EutccAdmin – EUTCC

Turkey’s Military Urbanism and Neocolonial Architecture in Kurdish Cities

|by Diren Taş, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich – Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology

|Executive Summary:

This commentary focuses on how the Turkish state facilitates military urbanism as revanchist and racialized mechanisms of collective punishment to suppress grassroots mobilization, oppositional politics, This commentary focuses on how the Turkish state facilitates military urbanism as revanchist and racialized mechanisms of collective punishment to suppress grassroots mobilization, oppositional politics, and resistance in Kurdish cities. Based on an ethnographic case study in Sur, Diyarbakır, it shows how neocolonial urban policies are employed to annihilate, displace, and dispossess localities while replacing them with standardized, bordered, and financialized architectures of state security and control. Mass scale destructions, militarized policies, and coercive restructuring in Kurdish cities reveal the state’s emergent spatial strategy to recolonize the region at the urban level. The state dominates, frames, and reconfigures Kurdish urbanities so as to eliminate alternatives, opposition, and challenges to its existing and deepening hegemony.

https://journals.tplondon.com/com/article/view/2100

EU Turkey Civic Commission
www.eutcc.net
Twitter: @EUTCC1
Facebook: Eu Turkey Civic Commission

Dear Sir or Madam,
Please find below our monthly newsletter.
Kind regards Kariane Westrheim EUTCC Chairperson

Turkey Report by EP Committee on Foreign Affairs MEPs

In spite of Turkey’s repeated declarations on the objective of EU accession, over the past two years the country has consistently gone back on its commitments in relation to the accession process, warn EP Committee on Foreign Affairs MEPs in their 2021 report on Turkey.
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20220509IPR29116/turkey-report-persistently-further-from-eu-values-and-standards

Statement by HDP Foreign Affairs Spokespersons Feleknas Uca and Hişyar Özsoy on the prison sentence against CHP İstanbul Provincial Chair Canan Kaftancıoğlu Approval of the prison sentences against CHP İstanbul Provincial Chair Canan Kaftancıoğlu should be seen as another crackdown on government opposition ahead of the presidential and parliamentary elections.
https://hdp.org.tr/en/turkish-supreme-court-upholds-prison-sentence-against-opposition-politician-ms-canan-kaftancioglu/16399/

Statement by HDP Women’s Assembly “As we have always stated, HDP is a women’s party. The government, well aware of this fact, blatantly attacks not only a political party but also the will of women.”
https://hdp.org.tr/en/the-akp-mhp-government-blatantly-attacks-not-only-hdp-but-also-women-s-will/16378/

Bianet Male Violence Monitoring Report May 2022Men inflicted violence on at least 64 women, abused at least 22 girls and boys, harassed at least 11 women, and forced 65 women to do sex work.
https://m.bianet.org/english/diger/262793-men-kill-32-women-in-may

Resolution by the European Parliament on the verdict in the Gezi Case and Osman Kavala’s life sentence
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/RC-9-2022-0227_EN.html

EUTCC Commentaries #17Turkey’s Military Urbanism and Neocolonial Architecture in Kurdish Cities
by Diren Taş, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich – Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology
Executive Summary: This commentary focuses on how the Turkish state facilitates military urbanism as revanchist and racialized mechanisms of collective punishment to suppress grassroots mobilization, oppositional politics, and resistance in Kurdish cities. Based on an ethnographic case study in Sur, Diyarbakır, it shows how neocolonial urban policies are employed to annihilate, displace, and dispossess localities while replacing them with standardized, bordered, and financialized architectures of state security and control. Mass scale destructions, militarized policies, and coercive restructuring in Kurdish cities reveal the state’s emergent spatial strategy to recolonize the region at the urban level. The state dominates, frames, and reconfigures Kurdish urbanities so as to eliminate alternatives, opposition, and challenges to its existing and deepening hegemony.
https://journals.tplondon.com/com/article/view/2100
EU Turkey Civic Commission
www.eutcc.net
Twitter: @EUTCC1
Facebook: Eu Turkey Civic Commission

Dear Sir or Madam,
please find below our monthly newsletter.

Kind regards
Prof. Kariane Westrheim Chairperson

…

Statement on Turkey’s cross-boarder military offensive Turkey launched another large-scale military offensive in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq on the evening of 17 April. Attacks on northern Syria also continue. The war in Ukraine is both a reminder and a call to outlaw and combat war crimes and violations of international law immediately and everywhere. We strongly condemn Turkey’s cross-border military offensive. The international community is called upon to take a clear stand on the side of international law in this war as well and to impose appropriate sanctions immediately.
http://eutcc.net/?p=1063

Bianet Male Violence Monitor April 2022 Report- 29 women killed – 52 women subjected to violence- 2 women raped- 38 women forced to sex work
https://m.bianet.org/english/women/261319-men-kill-29-women-in-april

World Press Freedom Day Press freedom is under pressure in every part of the world. However, democracy needs a free and critical press. Therefore the EUTCC remains also committed to the struggle for press freedom.

EUTCC Commentaries #16: Environmental Racism and Resistance in Kurdistanby Pınar Dinç, Lund University Environmental degradation is identified as a key factor that threatens the future of life on Earth, but such generalised reading entails that conceal the uneven effects of environmental degradation. When environmental degradation takes place on the lands of the marginalised groups, it is often overlooked or further justified by hegemonic powers that view these areas as natural resources or hideouts for insurgent groups that need to be drained. The embedded prejudice and discrimination against the internal others are often inflamed through the media and followed by the dominant society. This commentary addresses this issue of differential significance attributed to environmental degradation in Kurdistan and discusses how the concept of ecological racism may help uncovering this variance. In doing so, this piece covers the existing literature about conflict and environment nexus in Kurdistan, and suggests ways forward to advance knowledge and work towards political and ecological justice.
https://journals.tplondon.com/com/article/view/2189

International Worker’s DayThe EUTCC sends its appreciation & respect on the International Workers Day to workers of every field all over the world. It is time to remember & celebrate the achievements of labor organizations & social movements whose efforts & struggles have led to a more dignified working life for millions of workers. Let us join forces and unite in the work of making the world a place where there is justice and dignity for all.

www.eutcc.net
Twitter: @EUTCC1
Facebook: Eu Turkey Civic Commission

Environmental Racism and Resistance in Kurdistan

|by Pınar Dinç, Lund University

|Executive Summary:

Delisting the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) as a terrorist organization would be a bold, imaginative move by Turkey, the European Union (EU), and the United States (US), among others, that might contribute to Environmental degradation is identified as a key factor that threatens the future of life on Earth, but such generalised reading entails that conceal the uneven effects of environmental degradation. When environmental degradation takes place on the lands of the marginalised groups, it is often overlooked or further justified by hegemonic powers that view these areas as natural resources or hideouts for insurgent groups that need to be drained. The embedded prejudice and discrimination against the internal others are often inflamed through the media and followed by the dominant society. This commentary addresses this issue of differential significance attributed to environmental degradation in Kurdistan and discusses how the concept of ecological racism may help uncovering this variance. In doing so, this piece covers the existing literature about conflict and environment nexus in Kurdistan, and suggests ways forward to advance knowledge and work towards political and ecological justice.

https://journals.tplondon.com/com/article/view/2189

EU Turkey Civic Commission
www.eutcc.net
Twitter: @EUTCC1
Facebook: Eu Turkey Civic Commission

From Ukraine to the Middle East – Combating of Violation of International Law everywhere

Turkey launched another large-scale military offensive in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq on the evening of 17 April. Attacks on northern Syria also continue.

Turkey claims that its attacks are directed against the PKK. The occupation of Syrian territory in particular reveals the true character of its expansive foreign policy which in reality is anti-Kurdish. By taking the attention away from the country’s economic decline the AKP-MHP coalition under President Erdoğan try to make up for the population’s growing dissatisfaction with their policy. Erdoğan is trying to distinguish and position himself against the backdrop of geostrategic interests both of his own country and of NATO, Ukraine and Russia.

In the context of the military offensive, reference should also be made to the US human rights report, which states that Turkey accepts the death of civilians in the fight against the PKK.
Criticism from the international community is not to be expected. In the past, too, silence prevailed in the context of the NATO partner’s violence of international law. The maximum reaction was the expression of concern.
The war in Ukraine is both a reminder and a call to outlaw and combat war crimes and violations of international law immediately and everywhere.

We strongly condemn Turkey’s cross-border military offensive. The international community is called upon to take a clear stand on the side of international law in this war as well and to impose appropriate sanctions immediately.

EU Turkey Civic Commission
www.eutcc.net
Twitter: @EUTCC1
Facebook: Eu Turkey Civic Commission