Colonial continuities in the Kurdish liberation By Jan Yasin Sunca, Bielefeld University
Executive summary:
his commentary seeks to examine the extent to which Kurdish liberation projects are free from the global colonial continuities. While the discussion on colonialism and Kurdistan typically centres on the Kurds’ relationships with their immediate colonisers, it obscures at least two forms of colonial continuities in Kurdish liberation projects. A decolonial perspective built on the coloniality concept enables these colonial continuities. Firstly, the manifestation of politico-tribal domination in Başûr (South Kurdistan, Iraq) is a common feature of postcolonial states that perpetuates the originally colonial power relations within internal structures. Secondly, the Rojava (West Kurdistan, Syria) revolution, which, despite its extensive criticism of orientalism, inadvertently reproduces the frustration of Rojava’s people arising from the feeling of abandonment, by equating “we fight for humanity” with “we fight for Western values.” The reproduction of internal coloniality and Western superiority are, I argue, inextricably linked to the colonial nature of modern power.
The Annual International Conference on the EU, Turkey, the Middle East and the Kurds was hosted by the EU Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC) in cooperation with the The Left Group, the Greens-European Free Alliance (GREENS/EFA), the Groups of the Free Alliance of Socialists and Democrats
(S&D) and the Kurdish Institute Brussels. The conference was successfully held on 8th and 9th of March 2023 in the European Parliament in Brussels.
At the beginning of February, a devastating earthquake shook Turkey, Kurdistan and Syria. Entire cities lay in ruins, tens of thousands of people lost their lives. The violent extent is not only the result of plate tectonics, but the result of greed for profit paired with the monistic state policy.
The EUTCC conference commemorates the victims of the earthquake. Turkey is called upon to immediately stop its attacks on northern Syria and to lift blockade on humanitarian aid by volunteers. The military inaction called by the PKK due to the earthquake must become bilateral.
The military inaction, but also the rubble of the earthquake, are not only the result, but also an opportunity for 100 years of the Republic of Turkey to overcome the monist state mindset and become a democratic republic.
In this context, the upcoming elections are a historic option that should be used by the opposition.
The EUTCC conference calls on the opposition to unite for democracy and peace and to act together against the attempt to ban of the Peoples` Democratic Party (HDP). The international community, and in particular the European Union and the Council of Europe, must send clear signals that they will not accept a ban on the second largest opposition party under any circumstances.
A historical and long overdue necessity is the opening of the gates of Imrali prison, which as a lawless space is the starting point for the most massive human rights violations in Turkey’s prisons. The European Union, the Council of Europe and in particular the CPT are called upon to exhaust all
mechanisms to end the lawlessness on Imrali and to allow lawyers unrestricted access to the island. The EUTCC Conference calls for a return to dialogue between the Turkish state and the PKK and the release of Abdullah Öcalan as a precondition for a sustainable solution.
This dialogue is also crucial for the future of Syria and the Middle East. The Autonomous Administration of Northern and Eastern Syria, whose social contract is based on the concept of democratic autonomy, is a possibility for a pluralistic democratic Middle East. In this way, the ethically and confessionally connoted lines of conflict, together with the war crimes – ecocide, genocide, feminicide, violation of international law – can bestopped and overcome. An important step will be the recognition of the Autonomous Administration of Northern and Eastern Syria by the
international community. In this context, the EUTCC conference refers to the obligation of states to repatriate their imprisoned ISIS fighters and putting them on trial. A tribunal is also needed on the ground.
The destabilising foreign policy effect of the current Turkish government policy also prevents the development of stability and security in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The assassination of Kurdish politicians, especially women, by Turkish drones in both Kurdistan Region of Iraq and Autonomous Administration of Northern and Eastern Syria must be brought to justice.
Since many states have politically recognised the attacks against Yezidis in Sinjar as genocide, all diplomatic and political mechanisms of the EU must be set in motion to prevent further attacks by Turkish drones against Yezidis. In any case, the Yezidis are suffering from the consequences of the 2014 genocide.
The EUTCC Conference calls on the United Nations, the OPCW and the International Criminal Court to address Turkey's war crimes and to launch independent investigations. The member states of the OPCW must use the options set out in its regulations to investigate the alleged use of chemical weapons by its member state Turkey. The international community, in particular the European Union, is called upon to fully defend international law in the context of Turkey and to impose sanctions for violations.
The European Union and Europe are responsible in the context of the Treaty of Lausanne, which was signed 100 years ago. The EUTCC conference calls on the European Union and the institutions and states of Europe to take all measures to prevent anti-Kurdish warfare on European soil. The Paris assassinations of 23 December 2022 must be solved. An important contribution of the European Union with regard to Kurdish society in Europe, but above all for a political solution of the Kurdish question, is the removal of the PKK from the terror list.
All these demands are also in the context of Jin Jiyan Azadi, the slogan that is going around the world with the Iran protests.
The EUTCC conference stands in solidarity with the people of Iran who have revolt against the murderous regime. There can only be an alternative if the diversity of the country can fully participate in political restructuring processes.
The EUTCC calls on the international community to make the slogan the maxim of its policy in its origin.
17th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON “THE EUROPEAN UNION, TURKEY, THE MIDDLE EAST AND THE KURDS”
Brussels, European Parliament Wednesday 8th March – 15.30 – 18.30 Thursday 9th of March – 09.30 – 18.30
PATRONS
ARCHBISHOP EMERITUS DESMOND TUTU Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, South Africa
SHIRIN EBADI Human Rights Lawyer Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Iran
BIANCA JAGGER Council of Europe Goodwill Ambassador Chair of the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation, UK
NOAM CHOMSKY Institute Professor in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
LEYLA ZANA European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, Rafto Prize Laureate, Turkey
In cooperation with
IMPORTANT TECHNICAL INFORMATION “HOW TO PARTICIPATE AND ENTER THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT”
An official “European Parliament personal badge/pass” will be available for all ALREADY REGISTERED participants to the Conference.
Your “personal badge / pass” will be available at the main entrance of the European Parliament (Place de Luxembourg – main European Parliament’s building “Altiero Spinelli”
Wednesday 8th of March, 13.30 – 15.00
Thursday 9th of March, 08.30 – 09.30
All participants must take care of their own “EP badge / pass” during both days; if someone lose the “pass / badge”, it will be impossible for the conference’s organizers to replace it, according to the E.P. internal rules.
For any additional information, please contact the conference’s secretariat: brusselsconferenceep@gmail.com
Wednesday, 8 March 2023, 15.30-16.00 OPENING SESSION, Room SPAAK 05B01
Interpretation in Kurdish, Turkish, French, English, German
Opening Speeches and Greetings
•Ms. Kariane Westrheim, Chair of EUTCC, University of Bergen, Norway
•Ms. Shirin Ebadi, Human Rights Lawyer, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Iran (video message)
•Mr. François Alfonsi, MEP, Greens/European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA), France
100 Years Republic of Turkey: Continuations, Contradictions and Change
Moderator: Ms. Amberin Zaman, Senior Correspondent, UK
Interpretation in Kurdish, Turkish, French, English, German
100 Years of Turkish Republic and Treaty of Lausanne: Historical Continuations and Present Realities •Mr. Baskın Oran, Historian, Turkey
Elections in Turkey: New Start versus Continuity •Ms. Meral Danış Beştaş, HDP Group Deputy Chair, Turkey
A Country in Ruins: Earthquake, human rights and racism •Ms. Rehsan Bataray, Human Rights Association Diyarbakir Branch, Turkey
Questions and Discussion with Moderators and Speakers
Wednesday, 8 March 2023, 17.30-18.30
Panel II – Room SPAAK 05B01
The Causa İmralı and European Institutions: Law, Obligations and Deficits
Moderator: Ms. Barbara Spinelli, ELDH Co-Chair, Italy
Interpretation in Kurdish, Turkish, French, English, German
The Imprisonment Conditions of Abdullah Öcalan: From an Individual Case to Lawlessness of Whole Turkey •Ms. Raziye Öztürk, Asrın Law Office, Turkey
Preventing Torture: Limits and Obligations •Ms. Ann Jessica Therese Karlqvist, MP, Left Party, Sweden
Questions and Discussion with Moderators and Speakers
Thursday, 9 March 2023, 09.30-10.30
Panel III – Room SPAAK 05B01
The Autonomous Administration of Northern and Eastern Syria: In the Crossfire of Interests
Moderator: Ms. Ezo Özer, Journalist, Germany
Interpretation in Kurdish, Turkish, French, English, German
Interview with
•Ms. Ilham Ahmad, Co-Chair of the Executive Committee of Syrian Democratic Council, Syria
•Mr. Andreas Schieder, MEP, Socialists and Democrats (S&D), Austria
Questions and Discussion with Moderators and Speakers
Thursday, 9 March 2023, 10.30-13.00
Panel IV – Room SPAAK 05B01
Turkey, the Kurds and the Middle East: Continuations and Challenges
Moderator: Mr. Michael Gunter, Tennessee Technological University, EUTCC Secretary General, US
Interpretation in Kurdish, Turkish, French, English, German
War crimes in Kurdistan: From Halabja to Today •Mr. Salar Mahmoud, Head of Kurdistan Genocide Writers Union, Iraq
The Alleged Use of Chemical Weapons by Turkey: Questions and Options •Mr. Jan van Aken, Biologist, Member of Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War`s (IPPNW) Scientific Advisory Board, Germany
Turkey´s New War: Drones and Deals •Mr. Georges Henri Beauthier, Lawyer, Belgium
Turkey´s Crimes Against Humanity: Eocide, Feminicide, Genocide •Ms. Bedia Özgökçe, former HDP MP and Mayor of Van, Turkey
Questions and Discussion with Moderators and Speakers
Thursday, 9 March 2023, 15.00-16:45
Panel VI – Room SPAAK 05B01
The EU and the Kurds: Expectations and Options
Moderator: Mr. Joost Jongerden, EUTCC Board Member, University of Wageningen, Netherlands
Interpretation in Kurdish, Turkish, French, English, German
Kurdish Expectations of Europe •Ms. Nilüfer Koc, Kurdistan National Congress Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, Belgium
De-Listing: Lifting Political Barriers •Ms. Besra Güler, Association for Democracy and International Law (Maf-Dad), Germany
The December 23 Attack in Paris: Many Questions – Less Answers •Ms. Berivan Firat, Democratic Council of Kurds in French Foreign Relations Committee, France
Europe and the Kurdish Question: Contradictions and Options •Mr. Nikolaj Villumsen, MEP, Vice-Chair The Left, Denmark
Questions and Discussion with Moderators and Speakers
Thursday, 9 March 2023, 16:45-17.45
Panel VIII – Room SPAAK 05B01
Women Waving Future: Obstacles and Opportunities
Moderator: Ms. Nese Özgen, Antropologist, Germany
Interpretation in Kurdish, Turkish, French, English, German
Jin – Jiyan – Azadî: A paradigm for freedom •Ms. Maryam Fethi, East Kurdistan Free Women Society, Spain
Living International Solidarity – Creating Women Alliances •Ms. Evin Incir, MEP, Socialists and Democrats (S&D), Member of The EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee, Sweden
Building Bridges in Politics: United Against Patriarchy and Repression •Ms. Ana Miranda, MEP, Greens/EFA, Spain
Questions and Discussion with Moderators and Speakers
Thursday, 9 March 2023, 17.45-18.30
Closing Session – Room SPAAK 05B01
Conclusions, Recommendations and Final Resolution Board of EUTCC
The Implications of Turkish Interventions in Rojava for US and EU Foreign Policies by Dr. Veysi Dağ, Hebrew University of Jerusalem and SOAS
Executive summary:
This essay focuses on the anti-intellectualism in Turkey in relation to the oppression, persecution, and discrediting of critical academics. It shows how this anti-intellectualism affects the reproduction and re-legitimation of war policies in regards to the Turkish-Kurdish conflict. To this end, first it presents excerpts from in-depth interviews with academics who were dismissed from universities by presidential decrees for This paper examines how Turkish invasions into Northern Syria’s Kurdish enclave undermine US and European policy objectives. It argues that the Turkish state, obsessed with Kurdish hostility, endangers American and European foreign policies by further destabilising war-torn Syria, facilitating the empowerment of Islamist extremist groups, impeding a peaceful resolution to Syria’s protracted conflict, and assisting Russia’s anti-Western interests. The paper suggests that the US and Europe could rather deploy a dual strategy aimed at exerting pressure on Turkey to discontinue its disruptive and belligerent actions. To cease targeting anti-ISIS Kurdish forces, Turkey must either resume the Kurdish-Turkish peace process or risk being designated as a rival state, analogous to Russia, and subjected to punitive sanctions. https://journals.tplondon.com/com/article/view/2951
EU Turkey Civic Commission www.eutcc.net Twitter: @EUTCC1 Facebook: Eu Turkey Civic Commission
Anti-intellectualism and discrediting of critical academics in Turkey: an approach to the Turkish-Kurdish conflict by Serhat Tutkal, Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Executive summary:
This essay focuses on the anti-intellectualism in Turkey in relation to the oppression, persecution, and discrediting of critical academics. It shows how this anti-intellectualism affects the reproduction and re-legitimation of war policies in regards to the Turkish-Kurdish conflict. To this end, first it presents excerpts from in-depth interviews with academics who were dismissed from universities by presidential decrees for signing a peace petition criticizing the military operations and human rights violations in Kurdish-majority cities. Subsequently, it shows some Twitter entries from a larger dataset where critical academics are attacked to legitimize police violence in a university campus. It concludes with underlining the importance of re-legitimation of critical academics and intellectual work in Turkey if authoritarianism is to be overcome. https://journals.tplondon.com/com/article/view/2856
EU Turkey Civic Commission www.eutcc.net Twitter: @EUTCC1 Facebook: Eu Turkey Civic Commission
