriticize the statements by PKK officials who claimed that inaction by the government could result inbattles on a still larger scale.http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/154696/imprisoned-kurdish-leader-abdullah-ocalan-to-become-regional-player.html

26. Erdogans historic gamble on PKK peace begins to falter - 22 August 2-13 / Financial Times

Before his premiership was blown off course by mass protests in June, Recep Tayyip Erdogan waspreparing to go down in history by ending Turkeys biggest problem: the countrys Kurdish conflict. TheTurkish prime minister began this year with the equivalent of a thunderbolt: news that his governmentwas talking to Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the banned Kurdistan Workers party, or PKK, in anattempt to end a conflict in which 35,000 people have died over three decades. A ceasefire soonfollowed, as did an announcement the PKK would withdraw its fighters from Turkish territory to

northern Iraq.http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/72b49810-08d4-11e3-ad07-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2cneZUyiW
http://en.firatnews.com/news/features/to-those-who-doubt-the-massacres-in-rojava-part-one.htmhttp://en.firatnews.com/news/features/to-those-who-doubt-the-massacres-in-rojava-part-one.htmhttp://youtu.be/mPycsevHbS4http://youtu.be/mPycsevHbS4http://youtu.be/mPycsevHbS4http://www.kurdishaspect.com/doc081313SS.htmlhttp://www.kurdishaspect.com/doc081313SS.htmlhttp://rudaw.net/english/opinion/09082013http://rudaw.net/english/opinion/09082013http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/154696/imprisoned-kurdish-leader-abdullah-ocalan-to-become-regional-player.htmlhttp://www.turkishweekly.net/news/154696/imprisoned-kurdish-leader-abdullah-ocalan-to-become-regional-player.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/72b49810-08d4-11e3-ad07-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2cneZUyiWhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/72b49810-08d4-11e3-ad07-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2cneZUyiWhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/72b49810-08d4-11e3-ad07-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2cneZUyiWhttp://www.turkishweekly.net/news/154696/imprisoned-kurdish-leader-abdullah-ocalan-to-become-regional-player.htmlhttp://rudaw.net/english/opinion/09082013http://www.kurdishaspect.com/doc081313SS.htmlhttp://youtu.be/mPycsevHbS4http://en.firatnews.com/news/features/to-those-who-doubt-the-massacres-in-rojava-part-one.htm


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27. Sherko Bekas: A Poet for Humanity, A Hero of the Nation - 14 August 2013 / Rudaw

The Kurds are said to be descendants of children that had hidden in the mountains to escape a child-eating monster by the name of Zahhak. For, Kurdish origins are linked with a strong mystical bond tomountains. While there is general disregard of myth as worthless to outsiders, nonetheless, its value,like that of history, is in nation building. Thus it has been a major preoccupation of Kurdish nationaliststo write expressively intending to awaken the literate public to their national history. Yet, there is nodoubt that nationalist Kurds trace national continuity based on heroes across centuries.http://rudaw.net/english/culture/14082013

28. The Kurds in a new Middle East - 14 August 2013 / Foreign Policy

For the first time in their modern history, the Kurds can look beyond the mountains for friends. Thiswas not the case just a short time ago. The failure to negotiate statehood, largely due to an inability topresent a united front following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the post-World War I newregional order, isolated their communities into four separate states (Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran) andsilenced their voice on the international stage for much of the 20th century. During this time, asminorities at the behest of Arab, Turkish, and Persian nationalisms, they were subjected to

discrimination, segregation, and at times, genocide.http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/08/14/the_kurds_in_a_new_middle_east

29. The Tightening Screws on Press Freedom in Turkey - 19 August 2013 / Bianet

The Turkish medias lack of coverage of the Gezi Park protests has thrown an unprecedented light onthe countrys long-suffering Fourth Estate. Ask any Turkish journalist and theyll tell you that self-censorship and a lack of media independence are issues that have plagued the industry for decades,with the recent conclusion of the Ergenekon trial serving as a timely reminder of just how muchinfluence the military and deep-state agitators used to exert over the Turkish media (regardless of howdeeply flawed the trial process itself was). Nevertheless, there is a growing sense that, in the wake of theGezi Park protests, things are looking as bleak as ever for the Turkish press, under siege from bothdirect and indirect governmental pressure.http://bianet.org/english/human-rights/149266-the-tightening-screws-on-press-freedom-in-turkey

30. The Stack Monocle Magazine - 17 August 2013We talk to the woman who stocks the magazine stands at Britains most prestigious bookshop Foylesand meet the man who started a slow-journalism revolution: the editor of Delayed Gratificationmagazine. Well also be getting the latest from Istanbul with the thoroughly independent newspapertitle Birgun and hearing from Rotterdam and San Francisco about two other prime print specimens.http://monocle.com/radio/shows/the-stack/51/

31. Dangerous Friends: Power Struggle Splits Turkish Ruling Party - 21 August 2013 / De Spiegel

Turkey's prime minister has quashed opposition in the streets, but now he faces a more menacing foe:

challengers within his own party and from the nebulous Glen movement. It could spell the end ofpolitical Islam in Turkey as we know it. The many hundreds of thousands of demonstrators who took tothe streets in Istanbul did not succeed in toppling their country's prime minister or in continuing tooccupy Gezi Park on the city's Taksim Square. The protests against the government of Turkish PrimeMinister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, sparked in late May by plans to level Gezi Park, have subsided. Yet theuprising's effects may last well beyond this summer.http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/power-struggle-splits-erdogan-ruling-akp-party-in-turkey-a-917823.html#spRedirectedFrom=www&referrrer=http://t.co/AjOtCFIGIp

32. Lonely command - 24 August 2013 / The Economist

WHEN Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkeys prime minister, returned to power in 2011 for his thirdsuccessive term he triumphantly declared that the next five years would mark an era of mastery forhis Islam-tinged Justice and Development (AK) party. His dreams included elevating himself to thepresidency when it comes up next year and getting the AK-dominated parliament to endow it with
http://rudaw.net/english/culture/14082013http://rudaw.net/english/culture/14082013http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/08/14/the_kurds_in_a_new_middle_easthttp://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/08/14/the_kurds_in_a_new_middle_easthttp://bianet.org/english/human-rights/149266-the-tightening-screws-on-press-freedom-in-turkeyhttp://bianet.org/english/human-rights/149266-the-tightening-screws-on-press-freedom-in-turkeyhttp://monocle.com/radio/shows/the-stack/51/http://monocle.com/radio/shows/the-stack/51/http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/power-struggle-splits-erdogan-ruling-akp-party-in-turkey-a-917823.html#spRedirectedFrom=www&referrrer=http://t.co/AjOtCFIGIphttp://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/power-struggle-splits-erdogan-ruling-akp-party-in-turkey-a-917823.html#spRedirectedFrom=www&referrrer=http://t.co/AjOtCFIGIphttp://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/power-struggle-splits-erdogan-ruling-akp-party-in-turkey-a-917823.html#spRedirectedFrom=www&referrrer=http://t.co/AjOtCFIGIphttp://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/power-struggle-splits-erdogan-ruling-akp-party-in-turkey-a-917823.html#spRedirectedFrom=www&referrrer=http://t.co/AjOtCFIGIphttp://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/power-struggle-splits-erdogan-ruling-akp-party-in-turkey-a-917823.html#spRedirectedFrom=www&referrrer=http://t.co/AjOtCFIGIphttp://monocle.com/radio/shows/the-stack/51/http://bianet.org/english/human-rights/149266-the-tightening-screws-on-press-freedom-in-turkeyhttp://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/08/14/the_kurds_in_a_new_middle_easthttp://rudaw.net/english/culture/14082013


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executive powers. AK would run Turkey until 2023, the centenary of Ataturks republic. His opponentsgloomily conceded that Mr Erdogan would have his way. At least they did until June, when mass protestserupted across the country in an unprecedented show of defiance against a decade of increasinglyilliberal AK rule. Popular backing for the party slipped below 50%. Mr Erdogan looked vulnerable andacted scared, even banning political slogans at football matches.http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21583989-prime-minister-rules-roost-despite-setbacks-home-and-abroad-lack-serious

33. Turkeys Gambles - 22 August 2013 / Rudaw

Just a few years ago, Turkey received toasts from all across the Middle East and the West. ForeignMinister Davutoglus Zero problems with neighbours policy looked like a revolutionary sea change inTurkeys position and role in the region. Prime Minister Erdogan basked in accolades in every Arab cityhe visited, from Beirut to Rabaat. As relations with Israel deteriorated, Turkish leaders warned theJewish state that it would find itself more isolated than ever. An activist foreign policy carries riskswhich are all too apparent now, however. By pronouncing its positions clearly and forcefully on everyissue, from which Arab Spring dictators should fall and which should remain in power to how Israelshould deal with the Gaza strip, Ankara seems to have made itself enemies even faster than it madefriends.

http://rudaw.net/english/opinion/22082013

34. Who Poisoned Former Turkish President Ozal? - 22 August 2013 / Al Monitor

In my previous article, I wrote about the most significant political dispute in New Turkey, the spatbetween Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogans government and the Gulen movement. Quarters closeto the government argue that the Gulenists are seeking to establish themselves in the military, civilianbureaucracy and the judiciary to install a new Gulenist tutelage regime in place of the old Kemalisttutelage regime. The Gulenists deny the allegations. Turkeys democratically elected governments havealways complained of tutelage. The debate in the Erdogan versus Gulen context is only a recentdevelopment, but the problem of tutelage has a long history in Turkish politics.http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/08/turkey-president-ozal-poisoned.html

35. Westminster University Focuses on Alevi-Kurdish Suicides in London - 16 August 2013 / BianetHe was feeling trapped ina cage, says Cemile Gurgur, sister-in-law of the latest young man in suicideserials in London s Alevi Kurdish community.Having worked in a supermarket for four years, 25-year-old Huseyin Gurgur said it was making him feelinsane and took a month off from his 12-hours a day shift, packed his luggage, had a shower, asked fordirections to airport to fly over to Turkey. It was the last cigarette he was having in a council estatebalcony covered with mosquito nets resembling a cage before he slowly burned the net and jumped tohis death while more than 15 of his relatives were at home to say farewell to him.He never liked working in supermarkets, just wanted to find a job that he can work in a suit, addssister-in-law to explain his frustration at work.http://bianet.org/english/youth/149224-westminister-university-focuses-on-alevi-kurdish-suicides-in-london

ACTIONS36. Urgent plea to President Barack Obama - 21 August 2013

Peace in Kurdistan patron Margaret Owen OBE has written an open letter to US President BarackObama, urging him to make an urgent investigation into the brutal massacre and kidnapping ofhundreds of Kurdish men, women and children at the hands of US- and Turkey-backed Al-Qaedaaffiliates in Syria.http://peaceinkurdistancampaign.wordpress.com/2013/08/21/urgent-plea-to-president-barack-obama/Peace in Kurdistan, Campaign for a political solution of the Kurdish Question

Email:estella24@tiscali.co.uk-www.peaceinkurdistancampaign.wordpress.com

Contacts Estella Schmid 020 7586 5892 & Melanie Sirinathsingh - Tel: 020 7272 7890, Fax: 020 7263 0596

Patrons: Lord Avebury, Lord Rea, Lord Dholakia, Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP, Jill Evans MEP, Jean Lambert MEP, Jeremy Corbyn MP,

Hywel Williams MP, Elfyn Llwyd MP, Conor Murphy MP, John Austin, Bruce Kent, Gareth Peirce, Julie Christie, Noam Chomsky, John

Berger, Edward Albee, Margaret Owen OBE, Prof Mary Davis, Mark Thomas
http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21583989-prime-minister-rules-roost-despite-setbacks-home-and-abroad-lack-serioushttp://www.economist.com/news/europe/21583989-prime-minister-rules-roost-despite-setbacks-home-and-abroad-lack-serioushttp://rudaw.net/english/opinion/22082013http://rudaw.net/english/opinion/22082013http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/08/turkey-president-ozal-poisoned.htmlhttp://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/08/turkey-president-ozal-poisoned.htmlhttp://bianet.org/english/youth/149224-westminister-university-focuses-on-alevi-kurdish-suicides-in-londonhttp://bianet.org/english/youth/149224-westminister-university-focuses-on-alevi-kurdish-suicides-in-londonhttp://peaceinkurdistancampaign.wordpress.com/2013/08/21/urgent-plea-to-president-barack-obama/http://peaceinkurdistancampaign.wordpress.com/2013/08/21/urgent-plea-to-president-barack-obama/http://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_4/[email protected]://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_4/[email protected]://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_4/[email protected]://www.peaceinkurdistancampaign.wordpress.com/http://www.peaceinkurdistancampaign.wordpress.com/http://www.peaceinkurdistancampaign.wordpress.com/http://www.peaceinkurdistancampaign.wordpress.com/http://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_4/[email protected]://peaceinkurdistancampaign.wordpress.com/2013/08/21/urgent-plea-to-president-barack-obama/http://bianet.org/english/youth/149224-westminister-university-focuses-on-alevi-kurdish-suicides-in-londonhttp://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/08/turkey-president-ozal-poisoned.htmlhttp://rudaw.net/english/opinion/22082013http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21583989-prime-minister-rules-roost-despite-setbacks-home-and-abroad-lack-serious

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