Tornado Alley (PROG)

[fuagf]

Longstanding battles continue: 2010 - Kurds Renew Their Movement for Rights and Respect in Turkey
[...]
The demands call for the right for Kurds to be educated in their own language and the freedom to use it in the political arena; the immediate cessation of military operations against Kurds by the Turkish Army; the release of all political prisoners, including Abdullah Ocalan, .. http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/o/abdullah_ocalan/index.html?inline=nyt-per .. the leader of the Kurds’ illegal military wing, the P.K.K.; and the removal of the controversial 10 percent electoral threshold that bars any party that cannot attract that share of the national vote from gaining seats in Parliament.

In its blend of the reasonable, like language and representation rights, and the more far-fetched, like the release of Mr. Ocalan, the Kurdish demands exemplify the tensions within the movement between those who want change through the ballot box and those who prefer to secure it by more violent means.

https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=65714368

"So, Sweden is not yet a member of NATO and would no doubt look with
apprehension on any breach of the Finnish border by the Russians.
[...]Turkey’s opposition to Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership centers around what,
it says, is their harboring of militants from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)."

Further Flashbacks

Posted 2012 - good one .. felt a refresher on background past would be useful

2008

US/IRAQ: Petraeus Testimony to Defend False "Proxy War" Line
Analysis by Gareth Porter*

WASHINGTON, Apr 7 (IPS) - A key objective of the Congressional testimony by Gen. David Petraeus this week will be to defend the George W. Bush administration's strategic political line that it is fighting an Iranian "proxy war" in Iraq.
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=28300329

maybe some of the disputed, yet Mahdi described 'rogue forces' in that one were Quds ..

Iran torpedoes US plans for Iraqi oil
By M K Bhadrakumar .. Apr 3, 2008

[...]

Subject: USA's indirect support to PKK the terrorist organisation.

Pars ..

This is the latest post I have put under Iraq file. But this subject really deserves a separate topic for itself.

For years USA was supporting Iraq's Kurds in North Iraq. Turkey helped USA in this subject. Even gave Talabani and Barzani Turkish pasaports and arranged their travels in Europe and USA to meet American officials. USA was also arming Kurdish irregulars during time. Even from the start Turkey gave information to USA about close relations between Talabani and PKK, and proved that some of the weapons that USA gave to Talabani went to PKK. PKK was at the time was reorganising at North Iraq after their defeats to Turkish army. US government asked (the tone was more than asking) Turkey to stop making operations in North Iraq against PKK. Turkey unofficially agreed on an armistice with PKK not to offend his ally with US promise of handling the issue of Iraq. 2nd Gulf war was in planning for years which started in Clinton's administration. Some of the negotiations were sneaked out to Turkish media at the time.

When plannings of 2nd Gulf War became official, USA accelarated arming of Kurds in North Iraq, and send military advisors to train them. PKK terrorists were among the Talibani's men that received arms and training. Turkey was all that time giving info to USA what was going on. USA did not care. Do not believe the things that you have read about why Turkey did not enter the war. The main issue between American and Turkish officals were always this proplem. When USA denied to listen Turkish concerns about the subject; the Turkish PM although being very pro-American could not pass the Turkish entrance to the war from the parliament.

So answer to your question. USA government knew the agreement between Talibani and PKK. They knew that they were arming and training PKK terrorists that were among Talibani's men. They did it anyway. Even more to add the insult; they selected amongst all the men in Iraq; Talibani to be the first PM of Iraq. Do not say that Iraq people had selected him as in Turkey it was known that he will be selected several months before the elections in Iraq. The democracy in Iraq is just a dark joke. That was why Turkey-USA relations were so bad from that time.

PKK is now on the attack against Turkish army directly from North Iraq. When Turkey asked help from US government about this; they received the answer "PKK is not one of the priorities of US Army at Iraq."

This is how USA doing things right.

Turkish economy is closely attached to USA. Mostly because of our near-sighted Turkish politicians habit of borrowing large amounts of money from USA. More than half our budget is going for the patment of our debts. Turkish governments due to our close alliance with USA never saw that it could be a liability to our future.

USA in effect blackmailed Turkey to accept Incirlik agreement, else they would have ruined our economy.

This is how USA handling diplomacy nowadays.

11 years ago - https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=80198438

To today -- Turkey: Pre-Election Crackdown on Kurds

Free, End Harassment of Journalists, Party Officials, Lawyers

All links

(Istanbul, April 25, 2023) –Absent any credible evidence of wrongdoing, Turkey should release dozens of Kurdish journalists, political party officials, and lawyers arrested in raids on April 25, 2023, in advance of the May 14 national elections, 18 organizations including Human Rights Watch said today. The following is their statement:

Turkey: International groups demand release of Kurdish journalists, lawyers, political party officials arrested in pre-election crackdown

Media freedom, freedom of expression, and human rights organisations call on Turkish authorities to stop the systematic harassment and intimidation of Kurdish journalists, media workers, media outlets, the lawyers that defend them, and Kurdish political party officials, give them access to legal counsel, disclose full details of charges brought and to ensure that they are released from detention. We reiterate the need for a free and pluralistic media atmosphere in the run up to the elections that will be held on 14 May 2023.

On 25 April, coordinated dawn raids in Turkey targeted homes and offices of 128 people including journalists, lawyers, rights defenders, political activists and artists in 20 provinces, based on unclear charges. The state-run Anadolu Agency reported .. https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/gundem/21-ilde-teror-orgutu-pkk-kckya-yonelik-operasyon-110-gozalti/2880575 .. that the Diyarbakir-based operation is related to anti-terror investigations led by Diyarbakir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. It was also reported that arrest warrants were issued against 216 people in total.

Among those that have been detained so far are 10 journalists .. http://mezopotamyaajansi35.com/GUNCEL/content/view/205918 .. and a lawyer who represents arrested journalists. Technical equipment, computers, books and documents belonging to journalists were also confiscated by the police during the raids.

The detained journalists so far include Mesopotamia News Agency (MA) editor Abdurrahman Gök and reporters Ahmet Kanbal and Mehmet Sah Oruç; editor-in-chief of Yeni Yasam daily newspaper Osman Akin; the publisher of the only Kurdish print newspaper in Turkey, ??Xwebûn Weekly, Kadri Esen; JinNews reporter Beritan Canözer; and journalists Mehmet Yalçin, Mikail Barut, Salih Keles and Remzi Akkaya.

Lawyer Resul Temur .. https://twitter.com/mlsaturkey/status/1650735053515751425 , who represented imprisoned journalists in Diyarbakir and Ankara after similar raids in June and October 2022 respectively, was also detained in the raids.

The Diyarbakir Bar Association announced .. https://twitter.com/Diyarbakirbaro/status/1650736761763446784?cxt=HHwWgIC26deVzOgtAAAA .. that the charges against the detained people are still unknown due to a confidentiality order covering the investigation and a 24-hour restriction on access to lawyers for those detained.

The raids are taking place in the run up to the parliamentary and presidential elections in Turkey which will be held on 14 May 2023, and represent another step in the systematic harassment and intimidation of Kurdish media and political opposition in the country.

Previously in June 2022, a similar raid resulted in 20 journalists in Diyarbakir being initially detained of whom 16 were placed in pre-trial detention on terrorism charges pending a trial that begins on 11 July, 2023. In October 2022, a further 11 Kurdish journalists were detained on terrorism charges in the provinces of Ankara, Istanbul, Van, Diyarbakir, Sanliurfa, Mersin and Mardin in simultaneous house raids as part of an anti-terror investigation led by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. Their trial begins on 16 May, 2023.

Turkey has a long history of bringing criminal charges, including for terrorism offences, against independent journalists solely because of their journalistic work. The Mapping Media Freedom database records 27 alerts impacting 91 Kurdish journalists, media workers or outlets over the last 12 months. The alerts primarily consist of legal incidents usually leading to arrest, detention, imprisonment, prosecution and convictions.

We call on the authorities to immediately give the detained journalists, lawyers and political activists access to legal counsel and to disclose full details of any charges brought. Absent any credible evidence of wrongdoing, they should be released immediately from detention.

SIGNED BY
(in alphabetical order)
Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ)
English PEN
European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
Human Rights Watch
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
International Press Institute (IPI)
Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA)
Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT)
PEN America
PEN International
PEN Netherlands
PEN Norway
PEN Québec
Platform for Independent Journalism (P24)
San Miguel PEN
Scottish PEN
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO)

https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/04/25/turkey-pre-election-crackdown-kurds