Alerte
Un journaliste violemment agressé au Kurdistan
Détails de l'incident
Agression
Nabaz Goran, Rédacteur en chef
Disponible en :
English Français
(RSF/IFEX) - Nabaz Goran vient de quitter Erbil (Hawler en kurde), capitale du Kurdistan irakien, pour trouver refuge à Suleimanieh. Il a déclaré à Reporters sans frontières ne jamais vouloir revenir dans cette ville. Ce journaliste de 32 ans est directeur de publication du journal bimensuel indépendant en langue kurde "Jihan" ("Monde"). Il a été violemment agressé, le 29 octobre dernier, par des inconnus, appartenant vraisemblablement au KDP (Parti démocratique kurde).
Il a porté plainte auprès de la police. "Mais je ne me fais pas d'illusion, la police est aux mains du KDP", a-t-il confié à Reporters sans frontières.
"Nabaz Goran est une des figures emblématiques du journalisme d'investigation au Kurdistan irakien. Son agression révèle l'extrême difficulté pour les journalistes de la sorte de faire leur travail dans une région où les tensions politiques entre le KDP (Parti démocratique kurde) et le PUK (Union patriotique du Kurdistan) sont très fortes à la veille des élections législatives.
La police doit tout mettre en oeuvre pour que les agresseurs soient identifiés, ainsi que les commanditaires de cette lâche agression", a déclaré l'organisation.
"Le 29 octobre 2009, dans l'après-midi, je sortais du bureau dans le quartier d'Iskan à Erbil, lorsque trois inconnus se sont approchés de moi, me demandant si j'étais Nabaz Goran. J'ai répondu par l'affirmative, et alors ils m'ont attaqué. L'un d'eux était armé d'un objet métallique contondant qu'il a utilisé pour me frapper à la tête et au visage, les deux autres me rouant de coups de poing. Ils n'arrêtaient pas d'insulter ma mère et mes soeurs", a déclaré le journaliste à Reporters sans frontières, s'exprimant avec difficulté du fait de ses douleurs.
Pour lui, l'identité des agresseurs ne fait aucun doute, tout comme les motivations de ces derniers. "Le KDP, dirigé par Massoud Barzani, est clairement derrière cette agression. Les raisons sont également très claires : je suis un journal indépendant qui critique les partis et les hommes politiques, n'hésitant pas à révéler des affaires de corruption.
Et ça, ils ne le supportent pas.
Le KDP contrôle Erbil.
Dans cette ville, personne n'aurait pu faire ça sans avoir un soutien ferme de la part des autorités, et donc du KDP. Je vis dans une région où les hommes politiques ne comprennent ni la démocratie, ni l'importance d'avoir des médias libres", a ajouté le journaliste, très ému.
C'est la deuxième fois que Nabaz Goran est agressé. Il a également fait l'objet d'une dizaine de poursuites judiciaires. La dernière en date a été déposée par Chnar Sa'ad Abdulla, ministre des Martyrs. Cette attaque a été vivement condamnée par l'ensemble de la profession.
D'après Ahmed Mirra, directeur de publication de "Leven", la plus importante publication en langue kurde, dans une interview au quotidien "Ach-Charq Al-Awsat", "cette agression vient souligner l'extrême difficulté, pour les journalistes, de travailler au Kurdistan aujourd'hui, et des dangers qu'ils encourent.
De tels agissements ont pour but de faire taire la presse libre qui combat les autorités au quotidien". Le journaliste rappelle le lourd tribut de ses collègues du Kurdistan irakien. Ainsi, Soran Mama Hama, tué en juillet 2008 à Kirkouk.
Ahmed Mirra rappelle également la plainte déposée par le gouverneur de la province, Massoud Barzani, contre son journal, suite à la publication d'un article révélant le salaire de M. Barzani et autres privilèges.
A noter que le numéro 94 du journal a été interdit de distribution.
En Irak, les plaintes contre les journaux se multiplient. Le 8 novembre 2009, des députés irakiens ont décidé de porter plainte contre le quotidien "Al-Mada", suite à la publication, la veille, d'un article de Ward Badr As-Salam intitulé : "Les Parlementaires en dessous de zéro", dans lequel le journaliste critiquait les privilèges des parlementaires. "Cette action en justice est très préoccupante, car elle traduit une certaine intolérance à la critique. Nous demandons aux députés de retirer leur plainte", a déclaré Reporters sans frontières, qui a envoyé ce jour un courrier en ce sens au président de la Chambre des représentants.
Source
Reporters sans frontières
47, rue Vivienne
75002 Paris France
rsf (@) rsf.org
tél: +33 1 44 83 84 84
téléc: +33 1 45 23 11 51
jeudi 12 novembre 2009
ITC Genel Başkanı: Seçim yasasındaki 6.maddede Kerkük’ün özel olarak adı geçmesi Türkmen milleti için tek başına bir kazançtır!
Özdemir HÜRMÜZLÜ kerkük
Uzun bir maratondan sonra, Irak parlamentosu tarafından oynan seçim yasasındaki Türkmenleri ilgilendiren Kerkük sorununu kapsayan maddeler masaya yatırıldı.Bugün sabah saatlerinde Irak Türkmen Cephesi(ITC) Kerkük’teki genel merkezinde bulunan Şehit Necdet Koçak salonundan bir toplantı düzenledi.
Toplantıda bir konuşma yapa Türkmen milletvekili ve ITC Genel Başkanı Dr. Sadettin Ergeç, Bazı grupların kırımızı çizgisi olan Kerkük ve bazılarının her ne olursa olsun biz Kerkük’ü alacağız demesine rağmen yasa deki Kerkük’ün özel bir statüye kavuşmasıyla en büyük yenilgiye uğradılar, dediKonuşmasına devam eden Ergeç şöyle konuştu: "Siyaset’te yeni baş gösteren “Uzlaşı Demokrasi ” değimi altında üst düzey seviyede milletler olarak kısa bir süre içinde kazançlar elde etmek zordur.
Ama yasanın 6.maddesinde Kerkük’ün özel olarak adı geçmesi Türkmen milleti için tek başına bir kazançtır"sözlerine ekledi.
Konuşmasına devam Ergeç: Genel seçimlere az kaldı. İyi sonuçlar elde edebilmemiz hususunda seçim atmosferine şimdiden yüksek tutmamız gerekir dedi.
Ayıca, Irak Türkmen Meclisi Başkanı, ITC Kerkük İl başkanı Erşat Salihi ve birtakım Türkmen siyasetçi, bilim adamları ve hukukçular toplantıya katıldılar.
mercredi 11 novembre 2009
EU-Iraq: negotiations for a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement enter final stage
IP/09/1699
Brussels, 11 November 2009
EU-Iraq: negotiations for a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement enter final stage
On 12-13 November 2009, the European Commission and the Government of Iraq are holding another round of negotiations in Brussels aimed at concluding a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA). This will be the ninth round of talks since negotiations started in November 2006. In 2009, rounds have already been held in Baghdad (February) and Brussels (May). The negotiations will be led on the Iraqi side by Mohammed Haj Hammoud, Deputy-Minister of Foreign Affairs and by Hugues Mingarelli, Deputy Director-General for External Relations, for the Commission.
Launched in November 2006, the PCA negotiations will lead to the first ever contractual agreement between the EU and Iraq. They agreement will provide for political dialogue on bilateral, regional and global issues wherever the EU and Iraq have a shared interest in working together. Its aim is also to improve the trade arrangements between Iraq and the EU, to promote investment and to integrate the country in the international economy. And it sets out a framework for continuing cooperation in many areas. For the EU, the draft Agreement stands as a testament to firm and unified commitment to assisting Iraq in its medium and long-term recovery.
The previous rounds of negotiations have been very productive with most chapters now already agreed, in areas such as combating terrorism, countering proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, cooperating on energy, and promoting human rights.
The negotiation process underlines the European Union’s determination to play a significant role in Iraq’s transition, and to help Iraq improve the living conditions for all its citizens. This commitment is also reflected in over 900 million Euros already contributed by the European Commission towards the reconstruction of Iraq since 2003, with a focus on assisting the Iraqi people in accessing basic services, furthering democracy, and promoting good governance.
Brussels, 11 November 2009
EU-Iraq: negotiations for a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement enter final stage
On 12-13 November 2009, the European Commission and the Government of Iraq are holding another round of negotiations in Brussels aimed at concluding a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA). This will be the ninth round of talks since negotiations started in November 2006. In 2009, rounds have already been held in Baghdad (February) and Brussels (May). The negotiations will be led on the Iraqi side by Mohammed Haj Hammoud, Deputy-Minister of Foreign Affairs and by Hugues Mingarelli, Deputy Director-General for External Relations, for the Commission.
Launched in November 2006, the PCA negotiations will lead to the first ever contractual agreement between the EU and Iraq. They agreement will provide for political dialogue on bilateral, regional and global issues wherever the EU and Iraq have a shared interest in working together. Its aim is also to improve the trade arrangements between Iraq and the EU, to promote investment and to integrate the country in the international economy. And it sets out a framework for continuing cooperation in many areas. For the EU, the draft Agreement stands as a testament to firm and unified commitment to assisting Iraq in its medium and long-term recovery.
The previous rounds of negotiations have been very productive with most chapters now already agreed, in areas such as combating terrorism, countering proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, cooperating on energy, and promoting human rights.
The negotiation process underlines the European Union’s determination to play a significant role in Iraq’s transition, and to help Iraq improve the living conditions for all its citizens. This commitment is also reflected in over 900 million Euros already contributed by the European Commission towards the reconstruction of Iraq since 2003, with a focus on assisting the Iraqi people in accessing basic services, furthering democracy, and promoting good governance.
Do the Iraqis know why the Israeli rush for property acquisitions in Kerkuk?
English translation of Wajdi Anwar Mardan’s article by Layla Anwar posted on http://arabwomanblues.blogspot.com/2009/11/pivotal-kirkuk-israeli-presence.html
Pivotal Kirkuk & Israeli Presence.
This is a rushed translation of an important article on Kirkuk written by Wajdi Anwar Mardan.
Title : Did you know that the Israeli command and operation center for target assassinations is based in Kirkuk and do the Iraqis know why the Israeli rush for property acquisitions in Kirkuk?
This article was written in reply to a question that appeared in the Jordanian daily, Al-Dustur, a few days ago, by the journalist Hayat.H.Attiyah and who started her article with : Israeli Jews of Iraqi origins return en masse to Iraq, and are settling particularly in Kirkuk where they are buying all kinds of property. The journalist Hayat Attiyah asks the question: Why Kirkuk ?
The author Wajdi Anwar Mardan says : Before replying to this journalist’s question, we need to inform the reader that this is NOT a new piece of information.He then goes on to say : After 9th April 2003, the day of the occupation of Baghdad, a large number of Israeli Mossad agents arrived in Iraq under several pseudo cover companies, the main one was called The Rafidain Company.
The first batch of arrivals was made of 900 Israeli spies. They were in charge of setting up specialized units in the target assassinations of Iraqi cadres, political figures and military personalities as well as Iraqi scientists and academics. For example in ONE year alone, 1000 Iraqi scientists were murdered.
Out of the 950 Israeli agents, 450 moved from Baghdad to Kirkuk. Currently they are occupying a house in the suburbs of the city of Kirkuk. Among these agents there is a group of Kurds who were trained by the CIA. These Kurds were flown from Northern Iraq to the island of Guam in 1996 for training.The author then adds that most of the agents are fluent in English, and Arabic and speak this latter with an Iraqi accent. Since the beginning of this year -2009, they have been buying property/real estate in Kirkuk and its surroundings: lands, agricultural fields, houses and office buildings.
Over and above that, it (this group) has continued in its target assassinations of Turkmen and Arab personalities, including some Kurdish ones, plus the bombing of Turkmen parties HQs, with the aim of igniting ethnic strife in Kirkuk and the North of Iraq. These secret Israeli operatives are also still very active in Baghdad and Babel. (my note: alongside the Iranian secret intelligence operatives)
The author W.A.Mardan then poses the question: Why Kirkuk then ?
He gives more than one reason/explanation…
1)Historical : In Babylonian times, Nebuchadnezzar, in the year 576 BC, destroyed the Southern Hebrew city (Judea/Jerusalem) and took 50′000 Jews as captives to Babylon.On his way to Babylon, he passed by Kirkuk, which was then a strategic route, the same borrowed by the Persian King Darius and his army who was defeated by Alexander the Macedonian in the Ar’ba’liu battle – currently called Erbil (my note : Erbil which is an old Assyrian word, meaning the 4 gates – nothing Kurdish about it).
So when Nebuchadnezzar arrived in Kirkuk, which was called Kar-kuk in Mesopotamian times meaning organized hard labour (my note : hard labour is still referred to as KAR in Arabic) – he saw on the eastern flank of the Khasa-so river (now called Khasa) 3 hills, fairly close to one another. Nebuchadnezzar then asked his captives to fetch sand and stones from the surrounding areas and fill the gaps between those three hills, so as to make on large hill and ordered them to build a fortress on it – hence the name Kirkuk or Kar-Kuk.
Once the construction completed, he then ordered the building of a underground cellar about 300 meters from the fortress main gate, called “Tob Qabu” (my note: in Arabic – Qabu or A’bu means cellar or anything constructed under the surface of something else. Qubba means dome. Hence the Turkish word Topkapi – under the dome)
The author then says, during the Abbasid times, out of respect for the (Hebrew) Prophets, a Mosque was built over this cellar/Qabu/also called Serdab (my note : Serdab comes from Ser (secret) and dab (passage)i.e a secret passage). This mosque namedMaqam al Anbiya -the High Place of the Prophets – is known today in Kirkuk as Prophet Daniel’s Mosque known in Turkmen language as Daniel Beghmebir Jami’i. This mosque remains till this day the historical embodiment of this city and what happened in it.
This mosque was/is known to be a place of good omen that brings prosperity to its visitors. Before, Iraqi Jews of Kirkuk, i.e before their departure to Palestine in 1956, they also frequented this mosque to celebrate Yom Al-Kabeer i.e Yom Kippur with the blessings of the Imam of the Mosque – showing the extent of the religious tolerance that existed in Kirkuk.
The author then says, he also recalls as a child, another occasion when the Jews of Kirkuk used to gather in this mosque, and they used to collectively weep/lament there. So he asked his grandmother the reason why and she told him that this is the occasion when they would remember the destruction of their city in Jerusalem and the imprisonment of their prophet Daniel in this very place ie in the prophet Daniel Mosque.
The author concludes for this part; This is the story of the Jews and Kirkuk, as recounted to me by the elders of this city several decades ago. It may well be that more historical and archeological research be done on this, however the Serdab/Qabu/Cellar of the Mosque is the proof since it is the place of the three Hebrew prophets and they are buried there. This goes for the historical reason/explanation.
Now for the second reason…
2) Resources : As is already known, Kirkuk holds 60% of Iraq’s oil reserves and has one of the finest quality of crude oil. And as per the previous regime’s estimates, in order to extract 5 million barrels of oil a day, Kirkuk would need an investment of 8 billion dollars in its oil production fields/techniques. The author then adds, but since corruption and oil smuggling are now the norm in occupied Iraq, the estimates now range between 16 to 24 Billion dollars. Hence, this is why Israeli Jews are buying as much land as possible today in Kirkuk with the aim of turning it into the Las Vegas of the Middle East.The third reason….
3) Strategy & Security for the Kurds : Israel has given guarantees to both Kurdish leaders, Talabani and Barazani, to protect the Federal autonomous region of Kurdistan from any internal (from within Iraq) or external threats, from Turkey, Syria or Iran.(my note:Turkey is seeking an active political breakthrough with its Kurds and Turkish rapprochement with the Iraqi Kurdish leadership was made, following the visit of the Turkish Foreign Minister to Erbil, where Turkey will be opening a consular section there soon, after it has already done so in Basra)
The author adds that according to the American-Israeli plan, Kirkuk is to become the capital of “Kurdistan.” Hence the Jewish/Israeli presence in Kirkuk is of crucial strategic importance, in its proximity to Turkey, Syria and Iran.
The author concludes by saying that the American invasion and occupation of Iraq was mainly to protect Israel and ensure that it remains the only regional super power in the area. That American plan hinges upon the strengthening of its puppet government in Baghdad, and its continuous efforts to erase Iraq’s Arabic and Islamic identity and stripping it of its ancient and contemporary history, civilization, heritage and role.
Posted by Layla Anwar
http://arabwomanblues.blogspot.com/2009/11/pivotal-kirkuk-israeli-presence.html
Note: For article in Arabic please click on the link below:
http://merryabla64.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/%d9%84%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%b0%d8%a7-%d9%8a%d8%b9%d9%88%d8%af-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%8a%d9%87%d9%88%d8%af-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%89-%d9%83%d8%b1%d9%83%d9%88%d9%83%d8%9f/
Pivotal Kirkuk & Israeli Presence.
This is a rushed translation of an important article on Kirkuk written by Wajdi Anwar Mardan.
Title : Did you know that the Israeli command and operation center for target assassinations is based in Kirkuk and do the Iraqis know why the Israeli rush for property acquisitions in Kirkuk?
This article was written in reply to a question that appeared in the Jordanian daily, Al-Dustur, a few days ago, by the journalist Hayat.H.Attiyah and who started her article with : Israeli Jews of Iraqi origins return en masse to Iraq, and are settling particularly in Kirkuk where they are buying all kinds of property. The journalist Hayat Attiyah asks the question: Why Kirkuk ?
The author Wajdi Anwar Mardan says : Before replying to this journalist’s question, we need to inform the reader that this is NOT a new piece of information.He then goes on to say : After 9th April 2003, the day of the occupation of Baghdad, a large number of Israeli Mossad agents arrived in Iraq under several pseudo cover companies, the main one was called The Rafidain Company.
The first batch of arrivals was made of 900 Israeli spies. They were in charge of setting up specialized units in the target assassinations of Iraqi cadres, political figures and military personalities as well as Iraqi scientists and academics. For example in ONE year alone, 1000 Iraqi scientists were murdered.
Out of the 950 Israeli agents, 450 moved from Baghdad to Kirkuk. Currently they are occupying a house in the suburbs of the city of Kirkuk. Among these agents there is a group of Kurds who were trained by the CIA. These Kurds were flown from Northern Iraq to the island of Guam in 1996 for training.The author then adds that most of the agents are fluent in English, and Arabic and speak this latter with an Iraqi accent. Since the beginning of this year -2009, they have been buying property/real estate in Kirkuk and its surroundings: lands, agricultural fields, houses and office buildings.
Over and above that, it (this group) has continued in its target assassinations of Turkmen and Arab personalities, including some Kurdish ones, plus the bombing of Turkmen parties HQs, with the aim of igniting ethnic strife in Kirkuk and the North of Iraq. These secret Israeli operatives are also still very active in Baghdad and Babel. (my note: alongside the Iranian secret intelligence operatives)
The author W.A.Mardan then poses the question: Why Kirkuk then ?
He gives more than one reason/explanation…
1)Historical : In Babylonian times, Nebuchadnezzar, in the year 576 BC, destroyed the Southern Hebrew city (Judea/Jerusalem) and took 50′000 Jews as captives to Babylon.On his way to Babylon, he passed by Kirkuk, which was then a strategic route, the same borrowed by the Persian King Darius and his army who was defeated by Alexander the Macedonian in the Ar’ba’liu battle – currently called Erbil (my note : Erbil which is an old Assyrian word, meaning the 4 gates – nothing Kurdish about it).
So when Nebuchadnezzar arrived in Kirkuk, which was called Kar-kuk in Mesopotamian times meaning organized hard labour (my note : hard labour is still referred to as KAR in Arabic) – he saw on the eastern flank of the Khasa-so river (now called Khasa) 3 hills, fairly close to one another. Nebuchadnezzar then asked his captives to fetch sand and stones from the surrounding areas and fill the gaps between those three hills, so as to make on large hill and ordered them to build a fortress on it – hence the name Kirkuk or Kar-Kuk.
Once the construction completed, he then ordered the building of a underground cellar about 300 meters from the fortress main gate, called “Tob Qabu” (my note: in Arabic – Qabu or A’bu means cellar or anything constructed under the surface of something else. Qubba means dome. Hence the Turkish word Topkapi – under the dome)
The author then says, during the Abbasid times, out of respect for the (Hebrew) Prophets, a Mosque was built over this cellar/Qabu/also called Serdab (my note : Serdab comes from Ser (secret) and dab (passage)i.e a secret passage). This mosque namedMaqam al Anbiya -the High Place of the Prophets – is known today in Kirkuk as Prophet Daniel’s Mosque known in Turkmen language as Daniel Beghmebir Jami’i. This mosque remains till this day the historical embodiment of this city and what happened in it.
This mosque was/is known to be a place of good omen that brings prosperity to its visitors. Before, Iraqi Jews of Kirkuk, i.e before their departure to Palestine in 1956, they also frequented this mosque to celebrate Yom Al-Kabeer i.e Yom Kippur with the blessings of the Imam of the Mosque – showing the extent of the religious tolerance that existed in Kirkuk.
The author then says, he also recalls as a child, another occasion when the Jews of Kirkuk used to gather in this mosque, and they used to collectively weep/lament there. So he asked his grandmother the reason why and she told him that this is the occasion when they would remember the destruction of their city in Jerusalem and the imprisonment of their prophet Daniel in this very place ie in the prophet Daniel Mosque.
The author concludes for this part; This is the story of the Jews and Kirkuk, as recounted to me by the elders of this city several decades ago. It may well be that more historical and archeological research be done on this, however the Serdab/Qabu/Cellar of the Mosque is the proof since it is the place of the three Hebrew prophets and they are buried there. This goes for the historical reason/explanation.
Now for the second reason…
2) Resources : As is already known, Kirkuk holds 60% of Iraq’s oil reserves and has one of the finest quality of crude oil. And as per the previous regime’s estimates, in order to extract 5 million barrels of oil a day, Kirkuk would need an investment of 8 billion dollars in its oil production fields/techniques. The author then adds, but since corruption and oil smuggling are now the norm in occupied Iraq, the estimates now range between 16 to 24 Billion dollars. Hence, this is why Israeli Jews are buying as much land as possible today in Kirkuk with the aim of turning it into the Las Vegas of the Middle East.The third reason….
3) Strategy & Security for the Kurds : Israel has given guarantees to both Kurdish leaders, Talabani and Barazani, to protect the Federal autonomous region of Kurdistan from any internal (from within Iraq) or external threats, from Turkey, Syria or Iran.(my note:Turkey is seeking an active political breakthrough with its Kurds and Turkish rapprochement with the Iraqi Kurdish leadership was made, following the visit of the Turkish Foreign Minister to Erbil, where Turkey will be opening a consular section there soon, after it has already done so in Basra)
The author adds that according to the American-Israeli plan, Kirkuk is to become the capital of “Kurdistan.” Hence the Jewish/Israeli presence in Kirkuk is of crucial strategic importance, in its proximity to Turkey, Syria and Iran.
The author concludes by saying that the American invasion and occupation of Iraq was mainly to protect Israel and ensure that it remains the only regional super power in the area. That American plan hinges upon the strengthening of its puppet government in Baghdad, and its continuous efforts to erase Iraq’s Arabic and Islamic identity and stripping it of its ancient and contemporary history, civilization, heritage and role.
Posted by Layla Anwar
http://arabwomanblues.blogspot.com/2009/11/pivotal-kirkuk-israeli-presence.html
Note: For article in Arabic please click on the link below:
http://merryabla64.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/%d9%84%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%b0%d8%a7-%d9%8a%d8%b9%d9%88%d8%af-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%8a%d9%87%d9%88%d8%af-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%89-%d9%83%d8%b1%d9%83%d9%88%d9%83%d8%9f/
mardi 10 novembre 2009
Human Rights Watch Report (Nov 2009) Iraq: Violence against Minority Communities in Nineveh Province's Disputed Territories
On Vulnerable Ground
Violence against Minority Communities in Nineveh Province’s Disputed Territories
November 10, 2009
ISBN: 1-56432-554
Get the Report
· Download this report (PDF, 1.85 MB)
· Download report with cover (PDF, 1.97 MB)
·
Table of Contents
· On Vulnerable Ground
· Summary
· I. Relevant Legal Standards
· II. Background
· III. Targeting Nineveh’s Minorities for Murder
· IV. Intimidation by Kurdish authorities
· Recommendations
· Acknowledgments
http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2009/11/10/vulnerable-ground-0
Get the Report
· Download this report (PDF, 1.85 MB)
· Download report with cover (PDF, 1.97 MB)
·
Table of Contents
· On Vulnerable Ground
· Summary
· I. Relevant Legal Standards
· II. Background
· III. Targeting Nineveh’s Minorities for Murder
· IV. Intimidation by Kurdish authorities
· Recommendations
· Acknowledgments
http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2009/11/10/vulnerable-ground-0
Representatives of the Turkmen Community in Northern Iraq write to Human Rights Watch
Mr. Samer Muscati
Human Rights Watch
Middle East & North Africa Division.
Kerkuk, 9th November 2009.
Dear Mr. Samer Muscati,
It is only yesterday and by pure chance that we heard that your organization “Human Rights Watch” is going to hold a conference in Erbil City (Northern Iraq) on November 10th 2009 on the topic of “Human Rights of the Minority Groups in Northern Iraq”.
We the undersigned, representing the Turkmen Community in the north of Iraq, namely: the Turkmen Human Rights Activists, the Turkmen Civil Society Organizations, the Turkmen Political Detainees & Martyrs Organization, the Independent Turkmen media representatives and the Turkmen jurists, regret that none of our organisations has been informed by Human Rights Watch of the holding of this conference or of its programme.
We assume that this coming conference in Erbil which follows your fact finding mission in the north of Iraq, particularly in the plains of Ninewah and in the Sinjar region a few months ago, will be dealing with your findings concerning the human rights violations committed by the Kurdish regional authoriy against the Chaldeo-Assyrian and Yezidi minorities in the north of Iraq.
You will remember that at the time when you were investigating human rights violations in the north of Iraq, we made several attempts to meet with you in order to inform you about the human rights violations committed by the Kurdish authorities against the Turkmens who live in the Kurdish autonomous region as well as in Kerkuk province and in parts of Mosul, Sallahedin and Diyala provinces which came under the Kurdish militias’ control after April 2003.
We invited you to come and visit us in Kerkuk to assess in situ the human rights situation. We informed you that a Turkmen delegation was prepared to meet with you and provide you with documents proving human rights violations committed against the Turkmens, but you told us that your mission was coming to an end and that you were on the point of leaving Iraq, adding that you would be in touch with us soon after your return. Unfortunately, that was the last time we heard from you.
Despite the shortcomings of your last mission to the area as far as we Turkmens are concerned, we continue to fully appreciate your efforts to investigate the human rights violations against the minorities in the north of Iraq.
We are conviced that Human Rights Watch organization’s activities in the north of Iraq and its reports on human rights in the region are of utmost importance as the region is the common homeland of several ethnic and religious communities (Kurds, Turkmens, Arabs, Chaldeo-Assyrians, Yezidis and Shabaks).
Indeed, Human Rights Watch being a well recognized organization, its reports on human rights violations are read and taken into consideration worldwide.
For the second time in less than six months you are visiting the Kurdish autonomous region and its capital Erbil, where you are going to hold a conference on Human Rights of the Minority Groups in Northern Iraq and the eventual violations committed by the Kurdish regional authority against them.
We regret the choice of Erbil for your conference as it is extremely difficult if not impossible for us Turkmen representatives living outside the Kurdish autonomous region to reach Erbil and attend the conference, because of the numerous checkpoints which are tightly controlled by the Kurdish militias and/or security forces. Our past experiences have proven that Kurdish militias confiscate any documents of importance especially those relating to human rights violations by the Kurds against northern Iraq’s other ethnic communities, and that the bearers of such documents are arrested and punished.
We take this opportunity to give you some examples of human rights violations by the Kurdish authorities against the Turkmens in Erbil:
1. The imposition of the Kurdish language in Turkmen schools
2. Obliging Turkmen students to follow courses glorifying the Kurdish language and nationality to the detriment of their own Turkmen language and nationality
3. Demolishing Turkmen cemetaries in an attempt to erase the proofs of the Turkmens’ presence and of their long history in Erbil
4. Changing and Kurdifying the names of Erbil’s Turkmen neighbourhoods, mosques and other monuments .
Normally, the Turkmens who constitute the second main ethnic community in the north Iraq must obtain and should enjoy the same rights that the Kurds have obtained and are enjoying for being Iraq’s second main ethnic community, but unfortunately the Turkmens’ rights in the north of Iraq continue to be denied, they continue to be marginalized and discriminated by the Kurdish authorities.
As we highly value Human Rights Watch’s activities we would have very much appreciated to receive official invitations from you to attend the conference in Erbil in order to address the conference and present our grievances and suggestions in total freedom, without psychological pressures and security threats.
For your information there are safe places to hold conferences in Kerkuk, where the UN has opened an office and where the US and the UK have opened consulates. Pretending that Kerkuk is not safe to hold such a conference is a pretext to exclude the Turkmens and prevent them from presenting their cause and the human rights violations committed against them to the international community.
We Turkmens, have always been peace loving people who value human rights, we firmly believe that in a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural country like Iraq all the communities should enjoy full and equal rights.
We reiterate our readiness to assist at your conferences if they are held in Kerkuk, Baghdad or any other location outside the Kurdish autonomous region.
We thank you once again for your efforts to defend human dignity and human rights worldwide.
Hoping to hear from you soon,
We are,
Yours truly,
Rushdi Huseyn Ali,
Activist in the field of Human Rights
Kasim Kazanci,
Director of Turkmen Civil Society Organization
Hashim Rashad Muhtaroglu,
President of Turkmen Political prisoners and martyrs Organization
Nermeen Al-Mufti,
Turkmen Independent Media Representative
Safwat Saleh Sabbar,
Turkmen Jurist
Norhan Rushid Saadetin,
Turkmen Jurist.
Merry Fitzgerald
Vice-President Committee for the Defence of the Iraqi Turkmens’ Rights in the EU
Human Rights Watch
Middle East & North Africa Division.
Kerkuk, 9th November 2009.
Dear Mr. Samer Muscati,
It is only yesterday and by pure chance that we heard that your organization “Human Rights Watch” is going to hold a conference in Erbil City (Northern Iraq) on November 10th 2009 on the topic of “Human Rights of the Minority Groups in Northern Iraq”.
We the undersigned, representing the Turkmen Community in the north of Iraq, namely: the Turkmen Human Rights Activists, the Turkmen Civil Society Organizations, the Turkmen Political Detainees & Martyrs Organization, the Independent Turkmen media representatives and the Turkmen jurists, regret that none of our organisations has been informed by Human Rights Watch of the holding of this conference or of its programme.
We assume that this coming conference in Erbil which follows your fact finding mission in the north of Iraq, particularly in the plains of Ninewah and in the Sinjar region a few months ago, will be dealing with your findings concerning the human rights violations committed by the Kurdish regional authoriy against the Chaldeo-Assyrian and Yezidi minorities in the north of Iraq.
You will remember that at the time when you were investigating human rights violations in the north of Iraq, we made several attempts to meet with you in order to inform you about the human rights violations committed by the Kurdish authorities against the Turkmens who live in the Kurdish autonomous region as well as in Kerkuk province and in parts of Mosul, Sallahedin and Diyala provinces which came under the Kurdish militias’ control after April 2003.
We invited you to come and visit us in Kerkuk to assess in situ the human rights situation. We informed you that a Turkmen delegation was prepared to meet with you and provide you with documents proving human rights violations committed against the Turkmens, but you told us that your mission was coming to an end and that you were on the point of leaving Iraq, adding that you would be in touch with us soon after your return. Unfortunately, that was the last time we heard from you.
Despite the shortcomings of your last mission to the area as far as we Turkmens are concerned, we continue to fully appreciate your efforts to investigate the human rights violations against the minorities in the north of Iraq.
We are conviced that Human Rights Watch organization’s activities in the north of Iraq and its reports on human rights in the region are of utmost importance as the region is the common homeland of several ethnic and religious communities (Kurds, Turkmens, Arabs, Chaldeo-Assyrians, Yezidis and Shabaks).
Indeed, Human Rights Watch being a well recognized organization, its reports on human rights violations are read and taken into consideration worldwide.
For the second time in less than six months you are visiting the Kurdish autonomous region and its capital Erbil, where you are going to hold a conference on Human Rights of the Minority Groups in Northern Iraq and the eventual violations committed by the Kurdish regional authority against them.
We regret the choice of Erbil for your conference as it is extremely difficult if not impossible for us Turkmen representatives living outside the Kurdish autonomous region to reach Erbil and attend the conference, because of the numerous checkpoints which are tightly controlled by the Kurdish militias and/or security forces. Our past experiences have proven that Kurdish militias confiscate any documents of importance especially those relating to human rights violations by the Kurds against northern Iraq’s other ethnic communities, and that the bearers of such documents are arrested and punished.
We take this opportunity to give you some examples of human rights violations by the Kurdish authorities against the Turkmens in Erbil:
1. The imposition of the Kurdish language in Turkmen schools
2. Obliging Turkmen students to follow courses glorifying the Kurdish language and nationality to the detriment of their own Turkmen language and nationality
3. Demolishing Turkmen cemetaries in an attempt to erase the proofs of the Turkmens’ presence and of their long history in Erbil
4. Changing and Kurdifying the names of Erbil’s Turkmen neighbourhoods, mosques and other monuments .
Normally, the Turkmens who constitute the second main ethnic community in the north Iraq must obtain and should enjoy the same rights that the Kurds have obtained and are enjoying for being Iraq’s second main ethnic community, but unfortunately the Turkmens’ rights in the north of Iraq continue to be denied, they continue to be marginalized and discriminated by the Kurdish authorities.
As we highly value Human Rights Watch’s activities we would have very much appreciated to receive official invitations from you to attend the conference in Erbil in order to address the conference and present our grievances and suggestions in total freedom, without psychological pressures and security threats.
For your information there are safe places to hold conferences in Kerkuk, where the UN has opened an office and where the US and the UK have opened consulates. Pretending that Kerkuk is not safe to hold such a conference is a pretext to exclude the Turkmens and prevent them from presenting their cause and the human rights violations committed against them to the international community.
We Turkmens, have always been peace loving people who value human rights, we firmly believe that in a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural country like Iraq all the communities should enjoy full and equal rights.
We reiterate our readiness to assist at your conferences if they are held in Kerkuk, Baghdad or any other location outside the Kurdish autonomous region.
We thank you once again for your efforts to defend human dignity and human rights worldwide.
Hoping to hear from you soon,
We are,
Yours truly,
Rushdi Huseyn Ali,
Activist in the field of Human Rights
Kasim Kazanci,
Director of Turkmen Civil Society Organization
Hashim Rashad Muhtaroglu,
President of Turkmen Political prisoners and martyrs Organization
Nermeen Al-Mufti,
Turkmen Independent Media Representative
Safwat Saleh Sabbar,
Turkmen Jurist
Norhan Rushid Saadetin,
Turkmen Jurist.
Merry Fitzgerald
Vice-President Committee for the Defence of the Iraqi Turkmens’ Rights in the EU
lundi 9 novembre 2009
Iraq approves 2010 election law
First on the left: Dr Saadetin Ergeç, in the middle: Abbas al-Bayati,
4th from the left: Fawzi Akram Terzi, members of the Iraqi Parliament. (Reuters/Mohammed Ameen)
By Salam Faraj, AFP
November 8, 2009
BAGHDAD — Iraqi MPs on Sunday approved a law to govern the country's general election in early 2010, paving the way to finalise a date for a vote seen as crucial ahead of a US military exit from the country.
The law was passed after weeks of delays and following huge pressure from the United Nations, religious leaders and the United States, with intense lobbying at parliament on Sunday from American ambassador Christopher Hill.
US President Barack Obama congratulated the MPs, saying the law is an important step towards ensuring a lasting peace.
Key to approval were provisions governing the conduct of the vote -- slated for January 16 but now likely to be put back -- in Kirkuk, a disputed and ethnically-mixed province of Kurds, Sunnis and Turkmen.
The MPs decided the election result will be provisional in Kirkuk and other provinces where there is disagreement over electoral rolls because of a high recent increase in respective Kurd and Arab populations.
Kirkuk's majority Kurds have long demanded incorporation into the region, arousing fierce opposition from the province's Arabs and Turkmen, who say the overthrow of dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003 led to massive demographic change.
Arabs and Turkmen say a huge number of Kurds have settled in Kirkuk in the subsequent six years but they contend they were only returning to an area from which they had been forced out of during Saddam's reign.
A committee of parliamentarians, officials from government ministries and Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) with the help of the UN, will have one year to review the vote in Kirkuk and cancel fraudulent ballots.
The final law was a compromise as Kurds favoured using current voter registration lists and keeping Kirkuk as one electoral constituency. Arabs and Turkmen wanted 2004 or 2005 records to be used, or for Kirkuk to be split into two constituencies.
Amid frenzied scenes the parliament's vice president Khaled al-Attiya said on state television that 141 of the 195 members present voted for the document."After a long wait and intense efforts the parliament managed to produce a text acceptable by everyone on the electoral law," he said moments before voting began."It is a very important achievement for the parliament," he added.
The election is viewed as critical to consolidating the war-torn nation's fledgling democracy ahead of a withdrawal of US combat troops by August next year and a complete pullout by the end of 2011."There is a time for discussion and there is a time for decision," said US ambassador Hill, who spent the entire day moving between MPs from different camps, prior to the vote, underlying its importance."Today is a time for decision," he added.
However, Hamdiyah al-Husseini, a high ranking IHEC official said weeks of delays caused by wrangles over the electoral law mean the scheduled January 16 date is too soon for the vote, the second national poll since Saddam's fall.
"The election cannot take place on time and a new date will be chosen," she said.The electoral law was supposed to be in place 90 days before voting takes place. Constitutionally, the election must be held by January 31.
November 8, 2009
BAGHDAD — Iraqi MPs on Sunday approved a law to govern the country's general election in early 2010, paving the way to finalise a date for a vote seen as crucial ahead of a US military exit from the country.
The law was passed after weeks of delays and following huge pressure from the United Nations, religious leaders and the United States, with intense lobbying at parliament on Sunday from American ambassador Christopher Hill.
US President Barack Obama congratulated the MPs, saying the law is an important step towards ensuring a lasting peace.
Key to approval were provisions governing the conduct of the vote -- slated for January 16 but now likely to be put back -- in Kirkuk, a disputed and ethnically-mixed province of Kurds, Sunnis and Turkmen.
The MPs decided the election result will be provisional in Kirkuk and other provinces where there is disagreement over electoral rolls because of a high recent increase in respective Kurd and Arab populations.
Kirkuk's majority Kurds have long demanded incorporation into the region, arousing fierce opposition from the province's Arabs and Turkmen, who say the overthrow of dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003 led to massive demographic change.
Arabs and Turkmen say a huge number of Kurds have settled in Kirkuk in the subsequent six years but they contend they were only returning to an area from which they had been forced out of during Saddam's reign.
A committee of parliamentarians, officials from government ministries and Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) with the help of the UN, will have one year to review the vote in Kirkuk and cancel fraudulent ballots.
The final law was a compromise as Kurds favoured using current voter registration lists and keeping Kirkuk as one electoral constituency. Arabs and Turkmen wanted 2004 or 2005 records to be used, or for Kirkuk to be split into two constituencies.
Amid frenzied scenes the parliament's vice president Khaled al-Attiya said on state television that 141 of the 195 members present voted for the document."After a long wait and intense efforts the parliament managed to produce a text acceptable by everyone on the electoral law," he said moments before voting began."It is a very important achievement for the parliament," he added.
The election is viewed as critical to consolidating the war-torn nation's fledgling democracy ahead of a withdrawal of US combat troops by August next year and a complete pullout by the end of 2011."There is a time for discussion and there is a time for decision," said US ambassador Hill, who spent the entire day moving between MPs from different camps, prior to the vote, underlying its importance."Today is a time for decision," he added.
However, Hamdiyah al-Husseini, a high ranking IHEC official said weeks of delays caused by wrangles over the electoral law mean the scheduled January 16 date is too soon for the vote, the second national poll since Saddam's fall.
"The election cannot take place on time and a new date will be chosen," she said.The electoral law was supposed to be in place 90 days before voting takes place. Constitutionally, the election must be held by January 31.
samedi 7 novembre 2009
Turkmens have fears about rigging coming Iraq's parliamentary elections
Iraqi legislators call for replacing IHEC's chief, Faraj al-Haydari over accusations of “corruption”.
October 17, 2009
BAGHDAD, Iraq,— A Turkoman lawmaker on Friday expressed fears that rigging might occur in the forthcoming parliamentary, noting negotiations are underway to vote for a no-confidence motion against Iraq’s Independent Higher Electoral Commission.
“No-confidence vote against the IHEC or any other state institution is the constitutional and legal right for the Iraqi parliament. Negotiations are going on in this respect,” Akram Tarzi told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
“We have evidence that this IHEC has been formed on the basis of the abhorrent sectarian quota system and we have our own concerns and doubts that the forthcoming elections might be rigged like the case with the 2005 elections,” Tarzi added.
Iraqi legislators had called for replacing the commissioners council in the IHEC after its chief, Faraj al-Haydari, was questioned last week over accusations of “corruption” that occurred during the recent provincial councils elections.Tarzi, who belongs to the Sadrist bloc, or Iraqi members of parliament loyal to Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr,
called for adopting “the smart card system in the coming election in a bid to prevent rigging”.
Haydari had said that denying the IHEC confidence in parliament would mean that the legislative elections in the country would be held without a new commission formed.Iraq’s parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held on January 16, 2010.
Aswataliraq info
October 17, 2009
BAGHDAD, Iraq,— A Turkoman lawmaker on Friday expressed fears that rigging might occur in the forthcoming parliamentary, noting negotiations are underway to vote for a no-confidence motion against Iraq’s Independent Higher Electoral Commission.
“No-confidence vote against the IHEC or any other state institution is the constitutional and legal right for the Iraqi parliament. Negotiations are going on in this respect,” Akram Tarzi told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
“We have evidence that this IHEC has been formed on the basis of the abhorrent sectarian quota system and we have our own concerns and doubts that the forthcoming elections might be rigged like the case with the 2005 elections,” Tarzi added.
Iraqi legislators had called for replacing the commissioners council in the IHEC after its chief, Faraj al-Haydari, was questioned last week over accusations of “corruption” that occurred during the recent provincial councils elections.Tarzi, who belongs to the Sadrist bloc, or Iraqi members of parliament loyal to Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr,
called for adopting “the smart card system in the coming election in a bid to prevent rigging”.
Haydari had said that denying the IHEC confidence in parliament would mean that the legislative elections in the country would be held without a new commission formed.Iraq’s parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held on January 16, 2010.
Aswataliraq info
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