Kurdish News #20 - September 1995

[kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu]

From: kcc at magi.com (Kurdistan Committee of Canada)

Kurdish News
A Monthly Publication Of The Kurdistan Committee Of Canada        
Number 20 - September  1995

Index:

1) Hungerstrike Of 10,000 Kurdish Prisoners Successfully
   Concluded
2) Constitutional Reform? A Charade!
3) Press Release From The Headquarters Of The ARGK
4) ARGK July Balance: "Consolidating Our Positions"
5) Guerrilla Struggle Spreads To Mediterranean And Taurus
6) "All Of Turkey Has Become One Big Prison"
7) Kurdistan Parliament In Exile Prepares For National Congress
8) Release Necmiye Arslanoglu!!

1) Hungerstrike Of 10,000 Kurdish Prisoners Successfully
Concluded

    The hungerstrike launched by 10,000 Kurdish prisoners in
Turkish jails on July 14, 1995 was concluded on August 20 having
achieved significant worldwide interest.
    The hungerstrike, which lasted for more than one month,
commemorated once again the resistance of Hayri Durmus, Kemal
Pir, Ali Cicek, and Akif Yilmaz, who made the supreme sacrifice,
and their comrades who launched a hungerstrike on July 14, 1982
against Turkey's policy of denial of Kurdish identity and its
savage repression.
    The hungerstrike lasted for 35 days and was supported by
hungerstrikes in HADEP and other offices all over Turkey, and by
solidarity hungerstrikes by Kurdish people all over Europe, the
Middle East, North America, and Australia.
    Amongst the hungerstrikers' demands were that the Turkish
army end its dirty war in Kurdistan and comply with the Geneva
Conventions. Relatives of the prisoners and  democrats in Turkey
and Kurdistan and in diaspora united around these demands.    
During the hungerstrike, 4 people died: Fesih Beyazcicek, Gulnaz
Baghistani, Remzi Altintas, and Latife Kaya. Our hungerstrike and
its martyrs will go down in history as a great resistance. The
determination of the Kurdish people and their refusal to be cowed
by police attacks has demonstrated the Kurdish people's devotion
and belief in freedom.
    The hostile attitude of the German police to the Kurdish
hungerstrikers has exposed German-Turkish collaboration in the
war against the Kurdish people. But the repressive attitude of
the police only served to make the Kurdish people offer more
solidarity to the hungerstrikers.
    Following the successful resolution of the hungerstrike, we
would like to thank our people, all friends of the Kurdish
people, and all organizations and individuals who showed
solidarity with the hungerstrike.

Solidarity Bureau - Brussels
August 20, 1995

2) Constitutional Reform? A Charade!

    The change of a few points of the Turkish Constitution has
been celebrated for several days now in the Turkish media as a
major victory for democratization and sold as such to the world
public opinion. They are making it seem as though a new
Constitution had been drafted, as though all bans had been
lifted, as if all problems had been solved. In reality, only the
first few sections of Articles 12 and 177 and some of
Transitional Articles 16 and 17 have been affected. In other
words, only a small part of the Constitution drafted by the
September 12 junta has been changed. The core of the military
junta's Constitution remains untouched, it has just been given a
minor facade.
    The biggest impediment to democracy in Turkey is the Kurdish
question. As long as no humane and just solution to this problem
is found, democratization in Turkey will be impossible. The most
important aspect of the Turkish Constitution is its denial of the
existence of the Kurds and the ban on all forms of Kurdish
expression. This Constitution is racist, militarist, repressive,
blind, and destructive. The changes recently made to the
Constitution did not affect any of these aspects, in fact the
changes made in the introductory paragraphs pushed this even more
to the forefront.
    Not a single problematic Article was changed. The
unimpeachable nature of the September 12 junta is proclaimed.
Social and political life is buried under soldiers' boots.
Thought is made a crime, and there are more than 15,000 people in
prison for political reasons. The Kurdish reality is denied,
contradicted, destroyed. The destruction of villages, contra-
guerrilla attacks, murders by "unknown persons" (organized by the
state), bombardments and war in Kurdistan, all of the shedding of
blood continues unabated.
    The problems in Turkey cannot be solved by increasing the
number of MPs in Parliament from 450 to 550, nor by lowering the
voting age to 18, nor by granting MPs the right to switch parties
after their election, nor by granting civil servants the right to
organize in a union and engage in collective bargaining, but
without granting them the right to strike, nor by allowing
members of high school corps to join political parties, nor by
giving the right to vote to Turkish citizens living abroad, nor
by giving youth and women's groups the right to organize from
within political parties.
    These are not the Articles which form the basis of the
problems which have led to bloodshed and which are the causes of
the war, which have caused tens of thousands of people to be
tortured, which have sent people to jail for voicing opinions,
which have plunged the country into chaos.
    The changes made to the Constitution are a charade which only
serve to hide reality. They are not a sign of good will, but
rather of the desire to conceal the truth. This is not
democratization, rather quite the contrary, this is a new means
of hiding their anti-democratic methods.
    These changes to the Constitution do not serve the cause of
peace, rather they will just prolong the dirty war and the
genocide.
    Our people don't want deception, they desire true democracy.
Our people don't want war, rather they desire peace and a truly
democratic Constitution. They are sick of empty promises. Sooner
or later, our people will realize their desire for true
democracy, peace, and understanding between peoples.

Kurdistan Parliament in Exile
July 27, 1995

3) Press Release From The Headquarters Of The ARGK

The following is a statement from the headquarters of the
People's Liberation Army of Kurdistan (ARGK) from August 26, 1995
concerning the recent clashes in South Kurdistan between armed
units of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the Kurdistan
Democratic Party (KDP):

    Right now, Kurdistan is at the most crucial phase of its
history. This turning point in history will fundamentally alter
the fate of our people. National and international conditions
offer a perfect opportunity for our people to win their freedom.
The power and dominance of the exploiter states over Kurdistan is
breaking down. The political collaboration and cooperation of the
exploiter states in Kurdistan is coming to an end. The liberation
struggle under the leadership of the PKK in North-West Kurdistan
is handing heavy defeats to the fascist Turkish state, which
follows policies of massive human rights violations. At the same
time, the PKK is uniting and strengthening Kurdish liberation
movements in other regions. This struggle, which has already
theoretically abolished artificial borders, has brought the North
and South of our country together. The Turkish government never
recognized these borders anyway. This has allowed it to export
its dirty war of destruction to South Kurdistan, and it has even
organized its village guard system there. The feudal KDP, which
has become a lackey of the Turkish state, is being utilized to
destroy the liberation struggle of our people. This traitorous,
collaborationist gang, which carries out the orders of the
Turkish Republic, seems be to continuing its traitorous
activities despite all of our warnings. They are opposing the
liberation struggle and using methods which are against the
people. In order to prevent this foul and traitorous gang of
collaborators from being successful, our people's liberation
fighters launched a major operation on August 26 against these
traitorous and collaborationist forces. The primary goal of this
operation is to facilitate a democratic federation in South
Kurdistan, and at the same time this operation has seen the
formation of the 1st Storm Brigade of the ARGK. On the first day
of the operation, 21 military targets and 4 other KDP positions
were attacked. 18 of these military posts are now either in our
control, burned, or destroyed. In the area around Zaho, a radar
station used by the KDP for radio and TV transmissions was
destroyed.
    During these actions, 2 leading officers and 62 members of
the collaborator gang were taken prisoner. One of those arrested,
who was also a judge, was set free because of his old age. 10
vehicles belonging to the collaborators were completely
destroyed. Also on the first day, the following equipment was
confiscated from the captured positions: 2 anti-aircraft guns and
4 full boxes of ammunition, 1 fully automatic rifle (A4), 1 BKC
with 600 rounds of ammunition, 64 infantry Kalschnikovs, and 4
rockets. In addition to this, our forces confiscated: 110 clips
and 3,620 rounds of ammunition, 43 pistols, 3 Bruno guns, 1
mortar launcher with 35 shells and 40 other mortar shells, 2 B7
rocket launchers with 8 rockets, 19 hand grenades, 4 smoke
grenades, 4 large walkie-talkie radios and 2 smaller ones, 1
telephone, 2 sets of binoculars, 3 bayonettes, 1 generator, 2
batteries, 6 radios, 1 cassette player, 2 TVs, and 1 VCR. Our
operation against the collaborators will spread as the cause is
taken up by the people. On the first day of this operation, 4 of
our fighters were killed and 2 were wounded.
    If the KDP wants these attacks to end and wishes an agreement
to be reached, then they must support the people's struggle for a
democratic federation, they must take the PKK more seriously, and
they must, before all else, cease their cooperation with the
Turkish government. They must distance themselves from the
oppression of the civilian population and attacks on patriotic
forces, they must end their two-faced deal with external forces,
and they must take their place alongside the patriotic people.
This is the only way they can escape the anger of our people and
avoid their destruction.

People's Liberation Army of Kurdistan (ARGK)
August 26, 1995

4) ARGK July Balance: "Consolidating Our Positions"

    The attacks by the Turkish military in South Kurdistan in
early July in the region of the Zap and Haci-Beg rivers, which
began with lots of excitement, ended as a total fiasco for the
Turkish forces and allowed us to consolidate our positions. In
the second half of July, both our guerrilla actions as well as
mass actions increased, causing the colonialist-fascist Turkish
Republic to cry for even more help from their imperialist
masters. This showed that plans are in the making to increase
their cooperation. The imperialists states, in particular the USA
and Germany, aren't content with just supporting the cruel
Turkish regime, rather they have increased their attacks on
Kurdish people living there who support the liberation struggle
and they are once again organizing the Kurdish collaborators so
as to attack the PKK and the revolution in Kurdistan. Various
collaborationist forces, particularly the KDP, are bending over
backwards to please the imperialists and are doing everything
they can to halt the march of the Kurdish people towards
revolutionary-democratic people's power.
    From July 1-31, the war was waged in all regions of
Kurdistan. There were a total of 482 confrontations between our
guerrilla units and the army of the Turkish Republic (TR). Among
these, there were 132 ambushes, 63 battles, 52 attacks, and 9
roadblocks. We know full or partial casualty figures for 273 of
these confrontations, but the totals for the other 209
engagements are unknown.
    During the 273 confrontations for which the casualty figures
are known, 990 TR forces were killed, including 14 officers, 8
captains, 8 special forces, and 960 soldiers. A similar number
were wounded, including 7 officers. There were also 9 policemen,
7 agents and contra-guerrillas, and 166 village guards, including
2 village guard leaders, killed. Therefore, the total number of
confirmed enemy casualties for July totals 1,172. Another 65
village guards, including 1 village guard leader, were wounded in
the fighting.
    In July, we took 58 members of the enemy forces as prisoners,
including 2 soldiers, 2 watchmen, 13 agents and contra-
guerrillas, 1 official, 1 village guard leader, and 39 village
guards.
    In July, we entered 6 city centres and carried out actions.
We destroyed 3 military stations, 1 hotel used as a military
headquarters by the TR, 1 officers' quarters, and 1 state-owned
water and power office, and we forced 2 brigades of the TR army
to evacuate their bases. During the month, we also destroyed 8
tanks, 22 military vehicles, 1 MIT secret police vehicle, 28
vehicles belonging to village guards, agents, or contra-
guerrillas, 3 state-owned TV stations, 1 radar station, and 4
power sub-stations. We also damaged 3 helicopters, 12 tanks, 18
military vehicles, and 1 stretch of railroad tracks.
    In July, we confiscated the following military equipment from
the enemy: 1 heavy machine gun, 20 automatic weapons, 130
infantry weapons, 4 precision rifles with scopes, 383 magazines,
21,980 rounds of ammunition of various calibre, 57 rockets, 4
flame throwers, 35 mines, 1 mine detector, and 8 radios.
    During the last month, the TR carried out 39 aerial
bombardments and 64 operations. All over Kurdistan, vast tracts
of forests were burned and 25 villages were depopulated,
including 13 in South Kurdistan. The Turkish army murdered 26
farmers, 8 in North Kurdistan and 18 in the South.
    In July, 111 of our guerrilla fighters and 4 of our militia
forces were martyred. Another 48 were wounded, and 3 were injured
and captured by the enemy.

People's Liberation Army of Kurdistan (ARGK)
August 2, 1995

5) Guerrilla Struggle Spreads To Mediterranean And Taurus

The People's Liberation Army of Kurdistan (ARGK) commander for
the Mediterranean-Taurus region gave the following statement to
the KURD-A news agency on July 19, 1995:

    As the national liberation struggle in Kurdistan comes closer
to victory step by step, our guerrilla struggle in Turkey
continues to gain strength and to expand. Our guerrilla forces,
which have attacked enemy forces in Kurdistan as part of the 1995
summer offensive, have also begun to trouble the enemy in the
Taurus Mountains and in the Mediterranean region as well. After a
period of preparation, our forces were first stationed in those
regions in 1994. After establishing their positions, they
remained there for the 1994/95 winter season. The enemy, who
first became aware of the presence of our forces in that region
in early 1995, analyzed the Mediterranean-Taurus situation in a
session of the National Security Council and planned direct and
indirect, open and covert measures for defeating our forces
there. They sent thousands of soldiers to the region and hoped to
achieve a victory over us by means of a military operation.
Because they could not achieve such a victory, they built up a
system of contra-guerrillas and village guards in urban centres
such as Cukurova, Hatay, and Adana. But our forces were still
able to carry out actions and to sometimes limit the freedom of
movement of the enemy forces in many areas. In the last six
months, 25 enemy soldiers, village guards, and civilian fascists
have been killed in the region during our actions, and an equal
number have been wounded. The enemy has sought to avenge its
losses on the civilian population by attacking villages,
arresting hundreds of people, and torturing and threatening to
kill people who show sympathy with our struggle. The enemy has
depopulated nearly 100 settlements, so tens of thousands of
people have been affected by this war.
    Despite this, our units have continued to enjoy success in
their activities in city centres and villages. In the last six
months, 2 of our fighters were killed. The Turkish people have
shown a great deal of interest in our struggle, which is led by
the PKK. In the last six months, many Turkish youths have joined
our struggle for freedom and independence and the PKK has
accepted these youths into the ranks of our guerrilla.

ARGK Mediterranean-Taurus Regional Commander

6) "All Of Turkey Has Become One Big Prison"

Interview With The Head Of The IHD Office In Istanbul

On July 6, Canan of Kurdistan Rundbrief spoke in Istanbul with
Ercan Kaner, the head of Human Rights Association (IHD) office in
that city. Kaner spoke about the work of the IHD, the arrest of
IHD lawyer Eren Keskin, political persecution in Turkey,
government propaganda about the so-called "democratization
steps", and the deportation of refugees back to Turkey. Below are
excerpts from this discussion:

After her conviction, Eren Keskin is now in prison. Could you
tell us more about this?

    Eren Keskin was a lawyer by profession and she was the
coordinator of our Istanbul branch. She was both a friend as well
as a colleague. She was on the board of directors for four years
and was deputy head for two years. Eren Keskin's motivations for
her work both at her office as well as with the IHD was her
concern for human rights. She worked for equal rights and freedom
for people. She worked for us for free. The Turkish state
"rewarded" her for this pro bono work by tossing her in jail. But
I don't think that this punishment will deter her. Even though
Eren Keskin has never held a weapon in her hands, never used
violence, and only ever acted on a democratic basis for equal
rights and freedom in her quest for human rights, she was
sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison because of an article she
wrote in the [now banned] newspaper Ozgur Gundem. She will stay
in prison for at least 22 months. She has already been in prison
for one month now. This is an unjust and racist punishment.    
But there are still other trials continuing against her right
now. It's possible that she could be imprisoned for several more
years if Article 8 is not repealed and if Turkey does not start
taking the path towards democracy. Just like all the other people
who have been punished for their beliefs, Eren Keskin and the IHD
have made this problem an issue through their activities.
Recently we held a protest outside the prison and handed out
press releases, even though the police tried to stop us.
    The IHD will soon start a campaign, not just for Eren Keskin,
but for all prisoners sentenced under these laws which restrict
freedom of thought. Of course, it's not just the IHD that
supports her, rather all people who believe in human rights and
who support the prisoners do. Eren Keskin is aware of the support
she has.
    It's important to see all of this in the larger context as
well: Today, it's not just the prisoners who are in jail, rather
all of Turkey has become one huge prison. At present, more than
5,000 people have been charged because of their opinions. If
these laws are not repealed, all of these people will most likely
end up in prison. In order to tackle this problem at its roots,
all democrats who until now have kept their opinions to
themselves must be mobilized to demand the repeal of these unjust
laws.

Are you hopeful that Article 8 will be changed or repealed?  

    No, actually I'm not. Back when the present coalition
government was formed in 1991/92, we knew they would only present
the veneer of democracy. We tried to make people aware of the
existence of protocols which have not been made public. By
presenting the veneer of democratization, they are trying to win
membership in the European Union (EU), or at the very least win a
customs union with the European Community. They are trying to
make the international public believe that changes are taking
place. But they are hiding the fact that laws concerning freedom
of expression have not been abolished, rather they have just been
changed into new laws. And this they call democratization. But
they can't even manage this, because the parliament is comprised
of so many chauvinistic, reactionary, and anti-democratic forces
that they can't even make cosmetic changes. They want to govern
like a war parliament.

What are the problems faced by the IHD in Diyarbakir and the
offices in other cities?

    Since the founding of the Human Rights Association and the
establishment of a few offices, we have been under intense
pressure. When we add up all the trials against the head office
and all of the local offices, we easily surpass one hundred. For
example, right now there are 20 trials against IHD Istanbul, 3
against the head office, 10 against IHD Diyarbakir, and 10
against other offices. So far, 12 of our leading members have
been murdered, including the heads of some of the local offices.  
    The office which suffers the most repression is the branch in
Diyarbakir. Before they could put together delegations and travel
out to the surrounding villages. Today they can longer visit any
villages. The heads of the office were threatened [by the state]
and they were told to leave the area or they would be murdered. 

Today, more and more Kurds are being deported back to Turkey. Can
you tell us something about what happens to these people?

    The policies of Germany's federal and state governments are
well known to us. In order to avoid public criticism, they have
made certain offers to the IHD. We don't want any Kurds to be
deported, but the German government decided against our wishes.
The CDU [conservative party] has decided to carry out the
deportations, so negotiations started with the Turkish government
to get them to agree to certain conditions. A protocol was
signed. The state governments bowed down to this federal
decision, but they asked us, the IHD, for help because they were
concerned about the fate of Kurds being deported back to Turkey.
They wanted to sign an agreement with us. We told each of the
state governments in Germany - albeit North Rhein-Westphalia,
Baden-Wurtemburg, or Berlin - that international human rights
standards did not apply in Turkey, so it's clear that deported
Kurds cannot expect to receive humane treatment. We condemn the
protocol which was signed with Turkey, because it is a violation
of human rights, the Geneva Accords on refugees, and all
international human rights agreements. That's why we refused to
cooperate with that process.
    We assured them of the following: The IHD would, as with any
case, investigate matters brought to its attention, but we will
not sign a protocol with any state or parliament. If friends or
relatives of persecuted persons contact us, we will deal with the
matter. But we will not pat the German government on the back
when it comes to human rights. We reserve the right to criticize
them. You cannot trust the word of the Turkish government.  

7) Kurdistan Parliament In Exile Prepares For National Congress  

The President of the Kurdistan Parliament in Exile, Yasar Kaya,
issued a statement on August 1 detailing the results of the
Second Session of the Kurdistan Parliament in Exile:

    The Kurdistan Parliament in Exile carried out its Second
Session from July 30-August 1, 1995. All relevant issues were
discussed, and the following decisions were made:

- The Newroz festival on March 21 will not only be an official
national holiday in Kurdistan but also outside Kurdistan as well.
This law, as well as changes to Articles 2 and 8 of the
Parliament's founding statues, was passed.

- The emblem of the Kurdistan Parliament in Exile was decided
upon and agreed to. The General Secretariat and the Executive
Council of the Parliament took up and passed the organizational
law.

- On the theme of national unity, which was a general discussion,
a National Congress shall be convened and work shall begin on
establishing a National Parliament. In line with this, the
Executive Council was empowered to make the necessary
preparations.

- The meeting also discussed the Turkish state's widening war in
Kurdistan, the reason for its continued attacks on the civilian
population, the hungerstrike by more than 10,000 political
prisoners and their demand for a peaceful solution to the Kurdish
problem, and the many activities in support of the hungerstrike
which have taken place in cities all across Turkey and in Europe. 

- Our Parliament recognizes the hungerstrike activities as
democratic and values them as a form of resistance by the Kurdish
people against the Turkish government.

- Our Parliament, since its establishment, has dealt with and
sought solutions to the Kurdistan problem and has taken on a role
of active representation.

- Our assembly took place at a time when the war in North
Kurdistan is intensifying, as the Turkish army seeks to destroy
everything Kurdish by bombarding villages and killing dozens of
people every day, and as more than 10,000 prisoners are on
hungerstrike with our people actively supporting them.

- Our Parliament discussed these matters at this critical phase
and it took decisions so as to play an active role in these
developments.

- Our Parliament will, in future, continue to seek a peaceful and
democratic solution to the Kurdish problem and will strengthen
its work towards this end.

Yasar Kaya
President of the Kurdistan Parliament in Exile
August 1, 1995

8) Release Necmiye Arslanoglu!!

Trial date: October 3, 1995

"The Kurdish women I spoke to seemed more determined than ever,
they feel like they now have nothing to lose."
- Marie Ryan, British journalist, Diyarbakir, August 1995

    Necmiye Arslanoglu, 22, a young Kurdish journalist from
Diyarbakir, is on trial for trying to report on the increasingly
barbaric nature of the atrocities being committed against her
people, the Kurds in southeastern Turkey.
    Thousands of Kurdish villages have been razed in the most
gruesome fashion. Torture, rape, and state-sponsored murder
against journalists, lawyers, trade unionists, and anyone who
dares to speak of the daily increasing repression in Turkey today
are common.
    Rape is used as a systematic weapon against Kurdish women.
Truncheons and other objects are routinely used in this dirty
war, which has gone beyond the boundaries of conventional
warfare. Yet, shamefully, the silence continues.
    Necmiye, in a letter to a friend in London, says: "The dirty
war continues to take the lives of innocent people every day, and
we only want to announce this to the public. As journalists,
there is nothing else we can do. I can't stop this blood from
flowing. Believe me, I am very unhappy about all of this."    
Necmiye is painfully frank about the consequences of trying to
report the truth: "Death is an inevitable end, death cannot be
avoided, but to die having been successful and having done
something for humanity is the best way to die, isn't it?"
    Necmiye was first arrested in November 1993 while visiting a
burnt down Kurdish village with a British trade union delegation
and has been detained four times since, severely tortured on each
occasion. Yet when released she defiantly goes back to work,
refusing to be intimidated by the military. She has been charged
with being a member of an illegal organization and with the
dissemination of separatist propaganda. Under prolonged torture,
she signed a confession which she later retracted. She denies
both charges.
    A delegation supported by the National Union of Journalists
(NUJ) observed her last hearing on August 15, 1995. It was
adjourned until October 3, 1995.
    Article 19, the Committee for the Protection of Journalists,
and the NUJ have all sent letters of protest demanding the
release of Necmiye.

YOU CAN HELP: Please send a fax or letter to Prime Minister Tansu
Ciller asking that her government release Necmiye Arslanoglu and
allow her to continue her work. Please do it today!! Necmiye is
back in court on October 3, 1995 in Diyarbakir Security Court.  
Send letters to:

Ms. Tansu Ciller
Office of the Prime Minister
Basbakanlik
06573 Ankara
Turkey
fax:+90.312.417.0476

For further information, please contact:

Action for Kurdish Women
tel: +44.171.250.1315
fax: +44.171.250.1317

In Canada, send letters of protest to:

Embassy of Turkey
197 Wurtemburg Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K2P 0J9
fax: (613) 789-3442

Kurdish News is published by:

Kurdistan Committee of Canada
2487 Kaladar Ave. Suite 203
Ottawa, Ontario, K1V 8B9

tel: (613) 733-9634
fax: (613) 733-0090
email: kcc at magi.com
http://infoweb.magi.com/~kcc