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  • The Report On The Parliamentary Meeting to Support Besikci

    Solidarity with the Victims of All Genocides (SVAG)
    Human Rights abuses in Turkey are
    intimately linked to Genocide Denial"
    c/o The
    Temple of Peace, King Edward viii Ave ,Cardiff
    Email: [email protected]
    Tel: 07718982732

    PM David Cameron's brazen courtship in Ankara of Turkish State terror
    exposed on the same day in the House of Commons

    Two contradictory descriptions of Turkey were made on Tuesday, this
    week (27th July).on the eve of the beginning of a new wave of new trials
    against Turkish writers and lawyers. The first , by UK Prime Minister
    David Cameron in Ankara involved sweeping statements on the value of
    Turkey tom the UK, ignoring the totality its Human Rights issues. On
    the same day in a meeting hosted by Angus MacNeil MP (Scottish National
    Party) in the House of Commons, London , three speakers, backed by well
    researched material, made scathing criticisms of Turkish State
    terrorism and Human Rights abuses. The speakers were writer Des
    Fernandes, Alex Fitch of the Campaign against Criminalising Communities
    and Sinan Ersoy of the International Platform against Isolation. Prior
    to the Commons meeting, members of the Platform and of SVAG participated
    in a vociferous vigil outside the Turkish Embassy in Belgrave Square

    Sinan Ersoy concentrated on the trial in Ankara of SelcukKozagacli
    (member of the Ankara Bar Association and chair of the Contemporary
    Jurists Association). Alex Fitch analyzed the wider international
    signifigance of Turkey's crimes. He saidthat the former British
    ambassador to Armenia David Miller has stated that the Foreign Office is
    well aware of the Armenian Genocide from its own archives.He puts the
    failure to speak out on the matter as being down to the UK's record of
    appeasing dictatorships and powerful states in its national interests
    (Their contributions will be available soon)

    Angus Macneil MP (the sponsor) promised his support for all non -violent
    efforts for the promotion of Human Rights in Turkey and , by his
    intervention, recognised that this process is linked to Genocide
    recognition.He had greeted the meeting in his own Gaelic language and he
    proposed several questuions which he would ask the Prime Minister
    "Why does Turkey persist in persecuting her intellectuals, her
    publishers, her lawyers and her 'Minorities', and why is the UK
    government silent?" - Speaker Desmond Fernandes.

    Firstly, I just wanted to highlight the FACT that Turkey persists in
    persecuting "her intellectuals, her publishers, her lawyers and her
    'minorities'"[1][1] by providing recent examples: As we will see, the
    reason for the targeting stems from the fact that the state ideology
    around which the constitution has been formulated - as well as the
    governing party and sections of the 'deep state' - still perceives those
    who ask for/or expect multicultural and democratic rights, or an end to
    the Kurdish conflict; indeed, rights even enshrined in the Universal
    Declaration of Human Rights, or who seek to debate the repressive
    actions of the government and state, as "ENEMIES" to be criminalised,
    terrorised and where possible, isolated, so that their voices are not
    heard in Turkey or internationally lest opposition successfully develop
    to challenge its oppressive nature.

    Who are the 'Others' that are being targeted? (One would be hard put to
    find 'them' being meaningfully considered in PM David Cameron's public
    speeches in Turkey today): Kurds, Armenians, Assyrians, Arameans,
    Greeks; 'perceived non-Ataturkist leftists' and political prisoners
    [many placed in isolation] and their families who strive to highlight
    the repressive nature of the state; trade unionists advocating
    collective bargaining and working rights; journalists; intellectuals,
    academics, musicians; relatives of the disappeared, peace campaigners
    (such as the Peace Mothers) and lawyers defending the above; youth
    groups, the list goes on ...

    And if we look at "the intellectuals" - i.e. writers, journalists,
    academics; indeed, even leading musicians such as Ferhat Tunc (facing up
    to 15 years imprisonment in a trial beginning tomorrow) in this category
    - and "publishers" and "lawyers": we can see these wider issues and
    concerns highlighted. For example, concerning:

    1) ISMAIL BESIKCI, who has been imprisoned in Turkey for 17 years for
    'thought crime' for documenting the nature of Turkish state terror and
    the genocide of the Kurds in the 'international colony' of Kurdistan
    (divided mainly between the nation states of Turkey, Iran, Iraq and
    Syria), and who at one point was facing 202 years imprisonment for
    'thought crime' for documenting aspects pertaining to these issues
    during the 1990's. A charge has been brought against him by the attorney
    general of Istanbul following the publication of his article entitled,
    'The rights of the nations to self-determination and the Kurds', which
    appeared in the prestigious Association of Contemporary Lawyers'
    journal. As the Ankara Initiative for Freedom of Thought has noted:

    What the attorney general demands to be penalised is not "PKK
    propaganda" but freedom of thought and expression; and this
    demonstrates clearly, once again, how willing the ruling class is to
    violate the limited frame of rights and liberties it has agreed to
    accept...

    Any conviction will be in breach of Turkey's commitments under Article
    19 of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights. As the
    academic Van Bruinessen has noted of the scholar who has conducted
    research into the nature of oppression and genocide of the Kurds: "No
    other writer in Turkish history has had to face such an endless series
    of trials and prison sentences for almost every public utterance as
    Besikçi has.[2][2] The odyssey of Besikçi's encounters with Turkey's
    legal system shows, more eloquently than any abstract political or legal
    analysis could, what is wrong with the system, and it demonstrates
    effectively how the officially proclaimed human rights and democratic
    values become null and void where the Kurdish question is involved.
    Continuing to write and speak in spite of all attempts to silence him,
    Besikçi has become a powerful and important symbol for the Kurds and
    for the human rights movement of Turkey".

    In Besikci's case, to merely debate and discuss the moral and legal
    RIGHT of Kurds in international law to seek self-determination in the
    face of a racist and oppressive - and, indeed, genocidal regime as he
    has shown in his other work - in the prestigous Association of
    Contemporary Lawyers' journal is to court being labelled a 'criminal'
    under so-called Anti-Terror laws. What exposes the "terrorist labelling"
    and the wider anti-Kurdish agendas of the genocidal and repressive state
    is the following, as noted by the Ankara Initiative for Freedom of
    Thought in its recent statement:

    Ismail Besikçi Is Being Tried Once More .Enough! Each and every part
    of the regime seems to have sworn to plague the life of the Kurds and
    defenders of the brotherhood of peoples on the basis of equality and
    freedom, after the fiasco of the "democratisation" attempts of the party
    in power, the Party of Justice and Development.

    The banning of the Kurdish party, the Party of Democratic Society; the
    broadcasted imprisonment of the elected local representatives of the
    Kurds; cases against Kurdish elementary school students on charges of
    "adherence to a terrorist organisation"; the implacable persecution of
    Kurdish magazines and papers; the spreading of a mentality that treats
    each and every Kurd as a "potential terrorist", are all alarming signs
    which signify that the country is headed towards a new . hell.

    And these signs show that the target is not the PKK (as claimed on every
    occasion by those who govern), but the rights of Kurds to exist as they
    are: Kurds. The last of these signs is the charge brought by the
    attorney general of Istanbul against Dr. Ismail Besikci for "PKK
    propaganda" following the publication of his article entitled, "The
    rights of the nations to self-determination and the Kurds", in the
    "Association of Contemporary Lawyers" journal.

    The attorney general of Istanbul claimed that Ismail . was 'propagating
    the PKK cause' when he wrote: "The Kurds have been fighting for freedom,
    for a free land for the last 200 years; and they are paying the price .
    Syria, Iran, and Turkey are dominating over the Kurds with an iron hand.
    The states that dominate over the Kurds were always able to unite their
    political, ideological, diplomatic, and military powers against them. It
    is obvious that this common control does not create justice but is a
    constant violation of it. In these conditions, resistance against
    oppression is a legitimate right ."

    The absurdity of accusing someone who has openly criticised the
    leadership of the PKK of "PKK propaganda" aside, the fact that such a
    case has been opened demonstrates the threat against freedom and
    expression of thought in Turkey . Our [protest] is against the calcified
    reflexes of this regime, whose immediate reaction is to imprison those
    who do not agree with its dogmas

    - and, as I have shown elsewhere in my books and related articles,[3][3]
    these dogmas have genocidal repercussions as far as the "Other" in
    Turkey is concerned -

    those divergent voices. [We are] against the unceasing recounting of the
    same horror by the rulers, while "prisoners of conscience" have reached
    the fifth generation in this country. [We are] against the incompetent
    despotism of the non-discussion of every alternative proposition on the
    accumulated problems of this country.

    So, for instance, to merely critically examine the texts and statements
    of the PKK and KCK concerning a peaceful resolution to the current
    conflict - where they have made a number of propositions calling for a
    clear end to any armed conflict if basic cultural and political rights
    of Kurds can be assured - is to also court criminalisation and
    targeting.

    Under Articles 6 and 7 of the Anti-Terror Law, for example, Turkish
    publisher Ragip Zarakolu [from Belge Press] and Kurdish writer N. Mehmet
    Guler are being tried for "spreading propaganda of the Kurdish Workers
    Party and separatism", because of writing and publishing a book with the
    title, KCK File/Global State and Kurds without State. "The book was
    immediately banned and confiscated in May 2010, after being published
    and launched during the ... Book Fair in Diyarbakir. Prosecutor Hakan
    Karaali sent his indictment to Istanbul Major Criminal Court No 10. ..
    and demanded up to 8 years. Publisher Zarakolu and writer Guler do not
    accept the accusations. They clarified that they wanted to help with a
    peaceful solution of the Kurdish question and to help with understanding
    and empathy between two communities.

    "Ragip told the prosecutor that he is a member of International Freedom
    to Publish Committee and has been writing freedom of expression reports
    for 15 years for the Turkish Publishers Association":[4][4] As he said:
    "Without information, it is not possible to understand and find a
    solution to the question. Citizens have a right to be informed about all
    aspects of the question. Nobody has a right to impose [upon one] to
    write [only within the bounds of] state discourse . To define [our]
    research" and academic "book as propaganda, at 250 pages, WITH A PRINT
    RUN OF JUST 1000 COPIES, is ridiculous".[5][5]

    Writer N. Mehmed Güler said: "I worked on the Regional Kurdish
    Assemblies objectively and tried to give a short history of the Kurdish
    question ... It is a current problem now. Legal Kurdish parties were
    closed, over one thousand Kurdish mayors, ex-MP's, community leaders,
    political activists, members of city councils were arrested during the
    last year. All citizens have a right to have information about what is
    happening. I tried to be objective [in all this]".[6][6]

    N. Mehmed Güler, incidentally, has also just received a 15 month
    conviction in June 2010 for a Kurdish novel he wrote (called "More
    difficult decisions than death" - relating to the Kurdish struggle
    against oppression in Turkey), due to conversations that took place
    between his imaginary characters who had the names "Siti", "Sabri" and
    "Siyar". Concerning that very recent trial, "International Pen and the
    International Publishers Association condemned the prison sentence
    imposed on writer Güler in a joint statement signed by IPA president
    Bjorn Smith-Simonsen and International PEN Secretary General Schoulgin.
    In the statement, the Turkish officials were urged to act in accordance
    with the commitments stipulated in the United Nations Universal
    Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and
    Political Civil Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights and the
    European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights signed by Turkey".[7][7]

    Looking at another example - and I am not detailing the case of Selcuk
    Kozagacli, the chair of the Contemporary Lawyers Association (CHD), only
    because I know that my colleague Sinan Ersoy from the International
    Platform Against Isolation (IPAI) will be detailing his case
    specifically after my presentation - we see the way in which "the
    Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint
    programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and
    the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), [has] expresse[d] its
    deepest concerns following the arrest of Mr. Muharrem Erbey, General
    Vice Chairperson of the Human Rights Association (Insan Haklari Dernegi
    - IHD) and Chairperson of its Diyarbakir Province Branch, and the
    arbitrary search of IHD's offices in Diyarbakir.

    "On December 24, 2009, in the morning, the police officers belonging to
    the 'anti-terrorism' branch launched an operation in at least 11
    provinces in Turkey following an order issued by the Diyarbakir Chief
    Public Prosecution Office that led to the arrest of dozens of Kurdish
    opposition members, journalists and civil society activists including
    human rights defender Mr. Muharrem Erbey. Human rights lawyer Muharrem
    Erbey was then remanded into custody and charged by the Diyarbakir
    Special Heavy Penal Court on December 26, 2009 of 'being a member of an
    illegal organisation' [and] ... detained in Diyarbakir D Type
    Prison".[8][8]

    As the International Federation for Human Rights clarifies:



    Mr. Muharrem Erbey is wrongly accused of being the international affairs
    representative of the illegal armed organisation called the Community of
    Kurdish Society (Koma Civaken Kurdistan - KCK) after having participated
    in the preparations of a workshop organised in Diyarbakir in September
    2009 to discuss constitutional amendments aimed at ensuring a greater
    respect of minorities' rights, [and after he] made a statement on the
    rights of the Kurdish minority in Turkey before the parliaments of
    Belgium, Sweden and England, [and after he] participated [in] the
    "Kurdish Film Festival" in Italy in the summer of 2009 and [acted as]
    the legal adviser [to] the [Kurdish] Mayor of Diyarbakir.


    Furthermore, simultaneously, the police attempted to raid IHD's offices
    in Diyarbakir without a warrant. Following objections by IHD staff, they
    obtained a court order within five minutes and proceeded to the search
    and confiscation of IHD's computers and documentation. Documents
    confiscated included in particular archives which had been collected
    during 21 years documenting serious human rights violations like
    politically motivated killings by unknown assailants, forced
    disappearance and torture cases.

    The Observatory recalls that the Human Rights Association (IHD) has
    played a vital role in the promotion of human rights and democracy in
    Turkey. The Observatory is more generally concerned with the intensified
    crackdown faced by the IHD and its members and more particularly by the
    detention of its General Vice Chairperson, which merely aims at
    sanctioning his human rights activities in violation of the United
    Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the UN General
    Assembly on December 9, 1998.The Observatory



    - as with English PEN and others have -



    called upon the Turkish authorities to immediately and unconditionally
    release Mr. Erbey as well as all other detained human rights
    defenders.[9][9]

    But human rights defenders, "writers, intellectuals, lawyers,
    publishers, journalists, musicians" continue to be criminalised and
    persecuted for daring to address human rights concerns about violations
    of the most basic kind that relate to the targeting of so many "Others"
    in Turkey. And it is more than unfortunate that David Cameron PM has
    failed to publicly address and confront these pressing issues
    meaningfully whilst in Turkey. Meanwhile - even as he glosses over these
    'details' publicly - genocide (as defined in at least 2 articles of the
    UN Genocide Convention),[10][10] war crimes; torture in prisons and by
    state forces; persecution of human rights defenders, writers, artists
    and musicians; prosecution of children under the Anti-Terror laws;
    isolation of political prisoners depriving them of basic human protected
    rights guarantees (together with the targeting of those who seek to
    support their cause); mutilitation of corpses of Kurdish guerrillas by
    state forces; burning of forests alongside Kurdish settlements and
    collaboration between the Turkish and Iranian and allegedly Syrian
    states[11][11] and with US-NATO forces[12][12] that has resulted in
    intensifying bombardment of Kurdish zones in northern Iraq (south
    Kurdistan) and Syria and Iran, continues.

    The International Platform Against Isolation (IPAI) notes that: "On 15th
    June 2010, houses and democratic associations in 3 different cities of
    Turkey (Ankara, Izmir, Istanbul) were raided by the police. 28 people
    were taken into custody, 17 of them [were] imprisoned . Most of them
    were members of the prisoners family association TAYAD . [The] TAYAD
    [members were] . arrested under the pretext that they had opposed the
    murder of ill prisoners in isolation cells [in Turkey]; protested
    against the AKP-government, which is responsible for the murder of
    exactly 309 prisoners in the years from 2000-2009 and participated in
    the funeral of the killed cancer-ill [prisoner] Guler Zere. These
    arrests", notes IPAI, "are unjust, illegitimate and arbitrary. It can't
    be seen as a crime to support ill prisoners. We demand the immediate
    release of the 17 TAYAD members and an end to [the policy of]
    isolation".

    In June 2010, "the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) ...
    condemned as 'punitive and intolerant' the ruling of a court in Turkey
    which sentenced journalist Irfan Aktan of The Express newspaper to one
    year and three months in jail. His crime was to quote in his article a
    member of the Turkish workers' party, the PKK, and the Özgür Halk
    (Free People) magazine . 'This is an outrageous decision which is
    punitive and intolerant and aims at striking fear in Turkish
    journalists', said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. 'This case has
    exposed further how anti terror laws are being used to crackdown on free
    expression' ... 'These provisions in the penal code and anti-terror law
    are like a sword of Damocles over the journalists', said Ercan Ipekci,
    President of the Türkiye Gazeteciler Sendikasi (TGS), an IFJ
    affiliate".[13][13]

    "A publisher ... was [also] sentenced to five months in prison in
    January 2009 by an appeal court", notes International PEN, which was
    "converted to a YTL 3,000 fine (c. ?2,000). He had been offered a more
    lenient sentence but had refused to comply with the demand that he
    promise not to commit a similar crime in future. He was convicted for a
    book that" - correctly - "suggested that the state had links to the
    mafia and that there had been massacres of Kurds in the past, referring
    to 'fascist dictatorships'".[14][14]

    Those advocating peace are finding themselves criminalised. To take but
    one example:

    ? "61 year old Peace Mother Sultan Acibuca was given a prison term of 6
    years and 3 months because of what she said in Izmir on 8 March 2008,
    World Women's day. Izmir High Criminal Court number 10 condemned her
    [of] 'membership [of the] PKK' and sentenced her to 6 years and 3
    months".[15][15] And what were the grounds for this accusation and
    sentence?: "Acibuca was condemned for "condemning the murder of Hrant
    Dink, attending the 1st September World Peace Day rally, and demanding
    Peace at the Women's Day rally".[16][16]

    "The court based the conviction on article 314/2 of the Turkish Criminal
    Court (TCK) and article 5 of the Anti-Terror Law (TMK) which prescribes
    an increase of punishment . Acibuca's condemning of the murder of
    Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink"

    - editor of the Istanbul based Armenian paper Agos, who had recognised
    the Armenian genocide as 'genocide' and was facing charges because of
    that, before his assassination -

    "was evaluated as a criminal offence as well as her attendance of a
    meeting on the occasion of the World Peace Day on 1 September, her call
    for peace at the International Labour Women's Day and attending three
    press releases as a spectator. Acibuca's lawyer Nezahat Pasa Bayraktar
    presented his client's defence in the hearing on 9 June [2010]. He
    stated that Acibuca's attendance of the press releases was under legal
    guarantee of domestic law and of the European Convention of Human
    Rights. He said that the activities on subject did not constitute a
    crime. Punishing a mother because she defended peace did not accord with
    the law, Bayraktar claimed. He drew attention to the fact that Turkey
    was convicted of violating freedom of thought and expression countless
    times by the European Court of Human Rights. Based on the example of the
    case Incal vs. Turkey, the lawyer demanded the acquittal of his client
    since her actions did not constitute any crime".[17][17]

    In late June 2010, 98 organizations from Diyarbakir issued a joint
    statement. Signed by "the Bar Association, non-governmental
    organisations, professional organisations, rights organisations and
    trade unions, [it] was read out . by [the] . President of the Diyarbakir
    Chamber for Trade and Industry (DTSO) . The organisations pointed out",
    amongst other issues, that obstacles to freedom of thought, freedom of
    expression and freedom of association had still not been removed in
    Turkey even "although they prevented free discussions of the Kurdish
    question in all its dimensions".[18][18] Discussions of 'Other'
    questions have also been prevented in a shocking way, as this
    presentation and those of my colleagues tonight clearly indicates.

    Regarding the question as to "why" the UK government is so shamefully
    silent publicly on so many of these pressing concerns, even during PM
    David Cameron's visit to Turkey at this moment in time, I can offer a
    few suggestions:

    1) The US government wants and requires UK support for Turkey,
    irrespective of the situation and any ethical concerns.

    2) Turkey is a "NATO ally" and has received US-UK and NATO support
    in its 'dirty' past and ongoing genocidal wars against the 'Other' in
    Turkey.[19][19]

    3) Turkey is part of the US driven 'War on Terror' Coalition, so it
    is 'excused' - so long as the US government deems it to be the case - of
    any particular 'excesses' (as defined by the US administration, which
    the UK government will take note of). This can be evidenced by PM
    Cameron's assertion in Ankara that: "Turkey is a great NATO ally and
    Turkey shares our determination to fight terrorism in all its forms,
    whether from al-Qaeda or from the PKK".[20][20] As this presentation
    shows, 'terrorism in all its forms', as determined by Turkey, has
    resulted in an assault on the most basic freedoms of expression one can
    imagine [often using the cover of the 'war against KCK-PKK terrorism'].

    4) It offers lucrative trade with the UK, not least in the arms and
    oil industry (eg. the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline which crucially runs
    through Turkey "is owned by a consortium of energy companies and BP, the
    operator of the pipeline. The shareholders of the consortium [comprise]
    BP" with the leading share of 30.1%).[21][21]

    5) The UK has never really been "moral" or "ethical" in its foreign
    policy deliberations, as John Pilger, Mark Curtis - in The Ambiguities
    of Power: British Foreign Policy since 1945 (Zed, 1995), The Great
    Deception: Anglo-American Power and World Order (Pluto, 1998) and Web of
    Deceit: Britain's Real Role in the World (Vintage, 2003) - and Robert
    Fisk (referring to the British government's ongoing Armenian genocide
    denialism policy at the behest of Turkey) have clearly demonstrated. We
    have to recognise this fact and oppose such an orientation if we wish to
    see meaningful change.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------

    These Messages of support were read

    ? "We, as the members of the Ankara Initiative convey our warm
    salutations to the participants of the parliamentary meeting, and
    stress that international solidarity is vital in facing the
    government's aggression against freedom of expression ..." - The
    Ankara Initiative for Freedom of Thought.


    ? "Re the 27th July event: I am very supportive of the Kurdish freedom
    struggle and oppose the attacks on freedom of expression. Sadly, I
    already have engagements on 27 July. Please give my apologies and
    solidarity to the meeting. I wish the campaign every success" - Peter
    Tatchell.


    ----------------------------------------------------------------

    The Petitions below were signed by the participants

    :Petition 1 For the attention of Republic of Turkey Ministry of
    Justice


    We, the participants of the meeting "Why does Turkey persist in
    persecuting her intellectuals, her publishers, her lawyers and her
    'Minorities'", which took place at the House of Commons (UK Parliament)
    in London on the 27th July 2010, strongly condemn the persecution of Dr.
    Ismail Besikci and ask that the charges that have been brought against
    him by the attorney general of Istanbul - for "PKK propaganda",
    following the publication of his article entitled, 'The rights of the
    nations to self-determination and the Kurds', in the journal of the
    Association of Contemporary Lawyers - be dropped.



    The charges which he faces on 28th July at the 11th High Criminal Court
    of Istanbul clearly violate Dr Besikci's right to freedom of expression
    and are in contravention of international standards safeguarding the
    right to freedom of expression. Any conviction will be in breach of
    Turkey's commitments under both Article 19 of the International
    Convention on Civil and Political Rights and Article 10 of the European
    Convention on Human Rights .


    Ministry of Justice of TurkeyMr. Sadullah Ergin

    Fax: 0090 312 417 71 13E-mail: [email protected]


    ----------------------------------------------------------------

    Petition 2 For the attention of Republic of Turkey Ministry of Justice
    We, the participants of the meeting "Why does Turkey persist in
    persecuting her intellectuals, her publishers, her lawyers and her
    'Minorities'", which took place at the House of Commons (UK
    Parliament) in London on the 27th July 2010, strongly condemn the
    persecution of publisher Ragip Zarakolu and author Mehmet Güler and
    ask that the charges that were brought against them on 20 July by the
    Istanbul Public Prosecutor - under Article 7 of the Anti Terror law
    for the book The KCK file/The Global State and Kurds Without a State -
    be dropped.



    We, like English PEN, are extremely disappointed to learn that Ragip
    Zarakolu and Mehmet Güler are once again being tried in contravention
    of international standards safeguarding the right to freedom of
    expression. Any conviction will be in breach of Turkey's commitments
    under both Article 19 of the International Convention on Civil and
    Political Rights and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human
    Rights .





    Ministry of Justice of TurkeyMr. Sadullah Ergin

    Fax: 0090 312 417 71 13E-mail: [email protected]



    Petition 3 For the attention of Republic of Turkey Ministry of
    Justice


    We, the participants of the meeting "Why does Turkey persist in
    persecuting her intellectuals, her publishers, her lawyers and her
    'Minorities'", which took place at the House of Commons (UK Parliament)
    in London on the 27th July 2010, strongly condemn the persecution of
    artist and musician Ferhat Tunç, who is facing a 15 year jail sentence
    because of a speech he gave at the Eruh-Çirav Festival. .



    Due to be tried on July 28th 2010 in Diyarbakir, under article 7/2 of
    the Anti-Terrorism Law (TMY), we endorse Freemuse's stated concerns
    that: "We are deeply worried about the continuous harassment of our
    colleague by Turkish Authorities. We regret that criminalisation of
    opinion remains a key obstacle to the protection of human rights and
    Turkey continues censoring and prosecuting its artists during a time
    when Turkey's Human Rights and Free Expression records are under
    international scrutiny. Ferhat Tunç has at numerous events expressed
    his belief in a peaceful solution. He has always defended freedom of
    expression in accordance [with] the international conventions on human
    rights. We respectfully request immediate dismissal of the case against
    Mr. Ferhat Tunç".



    Ministry of Justice of TurkeyMr. Sadullah Ergin

    Fax: 0090 312 417 71 13E-mail: [email protected]


    ----------------------------------------------------------------

    Petition 4 : For the attention of Republic of Turkey Ministry of
    Justice and Turkish National Assembly, Human Rights Investigative
    Commission


    We, the participants of the meeting "Why does Turkey persist in
    persecuting her intellectuals, her publishers, her lawyers and her
    'Minorities'", which took place at the House of Commons (UK Parliament)
    in London on the 27th July 2010, strongly condemn the persecution of the
    chair of the Contemporary Lawyers Association (CHD), lawyer Selcuk
    Kozagacli, because of his engagement to try those responsible for the
    military assault in the prisons on 19th December 2000.


    Selcuk Kozagacli was called on to make amends and has court proceedings
    initiated against him, just because he said: "As long as the individuals
    responsible for this massacre in the prisons have not been brought to
    light, the representatives of judicial and political authorities will
    bear responsibility for this crime".


    It cannot be a crime to demand the persecution of responsible ones for
    such a big crime, in which 29 prisoners lost their lives.



    We demand that charges against Selcuk Kozagacli are dropped immediately
    as this is a pure attack and disrespect of freedom of speech and
    thought.



    "Don't judge Selcuk Kozagacli, judge those who are responsible for the
    murder of the prisoners".





    Ministry of Justice of TurkeyMr. Sadullah Ergin

    Fax: 0090 312 417 71 13E-mail: [email protected]



    Turkish National Assembly, Human Rights Investigative Commission

    Mr. Zafer Üskül

    Fax: 0090 312 420 53 94


    ----------------------------------------------------------------

    ----------------------------------------------------------------

    [1][1] In the Kurdish context, it should also be noted that Kurds
    demographically constitute the majority of the population in south-east
    Turkey (north west Kurdistan) today.

    [2][2] For further details, see Munoz, E. (1998) Scientists Clash With
    The State in Turkey (The American Association for the Advancement of
    Science, 1998 - Accessed at: http://shr.aaas.org/scws/cs4.htm ). As she
    noted in that report: "The case of sociologist Ismail Besikci is a
    tragic example of how limits to freedom of expression in Turkey affect
    social scientists . Besikci's legal conflicts at the commencement of his
    career set the pattern for a litany of prosecutions that continue to
    this day . At the time of writing this report (1998), Turkish
    authorities had launched at least thirty-seven trials against Besikci in
    connection with almost all of his books and articles . The prosecution,
    imprisonment, ill-treatment, and levying of fines against Ismail
    Besikci, and his dismissal from Erzurum Ataturk University for
    publishing his scientific studies on the southeast of Turkey and the
    peaceful expression of his views constitute serious violations of
    academic freedom and fundamental human rights. The government's actions
    also infringe on his right to carry out his professional sociological
    studies. Besikci's prosecution for exercising his right to freedom of
    expression conflicts with Turkey's obligations to recognise the right to
    freedom of thought, conscience and religion; the right to freedom of
    expression; and the right to freedom of assembly and freedom of
    association as delineated by the European Convention for the Protection
    of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the Final Act of the
    Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Turkey is bound
    by international law to guarantee these rights and to respect the basic
    principles of human rights enumerated in the Universal Declaration of
    Human Rights".

    [3][3] Refer to my books Modernity, 'Modernisation' and the Genocide
    of Kurds and 'Others' (Apec, Stockholm, 2010) and The Kurdish and
    Armenian Genocides: From Censorship and Denial to Recognition? (Apec,
    Stockholm, 2007). For related articles, see Skutnabb-Kangas, T. and
    Fernandes, D. (2008) 'Kurds in Turkey and in (Iraqi) Kurdistan - A
    Comparison of Educational Linguistic Human Rights in Two Situations of
    Occupation', Genocide Studies and Prevention [the official journal of
    the International Association of Genocide Scholars], Vol. 3[1].

    [4][4] Belge Press Release, 21 July 2010.

    [5][5] Belge Press Release, 21 July 2010.

    [6][6] Belge Press Release, 21 July 2010.

    [7][7] Onderoglu, E. (2010) 'LITERATURE CONVICTED UNDER ANTI-TERROR
    LAW: Author Güler Sentenced on Behalf of Novel Characters', Bia News,
    11 June 2010 (Accessed at:
    http://bianet.org/english/freedom-of-expression/122661-author-guler-sentenced-on-behalf-of-novel-characters).

    [8][8] FIDH (2010) 'The Human Rights Association Remains in the Firing
    Line', FIDH, 29 December 2009 (Accessed at:
    http://www.fidh.org/The-Human-Rights-Association-IHD-remains-in-the ).

    [9][9] FIDH (2010) 'The Human Rights Association Remains in the Firing
    Line', FIDH, 29 December 2009 (Accessed at:
    http://www.fidh.org/The-Human-Rights-Association-IHD-remains-in-the ).

    [10][10] For an extensive examination and analysis of this
    issue, refer to several articles by Tove Skutnabb-Kangas, as well as my
    Modernity, 'Modernisation' and the Genocide of Kurds and 'Others' (Apec,
    Stockholm, 2010), The Kurdish and Armenian Genocides: From Censorship
    and Denial to Recognition? (Apec, Stockholm, 2007), and
    Skutnabb-Kangas, T. and Fernandes, D. (2008) 'Kurds in Turkey and in
    (Iraqi) Kurdistan - A Comparison of Educational Linguistic Human Rights
    in Two Situations of Occupation', Genocide Studies and Prevention [the
    official journal of the International Association of Genocide Scholars],
    Vol. 3[1].

    [11][11] See Debka File (2010) 'Syria massacres Kurds aided
    by Turkey's Israel-made drones', Debka File, 17 July 2010 (Accessed at:
    http://www.debka.com/article/8916/ ). This report claims that: "Syrian
    troops and Kurdish tribesman are locked in fierce battle since the
    Syrian army blasted four northeastern Kurdish towns and neighborhoods at
    the end of June, DEBKAfile's military and intelligence sources report.
    Hundreds of Kurds are reported dead. The Syrian campaign is backed by
    Heron (Eitan) spy drones Israel sold Turkey, made accessible on the
    personal say-so of Prime Minister Tayyip Recep Erdogan". See also Ergil,
    D.(2010) 'Russia, Syria and the Kurds', Today's Zaman, 21 July 2010
    where he notes: "Hundreds of Kurds are reported dead. This may be a
    routine reflex by the Syrian armed forces. What is new is that the
    Syrian campaign is backed by Heron spy drones Israel sold Turkey,
    reportedly made accessible on the personal orders of Prime Minister
    Tayyip Recep Erdogan . The drones are being used to track Kurds in their
    movements across Syria's borders. The unmanned aerial vehicles'
    assistance to Damascus is said to be in breach of the Israel-Turkish
    sales contract, which barred their use in the service of hostile states
    or entities . It is ironic that the states in the Middle East with
    Kurdish enclaves can only come up with military methods to deal with
    their Kurdish 'problem'. How much more manpower (lives), material
    sources and time this method will consume is unknown ...".

    [12][12] See my Modernity, 'Modernisation' and the Genocide
    of Kurds and 'Others' (Apec, Stockholm, 2010).

    [13][13] IFJ (2010) 'IFJ Condemns Jailing of Journalist in
    Turkey', Info Turk, June 2010 (Accessed at:
    http://www.info-turk.be/382.htm#Last ).

    [14][14] International PEN, International Publishers
    Association, and Index on Censorship (2009) 'NGO in Consultative Status
    with ECOSOC: Contribution to the Universal Periodic Review Mechanism,
    8th session of the Working Group of the Universal Periodic Review,
    Submission on Turkey, 9 November 2009', International PEN, International
    Publishers Association, and Index on Censorship, p. 4 (Accessed at:
    http://www.internationalpublishers.org/images/stories/MembersOnly/FTPC/UPR/turkey%20upr%20_3_.pdf ).

    [15][15] Freedom of Expression Weekly Bulletin (2010)
    'Peace Mother gets 6 years and 3 months of prison sentence', Info Turk,
    Issue 24/10, June 11, 2010 (Accessed at:
    http://www.info-turk.be/382.htm#Last).

    [16][16] Freedom of Expression Weekly Bulletin (2010)
    'Peace Mother gets 6 years and 3 months of prison sentence', Info Turk,
    Issue 24/10, June 11, 2010 (Accessed at:
    http://www.info-turk.be/382.htm#Last).

    [17][17] Freedom of Expression Weekly Bulletin (2010)
    'Peace Mother gets 6 years and 3 months of prison sentence', Freedom of
    Expression Weekly Bulletin, Issue 24/10, June 11, 2010 (Accessed at:
    http://www.info-turk.be/382.htm#Mother).

    [18][18] 98 NGOs Call for End of Violence - PKK Refuse
    Unilateral Ceasefire BIA, Tolga Korkut - Erhan Üstündag, 29 June
    2010 http://www.info-turk.be/383.html#censors

    [19][19] See my Modernity, 'Modernisation' and the Genocide
    of Kurds and 'Others' (Apec, Stockholm, 2010); United States, German,
    British, Israeli and NATO Inspired 'Psychological Warfare Operations'
    Against the 'Kurdish Threat' in Turkey and Northern Iraq (Apec,
    Stockholm, forthcoming); 'Turkey's US Backed "War on Terror"', Variant:
    Cross Currents in Culture, No. 27, Winter 2006 and 'United States and
    NATO Inspired Psychological Warfare Operations Against the "Kurdish
    Communist Threat" in Turkey', Variant: Cross Currents in Culture, Vol.
    2, Number 12, Spring, p. 10-16 (Co-authored by Iskender Ozden).

    [20][20] Quote also confirmed in an article a day after
    this parliamentary meeting - See Frum, D. (2010) 'David Cameron Favours
    Turkey With Flattering Lies', The National Post, 28 July 2010.

    [21][21] Wikipedia (2010) 'Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline',
    Wikipedia (Accessed at:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan_pipeline ).




    From: A. Papazian
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