Newsletter

Dear Sir or Madam,

Please find below our current newsletter.

Kind regards 

Prof. Kariane Westrheim 

Chairperson 

Our statement: PKK resolutions: strengthening democratic transformation together 

Peace and a democratic society will have positive regional and global implications that are more necessary than ever. Rapid, strong and clear action is therefore required from all sides, especially European institutions. 

http://eutcc.net/?p=2027

Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s congress declaration

We call on international powers to acknowledge their responsibilities in the century-long genocide policies against our people, not to obstruct a democratic solution, and to contribute constructively to the process.

Interview with our chair: PKK’s dissolution “critical opening – not a conclusion”

Prof. Kariane Westrheim says the PKK’s decision to dissolve itself and end its armed struggle should be considered a historic step towards a peaceful solution to the Kurdish question in Turkey, a “critical opening – not a conclusion”.

Latest MEP report: Turkey’s accession to the EU must remain frozen.

Turkey’s geopolitical and strategic importance cannot make up for the government’s democratic backsliding, and EU membership criteria are not up for negotiation, MEPs say.

Open letter to President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa

Statement by 58 human rights organizations, media freedom groups, journalists’ organisations & representatives of the international legal community regarding the assault on the right to political participation, the rule of law and human rights in Turkey

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EU Turkey Civic Commission
www.eutcc.net
Twitter: @EUTCC1
Facebook: Eu Turkey Civic Commission
Instagram: @eutcc1

Dear Sir or Madam,

Please find below our current newsletter. 

Kind regards 

Prof. Kariane Westrheim 

Chairperson 

IHD 2024 report: At least 7 thousand 431 rights violations in Kurdish areas 

According to the reports of IHD Diyarbakır Branch, 7 thousand 431 rights violations took place in Kurdistan in 2024 and 117 civilians’ right to life was violated. 

http://www.mezopotamyaajansi43.com/en/ALL-NEWS/content/view/274178

Resolution by PACE on the arrest of the Mayor of Istanbul and the state of democracy and human rights in Turkey

Reiterating its previous resolutions on Türkiye, including Resolution 2459 (2022) and Resolution 2518 (2023), the Assembly recalls that Turkey has committed itself to upholding and promoting democratic values, the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms. It therefore demands that the authorities implement immediately all these resolutions as well as the recommendations contained in the Venice Commission’s opinions concerning Turkey. 

Statement by UN experts on PKK’s unilateral ceasefire 

UN experts welcomed the unilateral ceasefire declared by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) on 1 March 2025, after more than 40 years of conflict with Turkey.

Restrictions on the use of Kurdish 

A new report by Kurdish Monitoring reveals 24 separate incidents of restrictions on the use of Kurdish in public spaces, media, cultural and artistic fields, and prisons during the first quarter of 2025.

—
EU Turkey Civic Commission
www.eutcc.net
Twitter: @EUTCC1
Facebook: Eu Turkey Civic Commission
Instagram: @eutcc1

Dear Sir or Madam,

Please find below our current newsletter.

Kind regards

Prof. Kariane Westrheim
EUTCC Chairperson

19th EUTCC Conference – Final Resolution 

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 Left Group, the Greens-European Free Alliance (GREENS/EFA) and the Groups of the Free Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) was successfully held on 26th and 27th of March 2025 in the European Parliament in Brussels. 

http://eutcc.net/?p=1997

Swedish journalist Joakim Medin has been arrested in Turkey after travelling to Istanbul to report on protests

He is facing charges of insulting the president and membership in a terrorist organisation. Turkish authorities have linked his case to a protest held in Stockholm in January 2023, during which a mock-up of Turkish President Erdoğan was displayed. 

Statement by Reporters Without Borders on the treatment of journalists covering the protests emerged after the arrest of the İstanbul mayor

We condemn in the strongest terms the violent crackdown on media professionals covering the protests in Turkey.

Newroz was celebrated in Diyarbakır with nearly a million people in attendance

Meanwhile, CHP Leader Özgür Özel, PUK Leader Bafel Talabani, KDP Leader Masoud Barzani, and Kurdistan Regional Government President Nechirvan Barzani also sent messages for Newroz.

Report on the targeting of civilians in NES by Turkey and the SNA

The information RIC has gathered presents a clear picture of intentional targeting of civilians and civil life by Turkey and the SNA, in North-East Syria in the period after the fall of Assad. 

EU Turkey Civic Commission

www.eutcc.net

Twitter: @EUTCC1

Facebook: Eu Turkey Civic Commission

Our PR: Mr Öcalan’s statement: A Momentum for Peace and Democracy 

This momentum must be adequately recognised. The European Union and its institutions, in particular the European Parliament and the Council of Europe, should now make every effort to strengthen the process. This includes engagement to ensure that Abdullah Öcalan can freely practice his leadership role in the ongoing political process.

http://eutcc.net/?p=1981

Mr Öcalan’s Call for Peace and a Democratic Society 

Just as every contemporary organisation and party whose existence has not been forcibly ended would voluntarily do, gather your congress and take the decision to integrate with the state and society: all groups must lay down their arms, and the PKK must dissolve itself.

Human Rights Watch: Use Call to Halt Violence as Catalyst to End Right Abuses

The landmark call on February 27, 2025, to end a decades-long armed insurgency against the Turkish state should be a catalyst to end its abusive use of terrorism charges to criminalize and silence government critics including politicians, journalists, lawyers, and activists.

DEM Party’s Statement on wave of arrests against HDK 

AKP government is threatening Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK) and its components with baseless accusations and imprisonment. 

Statement by Congress of Local and Regional Authorities Co-Rapporteurs David Eray and Bryony Rudkin on the dismissal of Abdullah Zeydan, Mayor of Van and member of the Turkish delegation to the Congress

We reiterate our call to the Turkish authorities to stop this practice and resume the political dialogue with the Congress rapporteurs to ensure the effective implementation of past recommendations.

EU Turkey Civic Commission

www.eutcc.net

Twitter: @EUTCC1

Facebook: Eu Turkey Civic Commission

Instagram: @eutcc1  

Dear Sir or Madam,

Please find below our current newsletter. 

Kind regards 

Prof. Kariane Westrheim 

Chairperson 

Statement by Human Rights Watch

A drone strike by the Türkiye-Syrian National Army (SNA) coalition that hit a Kurdish Red Crescent ambulance on January 18, 2025, in northern Syria is an apparent war crime

Statement by DEM Party’s İmralı delegation on their second meeting with Kurdish Political Leader Abdullah Öcalan

This process will help everyone, all of us, live together and freely. With the hope that this will be made possible, we look forward to the valuable contributions of all social segments.

Turkey records highest-ever femicide rate in 2024

Turkey’s We Will Stop Femicides Platform reported 394 femicides in 2024, the highest recorded. The group criticized government policies, highlighted rising rates, and called for action on gun control, impunity, and transparency in official femicide data.

BİA Media Monitoring 2024 Annual Report

The BİA Media Monitoring Report reveals that at least 25 journalists and five media outlets were attacked in 2024, while 82 media representatives, mostly from the MHP and affiliated political groups, were threatened in an environment of judicial inaction.

Turkey ranks 158th out of 180 countries in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). 

—
EU Turkey Civic Commission
www.eutcc.net
Twitter: @EUTCC1
Facebook: Eu Turkey Civic Commission
Instagram: @eutcc1