Newsletter

EUTCC Letter to the President of the European Council On the occasion of European Council’s meeting on 25 and 26 March we addressed a letter to EUCO President Charles Michel regarding the developments in Turkey  
http://eutcc.net/?p=584

EUTCC Statement on Abdullah Öcalan 
On 14 March allegations were shared on social media regarding the life of Kurdish political leader Abdullah Öcalan. The EUTCC urges the Turkish government to enable regularly visits by his attorneys and family.http://eutcc.net/?p=575

HDP statement on closure case Statement by HDP Co-Chairs Pervin Buldan & Prof. Mithat Sancar on closure case against Peoples’ Democratic Party 
https://www.hdp.org.tr/en/the-closure-case-against-the-hdp-is-a-new-blow-to-democracy/15185/

Letter of 170 U.S. lawmakers to Secretary of State 170 members of the U.S. House of Representatives urge Biden administration to push Turkey on rights
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-turkey-congress/170-u-s-lawmakers-urge-biden-administration-to-push-turkey-on-rights-idUSKCN2AT3DP

Statement by Philippe Dam, Europe & Central Asia Division of Human Rights Watch regarding the EUCO meeting “The bolder Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan gets, the quieter the European Union (EU).”https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/03/30/time-focus-human-rights-eus-turkey-agenda

UN Human Rights Office Press Briefing Notes on Turkey UN Human Rights calls on Turkey to reverse decision to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention on combatting all forms of violence against women. The move highlights wider concerns, notably shrinking civic space and lack of democratic participation in decision making. https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26934&LangID=E

EUTCC Interview on PPT Interview in German about the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal on Turkey and the KurdsSpeakers: Prof. Dr. Norman Paech, International Lawyer, Heike Geisweid, Co-Chair of Association for Democracy and International Law (Maf-Dad) Moderator: Besra Güler, Maf-Dad board member https://youtu.be/EJBM5c-SBSQ

EU Turkey Civic Commission
www.eutcc.net
Twitter: @EUTCC1
Facebook: Eu Turkey Civic Commission Bereich mit AnhängenVorschau für YouTube-Video “EUTCC Interview 12. März 2021” ansehen

IHD 2020 report
The Human Rights Association (IHD) has released its 2020 report on rights violations in Kurdish-majority regions 100+ people subjected to torture & maltreatment 16 civilians lost their lives in the conflict Right to assembly often restricted
https://m.bianet.org/english/human-rights/239148-report-documents-rights-violations-in-kurdish-majority-regions-in-2020

Crackdown on HDPStatement by Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Foreign Affairs Spokespersons Feleknas Uca and Hişyar Özsoy on wave of arrests against their members & officials 
https://www.hdp.org.tr/en/more-detentions-target-hdp-members-and-executives/15076/

EU External Affairs Spokespersons on political crackdown against HDP Statement by spokesperson for the external affairs of the EU Peter Stano on the ongoing actions against the members of Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) 

Solidarity with HDP Open Letter to President Erdogan in solidarity with human rights defender & HDP MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, signed by many politicians, academics, writers & human rights organisations
https://observatoryihr.org/news/open-letter-to-president-erdogan-in-solidarity-with-human-rights-activist-and-mp-omer-faruk-gergerlioglu/

MIT’s involvement in Paris murdersIn 2013, three Kurdish politicians were murdered in Paris. Former head of General Staff’s intelligence department, Ismail Pekin, blurted out involvement of Turkish Intelligence Organisation (MIT) and demanded targeted liquidations of Kurdish politicians in a TV broadcast: “They also have their elements in Europe. We have to do something in this direction in Europe. I mean, it was already done once in Paris …”

EUTCC interview about the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal on Turkey and the KurdsSpeakers: Mr Philippe Texier, PPT President, France, & Mr Gianni Tognoni, PPT Secretary-General, ItalyModeration: Fréderike Geerdink, journalist, Netherlands 
https://youtu.be/bwzpq3AKLdA

Vorschau für YouTube-Video “EUTCC Interview 02.02.2021” ansehen

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

European Parliament resolution on the human rights situation in Turkey, notably the case of Selahattin Demirtaş and other prisoners of conscience
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/delegations/en/d-tr/documents/ep-resolutions

First EUTCC Roundtable Debate
The first EUTCC Roundtable Debate, entitled “The US, Turkey and the Middle East: continuities, challenges and options” was held on January 26.
Speakers: HDP MP Hişyar Özsoy, Representative of the Autonomous Administration of Northern and Eastern Syria to the US Sinam Mohamad and former CIA official Graham E. Fuller
Introduction and moderation: EUTCC Secretary-General Michael Gunter, US

Bianet Male Violence Monitoring Report 2020
In 2020, men killed at least 284 women and 26 children, abused 265 children, forced 818 women to sex work, inflicted violence on 792 women and harassed 147 women in Turkey

EUTCC Interview in German about EU – Turkey relations and the EUTCC conferences in the European Parliament
Speakers: former MEP & chair of The Left Gabi Zimmer, former MEP Jürgen Klute and HDP MP & former MEP Feleknas Uca
Moderation: EUTCC board member Dersim Dağdeviren, Germany

Save the date
2nd EUTCC Roundtable Debate
“EU-Turkey relations: cooperations, conflicts and controversies”
2 March 2021
4 pm CET

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

Letter to the President of the European Council On the occasion of the meeting of the European Council on 10 and 11 December we sent a letter to the President of the European Council Charles Michel.
http://eutcc.net/?p=424

Comment on EUCO conclusions regarding Turkey The European Council imposed limited sanctions on Turkey in relation to its resumption of oil and gas drilling in EU member states’ territorial waters. Turkey’s further regression into a ‘zero rule of law’ presidential system, its hostage holding of politicians, among them the co-chairs, members of parliament and mayors of the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party HDP, the full-fledged assault on civil society and independent media remain unmentioned. The European Council is also silent about Turkey’s unlawful occupation and war crimes in Northern Syria. The European Council’s silence about all such issues a flagrant contradiction to the democratic values and the rule of law on which the council says the EU is grounded and encourages Erdogan to continue his destructive path chosen.
http://eutcc.net/?p=429

Interview with our board member Dersim Dağdeviren on EUCO conclusions regarding Turkey (German)
https://episodes.castos.com/5e2f5a2fe045c1-83979070/2020-12-13-Interview-Dersim-fin.mp3

Statement by EP standing rapporteur for Turkey Nacho Sánchez Amor and the chair of the EU-Turkey parliamentary delegation Sergey Lagodinsky in reaction to the decision in the case of Osman Kavala. 
Contrary to the judgement of the European Court of Human Rights the court in Turkey has ruled for the continued imprisonment of Osman Kavala. The next hearing will be held on February 5, 2021. 

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

Cancellation of 17th EUTCC Conference The EU Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC) strongly regrets that as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is not possible to conduct the Annual International Conference on the EU, Turkey, the Middle East and the Kurds held in the European Parliament, as planned. Instead, the EUTCC board has decided to organize a number of smaller digital seminars, roundtable debates and video interviews, which will be available on our homepage, the social media channels and on various listed websites. 

Peace committees, platforms and the political ordering of society: Doing justice in the Federation of Northern and Eastern Syria (NES) – Article by our board member Prof. Joost Jongerden & Michael Knapp 
Conflict mediation has become an important feature of the justice system of the autonomous self-administration in Rojava and north and east Syria. This conflict mediation takes place mainly through peace committees and platforms. A main conclusion: the primary function of the peace committees and platforms is to institutionalise the new government model and give an ideological direction for the idea of a “good society”.
https://kurdishstudies.net/journal/ks/article/view/534

World Children’s Day
On the occasion of November 20 World Children’s Day, the Human Rights Association (İHD) Children’s Rights Commission has shared the rights violations faced by children during the pandemic: Earthquake, distance education, child labor.
https://m.bianet.org/english/children/234746-pandemic-in-turkey-violence-against-children-women-has-increased-by-27-8-percent

ICJ on arrest of lawyers The International Commission of Jurists expressed its deep concern at the arrest of some 26 lawyers and the investigation of around 100, including lawyers active in the defence of human rights, in South East Turkey.
https://www.icj.org/turkey-concern-over-arrest-of-lawyers-in-south-east-turkey/#.X7fStXEu2mg.twitter

HRW and Article19 on political crackdown against HDPJoint statement of Human Rights Watch and Article19 regarding political crackdown on HDP politicians 
https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/11/19/turkey-opposition-politicians-detained-four-years
EU Turkey Civic Commission 
www.eutcc.net
Twitter: @EUTCC1
Facebook: Eu Turkey Civic Commission