Newsletter

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
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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 
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Twitter: @EUTCC1
Facebook: Eu Turkey Civic Commission

PACE resolution on Turkey’s crackdown against opposition

PACE’s Standing Committee has strongly condemned new crackdowns on political opposition and civil dissent in recent months in Turkey and urged the Turkish authorities to “take meaningful steps” to improve standards in the field of democracy, rule of law and human rights

Letter of MEPs to EP President concerning North-Syria

Following the report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic on war crimes in Northern Syria, 68 MEPs have written a letter to the EP president, demanding to form a special delegation of elected parliamentarians to travel to the regions of the Autonomous Administration of North-East Syria and calling on the Turkish military and their auxiliary forces to end their illegal occupation in North-Syria and retreat from the region.

EUTCC Statement on arrest of HDP politicians
It is not acceptable for a country to attack lawfully elected politicians, steel elections and violate human rights on a daily basis.
The EUTCC urges the European Commission and the Council of Europe to take concrete measures against Turkey immediately.

European Commission 2020 report on Turkey – Key findings

Despite the lifting of the state of emergency in July 2018, the adverse impacts of the two-year long emergency ruling continued to significantly impact on democracy and fundamental rights. The constitutional architecture continued centralising powers at the level of the Presidency without ensuring a sound and effective separation of powers between the executive, legislative and the judiciary. The situation in the south-east continued to be very worrying. Arrests and dismissals of elected mayors and party representatives continued and seriously damaged local democracy.

Statement of Human Rights Watch on crackdown against HDP

“Detaining politicians from a party that won nearly 12 percent of the vote in the 2018 general election is part of the Turkish government’s policy to criminalize political opposition.”

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

Statement on the ECtHR President’s honorary doctorate
We published a statement on the honorary doctorate the ECtHR President Robert Spano received from İstanbul University during his visit to Turkey: The EUTCC strongly dissociates itself from the fact that the President of the European Court of Human Rights receives an honorary doctorate from a member state that largely violates human rights. The EUTCC takes this occasion to remind all those who champion the cause of human rights about its perilous condition today in Turkey. 
http://eutcc.net/?p=402

Resolution of the European Parliament on Turkey in the context of the Eastern Mediterranean conflict 

Resolution of the European Parliament on the preparation of the special European Council Summit on the dangerous escalation and the role of Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean: The EP condemns Turkey’s illegal activities in the continental shelf/EEZ of Greece and Cyprus, which violate the sovereign rights of EU Member States and expresses its full solidarity with Greece and Cyprus; urges Turkey to engage in the peaceful settlement of disputes and to refrain from any unilateral and illegal action or threat, as that could have a negative impact on good neighbourly relations. The EP xpresses serious concerns about the current state of EU-Turkey relations, mainly regarding the dire human rights situation in Turkey and the erosion of democracy and the rule of law; underlines the past and present negative impacts of Turkey’s unilateral foreign policy initiatives in the wider region. 

Report of UN Syria Commission on Syria
The UN Syria Commission released a report on Syria. The report lists war crimes committed in the areas under Turkish occupation (in both the Afrin and Ra’s al-Ayn regions): pillage, hostage-taking, unlawful deportation, cruel treatment, torture and rape. 
https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/Pages/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=26237&LangID=E

Call of Chief of UN Human Rights to Turkey

Michelle Bachelet, Chief of UN Human Rights, calls on Turkey to respect international law and halt violations committed by armed groups under Turkey’s control, including killings, kidnapping, forcible evictions, seizures of land and unlawful transfers. https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26258&LangID=E

Statement on Turkish Intelligence Organisation’s plans to attack Austrian politicians 
We published a statement on Turkish Intelligence Organisation’s plans to attack Austrian politicians. It was revealed that an agent of the Turkish Intelligence Organisation (MIT) had turned himself in to the Austrian intelligence service where he reported on plans to attack Austrian politicians criticising the policies of the Turkish government. Among those affected are former members of Austrian Parliament Berivan Aslan and Peter Pilz as well as S&D MEP Andreas Schieder. The EUTCC express solidarity with all affected. 
http://eutcc.net/?p=405

HDP statement on wave of arrest
Statement by Peoples’ Democratic Party HDP on wave of arrest against the HDP on 25 September. As part of an investigation carried out by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s office, detention warrants have been issued against 82 people, mostly HDP politicians/officials. 
https://hdpeurope.eu/2020/09/82-more-arrests-the-onslaught-on-the-hdp-continues-unabashedly/

EU Turkey Civic Commission 
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Twitter: @EUTCC1
Facebook: Eu Turkey Civic Commission

CPT report on Turkey, including Imrali prison

Council of Europe anti-torture Committee CPT published 2 reports on Turkey, including Imrali prison where Kurdish political leader Abdullah Öcalan has been imprisoned since 1999. The CPT notes that the situation regarding the prisoners’ regime in Imrali had not improved at all since the CPT’s 2016 visit. All prisoners were being held in solitary confinement for most of the time. No visits by lawyers had been granted since July 2011 and that hardly any visits by family members had taken place since October 2014. In the Committee’s view, such a state of affairs is not acceptable and clearly contravenes various relevant international human rights instruments and standards.

EUTCC statement on CPT reports

The EUTCC agrees with CPT’s findings and will refer to these reports in order to refocus attention to some aspects that are not only relevant for human rights in general, but also in the context of a political solution to the Kurdish question and democratization of Turkey in particular.

Full statement:

EUTCC letter to HR/VP Josep Borrell

On the occasion of the infomal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Berlin at the end of August, where relations with Turkey are on the agenda, we sent a letter to HR/VP Josep Borrell to draw the attention to the need for effective measures to counter the damaging policy of Turkey.

Full statement:
http://eutcc.net/?p=390

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