Report about Turkmens’ Situation and Demands

Report about Turkmens’ Situation and Demands

30/07/2012

Under the chairmanship of the Speaker Osama Al-najafi , the COR held its regular session on 28^thJuly 2012 and according to the approval of the head of the council and endorsement of the Deputy Council, the following decisions were approved:

A Report about Turkmens’ Situation and Demands

In the light of the report that had been read in the Deputy Council and the interventions of the Deputies in session 37 on 21^st/04/2012.

Within the work schedule of session 37 on 21^st/04/2012, Iraqi Deputy Council held a special session to discuss Turkmens situation during the bygone eco and made a claim signed by 74 Deputies that the head board agreed to read it, so the report was read and 39 members of the Deputy Council spoke, according to a request from the head board to form a committee from human rights, security and defence, lawful, reconciliation committees to study the report and the Deputies interventions in order to present a recommendation to the Deputy Council to approve it.

So according to the approval of the head of the council and endorsement of the Deputy Council, the following decisions were issued:

Iraqi Deputy Council confirms that Turkmens were exposed during the past regime eco to national and sectarian oppression and thousands of them were either arrested, executed or deported, their cities, towns, villages and neighbourhoods were destroyed and their lands and properties were occupied.

At the head of the constitution was admission of injustice and oppression of Turkmens, the report and the Deputies spokesmen confirmed the delay of giving Turkmens rights, absence of equilibrium in security systems, unfair representation of Turkmen component in the country and non existence of Turkmens in important political positions.

Deputies spokesmen emphasized that Turkmens are basic component and the third nationality in Iraq and 

they must have all their legal and constitutional deserts, accordingly:

- Iraqi Deputy Council condemns what happened to Turkmens from injustice and oppression due to their identity during the past regime.

- Iraqi Deputy Council admits that Turkmens are basic component and the third nationality in Iraq and must enjoy all their legal and constitutional rights, as well as legislation of laws that enable them to practise their educational, cultural, political and administrative rights, participation in Federal government, independent boards, local administrations, districts, governorates not organized as districts, formation of high board of Turkmens’ affairs and allocate finances from the Federal budget so to boom Turkmens’ reality, meet their needs, rebuild their villages and towns and establish rehabilitation, social, educational institutions, therefore the Deputy Council issued Turkmens’ rights law according to Articles 3, 4 ( fourth and fifth), ninth article (first A), Articles 108, 116, and 125 from Iraqi constitution.

- Representation of Turkmens in the governorates that they live in, and according to their real size, ensure the return of their plundered current rights , legislate a law that enables Turkmens and other components to practise their rights through local administrations.

- Achievement of patriotic equilibrium in ministers of defence, interior, security systems, independent boards and head ministers so as it achieves fair representation of Turkmens and other components in those institutions.

- Solution of ownership disputes matter (confiscated, occupied, not included in the agricultural restoration law) and return them to their original owners and compensate the current advantaged ones.

- Activation of reconciliation among Talaafar sons and removal of traces of terrorism and military processes, compensate the victimised, normalise situations in the city and specify a special budget to the city in order to improve its reality and originate administrative reformations that suit with the special situation of the city and encourage investments.

- Prevent the execution of any decisions or procedures to change the structure in areas of Turkmen component, protect them from any activities that harm or possibly harm their existence, rights and freedoms.

- Reopen governmental Turkmen TV channel and radio.

- Turkmen nationality’s sons have the right to use their language and writing in letters that suit their language and freedom on general and special levels, and work to execute constitutional substances.

- Integrate Turkmen fighters before 2003 that were in the patriotic opposition like those who were integrated in security systems during the last years or refer them to retirements and compensations.

- Grant seats to Turkmen students in military colleges and police.

- Grant seats to Turkmen students in scholarships.

- Protect Turkmen citizens from programmed targeting by terrorist groups, strengthening of security systems in Turkmen areas to keep Iraqi textile by formation of new federal police units in South of Kirkuk, Toz Kharmato, Diyala and Talaafar.

Human rights committee,

Lawful committee,

Defence and Security committee,

Reconciliation committee

Below is the script of the report that was presented to the Iraqi Deputy Council on 21st of April 2012 in a session allocated to discuss Turkmen case in Iraq.

A Report about Turkmen case

In the name of God the most merciful

The history of Iraqi State is full of serious infringements of human and nation rights to the extent of crimes against humanity like mass extermination, ethnic and sectarian elimination. Like the rest of Iraqi sons, Turkmen citizens were exposed to different kinds of repression and oppression during the past regime, the number of those sentenced to death reached thousands and that of missing persons was about 16576. They were deprived of basic human and simple citizenship rights like their national belonging right as they were forced to give up their nationality and replace it by other nationalities. In order to suppress Turkmen identity by worse means, villages and towns in areas dwelled by Turkmen were demolished and their people were forced to leave.

Turkmen citizens were deprived of simple citizenship rights like using their language, so conversation, speaking and teaching in Turkmen language were forbidden in schools and other public utilities. Additionally prevention of naming the new born with Turkmen names and even changing the names of Turkmen regions and provinces, for example, Mendali instead of Talaafar, and preventing the right of businesses and trading to earn living, entering auctions, renting commercial shops, fuel stations, importing, selling, buying, and hiring

different private and public transport media unless using names other than Turkmen nationality, as well as preventing them from owning, building houses, commercial shops. Also they were prohibited from being appointed in state departments in Turkmen areas or completing higher studies.

Reports of human rights committees in United Nations especially itsheadquarter in Iraq showed those disgraceful infringements of Iraqi human rights generally and Turkmen specifically. Human dignity became humiliated in front of restrictions of freedoms, constant threats, extortions, exposure to long lasting psychological and physical torture during the arrests that were carried out by the previous regime up to the extent of taking one family member as a hostage by the security authorities until implementation of the issued orders and instructions.

In February 1982, the excuse of Turkmen not welcoming the tyrant Saddam Hussein, was used in a fierce campaign of Arabism which is a continuity of Arabism campaign that began in the thirties of the last century and had escalated in 1970, Turkmen lands and houses were confiscated to settle the new coming Arabs. Arabs had the right to choose any property and occupy it. In areas like Tiseen, Hamzali, houses were confiscated completely and their owners were forced to transfer their ownership to the new arrivals.

False accusation of Turkmen citizens of promoting national ideas, Islamic movements and belonging to them, refraining from military service, joining Iraqi opposition classes and issuing arbitrary sentences against them The inhuman procedures of deporting and displacing Turkmen families from their place of birth to other governorates were another reason behind Turkmen loss and lowering their population to minimum.

Turkmen tribes were forced to change their origin to other tribes.

Below are some examples of the past regime practices:

-The Internal affair ministry’s document no. 14432 in 13/08/1999 dictated

omitting Turkmen surnames from civilian records and not writing them down in personal identity cards.

-Transfer and dismissal of the Turkmen employers holding positions of general directors or heads of departments, and not appointing Turkmen in formal and informal state positions according to the document of state secretary no. 8017 in 05/07/1999.

- The plan to deport them from Tameem governorate , internal affairs for the period 01/01/1995 till 13/12/ 1999 issue no. 713 in 22/02/ 2000.

-In 07/06/2000, document issued from president divan included the instructions of the deportation.

- According to the central authorities, non Arabic citizens were prohibited to live in dwelling buildings about Kirkuk, document no. 8241 issued by legal affairs of Tameem governorate in 14/08/2000.

- Formation of a security belt around Kirkuk city, was the title of the document issued in 07/09/1994 from high committee of housing and development of Tameem governorate to carry out (top secret) plan 35 issued in 02/11/1997 no. 5936, agricultural affairs of Tameem governorate. Cancellation of ownership title deeds according to document no. 18465 issued in 21/09/1999 from private office of Tameem governorate.

- Cancellation ownership of title deeds according to the document no. 18465 issued in 21/09/1999 from the private office of Tameem governorate.

- Revoking the agricultural contracts, the title of book no. 13549 in 28/10/1999 issued by the legal affairs of Tameem governorate.

- Extinguishment of the agricultural lands and withholding the rights of

disposition from Turkmen citizens in Qazaliyar, Taza, Daqoq, Mola Abdalla, yaji according to the order issued from private office of Tameem governorate no. 5418/9/5 in 11/04/1998.

-Confiscation of commercial properties in South Kirkuk industrial province,

according to the order issued from Kirkuk city council no. 3565 in 14/03/1999, accusing their owners of escaping abroad and the presence of stolen cars spare parts.

- Seizure of lands according to the document issued from Tameem governorate private office no. 21195/9/7 in 08/11/1999.

This included seizing and confiscating the transferred and non transferred

money, issued from the security affairs of the internal ministry in 26/07/2000 no. 8172.

-Legal procedures against Turkmen families (seizure of their money,

deportation of those who don’t possess any properties) according to document no. 7843214 in 07/08/2000 issued by internal affairs of Tameem governorate.

-Taking over Alqathiya village, Prophet Yunis in Musal according to decisions from revolution leadership council in 1977 and deporting their population by force.

-Destroying Turkmen culture, attempting to cancel Turkmen cultural identity by suppressing Turkmen art, literature and folklore by the Arabism policy of the past regime, trying to dissolve artistic and cultural heritage by suppressing talents and qualifications and preventing the practice of artistic, literary and cultural activities, neither allowing the formation of artistic groups nor cultural gatherings, additionally preventing the publication, products of artistic, literary and cultural works. We possess sufficient evidence and documents of the above mentioned huge infringements and others not mentioned in this report.

After the fall of regime, Kurds and Arabs (Sunnis and Shias) more or less have gained their rights, whereas Turkmen, the third nationality in Iraq and the first to be exposed to injustice, suppression and oppression, did not gain any legal rights yet.

Although rights and freedoms of Turkmen component are basic humanity, indivisible parts of the democratic system in Iraqi Republic Union and must have the necessary support and protection.

The new constitution scripts did not depend on references of human rights and international charters clearly, as it gave rights and securities to some nationalities including Turkmen to protect their rights, but these will not be useful without commitment and legislation of laws to ensure their implementation. Turkmen were exposed to discrimination and loss of rights that were dictated in the Iraqi constitution in Articles 2,4,14,23 and Article 125 even this happened since the formation of the current deputy council and formation of the government.

We live in era of freedom and democracy with protection of human rights by the international communities especially that the exemption of Iraq from the seventh chapter of United Nations charter is subject to achievement of its internal as well as the external peace, accordingly the international society can not stay quite any longer towards prevention of Turkmen people from practicing their legal rights and continuous neglect of them. When we put forward Turkmen cases and priorities in front of the respectful deputy council to discuss, we hope that the Iraqi deputy council will come out with decisions that please Turkmen and comfort the martyrs of Basheer, Taza, Elton Kobri, Talaafar and all Iraqi martyrs to give Turkmen their legal rights according to the Iraqi constitution.

-We demand the respectful Iraqi deputy council to confirm that Turkmen are the third nationality in Iraq and approve all their legal constitutional rights, legislate of what obey the laws, allow their practice of educational, cultural, political and administrative rights and participation in Union government, independent boards, local administrations, districts and governorates. In order to achieve the above goals, the deputy council should endorse Turkmen rights law according to Articles 3, 4(fourth and fifth), Article 9(first), Article 125 and Article 116 of the Iraqi constitution, form a high board of Turkmen affairs and allocate finances from the Union budget to meet the needs of Turkmen citizens, rebuild Turkmen villages and towns and establish cultural, educational, social institutions.

- Formation of a committee to review the constitution, amend substances that hinders practising rights and giving broader freedoms and rights to Turkmen and the rest of Iraqi people components.

-Amendment of laws so that Turkmen and other components can practise their rights by their local administrations.

-Achievement of patriotic equilibrium in defence, internal ministries and the independent boards in the ministries to make fair representations of Turkmen and other components in these institutions.

- Agreement on the new election principles so that Iraq will be a one election circle with insurance of fair representation of Turkmen.

-The constitution dictates that Iraq contains multi nationalities and doctrines, this requires building of a civilian state that respects diversity without preferring or strengthening one sector or group for another, growing feelings of citizenship and belonging to homeland and leaving fanatic and racist discrimination.

- We are with solving the suspended cases like disputes over administrations of different regions by dialogue among the disputed sides and we suggest a triple committee formation (Turkmen, Arabs and Kurds) supervised by United Nations.

- Solving the ownership dispute matter (confiscated, extinguished, occupied properties) and returning them to their original owners.

-Prevention of executing decisions or procedures that change the archaeological structure in the areas dwelled by Turkmen component, protecting them from any activity that may harm their existence and affect their practice of rights and freedoms.

- Reopening of Turkmen radio and TV channel.

- Turkmen sons have the right to use their language and write in letters that suit their language freely on private and public levels.

-Integration of Turkmen fighters before 2003 that were in the patriotic opposition like other militias within the security forces.

- Allocating seats for Turkmen students in military and police colleges.

- Allocating seats for Turkmen seats in scholarships.

- Protection of Turkmen citizens from programmed targeting by terrorist groups; this requires strengthening of security systems in Turkmen areas to protect the Iraqi textile.

With God’s blessings

Published in Turkmen Aspect