ITF EU representative Dr Hassan Aydinli attended the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) event : ‘The forgotten Nation: Turkmens in Iraq” in Geneva

On this photo: Sheikh Fateh Kashif Al-Ghitaa, Adviser to Prime Minister Al-Maliki; Dr Hassan Aydinli, ITF EU Representative and Commissioner Dr. Sallama H. Al-Khafaji, High Commission for Human Rights Iraq.

The UNPO and Minority Rights Group International organized a side event during the 23rd Session of UNHRC at the Palais des Nations in Geneva on 6th June 2013 to raise awareness about the human rights situation of the Iraqi Turkmens.

At this side event ITF EU representative Dr Hassan Aydinli raised the Unresolved Property Rights Issue of the Iraqi Turkmens who were evicted from their properties and agricultural lands under the Arabization policy of the Baath regime over 30 years ago and who - despite the regime change in Iraq 10 years ago - are still waiting to recuperate their confiscated properties and agricultural lands and receive fair compensation for their loss of income.

Being himself a victim of land grabbing, he cited the case of his village, the Turkmen village of Bashir (Beşir in Turkish), which is situated some 40 km south west of Kerkuk city centre, as it represents a perfect Case Study of the consequences of the former regime’s policies, and also because he has all the official documents and deeds proving that the Turkmen inhabitants of Bashir were the rightful owners of the lands in and around the village. Indeed, his tribe had settled in Bashir many centuries ago, the Turkmen village of Bashir and the number of its households (89) was mentioned for the first time in 1556 in the Land Registry, under Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. These records are kept in Ankara in the archives of the Republic of Turkey.

Dr. Hassan Aydinli spoke extensively on the problem of property and land confiscation from the Turkmens in Iraq. He described the inadmissible conditions imposed on the Turkmens in Iraq since 1921 and the intolerable human rights violations committed against them during decades under the Baath regime.


Taking the subject of land grabbing and property confiscation from the Turkmens as an example of their human rights violations in Iraq, he showed secret official Iraqi documents proving these confiscations and he also showed the deeds of the properties and of the agricultural lands belonging to his family in Beşir which were confiscated by the Baath regime in 1984 and which remain confiscated, despite all his efforts with the new regime since 2003 to recuperate them.


Dr Aydinli underlined the fact that Turkmens did not receive any compensation from the Iraqi government for the loss of their properties during the last three decades up to now, even though the Iraqi government, according to Prime Minister Mr Al-Maliki, has already spent more than one billon USD for the compensation of victims of property and land confiscations under the Baath regime. This shows that the Turkmens continue to be discriminated in Iraq even though they are recognised victims of a well defined agressor: the Baath regime.


Dr. Aydinli also mentioned the fact that the Iraqi central government had decided, on 30th March 2006, to rebuild the village of Beşir which had been razed to the ground by the Baath regime in 1987 and that it had allocated a budget of 43 Billon Iraqi Dinars (equivalent of +/- 36 million USD) for rebuilding Beşir. Unfortunately, the local government in Kirkuk did not cooperate with the central government in Baghdad regarding the realisation of the project in Beşir, on the contrary, it complicated the situation even further with futile bureaucratic decisions which prevented the realization of the project and nothing has been built in Beşir by the Iraqi government since then. This is another example of  neglect of Turkmens' interests by the local authorities in Kirkuk which are dominated by the Kurds since 10th April 2003.


Three delegates from Iraq attended the side event, two members of Iraq’s High Commission for Human Rights, Dr Sallama H. Al-Khazraji and Mr Masrur Aswed and the Adviser to Prime Minister Nuri-Al Maliki Sheikh Fatih Kashif Al-Ghitaa, they were in Geneva to attend the 23rd Session of UNHRC. Dr. Aydinli discussed the Turkmens’ Plight with them in detail and they promised to pass his message to Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki.

TÖGB GENEL MERKEZİNDEN BİR HEYET BEŞİR BÜROSU GENÇLERİ İLE BİR ARAYA GELDİ

Türkmeneli öğrenci ve gençler birliğinden Sn.Mardin GÖKKAYA başkanlığında bir heyet Türkmen Beşir köyünü ziyaret etti ziyaretçi heyet Beşir gençleri tarafından sıcak bir şekilde karşılandı .ziyaretin amacı Beşir Öğrenci ve Gençleri ile bir araya gelerek gençlerin sorun ve problemlerine ele almak ve sorunların giderilmesine çalışmak oldu . Ziyarette TÖGB Başkan yardımcısı Mustafa BAYRAKTAR ve yürütme kurulu üyeleri ve Beşir Bürosu sorumlusu da hazır oldu. Gençlerle bir aray gelen GÖKKAYA konuşmasında günlük siyaset ve günlük cereyan eden hadiselere ışık tutarak gençlerle fikir alış verişleri gerçekleştı. Ayrıca açık oturumda Beşir köyünün sıkıntıları ve gençlerin istekleride beşir gençleri tarafından heyete sunuldu. Son olarkta Beşir Bürosu gençleri TÖGB heyetine ziyeretinden dolayı memnun oldular. TÖGB ENFORMASYON BÜROSU http://www.bizturkmeniz.com/tr/index.asp?page=article&id=27692

Parler de la situation des Turkmènes irakiens, Gilles Munier

Parler de la situation des Turkmènes irakiens

 http://www.france-irak-actualite.com/article-parler-de-la-situation-des-turkmenes-irakiens-118201494.html

Intervention de Gilles Munier (5^ème Conférence des médias turkmènes irakiens – Istanbul - 18 et 19 mai 2013)

Je remercie les organisateurs de cette conférence de m’avoir invité et donné l’occasion de dire quelques mots.

Je suis Français et connaît assez bien l’Irak pour y avoir effectué environ 150 voyages depuis 1974. J’y ai accompagné des journalistes, des hommes politiques, des universitaires, des hommes d’affaire… J’ai surtout été témoin des malheurs qui se sont abattu sur ce pays : guerre Iran-Irak, 1^ère guerre du Golfe, embargo, 2^ème guerre du Golfe… Mon dernier voyage a eu lieu en mars 2003, au cours duquel je me suis rendu à Bagdad et à Mossoul avec une délégation française de spécialistes des armes de destruction massive qui ont dénoncé –preuves à l’appui – les mensonges de George W. Bush et de Tony Blair. J’ai quitté Bagdad la veille du bombardement. Depuis, comme journaliste indépendant, je suis quotidiennement l’actualité de l’occupation du pays – ou de sa double occupation, pour être plus précis – ainsi que les activités de la résistance -  civile ou armée – et, pour revenir au sujet qui nous concerne tous ici : la volonté des dirigeants de la Région autonome du Kurdistan de s’emparer de Kirkouk et de territoires avoisinant gorgés de pétrole, peuplés depuis des siècles par les Turkmènes.

Mon premier passage au Pays des Turkmènes – appelés généralement en France : Turcomans – date de 1976. Membre permanent d’une association franco-arabe qui entretenait alors de bonnes relations avec l’Irak, j’accompagnai un cadre d’une chambre de commerce de Bretagne – région située à l’ouest de la France - qui souhaitait rencontrer les dirigeants de la Région autonome du Kurdistan, nouvellement créée. En visitant Erbil, je n’ai pu que constater que la ville était peuplée, pour une large part, de Turkmènes. J’y suis retourné trois fois ensuite et me suis aperçu que la proportion de Kurdes allait grandissante, ce qui me semblait tout naturel puisque la ville était en quelque sorte la capitale du Kurdistan irakien. Je ne savais pas, à l’époque, que Saddam Hussein – alors vice-Président – avait, quelques années plus tôt, autorisé Mustapha Barzani à« kurdiser » Erbil et qu’en dépit de la reprise de la rébellion – soutenue par les Etats-Unis, l’Iran du Chah et Israël -, c’est ce qui était arrivé sous la direction des partis et tribus kurdes liés au pouvoir central.

Quiconque a traversé, comme moi, les ponts sur l’Altun Su ou l’Aq Su à Altun Kopru ou à Tuz Khurmatu – ou est allé  à Tel Afar - s’est aperçu que les noms de lieux et la langue des habitants de la région sont différents d’ailleurs en Irak, qu’une minorité méconnue – les Turkmènes - est majoritaire dans toute une partie du pays. Depuis la chute de Bagdad et le déclenchement de conflits ethniques et religieux, grâce à Internet – et malheureusement aux attentats et aux massacres dont sont victimes les Irakiens, les médias font parfois mention des Turkmènes – on en sait plus, dans le monde, sur les Turkmènes irakiens. En Belgique, l’Association des Amitiés Europe- Turkmènes et le Comité pour la Défense des droits des Turkmènes irakiens ont brisé le silence qui entoure trop souvent leur situation. Mais, en Europe, nombreux sont encore ceux qui les assimilent à des colons Turcs installés par l’Empire ottoman. Très peu de gens savent que leur présence est bien antérieure à la prise de Constantinople par les Ottomans.

Dans les années 1970, des intellectuels et des hommes politiques se réunissaient en Europe occidentale pour sensibiliser l’opinion publique au problème kurde. Je dis « problème kurde », mais en fait exclusivement kurde irakien. Aujourd’hui, les Turkmènes irakiens sont plus de 3 millions - c'est-à-dire à peu près le nombre des habitants du Kurdistan irakien dans les années 1970 – et rien ne les empêche d’en faire autant. Les outils de communication –Internet, Facebook, Twitter, You Tube… etc… - leur faciliteront la tâche et leur permettront d’atteindre sans grands frais beaucoup de monde. Ces outils doivent être utilisés au maximum, c'est-à-dire pas seulement en anglais, en arabe ou en turc. Il ne faut pas oublier le Français, l’Espagnole et le Portugais parlés en Afrique et en Amérique latine.

Pour nous, observateurs de ce qui se passe en Irak, il manque une agence de presse qui rendrait compte de l’actualité à Kirkouk et dans le Pays des Turkmènes. Par exemple, des élections provinciales viennent de se dérouler en Irak, on n’en connaît pas le détail. C’est dommage. Toutes les occasions devraient être bonnes pour parler des Turkmènes.

La Turquie pourrait contribuer – grâce à son expérience dans le domaine des médias – à la diffusion des informations qui nous permettraient, dans nos pays respectifs, de mieux informer l’opinion publique sur la question turkmène.

Je vous remercie.

Par Gilles Munier, sur le même sujet,

lire aussi :

Les Turcomans irakiens :

un peuple oublié ou marginalisé (AFI – Flash - 31 mai 2007)

http://0z.fr/AJ0t1

La poudrière de Kirkouk (AFI - Flash - 27 janvier 2005)

http://www.oulala.net/Portail/spip.php?article1656

La poudrière de Kirkouk menace d’exploser (Afrique Asie – juillet 2012)

http://0z.fr/iHcRj

Interview de Hassan Haydinli,  

Président du Comité de Défense des Droits

des Turkmènes Irakiens (20/1/05)

http://0z.fr/EHJs0

La campagne électorale des législatives en pays turkmène (2/2/10)

http://turkmenelinews.blogspot.fr/2010/02/irak-la-campagne-legislative-en-pays.html

La grandeur des Turkmènes irakiens (Afrique Asie – octobre 2007)

https://www.google.fr/search?q=La%20grandeur%20des%20Turkm%C3%A8nes%20irakiens%20munier&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:fr:official&client=firefox-a&channel=np&source=hp

Amirli, village turcoman martyr  (AFI – Flash - 4 août 2007)

http://turkmenfriendship.blogspot.fr/2007/07/turcomans-irakiens-amirli-village.html

Les Turkmènes accusent les Etats-Unis d’exacerber les tensions en Irak

http://0z.fr/oSUlo 

http://www.france-irak-actualite.com/article-parler-de-la-situation-des-turkmenes-irakiens-118201494.html

IRAK TÜRKMEN BASIN KONSEYİ KURULTAYI 5. TOPLANTISI

IRAK TÜRKMEN BASIN KONSEYİ KURULTAYI

5. TOPLANTISI

Türkmen Basın Konseyi Kurultayı “Zamanında Doğru Haber Doğru Yorum” sloganıyla

18 – 19 Mayıs 2013 tarihinde beşinci kurultayını İstanbul’da düzenledi.

Kurultaya Irak’ın Kerkük, Bağdat, Erbil, Musul, Telafer ve Tuzhurmatu bölgelerinden

katılanların yanı sıra, ABD, Kanada, Almanya, İsveç, Fransa, İngiltere, Mısır ve Belçika’dan

yüzün üstünde medya mensubunu ve kalabalık bir davetli kesimi katıldı.

İki gün boyunca düzenlenen oturumlarda, Medyanın Siyasete Etkisi, Sosyal Medyanın

Toplumdaki Etkisi, Haberde Aranan İlkeler ve Özellikler, Özgür İfade, Sanal Medya ve

Türkmen Medyası, Medyada Gençlerin Sorumluluğu, İnternet Yazarlığı, Görsel Medya ve

Seyirci gibi konular ele alınıp detaylı şekilde tartışıldı.

Toplantının açılışında Türkiye Cumhurbaşkanının kurultaya yönelttiği tebrik mesajı okundu.

Sayın Cumhurbaşkanı mesajında Türkmenlerin Irak’ın üçüncü asli unsuru ve Irak’ın ayrılmaz

bir parçası olduklarını vurgulayarak bu kurultayın Türkmen basını önünde yeni ufuklar

açması dileğinde bulundu. Mesaj Sayın Cumhurbaşkanı Ortadoğu Başdanışmanı Erşat

Hürmüzlü tarafından okundu.

Başbakan Sayın Recep Tayyip Erdoğan da kurultaya gönderdiği tebrik mesajında Türkmen

basınının hedeflerinin gerçekleşmesi temennisinde bulundu.Kurultaya Arap ve yabancı basın mensuplarından, başta Irak Gazeteciler Cemiyeti başkanı

Muayyed El- Lami olmak üzere, Azerbaycanlı edebiyatçı ve yazar Prof. Dr. Gazanfer

Paşayev, Eyad El- Zamili, Sermed El- Taii, Gazvan Casim, Dr. Nebil Casim, Abdulcabbar

Vahit Abd, Merry Fitzgerald ve Dr. Barbara Aziz katıldı.

Türkmen Basın Konseyi başkanı Kemal Beyatlı kurultayda yapmış olduğu konuşmada Irak

yetkili mercilerini Türkmen basınına ve bu sektörde çalışanlara destek vermeye davet etti.

Kurultayın hazırlık komitesi üyesi Şükran Kayacı da konuşmasında kurultayın hedefinin

Türkmen medyası mensupları arasında yardımlaşmanın temellerinin atılması, medyanın rolü

hakkında fikir teatisinde bulunulması olduğunu dile getirerek, Türkmen basın konseyinin bir

yargı ya da yürütme organı olmadığını ve ana hedefinin Türkmen basınını ilgilendiren

konularda fikir beyan etmek olduğunu vurguladı.

KURULTAYIN SONUÇ BİLDİRİSİ

Kurultay toplantılarının sonunda katılanlar tarafından seçilen sonuç bildirgesi taslağını

hazırlama komisyonunun önerisi okunarak oylamaya konuldu ve sonuç bildirgesi oybirliğiyle

kabul edildi.

SONUÇ BİLDİRİSİ:

Türkmen Basın Konseyi Derneği tarafından düzenlenen 5. Irak Türkmen Basın Konseyi

Kurultayı, 18-19 Mayıs 2013 tarihlerinde İstanbul’da toplanmıştır. “Zamanında Doğru

Haber Doğru Yorum” başlığı altında toplanan Kurultaya Irak’ın Bağdat, Kerkük, Erbil,

Musul, Telafer, Tuzhurmatu ve Altunköprü gibi Türkmeneli’nin değişik bölgelerinden; Arap

dünyasından, Türkiye’den, Can Azerbaycan’dan, Avrupa’nın Danimarka, Belçika, Almanya,

İngiltere gibi şehirlerden, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ve Kanada’dan 100’e yakın delege

katılmıştır.

Gazete, Dergi, Televizyon, Radyo, web sitesi ve diğer iletişim araçlarında görev yapan

Kurultay delegeleri, birçok sorunu ele almıştır. Kurultayda Medyanın Siyasete Etkisi, Sosyal

Medyanın Toplumdaki Etkisi, Haberde Aranan İlkeler ve Özellikler, Özgür İfade, Sanal

Medya ve Türkmen Medyası, Medyada Gençlerin Sorumluluğu, İnternet Yazarlığı ve Görsel

Medya ve Seyirci gibi temalar işlenmiştir.

Beşinci Irak Türkmen Basın Konseyi Kurultayı Sonuç Bildirisinde aşağıdaki maddelerde

görüş birliğine varmıştır:

1. Özgür Basın ve Özgür ifade demokratik gelişmenin vazgeçilmezidir. Irak Hükümeti

tarafından Basın ve İfade Özgürlüğünün güvence altına alınmasına,

2. Son 10 yıl içinde yaşamını kaybeden Iraklı ve özel olarak Türkmen medya şehitlerini

minnet ve rahmetle anıyoruz. Basın şehitlerinin aileleri ile çocuklarının da sosyal güvenceye

kavuşturulmasına,

3. Şu anda zor koşullarda görevlerini yapan medya mensuplarının özel biçimde korunmalarına

ve sosyal haklarının güvence altına alınması için, devlet nezdinde girişimlerde bulunulmasına,

bu arada yaşadıkları trajediye, Türk ve dünya kamuoyunun dikkatinin çekilmesine,4. Irak’ta Türkçe eğitimine önem verilmesine, Irak Üniversitelerinde hem dil ve edebiyat, hem

de iletişim ve medya alanında mevcut ve kurulacak olan üniversiteler ve bilim kurumlarında

saygın yerini almasına ve desteklenmesine,

5. Medya ve iletişim alanında hızlı biçimde yetişmeleri için Türkmen gençlerine öncelik

verilmesine,

6. Türkmenlere yapılan saldırıların, merkezi hükümetle Kürt Yerel Yönetim arasında

ihtilafların arttığı döneme rastlaması da manidardır. Saldırılara maruz kalan yerlerin çoğu da

Irak’ta ihtilaflı bölgede yaşayan silahsız ve savunmasız Türkmen şehirleridir. Türkmenleri,

yaşadıkları bölgelerden göç ettirmeye zorlamaya ve yıldırmaya yönelik bu kanlı eylemlerin

durdurulması için, Irak içinde merkezi hükümeti, Kuzey Irak Yerel Yönetimini, Irak dışında

da Birleşmiş Milletleri ve Türkiye’nin konuyla yakından ilgilenmesine,

7. Türkmen Basın Konseyi Derneği ve Irak Türkmen Basın Kurultayının Irak topraklarında ve

Türkmeneli bölgesinin her hangi bir köşesinde kurulması bütün katılımcıların dileğidir.

Bunun gerçekleştirilmesi için Türkmeneli Medya mensuplarına büyük bir görev düştüğünün

hatırlanmasına ve derhal gereken girişimlerin yapılmasına,

8. Beşinci Irak Türkmen Basın Konseyi Kurultayı’nın gerçekleşmesine yardım eden ve katkı

sağlayan Irak ve Türkiye’deki kuruluşlara minnet ve şükranlarımızın iletilmesine,

Oy birliği ile karar verilmiştir.

İstanbul, 19 Mayıs 2013




http://www.orsam.org.tr/tr/trUploads/Yazilar/Dosyalar/2013523_tbksite.pdf

ITF EU Representative attended the Conference 'The State of Freedom of Religion or Belief in the World in 2012' at the EU Parliament

ITF EU Representative Dr. Hassan Aydinli attended the launching of two World Reports :

Freedom of Religion or Belief / World Report 2012

Freedom of Religion or Belief Prisoners List / World Report 2012

at the European Parliament on 23rd April 2013

Photo from left to right :  Alfiaz Vaija, Moderator

Dr. Lazslo Surjan, Vice-President of the European Parliament 

Willy Fautré, Director of Human Rights Without Frontiers International

Dr. Mark Barwick, Policy Adviser at Human Rights Without Frontiers International

Dr. Hassan Aydinli, Iraqi Turkmen Front EU Representative

The conference was hosted by the Vice-President of the European Parliament Dr. Laszlo Surjan

Co-organised with EP Working Group on FORB (Freedom of Religion or Belief) and HUMAN RIGHTS WITHOUT FRONTIERS INT'L
Several MEPs attended the conference

Iraqi Turkmen Front EU Representative Dr Hassan Aydinli spoke with the Vice-President of the European Parliament Dr. Laszlo Surjan, briefing him on the situation of the Turkmens in Iraq. He also spoke with Willy Fautré and Dr. Mark Barwick informing them on the continued targeting of Turkmens in Iraq.

After the presentation of the reports by Willy Fautré and Mark Barwick, Dr. Hassan Aydinli took the floor to say that it was unfair to mention TURKEY among the countries where freedom of expression and belief are restricted just because a Turkish musician (Fazil Say) had been accused of blasphemy over a series of comments he made on Twitter, adding that the musician's sentence had been suspended.

Dr. Aydinli then said that MYANMAR (formerly BURMA) where hundreds of Muslims have been brutally assassinated, just because they are Muslims, should be mentioned in the report, because the authorities in Myanmar were complicit in a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the minority Rohingya Muslim community.

Finally, Dr Aydinli deplored the fact that ISRAEL - who has been stopping and attacking Palestinians who want to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem - is not mentioned in the report, although this has been going on for several years.

A World Report about Freedom of Religion or Belief: the right to change religion, freedom of expression, association, worship and assembly

In a report presented at the European Parliament on 23rd April 2013, the Brussels-based NGO
Human Rights Without Frontiers International listed a number of Muslim and (former) Communist countries of particular concern.

According to a 142-page report of Human Rights Without Frontiers Int'l two main categories of states - Muslim countries and Communist or former Communist countries - have put in place a constitutional and legislative framework restricting the fundamentals of religious freedom or belief: the freedom to believe or not believe and the freedom to change religion, as well as the freedom to express one's religion or one's beliefs whether individually or collectively, in the public sphere or in private.

"If countries punish the legitimate exercise of freedom of religion or belief by death or heavy prison terms or deterrent exorbitant fines of sometimes up to 100 times the minimum monthly salary, such countries must be named publicly, held accountable and urged by the international community, including the EU institutions, to revise their constitution, their laws and their practices," the director of HRWF Int'l, Willy Fautré, said during the presentation of the book at the European Parliament on 23rd April.

This report aims to facilitate NGOs' advocacy and the human rights dialogues between the EU and third countries. It is divided into several parts. The first three parts identify and analyse a number of constitutional and legislative provisions which restrict freedom of religion or belief in some problematic countries, in particular:

(1) freedom to change religion or belief: Afghanistan, Egypt, Jordan, Iran, Malaysia, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen;

(2) freedom of expression within the framework of freedom of religion or belief: Afghanistan, Algeria, Brunei, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Maldives, North Korea, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan;

(3) freedom of association worship and assembly: Azerbaijan, China, Eritrea, Kazakhstan, Laos, North Korea, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam.

The fourth part addresses the issue of freedom of religion or belief from another angle. It lists ten countries (Azerbaijan, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Uzbekistan) which made themselves conspicuous in 2012 by a very high number of incidents related to freedom of religion or belief on various grounds: repressive governmental policies, social hostility and inter-ethnic or inter-communal tensions. These countries were selected on the basis of data collected by HRWF Int'l from numerous public and private sources. Many concrete examples support this choice and illustrate the different facets of the identified violations. They are also contextualized and analysed.

The report is completed by a nominative and detailed prisoners list which identifies 18 countries with FORB (Freedom of Religion or Belief) prisoners: Armenia, Azerbaijan, China, Egypt, Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Nagorno-Karabakh, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, South Korea, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

In its final remarks, Willy Fautré said "The policies of death or of forced emigration in an ever increasing number of countries is currently leading to some sort of rampant religious cleansing: countries purified of Christians, of Jews, of Muslims, of Ahmadis, of Baha'is...where questions concerning the treatment of religious minorities and the preservation of religious diversity will no longer be relevant in the future."

And he concluded with a question "The emergence of homogeneous, purified religious blocks challenging each other over their differences threatens to lead the world to the much dreaded clash of civilizations. Is it the world that we want?"

Note: 

The reports can be ordered at Amazon.com:

Freedom of Religion or Belief World Report 2012 (142 p)

http://www.amazon.com/Freedom-Religion-Belief-World-Report/dp/1482768739/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1366278549&sr=8-2&keywords=freedom+of+religion+or+belief+world+report

Freedom of Religion or Belief Prisoners List/ World Report 2012 (90 p)

http://www.amazon.com/Freedom-Religion-Belief-Prisoners-List/dp/1482711591#_

Martin Kobler UN Special Representative for Iraq at the EU Parliament in Brussels

 Exchange of views with Martin Kobler at the EU Parliament

 ITF EU Representative Dr Hassan Aydinli  speaking with UN Special Representative for Iraq Martin Kobler

 

On 29 May 2013 the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the EU Parliament held an exchange of views with Martin Kobler, UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Iraq. 

Mr Kobler, expressed serious concerns over the situation in Iraq. After 10 years of a challenging transition to democracy, the country stands at a crossroads and might slide toward escalating sectarian strife if decisive action is not taken. Mr Martin Kobler called for a stronger role of the EU in dealing with the developments in the county.

Exchange of views with Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Jarwan, Speaker of the Arab Parliament at the EU Parliament

 Iraqis at the Foreign Affairs Committee Meeting at the EU Parliament 

The Iraqi Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium, Member of the Iraqi Parliament Mr. Abbas Al-Bayati, Member of the European Parliament Mr. Struan Stevenson and ITF EU Representative Dr Hassan Aydinli.

Merry Fitzgerald's Speech at the 5th Iraqi Turkmen Media Conference – Istanbul

THE ROLE OF ELECTRONIC MEDIA IN SOCIETY

Speech at the 5^th Iraqi Turkmen Media Conference – Istanbul 

18-19  May 2013

With the dramatic expansion of various forms of electronic interchange, including electronic mail and the Internet, opportunities for communication across national boundaries, and cross-fertilization of ideas are greater than ever before.

The Internet's greatest strength is its ability to support simultaneous, interactive communications among many people, the Net allows information to flow back and forth among millions of sources at practically the same time.

The implication is that millions of people can be exposed to a medium in which they have an active role to play and can influence political as well as other outcomes. International social media such as Facebook permit interaction with the world and information can spread fast.

However, like newspapers, active use of the Internet requires literacy in English, for the most part, to enjoy the benefits.

We all know that the voices of the Turkmens have been completely stifled for decades in Iraq and that the Turkmens were not given equal opportunities to complete their studies at Universities in Iraq, this of course has seriously hampered their ability to compete with other Iraqis (Arabs and Kurds) and reduced their visibility with regard to the outside world.

I remember that 10 years ago when I was searching “Iraqi Turkmen” on the Net in order to find information on the subject, I was frustrated to find only a few inactive Turkmen websites, some poorly  written articles in English and nothing in French, Spanish, Dutch, etc. Ten years later however, things have changed, several Iraqi Turkmen websites and a few blogs dedicated to the Iraqi Turkmens are now present on the Net, thus facilitating the task of those who are interested in the subject.

Personally I started three blogs* in English and French about the Turkmens back in 2007, and I am glad and feel rewarded when people write to me and say: “before reading your blog I had never heard about the Turkmens of Iraq.”

I am not a professional journalist, but I did my best to inform people in Europe and the U.S. about the Turkmens, their culture, history and their plight in Iraq.  .

In order to have a greater impact and have more visibility on the Net, Turkmens need more qualified journalists who are fluent in the most internationally spoken languages, like English,  French, Spanish, German etc. and who can write about the Turkmen cause in international media and websites.

I still remember the days when Iraqi Turkmens were not mentioned at all, they were at best referred to as:  ‘the others’, i.e. ‘among the non Arab and non Kurdish ethnic groups of Iraq’.

An example which comes to my mind, is when in one of its programs about Iraq the French/German TV Channel ARTE when talking about the Iraqi people mentioned all Iraq’s ethnic groups except the Turkmens.

Dr. Aydinli, ITF EU Representative wrote to Madame Laurène L’Allinec, Director of TV Channel ARTE, to complain, saying that it was inadmissible on the part of a well known international TV Channel like ARTE to omit mentioning the Turkmens who are Iraq’s third main ethnic community and asking her to publish a correction concerning the Turkmens of Iraq on ARTE’s website.

Turkmens are lagging behind in communicating and in spreading their news, reports, editorials and books in English and other European languages and they need to catch up with their Arab and Kurdish compatriots and competitors, who have either trained their own journalists or are employing Western journalists to spread their news and write editorials or books about their causes and history.

Experience has proven that Turkmens can only rely on themselves, therefore young Turkmens should be encouraged to study journalism and/or write theses about the role and the importance - past and present - of the Turkmens in Iraqi society. 

We have had several young French graduates who contacted us and who came to visit us in Belgium, saying they wanted to make their thesis on the Iraqi Turkmens, unfortunately it seems that they have all abandoned their project after a few months, because they did not have the possibility – mainly due to lack of security - to spend some time in Turkmeneli (the Turkmen region in Iraq), to meet with Turkmens there who are competent to pass on accurate information, and to make some researches in Kirkuk and other Iraqi Turkmen cities.  Some of them did travel to Iraq, but unfortunately they stopped in Erbil or Suleymaniya and they started to write some papers about the Kurdish region instead.

To-day, we have here among us, Mr. Guy Munier, who is a well known French journalist/writer who has written articles about Iraq and about the Iraqi Turkmens and who has interviewed ITF EU’s representative Dr. Hassan Aydinli on several occasions.

Mr. Munier’s articles were published namely in the magazine Afrique-Asie, in Mondialisation Canada and on his website France-Irak Actualité.

Electronic Media development in Iraq should of course continue to be led and inspired by the Iraqis themselves.

We have all seen that in the Arab world, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria etc.  the role of bloggers and internet activists, in what is called ‘The Electronic Arab Spring’ was important to cover the events because of the restrictions the regimes imposed on journalists working in the mainstream media.

Electronic Media is a powerful tool of communication, it is the most dynamic form of all interactive media. In modern times it stands as the most powerful means of accessing information. It has changed the way people live and relate to each other. 

When most of the monopolistic media owned by some well known billionaires are spreading fake or partisan news, the electronic media are a very effective means to denounce such misinformation.

Electronic media has touched every sphere of the human aspect. In the present times, information and technology are interwoven with the society’s economic progress. The evolution of electronic media has had an overwhelming impact on the society. Nearly everybody is dependent upon technology, whether one is located in far off rural areas or is a part of the cosmopolitan circle, technology is ubiquitous.

Opportunities of communication have broken all barriers across national boundaries and have led to the germination of new ideas through the cross pollination of cultures. Electronic media has reduced distances, discrimination and disparities.

‘Interaction’ is the key element to good communication which is provided through the internet. The Information Revolution has helped level the global differences in terms of opportunities and economic development.

Telling the untold or little told story, giving voice to those whose stories have been overlooked is I think the positive aspect of the Electronic Media in our societies and it should be encouraged.

Merry FITZGERALD