11
November 2005
2. "Turkish sergeants confessed, Seferi Yilmaz alive", three sergeants from the Turkish Gendarmerie Intelligence Service (JIS) have now been arrested for the bomb attack on November 9 against a bookstore owned by a Kurd in the city of Semdinli in northern Kurdistan (southeastern Turkey) after confessing during interrogation. The bookstore owner, Seferi Yilmaz, who was believed to have been killed in the attack was found alive.
3. "Kurds demonstrate in Yerevan to demand leader's release", about one thousand Armenian Kurds demonstrated Wednesday in Yerevan to demand the release of the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan. The demonstration was also a protest against Ankara's policy's towards Kurds.
4. "Turkey urged to heed European court ruling on Kurdish rebel leader", the Council of Europe expects Turkey to heed a European human rights court ruling condemning as unfair the 1999 trial of Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan, a Council official said here Thursday.
5. "Former Kurdish MPs set up DTP", the Democratic Society Movement (DTH), led by former Kurdish lawmakers including Leyla Zana, has become the Democratic Society Party (DTP), reported the Anatolia news agency yesterday.
6. "EU Adopts Enlargement Strategy for Turkey", EU Commission adopts an overall enlargement strategy for the candidate countries Croatia and Turkey, and for the potential candidate countries in the Western Balkans. The principles are: Consolidation, conditionality and communication Oli Rehn says.
7. "Court Decisions Justify Journalist Concerns", Turkish Penal Code bears its sour fruits as Karaca is sentenced for "insulting and belittling the military" and Orhan Pamuk faces similar charges. 5 journalists from daily Cumhuriyet are pending trial while Dilipak is still tried before court martial.
8. "Popularity of PJAK worries the Iranian regime", the campaign 'Abdullah Ocalan is my political volition' started by the Kurdish resistance movement PJAK has attracted tens of thousands of signatures by Kurds in Urmiye, Kermanshah, Meriwan, Selmas, Mahabad and many other cities.
1. - DozaMe.org - "Unrest in Semdinli after bomb
attack by Turkish gendarmerie intelligence: 2 dead, 15 wounded":
10 November 2005
A bomb that was thrown from a white car at 16:30 (4:30 p.m. EET) on November 9 at the 'Umut Bookstore' in central Semdinli in northern Kurdistan (southeastern Turkey) killed one person and seriously wounded a second. The perpetrators in the white car was quickly surrounded by Kurdish citizens who tried to pull them out of the car but were fired upon by the perpetrators in the car. One person was killed and 4 others were wounded, one of them seriously, by the bullets.
Turkish police who arrived at the scene rescued the perpetrators. Citizens who broke into the white car found three AK-47s and a Turkish Gendarmerie Intelligence ID-card belonging to a 'Ali Kaya', who is believed to be one of the three agents in the white car. Esat Canan, MP of the opposing party CHP, acknowledged that the white car of 'Dogan'-brand with the '42'-plate belonged to the plain-clothed Turkish police units in Semdinli. Initial number of '42' on the plate indicates that the car is registered in the city of Konya in central Turkey.
The person killed in the bookstore was named as Seferi Yilmaz, who was known for his sympathies with the PKK and had sat in prison for 15 years for membership in the PKK. Seferi Yilmaz had also been one of the PKK guerrillas who carried out the first attack on Turkish military targets on August 15, 1984. He was captured the same year and sat 15 years in prison for membership in the PKK. A second person, Mehmet Zahir Korkmaz, was seriously wounded in the attack.
The second person killed when the Turkish gendarmerie agents fired upon a group trying to drag them out was named as Ali Yilmaz. Ali Yilmaz died on November 9 at 18:00 (6 p.m. EET) in the Yuksekova State Hospital. The wounded were named as Vahit Canan, Islam Kaya, Muzaffer Ertas and Abdurrahman Dozder.
Irritated Kurds who gathered outside the Semdinli State Hospital to protest the attack clashed with Turkish police arriving at the scene. 10 more Kurds were wounded in the clashes, among them the Mayor of Semdinli, Hursit Tekin.
The perpetrators were identified as two lieutenants and
one sergeant from the 'JIS' (Turkish Gendarmerie Intelligence), by locals
recognizing them. 
2. - DozaMe.org - "FLASH: Turkish sergeants confessed,
Seferi Yilmaz alive":
10 November 2005
Three sergeants from the Turkish Gendarmerie Intelligence Service (JIS) have now been arrested for the bomb attack on November 9 against a bookstore owned by a Kurd in the city of Semdinli in northern Kurdistan (southeastern Turkey) after confessing during interrogation. The bookstore owner, Seferi Yilmaz, who was believed to have been killed in the attack was found alive.
Master Sergeant Ali Kaya, Staff Sergeant Özcan Ildeniz, and a third sergeant who was not named, admitted that they had carried out the bomb attack against the bookstore yesterday. The sergeants, who were interrogated by the Republican Prosecutor of Semdinli, Harun Ayik, also admitted that they had carried out the bomb attack on November 1 outside a military residence in the city, wounding 23 people, of them 3 police officers, 4 soldiers and 16 civilians. With that, Prosecutor Ayik merged both cases into one.
Everything unfolded after Kurdish citizens in Semdinli broke into the car from which the Turkish sergeants had carried out the attack on the bookstore. They found weapons, bombs and a suitcase in the car. Opening the suitcase, they found written plans, maps and a death-list consisting of prominent Kurds sympathizing with the PKK. The bookstore owner Seferi Yilmaz name had already been checked in the list.
On the maps, the Kurdish citizens saw the marked positions of both the military residence that was bombed on November 1 and Yilmaz's bookstore. Detailed written plans about how the attacks would be carried out was also found.
The military ID of Ali Kaya was confiscated by the Kurds who captured the sergeants. Pictures of the sergeants were also taken by the citizens. The pictures are believed to be published soon.
The bookstore owner Seferi Yilmaz, who was initially announced dead, was found alive among the rubble.
The unrest in Semdinli continues as upset citizens demand
a full disclosure.
3. - AFP - "Kurds demonstrate in Yerevan to demand leader's release":
YEREVAN / 9 November 2005
About one thousand Armenian Kurds demonstrated Wednesday
in Yerevan to demand the release of the jailed leader of the outlawed
Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan.
The demonstration was also a protest against Ankara's policy's towards
Kurds.
Participants marched to the centre of the Armenian capital chanting "Free Ocalan," and "Peace in Kurdistan," before congregating in front of the city's UN headquarters.
"We are very worried about our jailed leader," said Therkez Rach, a prominant member of Armenia's 60-80,000 Kurds.
"We also condemn Turkey's policies and we want our protest to gain international attention," he said.
"We often knock on the UN's door but get nothing but promises," he added.
Ocalan is in solitary confinement on the prison island
of Imrali, northeast Turkey. He has been in jail in Turkey since 1999.
4. - AFP - "Turkey urged to heed European court ruling on Kurdish rebel leader":
ANKARA / 10 November 2005
The Council of Europe expects Turkey to heed a European
human rights court ruling condemning as unfair the 1999 trial of Kurdish
rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan, a Council official said here Thursday.
The Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), a Council
of Europe body, ruled in May that the Turkish court which convicted
Ocalan was not impartial because it had included a military judge during
part of the trial.
It recommended a retrial for Ocalan, head of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an armed militant group seeking independence for the Kurdish minority in southeastern Turkey.
"We expect that the decisions and requests of the court will be honored," the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly's president Rene van der Linden told reporters here.
"I don't take positions on judicial cases... (but) I hope the Turkish judiciary will follow up this request."
The Council of Europe, linking 46 nations including Turkey, is an east-west European human rights and democracy watchdog.
Ankara has promised to respect the ECHR ruling, but so far failed to clarify how it will proceed.
The ECHR also said in its May ruling Ocalan and his lawyers had been denied sufficient time and facilities to properly prepare their defense.
Ocalan's death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 2002 after Turkey abolished capital punishment as part of reforms to boost its bid to join the European Union.
Officials have said a possible retrial will aim to correct
procedural flaws but cannot result in a lighter punishment for Ocalan.
5. - Turkish Daily News - "Former Kurdish MPs set up DTP":
ANKARA / 10 November 2005
The Democratic Society Movement (DTH), led by former Kurdish lawmakers including Leyla Zana, has become the Democratic Society Party (DTP), reported the Anatolia news agency yesterday.
The co-chairmen of the party, Ahmet Türk and Aysel Tugluk, submitted a petition to change its name yesterday to the Interior Ministry.
Speaking to reporters as they were leaving the Interior Ministry building, Türk said the DTP was a political formation aiming for Turkey's democratization and added that they intended to contribute to politics in Turkey after learning lessons from past experiences.
“The DTP is the party of a 70-million-strong Turkey, and we'll be exerting efforts to enhance dialogue and brotherhood among our people. We aim to live together,” Türk was quoted as saying.
Co-chairwoman Tugluk said they set out to create an alternative based upon the will of people and emphasized that they would work to help all institutions and organizations enjoy equality, freedom and justice.
“We'll derive our power from the people,” she said.
Tugluk claimed that the Kurdish problem was not being addressed in a courageous and determined fashion and added: “One of the prior issues in terms of democratization in Turkey is the Kurdish problem. We believe that a process should start to address the Kurdish issue clearly and courageously based on social consensus. We believe the problem can be resolved through democratic rules and institutions.”
Tugluk said the new party regarded women's role in politics
as strategic and stressed that they have taken a historic step since
40 percent of party officials consisted of women and also that the party
was being ruled with a system of co-chairmanship.
6. - Bianet - "EU Adopts Enlargement Strategy for Turkey":
EU Commission adopts an overall enlargement strategy for the candidate countries Croatia and Turkey, and for the potential candidate countries in the Western Balkans. The principles are: Consolidation, conditionality and communication Oli Rehn says.
BRUSSELS / 9 November 2005
Croatia and Turkey are candidate countries, and the Western Balkans have a clear European perspective. The Union will stand by its commitments once the countries fulfil the strict conditions for accession. At the same time, the EU has to communicate better the objectives and the challenges of the accession process.
Presenting the enlargement strategy Olli Rehn, Commissioner for enlargement said: "A carefully managed enlargement process is one of the EU's most powerful and most successful policy tools. The pull of the EU helps the democratic and economic transformation of countries. All European citizens benefit from having neighbors that are stable democracies and prosperous market economies. The EU cannot abandon its responsibilities. But the pace of enlargement also has to take into consideration the EU's absorption capacity".
The EU must remain rigorous in demanding fulfillment of
its criteria, but fair in duly rewarding progress. Aspirant countries
can only proceed from one stage of the process to the next once they
have met the conditions for that stage. The Commission will assist the
countries and monitor their progress.
The EU's relations with Croatia and Turkey entered into a new phase
on 3 October, when accession negotiations were opened. Negotiations
will be based on the country's own merits and their pace will depend
on the country's progress in meeting the requirements for membership.
For the other countries of the Western Balkans, the Commission proposes a road map for realizing their European perspectives, setting out the stages and conditions attached to each stage. Establishing a Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU is a fundamental step in this process. Albania has made sufficient overall progress to establish implementation capacity, paving the way for concluding negotiations on such an agreement. Serbia and Montenegro have just opened SAA negotiations, and Bosnia and Herzegovina will do so shortly.
A country's satisfactory track-record in implementing its SAA obligations (including the application of its trade-related provisions in the form of an Interim Agreement) will be an essential element for the EU to consider any membership application. Based on a Commission opinion, the EU may grant a country the status of candidate. The Commission recommends that the Council grants the status of candidate country to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
Candidate status is a political recognition of a closer relationship with the EU, but it does not automatically mean that a country can start negotiations for EU membership. To do so, the country needs to reach a sufficient degree of general compliance with the membership criteria. In particular, the country needs to meet the political criteria, including full co-operation with the International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia where relevant.
Kosovo's further progress towards the EU is also part
of the enlargement strategy. European integration is essential to achieve
a sustainable settlement on the status of Kosovo that reinforces the
security and stability of the region.
7. - Bianet - "Court Decisions Justify Journalist Concerns":
Turkish Penal Code bears its sour fruits as Karaca is sentenced for "insulting and belittling the military" and Orhan Pamuk faces similar charges. 5 journalists from daily Cumhuriyet are pending trial while Dilipak is still tried before court martial.
ISTANBUL / 9 November 2005 / by Erol Onderoglu
The new Turkish Penal Code, heavily criticized by media organizations and legal experts for placing media workers under the threat of frequent imprisonment, starts to produce major consequences after ratification on Jun. 1.
Accusations of undermining Article 301 of the new penal code had already been made towards journalists Hrant Dink, Dogan Ozguden and Ersen Korkmaz and singer Ferhat Tunc, and now novelist Orhan Pamuk.
The third quarterly report released by the Media Watch Group of Network for Monitoring and Covering Media Freedom and Independent Journalism (BIA2) for the months July-August-September, documents the violations under the new penal code.
Under the sections of "attacks and threats", "detentions and arrests", "trials and prosecutions ", "European Court of Human Rights", "RTUK (Radio and Television Supreme Board) practices", "formulations and assertions of rights", "reactions against censorship", the 12 page report outlines the situations of 37 court cases, 62 media organizations and 76 journalists.
Journalist Emin Karaca Convicted
Journalist and writer Emin Karaca was sentenced to a 900 YTL (USD 750) fine -converted from prison sentence- for criticizing the executions of young revolutionaries in the 70s in his articles published in the "Yazin -in Turkey and Europe"magazine.
The trial opened against independent journalist Rahmi Yildirim for his article on the website sansursuz.com (translation: withoutcensor.com) concerning military and state personal suspected of embezzlement is still continuing.
The courts are hard at work...
Under pressure from security circles, Turkish government considers amending the Counter Terrorism Law as to increase the ceilings for prison sentences. Hurriyet reporter Sebati Karakurt, is currently tried under article 7 of the law for an interview in Northern Iraq with the Kurdish guerrilla PKK.
However law experts converge on the opinion that Turkish Penal code is sufficiently equipped with articles related to crimes of terrorism and even a separate law for counter-terrorism is unnecessary.
On the other hand journalists Ilhan Selcuk, Mehmet Sucu Ibrahim Yildiz, Alper Turgut and Ilhan Tasci from the newspaper "Cumhuriyet are being tried under Article 19 of the new Media Law."for a recent news piece on torture during custody and extra judicial executions
Foreign investment in the media: The law is incomprehensive
Concerns over foreign ownership or share holding in Turkish media market are already justified as radio stations confiscated from the Uzan Group to the CGS corporation and Pacific Management, of which Canadian Canwest Group is a partner.
Article 29 of the RTUK law that is supposed to limit foreign capital interest towards media is insufficient. Also, media workers continue to work without a union or social security.
Some Improvements
In the past three months there have been some improvements:
* The law that provides lighter sentences for media workers -for implications towards "crimes committed by Turkish citizens in foreign countries"- and for "illegal Koran classes was on July 7 finally ratified by President Sezer who previously had turned it down.
* The City Human Rights Committee of Konya decided with 10 to 8 majority vote that videotaping by the local police of Islamist writer Abdurrahman Dilipak at meetings he was attending at the Fair and Culture Center was a "human rights abuse".
* 4th Circuit of the high court decided that local newspaper "Batman Dogus", had the right to go to court for compensation for the misuse by a local hospital of the "right to refute".
* The 2nd Batman Penal Court relying on ECHR precedents to safeguard the right to criticize dismissed the appeal by Batman deputies against journalist Mehmet Sah Ayaz of "Batman Express"newspaper
* Cartoonist Metin Ustundag's comic strip collection "Sunday Lovers"was cleared a second time after the high court voided a 2002 dismissal of the case due to "lack of expert examination". Ustundag was being tried on the grounds of "abusing the public's sexual feelings."
Journalists targeted everywhere, detentions and arrests resume...
The initial decrease of violence against the press observed
during the first three months of the past year increased to 7 incidents
in the months April-June and reached a high point of past years with
23 attacks and threats.
An unprecedented case, in the past three months was attacks by participants
who attended pro-Kurdish Democratic People's Party (DEHAP) demonstrations
against journalists. In Yuksekova, protesters attacked Senar Yildiz
and caused him to fall into a riverbed. The owner of the newspaper "Yuksekova
Haber"was heavily beaten by masked individuals.
In contrast to the first three months of the year when there were no reports of detentions, there were 2 in the April-June period and 5 in the July-September period: journalists Kadir Ozbek (from DHA Diyarbakir), Rustu Demirkaya (from DHA Tunceli), Ferit Demir (DHA) reporter) and Haydar Toprakci (Anatolia News Agency) were detained after they covered the release of Coskun Kirandi, a Turkish private kidnapped by the PKK, and teke over by a human rights activists delegation.
In contrast to the first three months of the year when there had been three short arrests and the second period with non July-September period was distinguished with significant increase: DHA reporter Birol Duru was arrested after charges of possessing "a propaganda tape of the illegal organization"as he was investigating secret poppy cultivation reports. Also, Cengiz Dogan, the editor in chief of Nusaybin newspapers "Mavi"and "Kent", was arrested for charges of publishing "PKK propaganda"and "encouraging crime."
Memik Horuz, editor in chief of the newspaper "Isçi-Köylü", who was sentenced to 15 years for being a "member of an illegal organization"who has passed the past four years in prison will not benefit from the new penal code the court decided and his case will only be reconsidered in 3 years.
Reporters face 3 new cases, 2 convictions and 3 dismissals
The April-June period brought 7 new cases against reporters.In the past three months 3 new cases were opened. 2 cases against reporters resulted in convictions, 3 of them in dismissals; 17 of them are pending.
Having started negotiations for EU accession on Sep. 3, Turkey has agreed to make necessary changes in its legal system, but journalists are still brought before a military court. Following the Military High Court decision that the case "could not be seen in a civilian court", Abdurrahman Dilipak and three other journalists from the Islamist magazine "Cuma"are being tried at the 3rd Circuit of Hasdal Corps Military Court. The writers are being charged with "undermining the military chain of command."
RTUK: "3 bans "and "fines"
The 9 new members of the Radio and Television Supreme Council, who were nominated by the ruling AKP and main opposition CHP and ratified by the Parliament, imposed lesser punishment on the audio-visual media. RTUK met twice to overview complaints against magazine programs and banned "Kanal D"channel from airing the serial "Ikinci Bahar" for three successive times for over passing the limits of criticism and airing programs against human dignity.
RTUK requested defenses from 8 national television stations, warned 9 and fined 1 for "broadcasting programs with negative effects to child development."
During this period RTUK did not take action against media organizations for "subversion" and "provoking enmity and hate." Only during the first three month period of the year had RTUK given a 30-day suspension of broadcast for such reasons.
During the past three month period RTUK requested 16 explanatory defenses; in contrast to that of 29 in the previous three-month period. The number of warnings issued by the RTUK also declined from 59 to 40 whereas 8 bans were imposed for TV programs.
Kurdish and Laz language banned from local broadcast
Despite the positive response by Erdogan to the Citizens Initiative's criticisms that the "RTUK has with irrelevant excuses prevent Kurdish broadcasting in local media for 7 months," 10 TV channels and radio stations are still awaiting permission to start broadcast in languages other than Turkish.
TRT (state television) has been broadcasting in Bosnian, Kirmanci, Zaza, Arabic and circassian for over a year. Broadcasts in Laz language have not been permitted.
ECHR fines 113 thousand 120 YTL
The lawyer-writer Huseyin Akgun, who exposed threats against
him by the Tunceli Gendarme Commander both at the Tunceli Bar association
and Elazig Human Rights Association, is still being tried.
The European Human Rights Court fined Turkey a total of 8,500 euros
for two claims concerning freedom of speech.
8. - FNA - "Popularity of PJAK worries the Iranian regime":
10 November 2005
The campaign 'Abdullah Ocalan is my political volition' started by the Kurdish resistance movement PJAK has attracted tens of thousands of signatures by Kurds in Urmiye, Kermanshah, Meriwan, Selmas, Mahabad and many other cities. The popularity of the campaign and the organization who carries it out has worried the Iranian regime. The regime is now threatening to brand anybody who signs the petition as PJAK members and punish them as such.
In a bid to stop the spreading sympathy for PJAK, the Iranian soldiers are forcing families of guerrillas joining the PJAK to sign papers saying that PJAK has kidnapped their children. They are also claiming that PJAK is by force demanding people to sign the campaign petition.
'KONGRA-GEL is the main threat in Kurdistan'
The Iranian regime branded Kurdistan's People's Congress (KONGRA-GEL) and its member organization PJAK, as the main threat to the regime in eastern Kurdistan (northwestern Iran). Iranian state officials called out to regime-friendly Kurdish clans in the city of Mahabad to send their sons to join the 'Besic' (Islamic Fedayeen) forces to fight the PJAK guerrillas. The Kurdish satellite channel 'ROJ TV' was singled out as the main media threat.
'PJAK youth demonstrated in Dêwander'
About 100 youth activists from PJAK carried out a demonstration in the city of Dêwander on November 7 giving out thousands of leaflets, CDs and photos of the Kurdish national leader Abdullah Ocalan. The PJAK activists were also asking the citizens to not join the 'Besic' forces set up by the Iranian regime to crack down on dissident and resistance movements such as the Kurdish PJAK.
'290 protests in Iran in October'
290 protests were carried out by different ethnic groups
in Iran in October. 51 of them occurred in Kurdistan, the majority carried
out by PJAK activists. 458 political activists were arrested by the
Iranian regime.