Gaza – Ma'an – There have been 120 rounds of prisoner swap talks, and Israel has thwarted them all, Hamas leader Mahmoud Az-Zahhar said in a Tuesday address.
Nations like Egypt and Germany have stepped in and brokered deals, the Hamas leader said, adding that "Israel has consistently refused to pay the price of the deal," and aborted a swap that would see captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit freed.
Speaking in a meeting at the central Gaza refugee camp in An-Nusseriat, Az-Zahhar reiterated statements he made on Monday, following the release of an animated film of Gilad Shalit: "We do not kill our captives," Az-Zahhar told camp residents, echoing statements made earlier saying the video did not represent Hamas party policy. The talks failed not because factions in Gaza want to harm the soldiers, Az-Zahhar said, but because Israeli officials repeatedly refuse to agree to the core principals of the factions' demands.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Actually...We do not think the installation of the Iranian regime or 1991 was "a mistake"..
Kissinger is of German-Jewish background. Kissinger grew up in Furth, Germany; the disturbing rise of Hitler and his family's status as Jewish-German refugees in New York City; his return to occupied Germany as an American soldier in World War II; his Harvard-educated rise to international prominence as a Cold War strategist; and his foreign policy...etc...http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674032521
Americans who voted for the change promised by Barack Obama would probably have been disturbed to see Henry Kissinger, an 85-year-old "warhorse" from the Nixon administration and the Vietnam War era meeting with the leaders of Russia during an "informal" summit on March 19-20. Kissinger's meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was actually his third meeting, at least, since Medvedev was elected and his second since Obama was elected.
Jim Jones, Obama's National Security Adviser, spoke in Munich's Hotel Bayerischer Hof on February 8, 2009: Thank you for that wonderful tribute to Henry Kissinger yesterday. Congratulations. As the most recent National Security Advisor of the United States, I take my daily orders from Dr. Kissinger, filtered down through General Brent Scowcroft and Sandy Berger, who is also here. We have a chain of command in the National Security Council that exists today. Jim Jones, Obama's National Security Adviser, said that he takes his daily orders from Dr. Henry Kissinger.
This is how the Chicago Tribune and its sister paper the Los Angeles Times explained Kissinger's recent visit to Moscow: To "reset" relations with Russia, an old diplomatic warhorse is back on the path. Henry Kissinger, the architect of Cold War detente with the Soviet Union, met informally with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to try to smooth over a new generation of animosities between the countries.
Some say Kissinger is very close to Maurice "Hank" Greenberg the former head of A.I.G., the corrupt insurance company which has funneled a large part of the incredible amount of $180 billion received from the U.S. government to private banks such as Goldman Sachs. Kissinger became chairman of A.I.G.'s International Advisory Board in 1987.
Henry Kissinger and the Kurds
PNA -It is amazing how Henry Kissinger has been able to retain his aura of invincible genius in international relations, continuing to counsel presidents, foreign governments and major global businesses, while occasionally writing lofty Op Ed pieces advising the U.S. on what it should or should not be doing next.
This mind you, despite Kissinger"s own history of monumental cynicism and duplicity when he was guiding foreign policy for President"s Nixon and Ford. Indeed, it"s a tribute to the ability of mainstream American media to forgive and forget.
The latest example is an Op Ed piece Kissinger just wrote for the New York Times warning American leaders that they are no longer giving Iraq the attention it deserves. The fact is, however, when Kissinger was in charge of U.S. policy for Iraq, the results for its people, particularly the Kurds, were disastrous.
Over the decades, the Kurds quixotic struggle for some form of independence doomed them to a seemingly endless cycle of rebellion followed by incredibly vicious repression. Those uprisings were usually encouraged by enemies of Iraq"s rulers who made use of the Kurds to destabilize the regime in Baghdad. It was a ruthless, deceitful process, which resulted in hundreds of thousands of Kurds being slaughtered and displaced over the years. And it was an ideal playing field for Kissinger.
For years, the Shah of Iran had been secretly supporting the Iraqi Kurds to put pressure on Baghdad. So were the Israelis, who hoped to distract Iraq"s increasingly virulent leader from joining an Arab attack on the Jewish state. In 1972, Henry Kissinger and Richard Nixon, motivated by fear that Iraq was becoming too cozy with the Soviet Union, agreed to a request from the Shah to help back the Kurds.
For the sake of deniability, the U.S. supplied the Kurds with Soviet arms seized in Vietnam, while Israel provided Soviet weapons that it had captured from the Arabs. According to the Washington Post"s Jon Randal, the clandestine operation was kept secret even from the U.S. State Department, which had argued against any such support. The Kurd"s news friends, however, did not want their protégées to win their struggle. An independent Kurdish state would be much too disruptive for the region, they felt. Their support was carefully doled out—enough to keep the revolt going, but not enough to take it to victory.
The Kurdish leader, Mustafa Barzani, was hard-headed enough to understand his people were being used by Iran, but not worldly enough to comprehend that his American backers could be equally duplicitous. “We do not trust the Shah,” Barzani told reporter Randal in 1973. “I trust America. America is too great a power to betray a small people like the Kurds.”
It was to be a fatal error of judgment. In 1975 the Shah and the leaders of Iraq abruptly agreed to settle their disputes and signed a treaty of friendship. A key part of the agreement was that Iran would immediately cease its support of the Iraqi Kurds. Overnight, Iranian army units that had been supporting the Kurds—with artillery, missiles, ammunition, and even food—retreated across the border into Iran. The U.S. and the Israelis similarly called a sudden halt to their support. At the same time, Iraqi troops began a massive offensive against the hapless Kurds.
Thus, without any warning, the Kurds were abandoned; not just their fighting men, the pesh merga, but their villages, wives, and children, were exposed to a ferocious Iraqi onslaught. Barzani sent a desperate plea to Kissinger for aid. “Our movement and people are being destroyed in an unbelievable way with silence from everyone. We feel, Your Excellency,that the United States has a moral and political responsibility towards our people, who have committed themselves to your country"s policy. Mr. Secretary, we are anxiously awaiting your quick response.”
Twelve days later, a U.S. diplomat in Tehran cabled CIA director William Colby, noting that Kissinger had not replied and warning that if Washington ”intends to take steps to avert a massacre it must intercede with Iran promptly.”
Meanwhile, a quarter of a million Kurds fled for their lives to Iran. Turkey closed its borders to thousands of others seeking refuge. Many of the militants left behind—especially students and teachers—were rounded up by the Iraqi, imprisoned, tortured, and executed. Some 1,500 villages were dynamited and bulldozed.
Over the following weeks and months, as the killing continued, Barzani issued more desperate appeals to the CIA, to President Gerald Ford, to Henry Kissinger. No one answered. Kissinger not only refused to intervene but also turned down repeated Kurdish requests for humanitarian aid for their thousands of refugees.
This duplicity of American officials might never have surfaced but for an investigation in 1975 by the U.S. Congress"s Select Committee on Intelligence headed by New York Democrat Otis Pike. The Pike report concluded that for Tehran and Washington the Kurds were never more than “a card to play.” A uniquely useful tool for weakening Iraq"s “potential for international adventurism.” From the beginning said the report, “The President, Dr. Kissinger, and the Shah hoped that our clients [Barzani"s Kurds] would not prevail.” The Kurds were encouraged to fight solely in order to undermine Iraq. “Even in the context of covert operations, ours was a cynical enterprise.”
The report"s damning conclusions continued: Had the U.S. not encouraged the Kurds to go along with the Shah and renew hostilities with Iraq, “the Kurds might have reached an accommodation with [Iraq"s] central government, thus gaining at least a measure of autonomy while avoiding further bloodshed. Instead the Kurds fought on, sustaining thousands of casualties and 200,000 refugees.”
One of the officials who testified before the committee in secret session was Henry Kissinger. When questioned by an appalled congressman about the U.S."s decision to abandon the Kurds to their bloody fate, Kissinger chided the committee, “One should not confused undercover action with social work.”
Crimes against peace, humanity, genocide, extermination, wanton destruction..And a whole LOT simultaneously
At the same time the U.S. politicians with the Jewish administration, the Israeli leaders together with the regime in Iran which kills Kurds at the border simultaneously with the Turkish state, U.S. and Jewish leaders have stationed U.S. and Iraqi troops on the border to build fences, creating police stations, Stations and mobile units concentrated in border areas and in the regions with a whole LOT extrajudicial killings. At the same time Turkish and Iranian military bombs villages, live stocks, kill Kurds, inflicting on the Kurdish people´s conditions of life, destabilized Iraq with militants coming into Iraq from Syria AT THE SAME TIME...
Wake-up call for the international community
April 28, 2010 by sks, We reported that on 16th April 2010, Hediya Eli Yusef, an activist in the ‘Sittar’ Women’s Federation. was arrested with others in Hasse village http://supportkurds.org/news/activist-from-sittar-womens-federation-arrested-in-syria. This was the same time and place as the other report of intelligence security forces storming mourners in Hassei village
http://supportkurds.org/news/mourners-attacked-by-security-forces-in-syria
Some of those who were arrested are injured.
A women tried to help one of the young people who had been wounded by the security forces, but she was beaten on the head by the security forces. Her nose and her rib were also broken. Mohamed Ibrahim Sheikh Khalil was shot in his stomach. The houses locally were raided to intimidate the local people.
International Support Kurds in Syria Association – SKS wishes to bring this incident to the attention of the European Union, United Nations and UK Government. We reported the shooting in al-Raqqa on 21 March 2010 where one person (originally thought to be three people) was killed by security forces who fired randomly into the crowd, injuring many and arresting over a hundred of those present. There was a lot of secrecy by the authorities following the incident that made it difficult to access accurate information. The events at Hassei village are a repetition of this tactic by the authorities for the second time in a month.
SKS is very concerned that the authorities are deliberately setting out to use live bullets, weapons, open assault and intimidation in a flagrant abuse of their power against the Kurdish people at this time, under the rules of the ‘State of Emergency’ and ‘martial law’ which are said to exist because of a threat from Israel:
The Syrian Arab Republic, which is a founder member of the United Nations, has been subjected by Israel to the actual threat of war since 1948. Sometimes, this threat has reached the stage of an attack against Syrian territory, airspace and territorial waters. (Report of the Syrian Arab Republic to UN Committee against Torture 2009, para 111, accessed at: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cat/cats44.htm).
The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office [FCO] Human Rights report published in March 2010 makes reference in the introduction to:
… arbitrary arrests, intimidation, torture, travel bans, lack of freedom of expression, and lack of respect for the rights of the Kurdish minority….’
The FCO also draws particular attention to the abusive and deteriorating situation for the Kurdish population as a whole: The Foreign Secretary has publicly reiterated the UK’s concerns in Parliament, making clear that “the UK is particularly concerned with the deterioration in the situation for opposition politicians and Syria’s Kurdish population, and the restrictions of basic civil rights and freedom of the media”.
The UN Committee is currently considering Syria’s adherence to the Convention against Torture and significant reports have been submitted as evidence that in Syria, inhuman and degrading treatment, and torture is used against the Kurds.
We suggest that the Syrian authorities are growing in confidence in using these measures against the Kurds because they have no respect for their life, whilst at the same time the international community is planning tourism and business plans with the Syrian Government, because they see Syria as being a lucrative part of the global economy, and a valuable player in finding a solution to the Middle East ‘problem’.
Kurds are the largest minority ethnic group in Syria, there being an estimated 3 million of us. We feel as though we are a pawn in everyone else’s game rather than as a people who have rights as identified in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We need your support.
We at SKS ask the European Union, United Nations and UK Government what action will be taken in response to the Syrian Government’s continuing and increasing abuse of Kurds.
"Simultaneously "war against terrorism"..
TURKEY: 7 Managers of BDP and Teacher Trade Union are under custody. (DIHA) – 7 Managers of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) and Teacher Trade Union (Egitim Sen) were taken under custody following police house raids in Kars. Police from Kars Police Department held the house raids on early morning and detained 7 managers from BDP and Egitim Sen without any information. BDP’s Merkez county branch head Ibrahim Bosnak, other managers Ramazan Erkmen, Erdal Ince, Musa Cakmak ve Nurettin Celendir, closed party Demokracy and Society Party DTP's former city manager Kadir Dag and Egitim Sen former branch chair Tuncer Usar have been taken under custody. Detainees were taken to the Kars Police Department.
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IRAN: April: 25, Iranian Regime Killed Another Kurdish Student. Keywan Guderzi, a Kurdish student who was studying in the University of Eranshar was found dead last week. His dead was mysterious and the traces of tortures found on his body. The family of Mr. Guderzi said that he was murdered. According to the Iranian Human Rights Organisation’s report the dead body of Mr. Guderzi was found at the back of the University’s canteen on 20th April. Keywan Guderzi is a Kurdish student from the city Gillan in the province of the Kermanshah. To protest against the fabricated statement that the University’s president made, the whole students of the University went on a strike and refused to attend their classes for a day.
April 27, Teachers Union Secretary-General and Spokesman Summoned. The Teachers Union secretary-general and spokesman were summoned to the Intelligence Ministry. Ali Akbar Baghani and Mohammad Beheshti Langeroudi were asked by phone to go to the Intelligence Ministry office on Saturday May 1. Recently, the officers of intelligence ministry had also arrested 3 teachers’ rights activists in the city of Hamedan. A number of teachers’ rights activist including Hashem Khastar and Rasoul Bodaghi have been arrested and imprisoned in the past few months.
Farzad Kamangar Kurdish Teacher on Death Row.
In a letter addressed to the Head of the judiciary, Farzad Kamangar, Kurdish teacher & human rights activist on death row asked for a new trail. Even his interrogators know Kamangar is an innocent man. They have even admitted to it in front of his lawyer. Still, 3 years after he was arrested. In a letter written from Evin and addressed to the head of the judiciary, Kamangar has described the details of his long investigation and his 7 minute trial, arguing that the entire process resulting in his guilty verdict has been unlawful. The day before he was arrested in August 2006, Farzad was teaching in his classroom in Kurdistan. “I was arrested in August 2006 whereas the day before my arrest I was a teacher with 12 years of experience and in charge of educating the children of this land”. Kamangar was taken to the Intelligence Ministry’s detention center where he was accused of having ties to Pezhak.
“All along the interrogation sessions in Sanandaj, Kermanshah and Tehran, I was subjected to harsh physical and mental tortures in order to confess to the false charge. I endured the tortures yet never accepted or confessed to the made up charge. Unfortunately the interrogators decided based on their own impressions that there were irrefutable grounds for the charge.”
It took Kamangar 19 months before he appeared before the court. His trial at the 30th branch of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran lasted 7 minutes where he was told by the judge that the Intelligence Ministry had requested a guilty verdict and had asked the court to sentence him to death. Before the hearing, the earlier charge of cooperation with Pezhak had been removed from the indictment, making room for a new made up charge. Kamangar was not allowed to talk with his lawyer during the trial.
“Before the hearing, I was acquitted of all the previous charges and was tried on the new charge of membership, this time, in PKK for which I received a death sentence. At one point during the hearing the judge accused me of conspiring with Farzad Kamangar - (myself).
During the interrogation process 15 months before his trial, Kamangar was told by Intelligence Ministry officials that his execution was meant to send a clear message to the people and political activists. It was also a good will gesture towards a neighboring country. Despite the unlawful investigation process and a trial that lasted 7 minutes, Kamangar’s death sentence ruling was upheld by the appeals Court. Kamangar’s conviction in 2008, spurred popular protests in his home province of Kurdistan.
“After the popular protest to my death sentence ruling in August of 2008, I was put back under interrogation for the next 5 months in ward 209 of Evin”. This time the interrogators had another objective, based on the evidence in the file they knew that Kamangar had never been a member of opposition groups. They wanted Kamangar to ask his family and supporters not to let themselves be exploited by groups which had their own political interests in mind.
But Kamangar did not give up and continued to deny the charges. Even his new interrogator in ward 209 of Evin was shocked to see the contents of his initial file. He told Kamanagar that his treatment during the investigation process had been arbitrary and unlawful and promised to help him with filing a complaint.
Kamngar has wrote to several Majlis MPs asking for their help to reopen the file. 18 months after he started his campaign from Evin Prison and even with the help of some MPs, Kamangar has yet to receive an answer and his case is missing from Justice Department’s files and is no where to be found.
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SYRIA: April 16 - 09, Teachers Forced to Leave Jobs. Government gives no reason why teaching staff are being summarily dispatched to work as paper-pushers in distant locations. The authorities in Syria have forced more than two dozen teachers to leave their posts and take administrative jobs in offices far from their homes.
Between March 1 and April 10, the government instructed 27 teachers and three other school staff members from cities across Syria to change their workplace. The decision was based on a security service order derived from Article 31 of Syria's Labour Law, which allows for the transfer of employees "in the public interest"."No one can explain exactly what 'the public interest' means," said a human rights activist, who asked to remain anonymous. "It's a catch-all expression that is capable of being twisted to suit the government's wishes."He speculated that some of the teachers might have been targeted because they were involved in activism. "The Syrian authorities have a long history of putting pressure on activists by placing their jobs under threat," he said.
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IRAN: April: 25, Iranian Regime Killed Another Kurdish Student. Keywan Guderzi, a Kurdish student who was studying in the University of Eranshar was found dead last week. His dead was mysterious and the traces of tortures found on his body. The family of Mr. Guderzi said that he was murdered. According to the Iranian Human Rights Organisation’s report the dead body of Mr. Guderzi was found at the back of the University’s canteen on 20th April. Keywan Guderzi is a Kurdish student from the city Gillan in the province of the Kermanshah. To protest against the fabricated statement that the University’s president made, the whole students of the University went on a strike and refused to attend their classes for a day.
April 27, Teachers Union Secretary-General and Spokesman Summoned. The Teachers Union secretary-general and spokesman were summoned to the Intelligence Ministry. Ali Akbar Baghani and Mohammad Beheshti Langeroudi were asked by phone to go to the Intelligence Ministry office on Saturday May 1. Recently, the officers of intelligence ministry had also arrested 3 teachers’ rights activists in the city of Hamedan. A number of teachers’ rights activist including Hashem Khastar and Rasoul Bodaghi have been arrested and imprisoned in the past few months.
Farzad Kamangar Kurdish Teacher on Death Row.
In a letter addressed to the Head of the judiciary, Farzad Kamangar, Kurdish teacher & human rights activist on death row asked for a new trail. Even his interrogators know Kamangar is an innocent man. They have even admitted to it in front of his lawyer. Still, 3 years after he was arrested. In a letter written from Evin and addressed to the head of the judiciary, Kamangar has described the details of his long investigation and his 7 minute trial, arguing that the entire process resulting in his guilty verdict has been unlawful. The day before he was arrested in August 2006, Farzad was teaching in his classroom in Kurdistan. “I was arrested in August 2006 whereas the day before my arrest I was a teacher with 12 years of experience and in charge of educating the children of this land”. Kamangar was taken to the Intelligence Ministry’s detention center where he was accused of having ties to Pezhak.
“All along the interrogation sessions in Sanandaj, Kermanshah and Tehran, I was subjected to harsh physical and mental tortures in order to confess to the false charge. I endured the tortures yet never accepted or confessed to the made up charge. Unfortunately the interrogators decided based on their own impressions that there were irrefutable grounds for the charge.”
It took Kamangar 19 months before he appeared before the court. His trial at the 30th branch of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran lasted 7 minutes where he was told by the judge that the Intelligence Ministry had requested a guilty verdict and had asked the court to sentence him to death. Before the hearing, the earlier charge of cooperation with Pezhak had been removed from the indictment, making room for a new made up charge. Kamangar was not allowed to talk with his lawyer during the trial.
“Before the hearing, I was acquitted of all the previous charges and was tried on the new charge of membership, this time, in PKK for which I received a death sentence. At one point during the hearing the judge accused me of conspiring with Farzad Kamangar - (myself).
During the interrogation process 15 months before his trial, Kamangar was told by Intelligence Ministry officials that his execution was meant to send a clear message to the people and political activists. It was also a good will gesture towards a neighboring country. Despite the unlawful investigation process and a trial that lasted 7 minutes, Kamangar’s death sentence ruling was upheld by the appeals Court. Kamangar’s conviction in 2008, spurred popular protests in his home province of Kurdistan.
“After the popular protest to my death sentence ruling in August of 2008, I was put back under interrogation for the next 5 months in ward 209 of Evin”. This time the interrogators had another objective, based on the evidence in the file they knew that Kamangar had never been a member of opposition groups. They wanted Kamangar to ask his family and supporters not to let themselves be exploited by groups which had their own political interests in mind.
But Kamangar did not give up and continued to deny the charges. Even his new interrogator in ward 209 of Evin was shocked to see the contents of his initial file. He told Kamanagar that his treatment during the investigation process had been arbitrary and unlawful and promised to help him with filing a complaint.
Kamngar has wrote to several Majlis MPs asking for their help to reopen the file. 18 months after he started his campaign from Evin Prison and even with the help of some MPs, Kamangar has yet to receive an answer and his case is missing from Justice Department’s files and is no where to be found.
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SYRIA: April 16 - 09, Teachers Forced to Leave Jobs. Government gives no reason why teaching staff are being summarily dispatched to work as paper-pushers in distant locations. The authorities in Syria have forced more than two dozen teachers to leave their posts and take administrative jobs in offices far from their homes.
Between March 1 and April 10, the government instructed 27 teachers and three other school staff members from cities across Syria to change their workplace. The decision was based on a security service order derived from Article 31 of Syria's Labour Law, which allows for the transfer of employees "in the public interest"."No one can explain exactly what 'the public interest' means," said a human rights activist, who asked to remain anonymous. "It's a catch-all expression that is capable of being twisted to suit the government's wishes."He speculated that some of the teachers might have been targeted because they were involved in activism. "The Syrian authorities have a long history of putting pressure on activists by placing their jobs under threat," he said.
In June 2006, 17 public servants lost their positions after signing the "Damascus-Beirut Declaration", a statement which called for the normalisation of relations between Lebanon and Syria. A year later, Ragheda Issa, wife of the prominent lawyer and human rights activist Anwar al-Bunni, was dismissed arbitrarily from her job at the state road transport agency in May 2007 after her husband had been sentenced to five years in prison. Yet the human rights activist pointed out that many of the teachers affected by the order "had no direct ties to the activist community".
IWPR obtained a copy of one of the orders, which contained instruction for transfers without giving any reason or explanation. The document stated simply that the head of the education department had ordered the teachers in question to be transferred to administrative work, "in the public interest".Three of the four teachers forced to leave schools in the north-central city of Al-Raqqa had never engaged in political or social protest, according to one of the teachers, who has served time in prison for advocating greater civil liberties.
"These orders are based on pure speculation," he said. "The security services don't verify information [they obtain] and the Ministry of Education has no power to protect its teachers by contesting these orders." Mustafa Osso, an lawyer who heads the Kurdish Organisation for Democratic Freedoms and Human Rights in Syria, said fewer than half of the 16 Kurdish teachers who were relocated had a background in activism. "They seem to have been suspected of being connected to the Kurdish liberation movement without any evidence," he said. "These orders are nothing less than an attempt to intimidate the Kurdish people of Syria."
Human rights organisations which have been keeping track of the relocation process suggest there is no clear pattern to the timing of the transfers, or the staff affected. The teachers and school employees singled out worked in Al-Raqqa, Al-Hasaka in the northeast and Al-Swaida in the southwest."No one knows why these individuals in particular were targeted," said the human rights activist. "But authorities view the education system as an important way of shaping the thinking of the younger generation. I suspect that the criterion they use is not just whether a teacher is an activist, but also whether he or she is an independent thinker who does not adhere to the regime's ideology."
In Al-Raqqa, one teacher was transferred to a workplace 100 kilometres from where he lives, while a colleague was sent some 130 km from his home. Another teacher was sent about 120 km far from his neighbourhood, while a fourth from Qamishli was transferred about 140 km away from his home.One of the teachers said his daily commute used to take him five minutes, but now he was spending two or three hours a day travelling. "It's a disaster," he said.Osso noted that teachers were struggling to pay the extra travel costs."In some cases, the transferred teachers have to pay up to 43 US dollars a day to get to and from their new workplaces, while their monthly salary is only between 125 and 325 dollars," he said.
The orders have resulted in more than increased travelling costs and wasted time, say teachers. "This feels like exile," said one of the teachers. "I no longer have students to teach. I'm an administrative clerk, which means I sort papers all day rather than do the work that I believe in. "That shows our government doesn't really care about educating our children, otherwise they wouldn't punish honest teachers shortly before the end of term, just as we were about to prepare our students for their primary exams.
" The human rights activist, who asked to remain anonymous, said some teachers have inquired about appealing the transfer orders. "Are we citizens of this country or just visitors with no rights?" asked one of the teachers. "What has happened to us could happen to others, and if we don't stand against these unfair procedures, then no one else will." Yet he said he doubted whether any appeal will be successful. "No judge will override a security service order," he said.
"Systematically and simultaneously "war against terrorism"..
IRAN: Inside Ward 2A of IRGC: The Plight of the Iranian Human Rights Activists". The scenario that the IRGC has scripted for human rights activists is being implemented in full force inside Ward 2A of Evin Prison. The end result of this scenario is nothing we have not seen before. In the sequences seen by the public, the scenario contains the usual clichéd charges of “acting against national security,” “links to foreign powers” and “involvement in fantasy operations run by American and Israeli spy agencies” – spy operations that are only known to the Kayhan editorial board.
In reality, however, what is in the making in Ward 2A of Eving Prison is torture, threats to the families of the arrested activists, denial of access to lawyers, and the isolation of prisoners from the outside world. In its latest scenario, the IRGC has targeted human rights activists. The goal of the operation is to put an end to the activities of the human rights activists, cover up the Islamic Republic’s black track record of human rights, and facilitate future violations of human rights in Iran. After all, Iranian human violators have called 1389 the year of multiplied effort!
Center to Fight Organized Crime which is a subsidiary of the IRGC first came to life in 2004-2005 when Judge Mortazavi and Judge Moghaddas were assigned to cases related to bloggers and internet users.
Since, the Center has repeatedly executed the same scenario to achieve different objectives. The most noticeable example was when in March of 2009 a number of people were arrested and linked to a network called “Mozzelin”. At first sight and from what was announced by the IRGC and the state media, the operation had targeted Porn and anti religious websites. In reality though, the entire operation had been designed to cause public distrust in the Internet through media propaganda and production of TV programs such as the “Shock”.
The Center to Fight Organized Crime is nothing but an organized center for human rights violations and an enemy of freedom of expression. The center achieves its objectives through written scenarios for “committed crimes” and the ensuing charges, which are then implemented in an organized and homogenous way inside Evin Prison.
The center has a recurring cast, like Judge Kian-Manesh (who was a prosecutor in 2004 and is now in charge of human rights activists’ cases), Judge Jafari (who announced on TV, during the Mozzelin case, the news of death sentences for the defendants), and a disreputable IRGC operative called Mousavi. As for its methods, there is one general approach: pressure and torture in Ward 2A, extract false televised confessions, fabricate media cases to start and television propaganda at the end of the operation.
One tactic used by the center that has its roots in the repressive ideology of the IRGC is to threaten and pressure the families of the detainees, as well as to tie its cases to national security matters. This slows the flow of the news to the outside world, makes people think twice, and enforces wariness before the reporting of the related news. This has been a pattern present in all of the cases the center has laid its hands on. As a result, many of the arrests made last month have either not been reported at all or the detainees have been not been heard of since their arrest.
Possible counters to this scenario are public information campaigns and media coverage of the detainees which emphasize the untold sides of the story and their mistreatment. One thing remains obvious: once again, the Intelligence Ministry and IRGC Intelligence are trying to sacrifice a group of people for their malevolent objectives. In order to do so, they are resorting to such old tactics as the announcement of the “annihilation of a cyber network,” subjecting the detainees to inhumane torture techniques and forcing them to take part in coerced confessions and show trials.
The backstage preparations are in the making inside Ward 2A in a harrowing fashion. Nasour Naghipour, Dr. Hesam Firoozi, Mehdi Khodayi, Abdolreza Ahmadi and, above all, Hossein Ronaghi Maleki are under unimaginable pressure by IRGC Intelligence in Evin. According to some leaked reports and the fabricated case published by Kayhan daily, the situation of Hossein Ronaghi Maleki is extremely worrisome; the IRGC interrogators in charge of his case have plans for him. The rest of the detained activists are not faring any better.
Most of the detainees were chosen because they were unknown or lesser known activists. However, the case has been presented to the public as being against known activists and recognized Iranian human rights groups. The underlying objective, evidently, is to sacrifice the unknown or lesser known activists who remain more vulnerable due to their status and relative lack of support and attention. This is a fact that the interrogators and scenario writers are well aware of.
The detained activists remain in Ward 2A under perturbing conditions. The pressure and torture operation is nearing its end – one that has all the signs of a distressing conclusion that will result in heavy sentences. There is a need for all human rights activists to act, and the best way to defeat this operation is a public information campaign. For years, these human rights activists have defended the imprisoned; they now need our help. These advocates are no longer in a position to provide aid. They must be defended.
28.04.2010, (DIHA)- Amnesty International, The International Federation of Journalists, the European Trade Union Confederation, The International Trade Union Confederation, the International Federation for Human Rights and Protection International are urgently calling the Turkish government and the European Union to implement protection policies for human rights defenders, including journalists, trade unionists, LGBT activists, conscientious objectors, all individuals and organisations defending minority, religious or other human rights in Turkey.
International human rights organizations and NGO’s are going to held a press conference due to call the Turkish government and the European Union to implement protection policies for human rights defenders, including journalists, trade unionists, LGBT activists, conscientious objectors, all individuals and organisations defending minority, religious or other human rights in Turkey.
There will be a documentary film made by Protection International titled ‘Living Like a Three.’ The organizations are urgently calling related states and organizations regarding the events in Turkey and expressing the reason for the meeting as fallows; “On 19 November 2009, in Izmir, a trial opened, with 22 trade unionists, from the public sector confederation KESK, accused of supporting a terrorist organisation – the trial was postponed, and the issue is still not resolved.
During the same period, in Tuzla shipyards in the suburb of Istanbul, the leaders of the dockers' trade union received death threats from a company manager, for defending workers who had been unlawfully sacked. Such pressures and judicial harassment are the daily lot of trade unionists and many human rights defenders in Turkey. This situation is not new. The relatives of 34 victims of the tragedy on 1 May 1977 during the workers’ day demonstration on Taksim Square in Istanbul, as well as those of the massacres of Karahmanmaras or Sivas, are still waiting for truth, justice and compensation.
Several Turkish civil society organisations want an end to the impunity tolerated for past and present violations and denounce the fact that the famous “Ergenekon case” still does not include the abuses committed before the election of the AKP government.” There will be also a documentary film named ‘Living like a Tree’ that has been produced by Protection International. It will be screened during the press conference on Thursday 29 April at 11 AM, at the International Trade Union House.
In addition the testimonies from Limter-Is Representative Hakki Demiral and Mr Erol Önderoglu, the editor of the information website Bianet.org based in Istanbul - will update the situation of human rights defenders and journalists.Other speakers will include: Joël Decaillon, Deputy Secretary General of the European Trade Union Confederation, Guy Ryder, Secretary General of the International Trade Union Confederation, Renate Schroeder, European Federation of Journalists, Shane Enright, Amnesty International UK, Grégoire Théry, International Federation for Human Rights-FIDH Pascale Boosten& Eric Juzen, Protection International, authors of the documentary.
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SYRIA: Appeal for the release of Kurdish human rights activist Sunday, 11 April 2010, Western Kurdistan: Mr. Abdul-Hafiz Abdul al-Rahman, born 1 August 1965, from al-Ashrafieh in Aleppo, was arrested on 2 March 2010 by military security forces in Aleppo. We believe that this is due to his human rights activities. His whereabouts are unknown, and we are concerned that he is likely to be subjected to torture at the hands of the Syrian authorities.
Abdul-Hafiz Abdul al-Rahman is an ill man. He has chronic eczema, anaemia, rheumatism, sensitivity in his eyes, diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney pain for which he needs clean water, and Meniers Disease, and a sickness in his stomach. He has been dependent on medication and we are concerned that he will not have access to the appropriate treatments in detention. Our concern arises from the knowledge that political detainees often are not given medicines for their illnesses in prison, which adds to the degrading treatment they suffer and can shorten their life expectancy. No-one has been allowed to see him and so there remains significant suspicion that he is not being cared for appropriately.
Abdul-Hafiz Abdul al-Rahman is a respected authority in relation to international human rights, and is invited to coach others in these matters; a Member of the Arabic Network for Election Monitoring; a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Human Rights Organization in Syria – MAF; He is not attached to any political party. He is a Kurdish linguist, a writer and a journalist, and has contributed to the magazine editor ‘Steer’ (translates as ‘Star’) with Zagros Hajo, and Razo Osseh. He contributes with Siamand Ibrahim and Abdul Salam Dari in publishing the magazine ‘Aso’ (translates as ‘Horizon’).
The authorities have confiscated: his library of books, manuscripts, his poetry, and translations. Pamphlets regarding the dissemination of a culture of human rights; and copies of the international conventions signed by the Syrian Arab Republic were also taken. He was the author of a tutorial for Kurdish language for beginners which were taken, together with two other tutorials that he has written; along with his computer hard drive in a raid on his home by an armed patrol in front of his young children and guests. He was a member of the team that monitored the Kurdistan election and he was expected to monitor the Iraqi elections in 2010, but his home was raided and he was detained before the elections took place.
International Support Kurds in Syria – SKS call on the UK and other European Governments to make representations to the Syrian Government on behalf of Abdul-Hafiz Abdul al-Rahman as a human rights activist, to affect his release. He was last known to be in Military Security detention in Aleppo. We also call on these Governments to record the treatment he has received for his medical conditions, whilst in detention. The Syrian Government is accountable for its detention and treatment of human rights activists under the following international treaties (quote from the Syrian Report to the UN Committee on Torture 2009 http://supportkurds.org/reports/no-torture-and-other-cruel-or-degrading-treatment-or-punishment-in-syria):
*We ask the UK and European Governments to consider their responses to Syria, in the light of the reports from Human Rights Watch regarding the growth of repression in Syria at the same time as Europe is opening the door to the regime.
In reality, however, what is in the making in Ward 2A of Eving Prison is torture, threats to the families of the arrested activists, denial of access to lawyers, and the isolation of prisoners from the outside world. In its latest scenario, the IRGC has targeted human rights activists. The goal of the operation is to put an end to the activities of the human rights activists, cover up the Islamic Republic’s black track record of human rights, and facilitate future violations of human rights in Iran. After all, Iranian human violators have called 1389 the year of multiplied effort!
Center to Fight Organized Crime which is a subsidiary of the IRGC first came to life in 2004-2005 when Judge Mortazavi and Judge Moghaddas were assigned to cases related to bloggers and internet users.
Since, the Center has repeatedly executed the same scenario to achieve different objectives. The most noticeable example was when in March of 2009 a number of people were arrested and linked to a network called “Mozzelin”. At first sight and from what was announced by the IRGC and the state media, the operation had targeted Porn and anti religious websites. In reality though, the entire operation had been designed to cause public distrust in the Internet through media propaganda and production of TV programs such as the “Shock”.
The Center to Fight Organized Crime is nothing but an organized center for human rights violations and an enemy of freedom of expression. The center achieves its objectives through written scenarios for “committed crimes” and the ensuing charges, which are then implemented in an organized and homogenous way inside Evin Prison.
The center has a recurring cast, like Judge Kian-Manesh (who was a prosecutor in 2004 and is now in charge of human rights activists’ cases), Judge Jafari (who announced on TV, during the Mozzelin case, the news of death sentences for the defendants), and a disreputable IRGC operative called Mousavi. As for its methods, there is one general approach: pressure and torture in Ward 2A, extract false televised confessions, fabricate media cases to start and television propaganda at the end of the operation.
One tactic used by the center that has its roots in the repressive ideology of the IRGC is to threaten and pressure the families of the detainees, as well as to tie its cases to national security matters. This slows the flow of the news to the outside world, makes people think twice, and enforces wariness before the reporting of the related news. This has been a pattern present in all of the cases the center has laid its hands on. As a result, many of the arrests made last month have either not been reported at all or the detainees have been not been heard of since their arrest.
Possible counters to this scenario are public information campaigns and media coverage of the detainees which emphasize the untold sides of the story and their mistreatment. One thing remains obvious: once again, the Intelligence Ministry and IRGC Intelligence are trying to sacrifice a group of people for their malevolent objectives. In order to do so, they are resorting to such old tactics as the announcement of the “annihilation of a cyber network,” subjecting the detainees to inhumane torture techniques and forcing them to take part in coerced confessions and show trials.
The backstage preparations are in the making inside Ward 2A in a harrowing fashion. Nasour Naghipour, Dr. Hesam Firoozi, Mehdi Khodayi, Abdolreza Ahmadi and, above all, Hossein Ronaghi Maleki are under unimaginable pressure by IRGC Intelligence in Evin. According to some leaked reports and the fabricated case published by Kayhan daily, the situation of Hossein Ronaghi Maleki is extremely worrisome; the IRGC interrogators in charge of his case have plans for him. The rest of the detained activists are not faring any better.
Most of the detainees were chosen because they were unknown or lesser known activists. However, the case has been presented to the public as being against known activists and recognized Iranian human rights groups. The underlying objective, evidently, is to sacrifice the unknown or lesser known activists who remain more vulnerable due to their status and relative lack of support and attention. This is a fact that the interrogators and scenario writers are well aware of.
The detained activists remain in Ward 2A under perturbing conditions. The pressure and torture operation is nearing its end – one that has all the signs of a distressing conclusion that will result in heavy sentences. There is a need for all human rights activists to act, and the best way to defeat this operation is a public information campaign. For years, these human rights activists have defended the imprisoned; they now need our help. These advocates are no longer in a position to provide aid. They must be defended.
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TURKEY: Urgent call for protecting human rights defenders in Turkey.28.04.2010, (DIHA)- Amnesty International, The International Federation of Journalists, the European Trade Union Confederation, The International Trade Union Confederation, the International Federation for Human Rights and Protection International are urgently calling the Turkish government and the European Union to implement protection policies for human rights defenders, including journalists, trade unionists, LGBT activists, conscientious objectors, all individuals and organisations defending minority, religious or other human rights in Turkey.
International human rights organizations and NGO’s are going to held a press conference due to call the Turkish government and the European Union to implement protection policies for human rights defenders, including journalists, trade unionists, LGBT activists, conscientious objectors, all individuals and organisations defending minority, religious or other human rights in Turkey.
There will be a documentary film made by Protection International titled ‘Living Like a Three.’ The organizations are urgently calling related states and organizations regarding the events in Turkey and expressing the reason for the meeting as fallows; “On 19 November 2009, in Izmir, a trial opened, with 22 trade unionists, from the public sector confederation KESK, accused of supporting a terrorist organisation – the trial was postponed, and the issue is still not resolved.
During the same period, in Tuzla shipyards in the suburb of Istanbul, the leaders of the dockers' trade union received death threats from a company manager, for defending workers who had been unlawfully sacked. Such pressures and judicial harassment are the daily lot of trade unionists and many human rights defenders in Turkey. This situation is not new. The relatives of 34 victims of the tragedy on 1 May 1977 during the workers’ day demonstration on Taksim Square in Istanbul, as well as those of the massacres of Karahmanmaras or Sivas, are still waiting for truth, justice and compensation.
Several Turkish civil society organisations want an end to the impunity tolerated for past and present violations and denounce the fact that the famous “Ergenekon case” still does not include the abuses committed before the election of the AKP government.” There will be also a documentary film named ‘Living like a Tree’ that has been produced by Protection International. It will be screened during the press conference on Thursday 29 April at 11 AM, at the International Trade Union House.
In addition the testimonies from Limter-Is Representative Hakki Demiral and Mr Erol Önderoglu, the editor of the information website Bianet.org based in Istanbul - will update the situation of human rights defenders and journalists.Other speakers will include: Joël Decaillon, Deputy Secretary General of the European Trade Union Confederation, Guy Ryder, Secretary General of the International Trade Union Confederation, Renate Schroeder, European Federation of Journalists, Shane Enright, Amnesty International UK, Grégoire Théry, International Federation for Human Rights-FIDH Pascale Boosten& Eric Juzen, Protection International, authors of the documentary.
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SYRIA: Appeal for the release of Kurdish human rights activist Sunday, 11 April 2010, Western Kurdistan: Mr. Abdul-Hafiz Abdul al-Rahman, born 1 August 1965, from al-Ashrafieh in Aleppo, was arrested on 2 March 2010 by military security forces in Aleppo. We believe that this is due to his human rights activities. His whereabouts are unknown, and we are concerned that he is likely to be subjected to torture at the hands of the Syrian authorities.
Abdul-Hafiz Abdul al-Rahman is an ill man. He has chronic eczema, anaemia, rheumatism, sensitivity in his eyes, diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney pain for which he needs clean water, and Meniers Disease, and a sickness in his stomach. He has been dependent on medication and we are concerned that he will not have access to the appropriate treatments in detention. Our concern arises from the knowledge that political detainees often are not given medicines for their illnesses in prison, which adds to the degrading treatment they suffer and can shorten their life expectancy. No-one has been allowed to see him and so there remains significant suspicion that he is not being cared for appropriately.
Abdul-Hafiz Abdul al-Rahman is a respected authority in relation to international human rights, and is invited to coach others in these matters; a Member of the Arabic Network for Election Monitoring; a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Human Rights Organization in Syria – MAF; He is not attached to any political party. He is a Kurdish linguist, a writer and a journalist, and has contributed to the magazine editor ‘Steer’ (translates as ‘Star’) with Zagros Hajo, and Razo Osseh. He contributes with Siamand Ibrahim and Abdul Salam Dari in publishing the magazine ‘Aso’ (translates as ‘Horizon’).
The authorities have confiscated: his library of books, manuscripts, his poetry, and translations. Pamphlets regarding the dissemination of a culture of human rights; and copies of the international conventions signed by the Syrian Arab Republic were also taken. He was the author of a tutorial for Kurdish language for beginners which were taken, together with two other tutorials that he has written; along with his computer hard drive in a raid on his home by an armed patrol in front of his young children and guests. He was a member of the team that monitored the Kurdistan election and he was expected to monitor the Iraqi elections in 2010, but his home was raided and he was detained before the elections took place.
International Support Kurds in Syria – SKS call on the UK and other European Governments to make representations to the Syrian Government on behalf of Abdul-Hafiz Abdul al-Rahman as a human rights activist, to affect his release. He was last known to be in Military Security detention in Aleppo. We also call on these Governments to record the treatment he has received for his medical conditions, whilst in detention. The Syrian Government is accountable for its detention and treatment of human rights activists under the following international treaties (quote from the Syrian Report to the UN Committee on Torture 2009 http://supportkurds.org/reports/no-torture-and-other-cruel-or-degrading-treatment-or-punishment-in-syria):
*We ask the UK and European Governments to consider their responses to Syria, in the light of the reports from Human Rights Watch regarding the growth of repression in Syria at the same time as Europe is opening the door to the regime.
Turkey seizes Kurdish lands for Ilisu Dam
Bill Weinberg, October, 2007: "With all the focus over Kurdish "separatist rebels" taking refuge in northern Iraq, largely overlooked are the multiple reasons that Turkey's Kurds have to be discontented. We noted two years ago the pressures on eastern Turkey's peoples from the Ataturk Dam. Now more Kurdish lands are being expropriated for the Ilisu Dam, as noted by a recent European fact-finding mission to Anatolia."
Kurdish Media, Berlin – The European Ilisu campaign has learned during a site visit, that the Turkish government has begun to expropriate the first affected villages at the controversial Ilisu dam site on the Tigris river in a move that violates conditions imposed by European export credit agencies.
Expropriated people are extremely angry at this development and the affected population’s overall indignation at the Ilisu dam project is growing. Christine Eberlein of the Swiss organisation "Berne Declaration" and member of the European Ilisu campaign observed this when she visited the villages of Ilisu and Karabayir in mid-October. Her report reveals the miserable compensation packages offered and the unfair processes by which the Turkish authorities are forcing the affected families to resettle. A Kurdish Human Rights Project delegation made similar observations in September during a visit to the affected areas.
By attaching 150 conditions to their approval of export credit guarantees, the governments of Germany, Austria and Switzerland intended to ensure that those facing resettlement receive fair compensations and new income possibilities. Although the final guarantee contracts have not yet been signed, the Turkish government has started the expropriations – completely ignoring these conditions.
No adequate resettlement alternatives were offered to the affected families, as the conditions demand. As a result, all families have been left with little choice than to accept financial payment which does not adequately compensate them for their losses. In addition to farming, many of the affected individuals in Ilisu earn a living from tourism. The loss of this income will not be compensated for at all. The families whose lands have been expropriated feel cheated and have challenged the compensation levels in the local courts. However there is little scope for them to challenge the fact of the actual expropriation.
It is especially ironic that the head of Ilisu village, who came to Germany, Austria and Switzerland last year at the invitation of the Ilisu consortium to promote the construction of the dam, has now voiced his frustration with the expropriation process in a letter to the European ECAs and asks for immediate support.
"The first badly run expropriations reveal the full tragedy of the Ilisu dam project” states Heike Drillisch of the German non-governmental organisation WEED, which has monitored the Ilisu dam project for many years. NGOs alerted the export credit agencies (ECAs) to the lack of adequate resettlement land a long time ago. “It is a shame that the agencies believed obviously unsubstantiated assertions by Turkish officials. The affected population is now faced with ruin.”
Christine Eberlein adds: “The conditions are completely worthless if they can be ignored so easily by the Turkish government. The ECAs now say that they take our concerns very seriously. Had they been more diligent in their assessment of the project in the first place, they would have easily foreseen the problems that are now arising, and would never have become involved.” The NGOs demand that the export credit agencies press for corrections to the expropriation process and insist that conditions be honoured, or withdraw from the project immediately. They call on the private banks and companies involved in the project to put their engagement on hold until a satisfactory solution to the expropriation and resettlement problems is found.
Background
The governments of Germany, Austria and Switzerland approved export credit guarantees for the Ilisu project of some €500 million at the end of March 2007, enabling Andritz AG (A), Ed Züblin GmbH (GER) and Swiss companies Alstom, Colenco, Maggia and Stucky, to profit from the project. The private banks DekaBank (GER), Bank Austria Creditanstalt (A) and Société Générale (F) signed financing contracts in August 2007. The final guarantee contracts have yet to be signed.
The Ilisu dam project will affect between 55,000 and 78,000 people, mainly Kurds. At least 11,000 people will lose all of their land. The expropriation has started in the villages next to the construction site, including the villages of Ilisu and Karabayir. ECA representatives have called the re-settlement of the affected people in these villages a test for the expropriation of the villages in the future reservoir area, which will take place at a later stage.
The European Ilisu campaign, a network of European organisations including Amis de la Terre (F), Berne Declaration (Switzerland), Eca-Watch Austria, Forests and the European Union Resource Network (FERN, Brussels), Kurdish Human Rights Project (KHRP, UK), The Corner House (UK) and World Economy, Ecology & Development (WEED, Germany), has been monitoring the Ilisu dam project for many years in close cooperation with the local Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive. BankTrack is a network of non-governmental organisations focusing on the role and responsibilities of the financial services sector in fostering sustainability.
Further information The fact-finding mission report by C. Eberlein and the letter by the head of the Ilisu village, as well as further project information can be found at www.evb.ch/ilisu and www.weed-online.org/ilisu.
Kurdish Media, Berlin – The European Ilisu campaign has learned during a site visit, that the Turkish government has begun to expropriate the first affected villages at the controversial Ilisu dam site on the Tigris river in a move that violates conditions imposed by European export credit agencies.
Expropriated people are extremely angry at this development and the affected population’s overall indignation at the Ilisu dam project is growing. Christine Eberlein of the Swiss organisation "Berne Declaration" and member of the European Ilisu campaign observed this when she visited the villages of Ilisu and Karabayir in mid-October. Her report reveals the miserable compensation packages offered and the unfair processes by which the Turkish authorities are forcing the affected families to resettle. A Kurdish Human Rights Project delegation made similar observations in September during a visit to the affected areas.
By attaching 150 conditions to their approval of export credit guarantees, the governments of Germany, Austria and Switzerland intended to ensure that those facing resettlement receive fair compensations and new income possibilities. Although the final guarantee contracts have not yet been signed, the Turkish government has started the expropriations – completely ignoring these conditions.
No adequate resettlement alternatives were offered to the affected families, as the conditions demand. As a result, all families have been left with little choice than to accept financial payment which does not adequately compensate them for their losses. In addition to farming, many of the affected individuals in Ilisu earn a living from tourism. The loss of this income will not be compensated for at all. The families whose lands have been expropriated feel cheated and have challenged the compensation levels in the local courts. However there is little scope for them to challenge the fact of the actual expropriation.
It is especially ironic that the head of Ilisu village, who came to Germany, Austria and Switzerland last year at the invitation of the Ilisu consortium to promote the construction of the dam, has now voiced his frustration with the expropriation process in a letter to the European ECAs and asks for immediate support.
"The first badly run expropriations reveal the full tragedy of the Ilisu dam project” states Heike Drillisch of the German non-governmental organisation WEED, which has monitored the Ilisu dam project for many years. NGOs alerted the export credit agencies (ECAs) to the lack of adequate resettlement land a long time ago. “It is a shame that the agencies believed obviously unsubstantiated assertions by Turkish officials. The affected population is now faced with ruin.”
Christine Eberlein adds: “The conditions are completely worthless if they can be ignored so easily by the Turkish government. The ECAs now say that they take our concerns very seriously. Had they been more diligent in their assessment of the project in the first place, they would have easily foreseen the problems that are now arising, and would never have become involved.” The NGOs demand that the export credit agencies press for corrections to the expropriation process and insist that conditions be honoured, or withdraw from the project immediately. They call on the private banks and companies involved in the project to put their engagement on hold until a satisfactory solution to the expropriation and resettlement problems is found.
Background
The governments of Germany, Austria and Switzerland approved export credit guarantees for the Ilisu project of some €500 million at the end of March 2007, enabling Andritz AG (A), Ed Züblin GmbH (GER) and Swiss companies Alstom, Colenco, Maggia and Stucky, to profit from the project. The private banks DekaBank (GER), Bank Austria Creditanstalt (A) and Société Générale (F) signed financing contracts in August 2007. The final guarantee contracts have yet to be signed.
The Ilisu dam project will affect between 55,000 and 78,000 people, mainly Kurds. At least 11,000 people will lose all of their land. The expropriation has started in the villages next to the construction site, including the villages of Ilisu and Karabayir. ECA representatives have called the re-settlement of the affected people in these villages a test for the expropriation of the villages in the future reservoir area, which will take place at a later stage.
The European Ilisu campaign, a network of European organisations including Amis de la Terre (F), Berne Declaration (Switzerland), Eca-Watch Austria, Forests and the European Union Resource Network (FERN, Brussels), Kurdish Human Rights Project (KHRP, UK), The Corner House (UK) and World Economy, Ecology & Development (WEED, Germany), has been monitoring the Ilisu dam project for many years in close cooperation with the local Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive. BankTrack is a network of non-governmental organisations focusing on the role and responsibilities of the financial services sector in fostering sustainability.
Further information The fact-finding mission report by C. Eberlein and the letter by the head of the Ilisu village, as well as further project information can be found at www.evb.ch/ilisu and www.weed-online.org/ilisu.
The facts:
Are that the U.S. - Jewish administration, Israeli leadership in cooperation with the Turkish state, Syria and the regime in Iran have all instigated, incited and maintained crimes against peace for decades in a very well known system and pattern of extermination, genocide and crimes against humanity. Behind psychopathic manipulations and bullshit there is actually a well recognized cooperation and interaction between these actors and has been so for many, many years.
And yes...It can very much be subjected to be sorted out, categorized, analyzed, summarized and every ¤%¤¤ "ized"...There are on this planet..
Meanwhile, it´s not just the Kurdish people that are denied the right to life and basic human rights and has been and are committed crimes against, but also the Turkish young people being sent out to be sacrificed, killed, blown up by Turkey´s own planted landmines, in crimes against peace, that has been going on for decades. And the Iranian soldiers and people in all spheres and aspects..which also qualifies to be analyzed..
It´s actually a interaction between these actors that expose both Palestinians, Turks, Kurds and Iranians for the most criminal disgusting crimes, violations against the most basic human rights, ethnically and politically cleanings and so on. And it´s instigated, wide spread, systematically and done simultaneously and have been so for decades in a system that has been applied for over 30 years.. and with a Iraqi genocide being committed during the past 3 years.
And yes...It can very much be subjected to be sorted out, categorized, analyzed, summarized and every ¤%¤¤ "ized"...There are on this planet..
Meanwhile, it´s not just the Kurdish people that are denied the right to life and basic human rights and has been and are committed crimes against, but also the Turkish young people being sent out to be sacrificed, killed, blown up by Turkey´s own planted landmines, in crimes against peace, that has been going on for decades. And the Iranian soldiers and people in all spheres and aspects..which also qualifies to be analyzed..
It´s actually a interaction between these actors that expose both Palestinians, Turks, Kurds and Iranians for the most criminal disgusting crimes, violations against the most basic human rights, ethnically and politically cleanings and so on. And it´s instigated, wide spread, systematically and done simultaneously and have been so for decades in a system that has been applied for over 30 years.. and with a Iraqi genocide being committed during the past 3 years.
Political Biography and the Historical Lie
David North to speak on May 5 at the University of Oxford
Political Biography and the Historical Lie: An Examination of Robert Service’s Trotsky. The Socialist Equality Party (Britain) and the International Students for Social Equality are hosting a public lecture at the University of Oxford.
The lecture will be delivered by David North, international editorial board chairperson of the World Socialist Web Site, a leading figure in the Fourth International for nearly four decades, and the author of numerous works on socialist history and politics. North will examine Professor Service’s recently published biography as a symptomatic expression of the relation between the prevailing atmosphere of political reaction and the intellectual crisis affecting the historiography of the Russian Revolution and the life of Leon Trotsky.
Wednesday, May 5, 7:00 p.m.
Bernard Sunley Lecture Theatre Bernard Sunley Building
St. Catherine’s College, Manor Rd., Oxford OX1 3UJ
Also recommended:
In The Service of Historical Falsification: A Review of Robert Service’s Trotsky http://wsws.org/articles/2009/nov2009/serv-n11.shtml
Historians in the Service of the “Big Lie”:
http://wsws.org/articles/2009/dec2009/serv-d15.shtml
An Examination of Professor Robert Service’s Biography of Trotsky
http://wsws.org/articles/2009/dec2009/serv-d15.shtml
Well..Yeah..Some can be "intellectual"..In our concern..it seems like the outcome is all fascistic...Or more like a global genocide wrapped in a whole lot of words..It´s made up polarizations that serves each others purposes and we do see the result of it..Actually..We rejected the soup ..
Political Biography and the Historical Lie: An Examination of Robert Service’s Trotsky. The Socialist Equality Party (Britain) and the International Students for Social Equality are hosting a public lecture at the University of Oxford.
The lecture will be delivered by David North, international editorial board chairperson of the World Socialist Web Site, a leading figure in the Fourth International for nearly four decades, and the author of numerous works on socialist history and politics. North will examine Professor Service’s recently published biography as a symptomatic expression of the relation between the prevailing atmosphere of political reaction and the intellectual crisis affecting the historiography of the Russian Revolution and the life of Leon Trotsky.
Wednesday, May 5, 7:00 p.m.
Bernard Sunley Lecture Theatre Bernard Sunley Building
St. Catherine’s College, Manor Rd., Oxford OX1 3UJ
Also recommended:
In The Service of Historical Falsification: A Review of Robert Service’s Trotsky http://wsws.org/articles/2009/nov2009/serv-n11.shtml
Historians in the Service of the “Big Lie”:
http://wsws.org/articles/2009/dec2009/serv-d15.shtml
An Examination of Professor Robert Service’s Biography of Trotsky
http://wsws.org/articles/2009/dec2009/serv-d15.shtml
Well..Yeah..Some can be "intellectual"..In our concern..it seems like the outcome is all fascistic...Or more like a global genocide wrapped in a whole lot of words..It´s made up polarizations that serves each others purposes and we do see the result of it..Actually..We rejected the soup ..
Ammunition, explosives cache found in Anbar
ANBAR / Aswat al-Iraq: Police forces on Wednesday found a hidden cache of ammunition and explosives in western Anbar province. “The cache belongs to Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) organization,” a local police source told Aswat al-Irq news agency.
JNU convention condemns Sri Lanka war crimes
TamilNet, 18 April 2010, Conference Participants Rajinder Sachar, former Chief Justice of High Court of Delhi, said that conditions in Sri Lanka cannot improve unless the Tamils are given a respectful place in society as equal citizens. “Unfortunately, that is not happening” he said. He also pointed out that the Tamils may be forced to take other courses of action if in the immediate future the Lankan government did not give them an equal and respectful place.
The convention concluded with passing a resolution condemning "the genocidal war crimes perpetrated by the Sri Lankan government on the Tamils," and demanding that the war criminals in the Sri Lankan government be brought to justice, Tamils who have been forcefully detained in camps be released and settled in their native homes, an immediate end to colonization, and suspension of military aid by India.
Convention summary report follows:
JNU Speakers panel
Prof. Jagmogan Singh, Editor World Sikh News
VR Krishna Iyer, former Judge of the Indian Supreme Court, seconded Sachar’s point by adding that the concept of human rights was absent for the Tamils suffering in Sri Lanka. Mr. Iyer, who could not attend the convention owing to health reasons, had sent in a recorded video statement. Prof. GN Saibaba, Vice-Chairperson, International League of Peoples’ Struggles, drew a link between what is happening in Sri Lanka and what is happening in other parts of South Asia.
He said that pressure must be put on the international community to prevent the extermination of the Tamils. Terming the war on the Tamils as “one of the biggest genocides of the 21st century,” he said that if the international community failed to save the Tamils, they would be unable to intervene in the case of repression in Kashmir, the North-Eastern states or on the Adivasis of the Indian heartland. “The most immediate task that all of us have to do is for all nationalities facing similar situations to come together and raise a voice.”
Syed Ali Shah Geelani, All Party Hurriyat Conference, Kashmir, expressed his solidarity with the struggle of the Eelam Tamils against state repression and said that the people in India should extend their support to the Tamils in Sri Lanka.
Pointing how state terrorism made life miserable for the people of Sri Lanka, Kashmir, Iraq, Afghanistan, (Turkey, Iran, Syria - our add..) and Palestine he said that “all humanity should unite against state terrorism.”
Ajit Singh Bains, former Judge, Chandigarh High Court, also spoke on the issue of state terror. “When the state has become terrorist, there is no rule of law.” He argued that a UN commission must be appointed to probe the atrocities of the Lankan government.
Kolathur Mani, president, Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam, said that the genocide which was carried out by the Lankan government with help from international forces was “part of a systematic programme and should also be investigated for the context of the patterns.”
Accusing the Indian govt. of aiding Sri Lanka in its war crimes, he said that as ‘Indians’, “our hands are soaked in blood.” He also lamented the pathetic conditions of the Eelam Tamils in the refugee camps in India. Kavita Krishnan, from CPI(ML) Liberation, said that much of the Indian media has gone overboard in selling Rajapakse ‘final solution’ as an ideal model.
She said that talks of peace in Sri Lanka was a joke considering that lakhs of Tamils were languishing in camps under sub-human conditions. “We will have to stand in solidarity with the Tamils’ movement for self-determination and justice,” she said.
Prof. Jagmohan Singh, editor, World Sikh News, was of the opinion that there was a pressing necessity for a permanent mechanism to provide for a unity for various struggling peoples. As far as the Tamils were concerned, he said that it was time for a next phase of action to be launched. Lauding the struggle for Tamil Eelam, he said that “we need to recall the historic and heroic role of all Tamil Eelam fighters.” Many speakers expressed their admiration for Prabhakaran and the Tamil Eelam movement.
Varavara Rao, revolutionary poet, sent in a written statement where he condemned the Indian government for its support to the genocide of the Eelam Tamils. “This genocide of the Eelam Tamils under the leadership of V. Prabhakaran was orchestrated, supported and directed by the Indian government.” He also criticized the major political parties in Tamil Nadu for doing nothing more than shedding crocodile tears for the Eelam Tamils. In his statement, he also remarked that “Prabhakaran will not die” to show that the ideas of the Tamil Eelam movement would regenerate in newer struggles. A poem written by Varavara Rao in honour of the LTTE leader was also read out.
SAR Geelani, Committee for Release of Political Prisoners, said that India intervening in Sri Lanka to bring about a positive solution is most unlikely considering that the Indian government has not even bothered about the welfare of Tamils in camps in its own territory. “It is the responsibility of concerned people to raise these issues and to make them a public debate.” Stating that defeat itself is not so harmful as the sense of defeat, he said that the sense of defeat should not get into the psyche of the Tamil community.
“The martyrdom of Prabhakaran does not signal the end of the struggle for self-determination”, he said.
Viraj Mendis, International Human Rights Association, Germany, said that “if not for the position that India took on the Tamil struggle, the international perception about the oppression of the Tamils would not have occurred.”
He argued that the role of India and other international powers in the Sri Lankan conflict needed to be critically examined. Alleging that India turned 180 degrees as regards to the Tamil question in Sri Lanka, he said that “without this change the genocide would not have happened.”
He also criticized the international powers for their role in the collapse of the peace talks in Sri Lanka. Mr. Mendis, who is Sinhalese by origin, is a renowned human rights activists and is one of the main organizers of the Tribunal. He was denied a visa by the Indian embassy in Hamburg as they did not get ‘approval’ from their counterpart in Colombo and thus, he sent a recorded video statement instead.
Recorded statements from KG Kannabiran, former PUCL national president, and Janani Jananayagam, spokesperson for Tamils Against Genocide, were also received but could not be displayed owing to certain technical problems and lack of time. KG Kannabiran, who has worked on the Eelam Tamil issue since the 90s, said that the Tamils of Sri Lanka would not be content to be treated as subordinate citizens.
Ms Jananayagam in her statement drew parallels between the military strategy of Sri Lanka to the well planned massacre of Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica. She also made an appeal to India to apply ‘Right to Protect’ to Sri Lanka. Dr. Mrigank from Nauajawan Bharat Sabha and Malem Ningthouja from Manipur Students’ Association also expressed their solidarity with the struggle of the Eelam Tamils.
The convention put forth five resolutions which were passed with unanimous approval by the house.
The house condemns the genocidal war crimes perpetrated by the Sri Lankan govt. on the Tamils. War criminals in the Sri Lankan govt. must be brought to justice.
The house demands the release of all the Tamils who have been forcefully detained in camps and their settlement in their native homes.
The house demands an immediate end to the colonization of Tamil Eelam by the Lankan state.
The house demands that the Indian govt. stop providing political, military and logistical aid to the genocidal Lankan govt.
The house condemns the Indian state’s war on the various nationalities fighting for self-determination.
The convention concluded with passing a resolution condemning "the genocidal war crimes perpetrated by the Sri Lankan government on the Tamils," and demanding that the war criminals in the Sri Lankan government be brought to justice, Tamils who have been forcefully detained in camps be released and settled in their native homes, an immediate end to colonization, and suspension of military aid by India.
Convention summary report follows:
JNU Speakers panel
Prof. Jagmogan Singh, Editor World Sikh News
VR Krishna Iyer, former Judge of the Indian Supreme Court, seconded Sachar’s point by adding that the concept of human rights was absent for the Tamils suffering in Sri Lanka. Mr. Iyer, who could not attend the convention owing to health reasons, had sent in a recorded video statement. Prof. GN Saibaba, Vice-Chairperson, International League of Peoples’ Struggles, drew a link between what is happening in Sri Lanka and what is happening in other parts of South Asia.
He said that pressure must be put on the international community to prevent the extermination of the Tamils. Terming the war on the Tamils as “one of the biggest genocides of the 21st century,” he said that if the international community failed to save the Tamils, they would be unable to intervene in the case of repression in Kashmir, the North-Eastern states or on the Adivasis of the Indian heartland. “The most immediate task that all of us have to do is for all nationalities facing similar situations to come together and raise a voice.”
Syed Ali Shah Geelani, All Party Hurriyat Conference, Kashmir, expressed his solidarity with the struggle of the Eelam Tamils against state repression and said that the people in India should extend their support to the Tamils in Sri Lanka.
Pointing how state terrorism made life miserable for the people of Sri Lanka, Kashmir, Iraq, Afghanistan, (Turkey, Iran, Syria - our add..) and Palestine he said that “all humanity should unite against state terrorism.”
Ajit Singh Bains, former Judge, Chandigarh High Court, also spoke on the issue of state terror. “When the state has become terrorist, there is no rule of law.” He argued that a UN commission must be appointed to probe the atrocities of the Lankan government.
Kolathur Mani, president, Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam, said that the genocide which was carried out by the Lankan government with help from international forces was “part of a systematic programme and should also be investigated for the context of the patterns.”
Accusing the Indian govt. of aiding Sri Lanka in its war crimes, he said that as ‘Indians’, “our hands are soaked in blood.” He also lamented the pathetic conditions of the Eelam Tamils in the refugee camps in India. Kavita Krishnan, from CPI(ML) Liberation, said that much of the Indian media has gone overboard in selling Rajapakse ‘final solution’ as an ideal model.
She said that talks of peace in Sri Lanka was a joke considering that lakhs of Tamils were languishing in camps under sub-human conditions. “We will have to stand in solidarity with the Tamils’ movement for self-determination and justice,” she said.
Prof. Jagmohan Singh, editor, World Sikh News, was of the opinion that there was a pressing necessity for a permanent mechanism to provide for a unity for various struggling peoples. As far as the Tamils were concerned, he said that it was time for a next phase of action to be launched. Lauding the struggle for Tamil Eelam, he said that “we need to recall the historic and heroic role of all Tamil Eelam fighters.” Many speakers expressed their admiration for Prabhakaran and the Tamil Eelam movement.
Varavara Rao, revolutionary poet, sent in a written statement where he condemned the Indian government for its support to the genocide of the Eelam Tamils. “This genocide of the Eelam Tamils under the leadership of V. Prabhakaran was orchestrated, supported and directed by the Indian government.” He also criticized the major political parties in Tamil Nadu for doing nothing more than shedding crocodile tears for the Eelam Tamils. In his statement, he also remarked that “Prabhakaran will not die” to show that the ideas of the Tamil Eelam movement would regenerate in newer struggles. A poem written by Varavara Rao in honour of the LTTE leader was also read out.
SAR Geelani, Committee for Release of Political Prisoners, said that India intervening in Sri Lanka to bring about a positive solution is most unlikely considering that the Indian government has not even bothered about the welfare of Tamils in camps in its own territory. “It is the responsibility of concerned people to raise these issues and to make them a public debate.” Stating that defeat itself is not so harmful as the sense of defeat, he said that the sense of defeat should not get into the psyche of the Tamil community.
“The martyrdom of Prabhakaran does not signal the end of the struggle for self-determination”, he said.
Viraj Mendis, International Human Rights Association, Germany, said that “if not for the position that India took on the Tamil struggle, the international perception about the oppression of the Tamils would not have occurred.”
He argued that the role of India and other international powers in the Sri Lankan conflict needed to be critically examined. Alleging that India turned 180 degrees as regards to the Tamil question in Sri Lanka, he said that “without this change the genocide would not have happened.”
He also criticized the international powers for their role in the collapse of the peace talks in Sri Lanka. Mr. Mendis, who is Sinhalese by origin, is a renowned human rights activists and is one of the main organizers of the Tribunal. He was denied a visa by the Indian embassy in Hamburg as they did not get ‘approval’ from their counterpart in Colombo and thus, he sent a recorded video statement instead.
Recorded statements from KG Kannabiran, former PUCL national president, and Janani Jananayagam, spokesperson for Tamils Against Genocide, were also received but could not be displayed owing to certain technical problems and lack of time. KG Kannabiran, who has worked on the Eelam Tamil issue since the 90s, said that the Tamils of Sri Lanka would not be content to be treated as subordinate citizens.
Ms Jananayagam in her statement drew parallels between the military strategy of Sri Lanka to the well planned massacre of Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica. She also made an appeal to India to apply ‘Right to Protect’ to Sri Lanka. Dr. Mrigank from Nauajawan Bharat Sabha and Malem Ningthouja from Manipur Students’ Association also expressed their solidarity with the struggle of the Eelam Tamils.
The convention put forth five resolutions which were passed with unanimous approval by the house.
The house condemns the genocidal war crimes perpetrated by the Sri Lankan govt. on the Tamils. War criminals in the Sri Lankan govt. must be brought to justice.
The house demands the release of all the Tamils who have been forcefully detained in camps and their settlement in their native homes.
The house demands an immediate end to the colonization of Tamil Eelam by the Lankan state.
The house demands that the Indian govt. stop providing political, military and logistical aid to the genocidal Lankan govt.
The house condemns the Indian state’s war on the various nationalities fighting for self-determination.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Turkey incites, instigates and FORCE Kurds and PKK into violence, killings and war - fare in crimes against humanity and peace! Genocidal tactics!
Village guards appointed as mukhtar for forced-emptied villages . Village guards were appointed as mukhtar for 13 forced-emptied villages by request of Hakkari Brigade Commandership in Yuksekova district of Hakkari. The village guards cannot practice any kind of work including being shepherd according to the Regulations of the Village Guard.
13 mukhtars for emptied village’s Isikli (Jiyanis), Kavakli (Sivisk), Kurudere (Marifan), Kavsakli (Bilêcan), Çaglayan (Ebûs), Çayirli (Êris), Pinarli (Siliko), Çaglayana Bagli (Hekas), Çinarli (Sîvarezan), Uzundere (Ertûs), Bêlat, Serê Sevê, Narli (Biyadir), have been appointed by Cukurcah qaimaqam since Hakkari Brigade Commandership’s request. Allegedly, appointed mukhtars are on duty for 6 months.
For the time being, there is prohibition for the village guards against exercising any kind of work except their guard duty and mukhtars also need to be elected in local elections. Allegedly, the village guard mukhtars are identifying people who enter or exit from village and informing the authorities.
Villagers from around who complain about current practice claimed that this implementation is being used to make black list and to watch the peasant. A peasant, 50 year old Abdulaziz Soydan speaks; The State tries to take us under control without any limit. Authorities are practicing all kind of measures even no permission by the law.
Last exercise is the clearest example for the State’s devilish actions. There is no election or no necessity according to law since the villages were forced-emptied but qaimaqam can appoint the mukhtars for 13 cities. There is no justice or law in this area of Turkey.
The Peace and Democracy Party (DTP) and Bar Associations in the Region also criticized the practice and call the authorities to take right step in order to gain the people’s trust in the Region.
Turkey and Turkish Army Forces (TSK) is forcing PKK to act against soldiers, since any peaceful struggle of Kurds is not recognized by politics or authorities’ said historian and writer Ayse Hur.
Historian and writer Ayse Hur explained that democratic Kurdish struggle is not finding a way as the Turkish state is blocking legal ways of the democracy, by the states implementation and Turkish Army Forces (TSK) actions against Kurds. According to Hur, these act against Kurdish politic struggle force the Kurds to support current armed path.
Ayse Hur who spoke to DIHA correspond also emphasized and criticized the TSK’s operations against Kurdish politicians; “Turkish politic system ignore Kurdish politicians and their democratic struggle.
Turkey only tries to assimilate and destroy the Kurdish political struggle instead of negotiate with them. Dominate politic approach finally becomes useless while even passive force of Kurds are becoming supporter of Kurdish struggle policy.
Consequently Kurdish politicians, people and armed forces began to think that armed struggle is the right way to gain Kurdish identification. "I believe that the PKK’s existence is becoming more legitimate since the dominated approach in effect.”
“Political Kurds need to be destroyed according to the Justice and Development Party (AKP)” said Hur regarding operations against Kurds. She also added that AKP’s narrow minded approach is also preventing development of Turkish democracy.
"On one hand TSK’s aggressiveness against PKK creates reason to fight back. Even though democratic opening procedure, oppressions and suppression to eliminate, destroy and assimilate Kurds just only works for making Kurds more distrustful and uncomfortable with the government and it´s generally system.”
Iranian Teachers To Go On Hunger Strike To Protest Sentences
Coordinating Council of Iranian Teacher Trade Associations has issued a statement to announce that a group of its members will go on a hunger strike in protest to "illegal execution and imprisonment sentences" handed to a number of teachers.
The statement says that the executive members of the Teachers Association and a number of associated labor activists will start a hunger strike. Coordinating Council of Iranian Teacher Trade Associations calls for the "immediate and unconditional release" of all teachers from prison and a withdrawal of all legal and official action against "critical educators."
The signatories call for better provisions for public schools through oil and gas revenues. They also request avoidance of all partiality and political maneuvering in developing school curricula. They demand an end to the "security atmosphere" in the Ministry of Education and call for job security for teachers. The teachers also call for an end to "promoting spies" in classrooms and schools as well as stopping all forms of persecution of "critical" educators.
The statement contends that teachers who join a demonstration or a gathering or represent their ideas in the areas of education or the difficulties of their profession are "persecuted beyond the law and their voice does not reach anywhere."
The letter refers to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's statement that describes Iran as the "freest country in the world" and questions the issuance of heavy sentences such as "execution, imprisonment, exile, forced retirement, demotion and suspension" for "caring and honest teachers of the country."
The announcement names imprisoned teachers such a Badaghi, Khastar, Davari and Momeni amongst the many teachers who have been sentenced to long term imprisonments "which has also led to the "loss of livelihood for their families." They also speak out against the execution sentences handed to another two teachers, Kamangar and Ghanbari claiming such rulings are "not befitting of the Islamic Republic."
The statement says that the executive members of the Teachers Association and a number of associated labor activists will start a hunger strike. Coordinating Council of Iranian Teacher Trade Associations calls for the "immediate and unconditional release" of all teachers from prison and a withdrawal of all legal and official action against "critical educators."
The signatories call for better provisions for public schools through oil and gas revenues. They also request avoidance of all partiality and political maneuvering in developing school curricula. They demand an end to the "security atmosphere" in the Ministry of Education and call for job security for teachers. The teachers also call for an end to "promoting spies" in classrooms and schools as well as stopping all forms of persecution of "critical" educators.
The statement contends that teachers who join a demonstration or a gathering or represent their ideas in the areas of education or the difficulties of their profession are "persecuted beyond the law and their voice does not reach anywhere."
The letter refers to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's statement that describes Iran as the "freest country in the world" and questions the issuance of heavy sentences such as "execution, imprisonment, exile, forced retirement, demotion and suspension" for "caring and honest teachers of the country."
The announcement names imprisoned teachers such a Badaghi, Khastar, Davari and Momeni amongst the many teachers who have been sentenced to long term imprisonments "which has also led to the "loss of livelihood for their families." They also speak out against the execution sentences handed to another two teachers, Kamangar and Ghanbari claiming such rulings are "not befitting of the Islamic Republic."
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