Welkom op de website van Federatie Koerden in Nederland

Turkse rechtbank sluit DTP

Poging Koerden monddood te maken is politieke beslissing
 

Het Turkse Constitutionele Hof heeft vandaag besloten om de Koerdische Partij voor een Democratische Maatschappij (DTP), te sluiten. Volgens de rechters zou de DTP propaganda maken voor de PKK en ook de eenheid van het land bedreigen. De beslissing kan alleen maar gezien worden als de voortzetting van de oude Kemalistische politiek van uitsluiting en vernietiging. Nog steeds mogen de Koerden in Turkije geen stem hebben. De beslissing, die zeker niet goed zal vallen in Europa, moet ook gezien worden als graadmeter voor de huidige stand van zaken in Turkije. Nog maar een paar maanden geleden beweerde premier Erdogan dat de Koerden in Turkije meer rechten zouden krijgen. Hij deed hier mee een poging om Europa tevreden te stellen en gelijktijdig meer Koerdische stemmen binnen te halen voor zijn AK partij. Even leek het er op als of de Turkse regering aanstuurde op een vreedzame oplossing van de Koerdische kwestie. Intussen is gebleken dat Erdogan al net zo'n leugenaar is als al zijn voorgangers.
 

Wamt wat is er intussen allemaal gebeurd? Ten eerste weigerde de Turkse autoriteiten om de routekaart voor vrede, geschreven door Abdullah Öcalan, de leider van het Koerdische volk, te publiceren. Sterker nog, er werd een keiharde aanval ingezet op Abdullah Öcalan persoonlijk. Hij werd opgesloten in een veel kleinere cel met een airconditioning systeem dat zijn gezondheidsklachten ondragelijk maakt. In feite is hij nu levend begraven. Dit kan alleen maar gezien worden als een poging om hem te vermoorden op termijn. Toen de Koerden hier tegen in verzet kwamen sloeg de politie de demonstraties keihard uiteen. Tijdens een demonstratie in de Koerdische hoofdstad Amed werd de jonge Koerd Aydin Erdem door de politie doodgeschoten. In Europa is het niet anders. In Berlijn sloeg de Duitse politie in op Koerdische demonstranten en in Amsterdam probeerde Turkse fascisten een vreedzame Koerdische manifestatie te verstoren. Daarnaast gaan de militaire operaties tegen de Koerdische guerrilla onverminderd voort, ondanks het feit dat er door de Koerdische Vrijheidsbeweging al maanden een staakt-het-vuren in stand wordt gehouden.
 

Nu word dus ook de DTP nog verboden. Juist de partij die in de laatste jaren tot drijvende krachten is geworden van de pogingen om tot vrede en een duurzame oplossing van de Koerdische kwestie te komen. De DTP is vertegenwoordigd in het parlement en word door de Koerden als spreekbuis gezien. De beslissing van het Turkse hof is een nieuwe poging om de Koerden monddood te maken. Het bewijst dat er in Turkije niets is veranderd. Het leger heeft nog steeds de touwtjes in handen en de AKP heeft bewezen dat het geen haar beter is dan haar Kemalistische en fascistische voorgangers. Nog steeds proberen ze de Koerden tegen elkaar op te zetten. Nog steeds gaan ze door met ontkenning en vernietiging. Er kan maar een conclusie zijn, met de huidige Turkse machthebbers, zowel het leger als de regering, valt niet over vrede te praten of te onderhandelen. De vrede die zij willen zien is de vrede van het kerkhof.
 

Het spreekt voor zich dat de Koerden dit niet zullen accepteren. De demonstraties van de laatste tijd en de grote massabijeenkomsten eerder dit jaar hebben bewezen dat het Koerdische volk haar rechten op eist. De kracht van deze protesten zal toenemen en steeds meer terrein, steun en solidariteit winnen. De dagen dat de Koerden met zich lieten spelen zijn lang voorbij. Als het volk op straat komt hebben beslissingen van rechtbanken of regeringen geen enkele waarde meer. De Koerdische stem zal klinken en de Turkse leiders zullen uiteindelijk moeten luisteren. Dat kan geen enkele verbodsuitspraak meer voorkomen. Alleen door eigen kracht en initiatief, gesteund door democratische en progressieve organisaties en instellingen, kan een oplossing worden afgedwongen.. Strijd voor rechtvaardigheid en democratie kun je niet verbieden. Verbod of geen verbod. Dat moet Ankara begrijpen.
 

Federatie Koerden in Nederland (Fed Kom), Amsterdam, 11 december 2009

....

PUBLIC STATEMENT

 AI Index: EUR 44/007/2009

14 December 2009
 

Turkey: Constitutional Court rules in favour of closure of pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party

 Amnesty International expressed grave concern regarding the closure of the Democratic Society Party (DTP) under laws that fail to uphold international standards.

On 11 December, the 11 judges of the Constitutional Court ruled unanimously in favour of closing the party on the grounds that the party is a focus of activities against the independence of the state, its indivisible integrity within its territory and nation. In addition, the Court also ruled that 37 members of the party be banned from politics for a period of five years. Individuals banned from politics included two elected members of parliament, the DTP co-chair Ahmet Türk MP and Aysel Tu?luk MP for Diyarbakır in addition to four elected regional mayors and other party officials and members.

The case was launched on 16 November 2007 when the Supreme Court of Cassation Chief Prosecutor presented the application to the Constitutional Court. In July 2008 the ruling Justice and Development Party narrowly avoided closure when a complaint that the party was a focus of anti-secular activities failed to receive the support of the required majority of judges. Political parties in Turkey have frequently been closed by rulings of the Constitutional Court, many of which being political parties promoting Kurdish identity.

In March 2009 the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe issued an opinion stating that constitutional and legal provisions relevant to the prohibition of political parties in Turkey failed to uphold the minimum standards required under Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights (freedom of assembly and association). In its opinion the Commission noted that legal provisions regarding the prohibition of political parties in Turkey allow closure cases to be brought against almost any party whose programme advocates for changes to the constitutional model regardless of whether it is through the threat of violence or peaceful democratic means. The European Court of Human Rights has previously issued a series of judgments finding Turkey to have violated the Convention in relation to the closure of political parties.

Background

The Democratic Society Party was formed in 2005 following a closure case being brought against the Democratic People's Party (DEHAP). The party currently has 21 members in the national parliament following elections in 2007, in addition to numerous elected local officials.

The prosecution was brought for conduct contrary to the rules set out for political parties in Article 68/4 of the Constitution which reads:

"The statutes and programmes, as well as the activities of political parties shall not be in conflict with the independence of the state, its indivisible integrity with its territory and nation, human rights, the principles of equality and rule of law, sovereignty of the nation, the principles of the democratic and secular republic; they shall not aim to protect or establish class or group dictatorship or dictatorship of any kind, nor shall they incite citizens to crime."

The European Commission for Democracy through Law, better known as the Venice Commission, is the Council of Europe's advisory body on constitutional matters. It adopted its Opinion on the Constitutional and Legal Provisions relevant to the Prohibition of Political Parties in Turkey during its 78^thPlenary Session in March 2009.

For more information please call Amnesty International's press office in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566 or email: press@amnesty.org  International Secretariat, Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW, UK http://www.amnesty.org/

...

Iran: Further information: Iranian Kurdish man executed

Ehsan Fattahian

http://www.amnesty.org/en/region/iran

....  

Meer executies in Iran sinds verkiezingen

 7 augustus 2009 In de acht weken tussen de Iraanse presidentsverkiezingen op 12 juni en de inauguratie van Mahmoud Ahmedinejad op 5 augustus is het aantal executies in Iran schrikbarend toegenomen.

'In iets meer dan vijftig dagen tellen we maar liefst 115 executies. Meer dan twee per dag.' aldus Irene Khan, secretaris-generaal van Amnesty International. Iran voert vaak de doodstraf uit. Dit jaar zijn er tot op heden 196 executies uitgevoerd.

Vreselijke situatie
Khan: 'De laatste weken is de aandacht van de wereld natuurlijk uitgegaan naar de pogingen van de regering in Teheran om geweldloze demonstraties te onderdrukken, maar deze cijfers wijzen uit dat andere regelmatig voorkomende mensenrechtenschendingen nog steeds voorkomen. Zelfs vaker dan anders.'

Amnesty vermoedt dat het ware aantal executies nog groter is. Deze cijfers zijn gebaseerd op officiële cijfers en berichten uit de media. Irene Khan: 'Het is een vreselijke situatie, zeker omdat de meeste ter dood gebrachte mensen geen eerlijk proces hebben gehad.'

Bron: http://www.amnesty.nl/

....             

Iran: Human Rights in the spotlight on the 30th Anniversary of the Islamic Revolution

....

Human Rights Watch rapport over Iran

Wij verwelkomen het rapport uitgebracht door Human Rights Watch (HRW), met betrekking tot de situatie in Iran. Vooral de aandacht die word besteed aan de repressie tegen de Koerden in Iran is een belangrijke stap, die eigenlijk al veel eerder had moeten worden gezet. Toch is het probleem veel groter dan uit het rapport naar voren komt. Zo staat er vermeld dat er in Iran 4.5 miljoen Koerden leven. Dit cijfer is veel te laag. Uit cijfers van de Iraanse autoriteiten uit de jaren 80 blijkt al dat er toen 10 miljoen Koerden in Iran leefden. Naar onze schatting moet het huidige aantal tussen de 14 en de 16 miljoen liggen. Veel meer mensen leven dus onder repressie dan in het rapport staat aangeven.

Het is van groot belang dat de schendingen van de mensenrechten in Iran, die in het rapport staan beschreven, veel meer naar buiten komen. De informatie is allemaal aanwezig. De ware aard van het Iraanse regime, dat bestaat uit extremistische moordenaars, is overal bekend. Toch blijven veel landen, waaronder Nederland, goede banden houden met Iran. Er zijn contacten, er word geïnvesteerd, delegaties gaan over en weer en er worden lang lopende contracten getekend. De mensen in Iran die het slachtoffer zijn van de constante repressie voelen zich hier door alleen gelaten. De wereld kijkt naar Iran als het gaat om geld verdienen en handel drijven, maar als het gaat om de mensenrechten en om de rechten van andere bevolkingsgroepen kijkt de wereld de andere kant op.

Mocht er nog iemand twijfelen over de ware aard van het moorddadige Mullah regime is het HRW rapport een goed instrument om deze twijfels weg te halen. Genoeg is genoeg! Er moet een eind komen aan de repressie en de schendingen van de mensenrechten, aan de martelingen en de executies, aan de vervolging van de vele bevolkingsgroepen en aan de religieuze intolerantie. Dit zal alleen mogelijk zijn als het Mullah regime verdwijnt. Het is de verantwoordelijkheid van iedereen die gelooft in recht en vrijheid om deze dag zo snel mogelijk naderbij te brengen. Iran moet worden bevrijdt van de Mullahs, die niet alleen hun eigen volk onderdrukken, maar ook een totale oplossing van de conflicten in het Midden Oosten in de weg staan.

Iran: End Repression in Kurdish Areas

Peaceful Dissidents Jailed, Books and Publications Banned

January 9, 2009

"Iranian authorities show little tolerance of political dissent anywhere in the country, but they are particularly hostile to dissent in minority areas where there has been any history of separatist activities."

Joe Stork, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa Division

Related Materials:  Iran: Freedom of Expression and Association in the Kurdish Regions

Other Material:  http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2009/01/09/iran-freedom-expression-and-association-kurdish-regions-0

(New York, January 9, 2009) - The government of Iran should amend or abolish broadly worded national security laws used to stifle peaceful dissent in the country's Kurdish areas and end arbitrary arrests of Kurdish critics and dissidents, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.

The 42-page report, "Iran: Freedom of Expression and Association in the Kurdish Regions," documents how Iranian authorities use security laws, press laws, and other legislation to arrest and prosecute Iranian Kurds solely for trying to exercise their right to freedom of expression and association. The use of these laws to suppress basic rights, while not new, has greatly intensified since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came to power in August 2005.

"Iranian authorities show little tolerance of political dissent anywhere in the country, but they are particularly hostile to dissent in minority areas where there has been any history of separatist activities," said Joe Stork, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa Division.

Kurds account for 4.5 million of the 69 million people in Iran, and live mainly in the country's northwest regions. Political movements there have frequently campaigned for greater regional autonomy. The main Iranian Kurdish parties with a long history of activism deny that they engage in armed activity and the government has not accused these groups of any such activity since the early 1990s.

"No one would contest a government's right to suppress violence," Stork said. "But this is not the case here. What is going on in the Kurdish areas of Iran is the routine suppression of legitimate peaceful opposition."

The new report documents how the government has closed Persian- and Kurdish-language newspapers and journals, banned books, and punished publishers, journalists, and writers for opposing and criticizing government policies. Authorities also suppress legitimate activities of nongovernmental organizations by denying registration permits or charging individuals working with such organizations with spurious security offenses.

One victim of the government's repression is Farazad Kamangar, a superintendent of high schools in the city of Kamayaran and an activist with the Organization for the Defense of Human Rights in Kurdistan. He has been in detention since his arrest in July 2006. The new report reproduces a letter Kamangar smuggled out of prison describing how officials subjected him to torture during interrogation.

On February 25, 2008, Branch 30 of Iran's Revolutionary Court sentenced him to death on charges of "endangering national security." Prosecutors charged that he was a member of the Turkey-based Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), but provided no evidence to support the allegation. In July, the Supreme Court upheld the sentence. Kamangar's lawyer has appealed to the head of the judiciary to intervene, the only remaining option for challenging the sentence.

www.hrw.org

   Turkey: One dead and scores injured as police breakup demonstrations

Amnesty International

23 oktober 2008   The recent death of a protester in Turkey, and the allegations of excessive use of force by police and other ill-treatment of demonstrators must be investigated, Amnesty International said today as protests continue in the southern city of Adana and the eastern city of Doðubeyazýt.
Reports that imprisoned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan had been ill-treated by prison guards sparked demonstrations in provinces across southern and eastern Turkey and in Istanbul, starting on 17 October. In some instances the protests became violent after police used force to prevent demonstrations taking place -- stones and Molotov cocktails were thrown at police and property was damaged.

Police used plastic bullets and live ammunition to disperse demonstrators. One protestor, named as Ahmet Özhan, was killed in the town of Doðubeyazýt, eastern Turkey, and many others, including some who are critically wounded, remain in hospital with gunshot wounds and other injuries. Many of the injured are children. It was reported that of 62 people who have been hospitalized, seven were police officers.

According to the Turkish Human Rights Association, more than 200 people are currently being detained in relation to the demonstrations. At least one child is being held in an adult detention facility.

Amnesty International acknowledges the difficulties faced by law enforcement officers when policing violent demonstrations and also that the Turkish authorities have an obligation under international law to provide for the safety and security of people and property. However, the Turkish authorities must carry out these obligations in accordance with international standards, particularly the principle that force may only be used by law enforcement officers when strictly necessary and to the extent required for the lawful performance of their duty.

"The Turkish authorities must ensure that police do not use excessive force against demonstrators. They must also investigate promptly, thoroughly and impartially the death of Ahmet Özhan and the allegations of ill-treatment against other protestors" said Andrew Gardner, Amnesty International's researcher on Turkey.

International standards require that law enforcement officials must, as far as possible, apply non-violent means before resorting to proportionate use of force and firearms, which should be used only if other means remain ineffective. Law enforcement officers may use firearms only when less dangerous means are not effective and only to the minimal extent necessary, in order to protect themselves or others against an imminent threat of death or serious injury.

Amnesty International also calls on the authorities to ensure that law enforcement officials and detaining authorities respect the absolute prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment.

Bron: http://www.amnesty.nl/

....

Discrimination against Kurdish Iranians unchecked and on the rise

31-07-2008 Iran's government is failing in its duty to prevent discrimination and human rights abuses against its Kurdish citizens, according to a new Amnesty International report.

The organization fears that the repression of Kurdish Iranians, particularly human rights defenders, is intensifying, according to the report Iran: Human rights abuses against the Kurdish minority. The report also says that women face a double challenge to their human rights, both as members of a marginalised ethnic minority and as women in a predominantly patriarchal society. Around 12 million Kurds live in Iran making up 15 percent of the population. Expression of Kurdish culture, such as dress and music, is generally respected and the Kurdish language is used in some broadcasts and publications.

However the Kurdish minority continues to suffer deep-rooted discrimination. Kurds in Iran have their social, political and cultural rights repressed along with their economic aspirations. Parents are banned from registering their babies with certain Kurdish names and religious minorities that are mainly or partially Kurdish are targeted by measures designed to stigmatize and isolate them. Discriminated against in their access to employment and adequate housing, the economic neglect of Kurdish regions has resulted in an entrenched poverty which has further marginalized Kurds.

Kurdish human rights defenders, including community activists and journalists, face arbitrary arrest, ill-treatment and prosecution when they protest against the government's failure to observe international human rights standards. When they link their human rights work to their Kurdish identity they risk further violations of their rights. Some, including women's rights activists, become prisoners of conscience. Others suffer torture, grossly unfair trials before Revolutionary Courts and the death penalty.

Ethnic Kurds Farzad Kamangar, Ali Heydariyan and Farhad Vakili were sentenced to death in February 2008 after conviction of "moharebeh" (enmity against God), following a grossly flawed process that fell far short of international standards for a fair trial. This is a charge levelled against those accused of taking up arms against the state, apparently in connection with their alleged membership of the armed group, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which carries out attacks in Turkey. Ali Heydariyan and Farhad Vakili were also sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment, apparently for forging documents. Under Iranian law, they must serve their prison sentences before being executed.

In May this year Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand was sentenced to 11 years' imprisonment by Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran. The sentence apparently comprises 10 years' imprisonment for "acting against state security by establishing the Human Rights Organization of Kurdistan (HROK)" and one year's imprisonment for "propaganda against the system". The verdict followed a closed trial session. Amnesty International considers Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand to be a prisoner of conscience, held solely on account of the peaceful exercise of his rights to freedom of expression and association during his work as chair of the HROK and his activities as a journalist. Such rights are expressly recognized in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Iran is a state party.

"Iran's constitution provides for equality of all Iranians before the law. But, as our report shows, this is not the reality for Kurds in Iran," said Malcolm Smart, director of the Middle East and North Africa programme of Amnesty International. "The Iranian government has not taken sufficient steps to eliminate discrimination, or to end the cycle of violence against women and punish those responsible." Although women and girls form the backbone of economic activity in the Kurdish areas, strict social codes are used to deny their human rights. Such codes make it difficult for government officials to investigate inequalities in girls' education, early and forced marriages, and domestic violence against Kurdish girls and women - and the severe consequences of some of these abuses, including "honour killings" and suicide.

"Kurdish women are victims of violence on a daily basis and face discrimination from state officials, groups or individuals, including family members." Malcolm Smart said.  http://www.amnesty.nl/

....

 Kurds in Iran face death by government firing squads