10 September 2001

1. "Death toll rises to 33 in Turkish hunger strike over prisons", a 33rd person has died in an 11-month hunger strike in Turkey against controversial prison reforms, the victim's lawyer told AFP Sunday.

2. "Turkish police detain Kurd party members", police detained 21 members of Turkey's only legal Kurdish Party on Friday when they attempted to protest against the arrests of thousands of Kurds last weekend during World Peace Day, local officials said.

3. "A brand-new constitution, not polishing", stating that denial and execution are continuing, presented as amendments of the constitution, Karayilan said "In place of polishing something for European Unity a brand-new constitution, prepared in accordance with the needs of the people ensures solution to the problems."

4. "French PM: Turkey is to determine her own future", French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin said Turkey's choices concerning her future as a European country indicated her importance in European history, and her links with the continent.

5. "Turkey's media watchdog warns over crisis-spawned game shows", the head of Turkey's broadcasting watchdog warned Monday that television gameshows spawned by the economic crisis risked endangering the health of contestants.

6. "What are Motives Behind Turkish Prosecutor's Claims?", Baseless accusations made by some of Turkey's security officials of Iranian involvement in a number of killings in Turkey, have appeared in that country's press headlines.

1. - AFP - "Death toll rises to 33 in Turkish hunger strike over prisons":

ANKARA

A 33rd person has died in an 11-month hunger strike in Turkey against controversial prison reforms, the victim's lawyer told AFP Sunday. Behic Asci said 29-year-old Gulay Kavak died on Friday in an Istanbul house where she had been fasting for 300 days with several other people refusing food in sympathy with hunger striking prisoners, mostly from the far-left.

Kavak, who had accepted only small amounts of sugar and water since last October, had been jailed for belonging to the outlawed far-left People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (DHKP-C). She was freed from jail in June after her health deteriorated. The strikers -- said to now number around 200 -- are protesting at the introduction of new jails, where cells for a maximum of three people have replaced large dormitories for up to 60 inmates.

Prisoners, backed by civic groups, say confinement in smaller units will alienate inmates from fellow prisoners and leave them more vulnerable to mistreatment and torture. But the government has categorically refused to return to the dormitory system, arguing that the packed compounds were the main factor behind frequent riots and hostage-taking incidents in its unruly jails. Despite the mounting toll and international pressure, the Turkish government has refused to start talks with the inmates to end the hunger strike.

2. - Reuters - "Turkish police detain Kurd party members":

TUNCELI

Police detained 21 members of Turkey's only legal Kurdish Party on Friday when they attempted to protest against the arrests of thousands of Kurds last weekend during World Peace Day, local officials said.

A group of 50 people, all members of the People's Democracy Party (HADEP), gathered in the center of the southeastern town of Tunceli, an official who declined to be named told Reuters. Police first warned the group the protest was not permitted.

"Twenty-one people, including the chief of the HADEP Tunceli branch office Alican Unlu, were detained after refusing to heed police warnings," he said.

Police used batons to disperse the rest, he said. HADEP sought to organize a large World Peace Day demonstration last Saturday in the capital Ankara, but was denied permission.

Authorities apparently feared demonstrations could be in support of Kurdish guerrilla leader Abdullah Ocalan and his outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a 17-year-long campaign for self-rule in the mainly Kurdish southeast. Fighting has killed more than 30,000 people.

HADEP eventually cancelled the rally, but thousands of supporters staged protests in Ankara and separate cities. Protesters clashed with police and were taken into custody.

Separately, a court in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir ordered the arrests of 12 senior HADEP members late on Thursday for allegedly shouting pro-PKK and pro-Ocalan slogans during last week's demonstration, a security official said.

It was not immediately clear what charges the 12 face.

World Peace Day on September 1 has become a traditional protest day for activists seeking greater rights for Turkey's 12 million Kurds.

HADEP, which campaigns for Kurdish cultural rights, faces a possible legal ban for allegedly serving Ocalan's guerrillas.

Ocalan remains in prison awaiting the result of his appeal to a European court against the death sentence imposed on him.

Fighting between PKK rebels and Turkish security forces has dropped off since Ocalan ordered the PKK to withdraw from Turkey and become a political force.

Turkey refuses to negotiate with the PKK, dubbing the group a "terrorist" organization and sees the rebel withdrawal as a plot to save Ocalan from execution.

3. - Kurdish Observer - "A brand-new constitution, not polishing":

Stating that denial and execution are continuing, presented as amendments of the constitution, Karayilan said "In place of polishing something for European Unity a brand-new constitution, prepared in accordance with the needs of the people ensures solution to the problems."

Pointing out that the denial policy, source of all problems in Turkey was also projected to the latest amendments of the Constitution, Murat Karayilan, member of PKK Council of Leaders, said "A brand-new constitution, prepared in accordance with the needs of the people ensures solution to the problems."

Participated by telephone in the "Rojev" program on MEDYA TV the other day, Karayilan expressed that it is clear that the amendments preserve the denial policy which has been the cause of all problems for 80 years. Emphasizing that without this policy be given up even if all articles were amendment, the problems would not be solved, Karayilan added, "For a solution the denial policy should be abandoned. But it is not taken into consideration. Execution and denial preserve their places. In place of polishing something for European Unity, a brand-new constitution, prepared in accordance with the needs of the people ensures solution to the problems. The Kurdish people will not accept nothing except this."

"Selcuk is right"

Stressing that the statement of Chairman of Supreme Court Sami Selcuk that the Constitution is like a bylaw of police force is appropriate, Karayilan said, "Therefore we want a new constitution and added: "The Kurdish people should declare their identity in Kurdistan. Kurds should show courage to want their national and political identity. We should develop tactics for serhildan (popular uprising). The ground is appropriate for this. The denial of Kurds in the constitution should be refuted by a reckless spirit and practice."

"As soon as denial exists guerrilla will exist too"

Touching on the subject of guerrilla, the Kurdish leader said: "If there were a law recognizing the rights of our people we would defend ourselves by it. But as soon as denial policy exists, an armed force should also exist to defend ourselves. We call on Turkey; let's abandon the denial policy, open the way for dialogue, then we can develop new projects for guerrilla. Otherwise the guerrilla force will exist."

Calling on the international communities for a solution, Karayilan said the following: "If international communities, United Nations become a part of the effort, some steps can be taken. Otherwise there will no steps without legal guarantees. If there is no guarantee, ability to defend ourselves should be strengthened, let alone demolished."

PUK prepares itself for a new war

Murat Karayilan, member of PKK Council of Leaders emphasized that the latest information points at preparations for a new war against the guerrilla, adding, "Thousands of guns were brought from Turkey. These are made secretly. PUK has declared that they are ready for a war and tries to lure KDP also. If PKK is destroyed, the Turkish state will not give chance them to continue their existence. We call on our brothers from PUK and Jalal Talebani to see this fact and not to be an instrument for this. They should not cause to shed the blood of the Kurdish youth. We also call on intellectuals to do their best."

4. - Turkish Daily News - "French PM: Turkey is to determine her own future":

French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin said Turkey's choices concerning her future as a European country indicated her importance in European history, and her links with the continent.

In an interview given to Greek To Vima newspaper, Jospin brought up Turkish-European Union relations, and noted that all decisions in this process are to be given by Turkey.

Stating that Turkey's desire to support the common initiative by joining the European Union was supported by other countries, Jospin said "Turkey is to determine her own future. With her choice in favour of Turkey, she indicates her essence in this continent's history, her economic weight, strategic location and her old and deep links with the European Union."

Jospin claimed that Turkey's expectations of Europe could be supported by the exercises of all the political and social values existing in Europe, and said "Consequently, Turkey's decision to walk on the way towards reform, which she has already undertaken to apply, belongs to herself."

Answering a question on the membership of the Greek Cypriot Administration to the European Union, Jospin stated the membership will ease with a political solution to the problem on the island. Jospin expressed France's satisfaction at the decision to restart talks with the U.N.'s supervision, and said they supported the U.N. Secretary General's efforts concerning the issue.

On the Macedonian issue, Jospin said Europe absolutely rejected any initiatives to establish a state based on ethnicity, and any alterations in the borders which have been determined with international agreements.

5. - AFP - "Turkey's media watchdog warns over crisis-spawned game shows":

ANKARA

The head of Turkey's broadcasting watchdog warned Monday that television gameshows spawned by the economic crisis risked endangering the health of contestants. "Some game shows are forcing people to great physical and emotional lengths, and are virtually undermining their dignity," Nuri Kayis, the chairman of the watchdog RTUK told the Anatolia news agency.

Kayis was referring to two prime-time gameshows -- "Touch Me" and "Fly me Away" -- which were put on air after crisis hit the Turkish economy and the lira fell massively against the dollar. In "Touch Me", broadcast on the private Show TV, contestants vying for a brand-new car have to keep touching the prize vehicle for hours so as to be the last person standing, who is the winner.

The show, which usually runs for two days, has seen some contestants abandoning the contest after fainting from exhaustion or hallucinating for lack of sleep. In the second game show, contestants are required to dance for hours to win a car. "Television managers must reformat the game shows and bring them in line with the principles of broadcasting, not only on account of current broadcasting laws, but also for reasons of public health," Kayis told Anatolia.

6. - Theran Times - "What are Motives Behind Turkish Prosecutor's Claims?":

TEHRAN

Baseless accusations made by some of Turkey's security officials of Iranian involvement in a number of killings in Turkey, have appeared in that country's press headlines. A quote from the Security Court's prosecutor, Hamzeh Celash, was published in the "Hurriyet newspaper" on Saturday, September 7. In it he accused the Iranian Intelligence Ministry of masterminding these killings.

The same paper has claimed that during the Turkish Interior Minister's visit to Iran, a 65-page file outlining the extent of alleged Iranian involvement was submitted to officials. Not unsurprisingly, the Turkish Minister has said that he is not aware of such a file.

As a result of the visit, both countries have signed an agreement to put an end to the harassment of Iranians in Turkey, establish better security cooperation and create more markets along the countries' borders.

These baseless accusations are being made at a time when many Iranians living in Turkey, are being mistreated. In one of the latest incidents, an Iranian merchant was tortured and subsequently died in police custody.

According to some experts, the claims were fabricated in order to blame other countries for Turkey's internal problems.