16. August 2000

1. "Dortmund became Amed", Europe witnessed once again the serhildan (popular uprising) of Kurds wanting a democratic solution. More than 200 thousand Kurdistanis living in various cities of Europe and their friends displayed an equivalent of the big Newroz celebration in Amed by their magnificent march and meeting in Dortmund, Germany.

2. "Ulucanlar prison trial continues", 161 soldiers, including some high ranking officers, face trial at a high criminal court.

3. "'The Kurdish problem must be solved for democracy'", speaking at the TBB General Board meeting, Diyarbakir Bar Association Chairman Mustafa Ozer stressed that there could be no law where there was no democracy and that solving the Kurdish problem was essential for democratization.

4. "Dervis warning over Turkey reforms", Turkey's Economy Minister Kemal Dervis has vowed to resign if the government stalls on economic reforms tied to a new $8 billion loan.

1. - Ozgur Politika - "Dortmund became Amed":

Europe witnessed once again the serhildan (popular uprising) of Kurds wanting a democratic solution. More than 200 thousand Kurdistanis living in various cities of Europe and their friends displayed an equivalent of the big Newroz celebration in Amed by their magnificent march and meeting in Dortmund, Germany.

NEWS CENTER

Women, men, children, young and old ten thousands of people began to the march towards the meeting place at noon after gathering in West Park and Westfalen Park-D squares.

Women participated in the march with their national clothes. It was striking that a big poster of PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) General Chairman Abdullah Ocalan carried by women was surrounded by youth.

The masses shouted Turkish, German and Kurdish slogans such as "Biji Serok Apo (Long Live Leader Apo)", "Freedom for Ocalan, Peace for Kurdistan", "Disa Disa Serhildan, Seroke me Ocalan". And "I'm PKK too" slogan of ten thousands of people carrying "Peace, right now" banners echoed in the streets of Dortmund.

Police forces closed the march route to traffic and took extraordinary measures. Kurdistanis handed out maps of the route in German and Kurdish. A lot of people supported marchers with "V" signs through their windows.

Coming to the meeting place, Kurds stood in attention in order to show respect with Ey Raqip March (Kurdish National March). Kurdistanis made the Westfalen Park as a lively place with their slogans, flags, posters and banners.

There was a gigantic screen as well as a podium.

As PKK General Chairman Abdullah Ocalan, PKK Council of Leaders and YDK (Kurdish Democratic Peoples Unity) sent messages to the Dortmund serhildan, a number of people and representatives of organizations made speeches. When the message of Abdullah Ocalan was read, the place echoed with slogan "Biji Serok Apo".

Peace is an urgent necessity

A speaker in the name of YDK said that the existing crisis in Turkey made peace necessary. The representative continued to say the following: "The message of slogans by hundreds of thousands Kurds and their friends is clear. Kurds make a call for a democratic-peaceful solution to the Kurdish problem on the basis of recognition of their national identity and national democratic rights. Kurds lay the groundwork for a democratic solution by way of putting an end to the war which has lasted 15 years and declaring one-sided cease-fire. And now the existing crisis in Turkey makes the need for such a peace have much more urgency. Everybody should accept that for Kurdish people freedom for PKK General Chairman Abdullah Ocalan means peace for Kurdistan, and in turn peace for Kurdistan means freedom for Abdullah Ocalan. Hence we say 'Peace for Kurdistan, dialogue, right now'."

The ban in England is a summary execution"

Hugo Carlton, member of House of Lords, made a speech, saying that he was embarrassed to be an English on account that English government included PKK to the "list of terrorist organizations". Carlton asked for death penalty to be lifted. Stressing that Kurdish national identity should be recognized, the English deputy added that freedom to thought, belief, expression and organization should be legally taken under guarantee.

PJA Party Assembly:

"This march carries a historical meaning as far as implementing new-period strategy begun by Leader Apo in Imrali and the importance of the area are concerned. Just as our people displayed its belief, devotion and determination to the strategy in Amed, Batman, Van, Mersin, Adana and Istanbul, they displayed them in England yesterday and here today. And it shows that Kurdish people create its history, its identity with their own hands and actions although to this day the dominant system has tried to make it be deprived of a history, an identity and a will."

Cem Ozdemir, member of Federal German Parliament, sent a message to the meeting too. Ozdemir stressed that the way to peace passed through dialogue and democracy.

Representative of HADEP, Faik Yagizay, for his part, pointed out in his message that Newroz celebration in Kurdistan showed the peace demand of Kurds, adding "It is very meaningful and worthy that Kurds living in Europe replied to Newroz with such an action."

German Green deputies Angelika Beer and Monika Duker and Democratic Socialist Party deputy Heidi Lippmann made speeches. And spokesperson of Committee for Solidarity With Revolutionary Captives called attention to the death fast actions in prison in his speech.

Koma Berxwedan, Nilufer Akbal, Ozan Mustafa Dadar, Koma Gulen Xerzan, Ozan Rotinda, Ozan Kazo, Ozan Said Yusuf and Ozan Hasret exited people with their songs.

There was also an audio-visual show on Abdullah Ocalan.

A Serhildan of Political Will

A speech by representative of Kurdistan National Congress pointed out, "Our people who started a democratic serhildan period in 2001 Newroz observation, took this a step further in Europe and started a period of claiming their national and political identity. Now it is time to display our political will with a serhildan excitement and to claim our all democratic rights. We make a call for national peace and national unity. Now it is time to make your dreams true under 'Serhildan Until Freedom' slogan."

"Institutionalization should be a fundamental principle"

Mehmet Demir, Chairman of YEK-KOM (Federal Union of Kurdish Organizations in Germany), before starting his speech, send a greetings to guerrillas whom he called "lions of the people", saying that he remembered martyrs with respect. Demir stated, "As a people who was forced to live in exile we used to introduce ourselves and partially organize. Today we are at a new stage, we are living in a period of democratization and liberation. We, while living in exile, have big responsibilities at this period. In order to develop Kurdish national democratic institutionalization, to bring rights and demands of our people at a common political objective, we need a new structure. We are passing through a historical period. How we should react to this? Can we take concrete steps to save our children, our youth, in short our future? Can we create and support democratic institutions in order to save our values created by big resistance during the last 30 years. The answer to all to these questions is evident. We will reinforce our unity against extermination and become institutionalized." Demir also added that for this reason they have started a membership campaign.

2. - Turkish Daily News - "Ulucanlar prison trial continues":

161 soldiers, including some high ranking officers, face trial at a high criminal court
No. 6 Ankara High Criminal court continues to try 161 soldiers, including a number of high ranking officers, for the events that took place in the Ankara Ulucanlar prisons.

In 1999 soldiers stormed into Ankara Ulucanlar prison to put an end to a riot. The event caused the deaths of ten inmates, causing a reaction from human rights associations and some other nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).

During his testimony at the trial, Maj. Zahit Engin claimed that the inmates were staging a rebellion against the state and the operation was held in an effort to provide peace at Ulucanlar prison.

He also claimed that some of the inmates opened fire on the soldiers and the soldiers were protecting themselves.

Officer Muhittin Ates claimed that soldiers didn't open fire.

Turkey is notorious for its restless prisons, and a number of riots have taken place in the past.
Turkey, in an effort to reestablish its authority in prisons, are transferring political inmates to high security F-type prisons with one or three-inmate cells.

It is claiming that overcrowded dormitories were used as indoctrination centers by political organizations.

Meanwhile, inmates and their families are protesting the newly opened F-types. More than 150 leftists are presently on death fasts protesting these maximum security prisons claiming that they would be vulnerable to human rights abuses.

Human rights associations say human rights violations are common in Turkey's prisons.

3. - Kurdish Observer - "'The Kurdish problem must be solved for democracy'":

Speaking at the TBB General Board meeting, Diyarbakir Bar Association Chairman Mustafa Ozer stressed that there could be no law where there was no democracy and that solving the Kurdish problem was essential for democratization.

The 26th General Assembly of the Turkish Union of Bar Associations (TBB) was held the other day in the Diyabakir Greater Municipality Mehmet Akif Ersoy Theater Hall. Speaking in the second half of the meeting, Diyarbakir Bar Association Chairman Mustafa Ozer said that it was essential to solve the Kurdish problem in order to open the path to democratization.

Ozer said that the concept of the state of law was the protection of contemporary values and that there could be no law where there was no democracy. Ozer recalled that there is a Kurdish problem in Turkey and that solving this problem was essential to opening the path to democratization in Turkey. Ozer pointed out that the region in which they were living had been administered by martial law and extraordinary rule practices for 23 years, adding, "If one region of a country is ruled by OHAL and martial law practices for 23 years, then it shows that there is a problem with the administration." Ozer stressed that it was necessary to view the differences in Turkey as one of its richnesses, and noted that peace and tranquility had predominated in the region in the three years following the silencing of weapons.

Need for a new constitution

Ozer said that some of those who had carried out the September 12 coup had died, while some of them were enjoying themselves at resort centers, while the mentality that had created the September 12 Constitution was alive and well. Ozer said that the current laws were contrary to the modern understanding of the law and that it was essential to reform the authoritarian and prohibitive 82 constitution. He added that it was necessary to bind the bleeding wounds in the prisons right away and to establish humane living conditions.

A generation which has not seen normality

A speech was also given by Cetin Turan, the former chairman of the Izmir Bar Association and a candidate for the chairmanship of the TBB who is being supported by most of the bar associations in Istanbul and the Kurdish provinces. Turan said that a generation had been raised in the region under OHAL conditions and had lived their entire lives completely unaware of normal conditions, had not seen normality, and had never lived normality.

TBB General Secretary Ozdemir Ozok, who is the candidate for TBB chairmanship supported by the former administration, also known as the Ankara team, for his part said that another exceedingly discomforting aspect was that other than those problems that were visible, there were also those that were not visible but known, and that people refrained from speaking about them. "We must determine these, come face to face with them, and then find deep-rooted solutions," Ozok said.

4. - CNN - "Dervis warning over Turkey reforms":

ANKARA

Turkey's Economy Minister Kemal Dervis has vowed to resign if the government stalls on economic reforms tied to a new $8 billion loan.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is expected to approve the loan -- aimed at helping Turkey escape an economic crisis -- on Tuesday. The loan would pave the way for a further $2 billion loan from the World Bank.

Dervis, a former World Bank official, told the UK's Financial Times newspaper that the international community was reluctant to give Turkey a loan - the third in two years -- and was unlikely to do it again.

A public row between the president and prime minister in February sparked the economic crisis. Since then, the Turkish currency has lost 40 percent in value against the U.S. dollar, and thousands of people have lost their jobs.

Turkey needs the loan to ease investor concern over a swelling domestic debt burden.
Dervis said the alternatives were to default on public debt -- which is expected to approach 80 percent of gross domestic product by the end of this year -- or to "give up" the fight against inflation.

In April, Dervis -- summoned back to Turkey at the height of the crisis -- announced a reform package which included slashing public spending and reforming the banking system.

The programme has a "good chance of success" because of unprecedented public support -- reflected in opinion polls -- to depart from corruption and populism, he added.

"This message of 'let's separate politics from economics, let's not have a rent-seeking system, let's fight corruption' is an extremely popular one," Dervis said.

Squabbling between Dervis and the communications minister from the far-right Nationalist Action Party (MHP) over a law to privatise landline monopoly Turk Telekom -- which was eventually passed at the weekend -- kept markets on edge for weeks.

The privatisation will enable Turkey to sell almost all of the state telecommunications monopoly. It sets a 45 percent limit for foreign ownership and allows the government the power to veto strategic decisions.

Turkey also approved a new banking law on Sunday aimed at avoiding mismanagement of funds and strengthening the sector. It imposes strict regulations on bankers and makes it easier for the state to reclaim the banks' debts by seizing the assets of their owners, as well as those of their relatives.

The banking sector has collapsed into crisis twice in the last six months.

Dervis said that interest rates should come down sharply after the foreign lending comes in, helping to unblock the economic paralysis. Tourism and exports should then drive a recovery in the second half of the year.

But he added: "If the economy remains in the kind of contraction it is in now, if the growth rate is minus six percent rather than three percent, I think it will be hard to keep the fiscal targets."