Freedom struggles

Former co-chair of the closed pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) Ahmet Türk was attacked after a court hearing in Samsun yesterday (12 April). Türk had come to the city on the coast of the Black Sea for a trial regarding the death of two people in the Bulanık district of the province of Muş in south-eastern Turkey. Four people were injured in the same incident. Türk had answered the journalists' questions after the hearing and was about to enter his car when a person called İsmail...Read Full Story

Open Letter to British Leaders on the Prison Sentence of Leyla Zana Peace in Kurdistan is this week sending a letter to Gordon Brown, and to David Cameron and Nick Clegg asking them to request the Turkish Prime Minister and his Minister of Justice to revoke the unjust sentence of imprisonment – in violation of international laws and standards – passed on the Kurdish politician and human rights activist, Leyla Zana. Leyla Zana, a winner of the Sakharov Peace Prize and several times nominated...Read Full Story

Sebahat Tuncel: " The Democratic Opening opened the road to prison for the Kurds" Sebahat Tuncel, a Member of Parliament representing Istanbul in the Turkish Grand National Assembly, asserts that “if you have a criticism of the system you’re smeared either as a separatist or terrorist” Interview with Necmiye Alpay of Radikal newspaper, 01 February 2010 Translated from Turkish by Jake Hess ( jakerhess@gmail.com ) / Original text available at www.radikal.com.tr Member of Parliament Sebahat...Read Full Story

I have been sent the petition below, it is based on a number of articles which first appeared in the Turkish press and in the UK Guardian here.   They reported the 8 year jail sentence, originally 15 years, for engaging in political activities, which was handed down by a court in  Diyarbakir, Turkey ,  on a young Kurdish girl aged 15.  The petition can be found here. Please sign and pass on.   MH ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To:  Turkish Justice...Read Full Story

Öcalan reality once again comes to agenda Former leader of the now-defunct Democratic Society Party (DTP) Ahmet Türk announced during a press conference on Friday that former DTP deputies would continue to serve, contrary to earlier statements that the 19 remaining ex-DTP deputies would resign in protest of the Constitutional Court’s decision to shut down their party. The rationale behind the DTP deputies’ decision to stay in Parliament was made public by Türk at the same press conference...Read Full Story