From afscnatl at igc.apc.org  Thu Oct  1 00:26:37 1992
From: afscnatl at igc.apc.org (afscnatl at igc.apc.org)
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 16:26:37 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: QUAKER APPEAL: LIFT IRAQ SANCTIONS
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc66c.6a5@igc.apc.org>


INTERNATIONAL QUAKER APPEAL FOR THE PEOPLE OF IRAQ


Thirteen Quaker service agencies around the world, including the
American Friends Service Committee, have jointly issued an appeal
for the people of Iraq.  We are working to lift all non-military
sanctions imposed by the United Nations.

The full text of this appeal is posted in the Peacenet conference
"mideast.gulf".

Denis F. Doyon Program Coordinator Middle East Peace Education
American Friends Service Committee

e-mail: afscnatl

From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Thu Oct  1 05:56:10 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 21:56:10 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: TURKEY: Turks and Kurds weigh up th
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc66d.e0a@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: TURKEY: Turks and Kurds weigh up th

/* Written 12:04 am  Sep 30, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "TURKEY: Turks and Kurds weigh up th" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: TURKEY: Turks and Kurds weigh up the odds on a military coup


an inter press service feature

by nadire mater

istanbul, sep 26 (ips) -- twice before toppled from power by his
own army, turkish prime minister sulyman demirel shrugs off
persistent speculation that a third coup is imminent under cover
of continuing violence in the kurdish areas of south-west turkey.

''you must not over-emphasise the rumours,'' demirel told
journalists friday. ''i feel ashamed to face such gossiping in a
democratic country.'' he was careful to repudiate talk of a split
between his government and the army.

''there is not such thing as 'a military authority','' he said.
''the only authority in turkey is the government.'' but the army
has three time intervened since the founding of turkey's modern
parliamentary democracy in 1950, in 1960 and twice to topple a
demirel government, in 1971 and 1980.

in 1980 the civil violence between right and left factions was
the justification if not the reason for the coup. in 1992 turkey's
south-eastern provinces are torn by fighting between government
forces and the kurdistan workers party (pkk).

officially the conflict has so far claimed the lives of over 360
of the security forces and 962 pkk guerrillas. the civilian cost
is high -- the murder of 74 year old kurdish intellectual,
journalist and politician musa anter last week was the 180th
civilian killing in the eight year war. there have been over 200
assassinations by unknown death squads and a number of sabotage
bombings in istanbul, adding to the atmosphere of tension.

however the main motive for the 1980 coup -- a general economic
crisis -- is less evident in increasingly affluent turkey.

economic analyst mustafa sonmez, chief of the research department
of the progressive workers trade union confederation (disk) said
the coup was a reaction to out of date economic policy. ''the main
thing was the bottleneck in hard currency and never ending
strikes. besides, foreign capital investments were hindered by
countless bureaucratic procedures.''

but in the 12 years since most controls on domestic and foreign
capital investments have been eliminated, initially under military
pressure and later civilian governments, in a bid to integrate
turkey with the world economy.

''no problems for growth arise from these obstacles any more,
(problems) which could lead the business community to encourage a
military takeover as it did in 1980.'' he says. (more/ips)

turkey: turks and kurds weigh up the odds on a military coup(2)

turkey: turks and kurds (2)

kemal nebioglu, chairperson of disk adds: ''furthermore, during
military rule, employers have gained the maximum possible
legislative authority over their employees.

''they (the employers) themselves even could not imagine the
extent of their gains. therefore they have no need to encourage a
military takeover in order to cut down workers' advantages.''

but even the coup leaders' ''pretext'' of imminent civil war in
1980 does not exist now, even allowing for the conflict in the
south-east, says nebioglu.

''the only pretext for a coup d'etat could be the prevailing
unrest in the kurdish provinces. but that would only inflame the
disturbances rather than suppressing it,'' says gani mujde, a 34
year old political cartoonist.

''in 1980 they exploited people's fears for their lives -- now
they are feeding fears of the dismemberment of the country. but
this is not enough for the people to side with the military.

''therefore they are provoking terror to force the people to call
them to power,'' said.

the theory was recently taken up by an editorial in the 'daily
zaman' newspaper, reputed for its islamicist sympathies; it
regarded the recent escalation in terrorist attacks in istanbul as
suspicious.

nearly every major event of terrorism coincides with a meeting of
turkey's national security council, and none of istanbul blasts
caused any casualties, it noted. based on this the paper theorised
that the whole campaign was being manipulated by the government
and ''society is forcibly being drawn to the opinion that nothing
but a military alternative exists for strong government."

however ramazan ulek, a pro-kurd intellectual and one of the
publishers of the daily paper 'ozgur gundem' still believes the
speculation of an imminent coup as ''something crazy''.

''turkey is already under 'military rule', accomplished by the
coup of 1980 and still remains intact,'' he said. ''the government
has also left the solution in kurdistan to the army itself. the
army is bound by no laws and no political obstacles.

ulek -- who has lost his top columnist, musa anter, and three
reporters to assassins in the last eight months -- believes that
fear of a civil war is being exploited by the armed forces to
silence public discontent with the army's tactics and human rights
abuses in the south-east.

''the army has already driven the government out of control,'' he
says, ''and is utilising all kind of illegal means. they need no
coup to go on like that.'' (more/ips)

turkey: turks and kurds weigh up the odds on a military coup(3-e)

turkey: turks and kurds (3)

ulek further theorised that president turgut ozal -- no friend of
demirel's -- had his own plans. ''ozal will provoke a coup among
the junior officers, quell them easily and then take power with
pledges for the rights for kurds,'' he speculates. ''the same
technique as yeltsin used in russia.''

however many ordinary people, comparing the peace and comfort in
the west with the repression and unrest in the south-east are
increasingly in favour of negotiation, not military intervention.

''a coup would be of no use to stop the violence in the south-
east,'' says muge gelen, a 34 year old civil servant in istanbul.
''they (the military) already have all the power in their hands.
they do everything.

''yet the strife in the southeast is going on for eight years --
if a coup was needed why did not they do it before? the only
solution is not a coup but to negotiate with 'apo' (pkk chief
abdullah ocalan).''

the collapse of the ussr means that the army can no longer defend
a coup -- either at home or abroad -- as ''defence against soviet
expansionism''. furthermore a coup would only further taint
turkey's european reputation -- particular on human rights issues.

''a coup needs foreign support, and in today's world no great
power will support a military takeover'' says melda yesilova, a 23
year old secretary. (end/ips/np/nm/rj/92)


From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Thu Oct  1 05:57:25 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 21:57:25 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: TURKEY: Turks and Kurds'weigh up th
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc66e.e59@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: TURKEY: Turks and Kurds'weigh up th

/* Written 12:04 am  Sep 30, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "/CORRECTION/TURKEY: Turks and Kurds" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: /CORRECTION/TURKEY: Turks and Kurds weigh up the odds...


att editors: please make the following correction to 'turkey:
turks and kurds weigh up the odds on a military coup' moved from
istanbul earlier.

take one, paragraph one should read as follows.

istanbul, sep 26 (ips) -- twice before toppled from power by his
own army, turkish prime minister sulyman demirel shrugs off
persistent speculation that a third coup is imminent under cover
of continuing violence in the kurdish areas of south-east turkey.

take one, para five should read as follows:

officially the conflict has this year claimed the lives of over
360 of the security forces and 962 pkk guerrillas. the civilian
cost is high -- the murder of 74 year old kurdish intellectual,
journalist and politician musa anter last week was the 180th
civilian killing in the eight year war. there have been over 200
assassinations by unknown death squads and a number of sabotage
bombings in istanbul, adding to the atmosphere of tension.

please note the corrected location of regional violence and yearly
total of casualties in conflict.

inte
(story received incomplete)
0028

From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Thu Oct  1 06:35:43 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 22:35:43 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: DISSIDENT UNITY
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc66f.8eb@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: DISSIDENT UNITY

/* Written  6:02 pm  Sep 29, 1992 by TEX5HAD at CMS1.LEEDS.AC.UK in cdp:soc.culture.tu */
/* ---------- "DISSIDENT UNITY" ---------- */
DISSIDENT UNITY

Nicosia (Reuter)  - Iraqi opposition  groups ending a  meeting in
Kurd-controlled  northern Iraq  have  agreed to  unite to  topple
Saddam Hussein, Iraqi dissident sources said yesterday.

Shia and Sunni Muslims, Kurds, Turkomans and Assyrians as well as
Communists, Socialists, rebel Baathists backed by Syria and Saudi
Arabia,  and former  army  generals  met for  three  days in  the
northern town of Salahuddin, out of reach of Iraqi army.

Iraqi exiles said  the opposition groups had agreed  to set aside
differences in order to defeat President Saddam.

THE INDEPENDENT, 29 September 1992
            _
|-| /-\ |_ |_| |<

From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Thu Oct  1 06:45:39 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 22:45:39 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Musa Anter
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc670.b67@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: Musa Anter

/* Written  9:30 am  Sep 30, 1992 by aziz at seas.gwu.edu in cdp:soc.culture.tu */
/* ---------- "Musa Anter" ---------- */


Musa Anter was a 74 year old Kurd who had spent his life trying to
correct the injustice perpetrated on the Kurdish people, through his
writings. His life, as written by himself in a recent autobography, was
a bitter one, punctuated by prison visits, police interrogations, etc. In
all this bitterness, he was able to find humour and convey it to his readers.
As I recall his autobiography began something like this (This is not an
actual quote, I am writing in from memory):

"Recaizade Ekrem Talu, the well-known Turkish writer/intellectual, used to
boast: "I was born in the most beautiful city of Turkey, Istanbul, in the
most elite district of Istanbul, Bostanci, and in the most beautiful house
in Bostanci, Recaizade Yalisi." In a similar style, Musa Anter was born in
the most underdeveloped city of Turkey, Mardin, in the poorest county of 
Mardin, Nusaybin, and in the most inaccessible village of Nusaybin."

He wrote about his life in such a way that the reader couldn't decide whether
he/she should laugh or cry. Most of the time I was doing both.

Recently, he was writing in the weekly Yeni Ulke in a similar vein. In
his articles, he would advocate the Turk-Kurd brotherhood while
criticizing the state, its military, and its politicians very bluntly. He
was also one of the founders of the Mesopotamia Cultural Center, a center in
Istanbul devoted to the study of Kurdish language and culture.

Musa Anter was killed on September 21st in Diyarbakir by "unidentified 
murderers". While this is nothing new in terms of journalists being silenced
through guns, it is by far the most outrageous of the recent sequence of
murders.

I pay my respect to his memory. While I have very little reason for this, I 
hope that the invisible hands behind his killing are caught, and their motives
are made public.

Murat Azizoglu



From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Mon Oct  5 07:41:32 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Sun, 04 Oct 1992 23:41:32 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: IPS: TURKEY: Censorship by bullets
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc671.a60@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: IPS: TURKEY: Censorship by bullets infur'

/* Written 12:10 am  Oct  4, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "TURKEY: Censorship by bullets infur" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: TURKEY: Censorship by bullets infuriates opposition media


an inter press service feature

by nadire mater

istanbul, oct 01 (ips) -- a call by turkish government leaders and
military men for a ''total war'' against the separatist guerrillas
of the kurdistan workers party (pkk) is also resulting in a new
offensive against opposition media in turkey.

the government and the army are responding to media criticism for
its conduct in the kurdish areas of south-east turkey by taking
steps to bring the press into line and get their backing for a
''propaganda war'' against the pkk.

where this fails they are resorting to banning orders and
arresting journalists reporting for opposition papers.

the developments followed a thinly veiled warning in a friday
communique from the turkish national security council (mgk)
against ''mass organisations and the mass media'' said to be
allegedly conducting ''activities damaging the integrity of the
country and the unity of the state''.

yahya kocoglu, a reporter for the anka press agency interpreted
the declaration as ''censorship by bullets''. he said the mgk was
trying to generate an atmosphere of fear. yurdagul erkoca, of the
daily 'cumhuriyet' described it as ''a threat aimed at cowing
large sections of the public''.

the call -- implying further restrictions on turkey's ailing
democracy -- was triggered in part by the bloodiest clash yet in
the eight year conflict between ankara and the kurdish guerrillas.

the government says 174 pkk guerrillas and 29 security troops
were killed in a two day battle outside the town of semdinli in
hakkari, south-east turkey. the pkk's official organ 'berdxewan'
says that 190 security personnel and six guerrillas died.

as the attack began turkish chief of staff general dogan gures
and the editors-in-chief of the country's top newspapers were
visiting the area with the aim of ''displaying the determination
of the armed forces to quell the separatist violence.''

the same weekend the banning of four opposition publications --
the left-wing 'gercek' and the pro-kurdish 'yeni ulke' along with
the left wing monthlies 'mucadele' and 'emegin bayragi' -- further
underlined mgk determination to fight the pkk ''on all fronts''.

the mgk is a constitutional consultative body for security
affairs comprised of the chief of staff, commanders of the navy,
army, air forces and the para-military gendarmerie, the mgk's
military general-secretary, president turgut ozal, demirel and his
senior cabinet ministers  (more/ips)

turkey: censorship by bullets infuriates opposition media(2)

turkey: censorship by bullets (2)

''the government and the parliament has submitted before the
mgk,'' said law lecturer attila nalbant, from marmara university.
''the mgk in fact, has full constitutional right to advise the
government in terms of nationwide security issues.

''however this abstract right in the constitution is balanced by
the authority of the government and the parliament. but neither
the government nor the parliament show willingness to challenge
the extraordinary power invested in the military,'' he said.

the mgk warning was also directed against the people's labour
party (hep). ten top hep leaders, including former chair feridun
yazar, were detained and charged with allowing pro-pkk
demonstrations during the recent hep national congrees.

not all the media were willing to take the state line like
ertugrul ozkok, of turkey's second largest daily 'hurriyet', who
called for a ''massive psychological war against the pkk''.

yazgulu aldogan of 'yeni gunaydin' criticised the publishers'
tour of the conflict zone under the wing of the military. ''the
publishers were brought there with the aim of controlling the rank
and file journalists from above -- just as it was during military
rule. this is nothing but restructuring the press on  hierarchical
military model,'' she wrote.

journalists' associations were cautious. orhan erinc, president
of the turkish journalists union, told ips that ''we need to wait
for the government's reaction (to the mgk communique) to see if
anything new is about to take place''.

over 150 articles within the country's penal and media laws grant
the authorities power to ban publications and detain journalists --
even to confiscate printing presses.

celal toprak of the contemporary journalists association said
that the mgk communique would seem to demand even more draconian
authority. ''even so, should new legal arrangements be called for
the parliament and not the mgk should be the source of them.''

merdan yanardag of the daily strongly anti-government 'gundem' --
who have lost four reporters and a leading columnist to
unidentified assassins -- saw the communique ''as the termination
of the democratisation process'' as pledged by the protocol
establishing demirel's coalition government in november 1991.

''now the initiative is no longer with the government but in the
mgk,'' concludes yanardag.

sukru gulmus, editor in chief of the weekly 'yeni ulke' was
defiant: ''the mgk communique is a blow at the struggle for
democracy being waged in turkey,'' he said. (more/ips)

turkey: censorship by bullets infuriates opposition media(3-e)

turkey: censorship by bullets (3)

''however, we shall go on publishing tomorrow in the consistent
fashion as we did yesterday. should they close yeni ulke (the new
country), then we shall bring out the ozgur ulke (the free
country).''

werner van gent of swiss radio and chair of the foreign press
association wryly described the turkish media's acquiescence in
the face of state pressure as the behaviour of ''good schoolboys''
who ''learn very quickly what they are wanted to say''.

seyfi ongider, from the 'ozgur gundem' added that in any case
''only a few papers went beyond the official explanations to
investigate what is really going on in the south-east.''

comparing switzerland, greece and turkey gent said that in all
three the state tries to control or at least manipulate the press.

''however,'' gent adds ''while in switzerland the press shrugs
its shoulders, in greece they care about the official truth a
little bit. but in turkey the situation is three or four times
worse in terms of independent journalism.'' (end/ips/np/nm/rj/92)


From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Fri Oct  9 08:26:37 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Fri, 09 Oct 1992 00:26:37 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: AI EX079/92 TURKEY Fear of torture
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc672.6a5@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: AI EX079/92 TURKEY Fear of torture

/* Written  6:05 pm  Oct  6, 1992 by gn:rmitchellai in cdp:ai.uan */
/* ---------- "AI EX079/92 TURKEY Fear of torture" ---------- */
EXTERNAL (for general distribution)    AI Index: EUR 44/97/92
                                       Distr: UA/SC       

EXTRA 79/92    Fear of Torture         6 October 1992

TURKEY:        Sehmus Yanalak           Mehmet Urun
               Abbas Elci               Halil Elci
               Bilal Elci               Talip Elci
               Abdullah Elci            Zinnet Elci
               Nusret Oktem             Sait Yakiemir
               Suleyman Balta           Haci Yagbasan
               Mehmet Yagbasan          Cemil Yasar
               Omer Yasar               Ibrahim Yildiz
               A Halim Yildiz           Yasin Yildiz
               Meryem Fidan (female)    Feysi Fidan
               Mehmet Fidan             Saliha Yavuc (female)
               Omer Olge                Abdurrahim Olge
               Mehmet Olge              Hamit Olge
               Abdullah Onan            Sait Yakaman

On the night of 29 September 1992, gendarmerie (soldiers on police
duties) and village guards (paramilitary force) surrounded the village of
Hisar, near Silopi in the province of Sirnak. When villagers started to
move around on the morning of 30 September, the security forces came
out of hiding, began arresting villagers and fired on any who tried to flee.
Four persons were killed and about 30 were arrested, including those
named above. 

Those arrested were taken to Sirnak Police Headquarters. The rest of the
population of the village was made to stand in the open for the rest of
the day while soldiers searched the houses. It is alleged that the soldiers
stole or destroyed the villagers' private property. The villagers were then
reportedly held under house arrest for three days.

On 3 October 1992, Sehmus Yanalak, Mehmet Urun, Abbas Elci,
Abdullah Elci and Sait Yakiemir were brought from Sirnak Police
Headquarters to the hospital in Cizre. People who saw them in hospital
reported that their faces were bloody and that they were not able to walk
without assistance. Another source stated that the doctor who treated
them wanted to write a medical report documenting their injuries, but that
the police prevented him from doing so. The doctor reportedly complained
to the local prosecutor and the local governor.

It is feared that those named above are being interrogated under torture
at Sirnak Police Headquarters.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Turkey has a Kurdish ethnic minority which is estimated to number some
10 million people, living mainly in southeastern Turkey. Since August
1984, when guerrillas of the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) started armed
attacks against the security forces, an alarming number of reports of
ill-treatment of detainees by the security forces have come from the
eastern and southeastern provinces. Furthermore,  allegations of over 100
extrajudicial executions have been received during the past 12 months.
More than 4,000 lives have so far been lost on both sides and among the
civilian population in the context of the continuing fighting. Emergency
legislation is in force in 10 provinces in the region and the Emergency
Legislation Governor in Diyarbakir has extraordinary powers over three
additional provinces. 

Turkey ratified the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture on
25 February 1988 and the UN Convention Against Torture on 2 August
1988. However, all information available to Amnesty International
indicates that torture is still widespread and systematic in Turkey. Most
allegations relate to ill-treatment of detainees in police custody during
their initial interrogation when they are usually denied access to relatives
or a lawyer. Under current legislation the maximum period a detainee
may be held before being formally charged or released is 24 hours; in
cases involving three or more suspects or due to the 'nature of the crime'
it may be extended to 15 days. This period may be extended to 30 days
in areas under emergency legislation or martial law.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Telegrams/telexes/faxes/express and airmail
letters either in English or your own language:

- urging that those detained in the village of Hisar, Sirnak province,
(name five of those listed above) be given an opportunity to appoint and
consult with legal counsel, that they should be permitted access to their
families, and that they should not be subjected to torture or ill- treatment;

- expressing concern about the suppression of medical evidence and urging
that the complaint made by the doctor who examined Sehmus Yanalak,
Mehmet Urun, Abbas Elci, Abdullah Elci and Sait Yakiemir be
thoroughly investigated;

- requesting clarification of the circumstances of the killing of four persons
in their village, Hisar, on 30 October 1992.

APPEALS TO

Minister of Health:

Yildirim Aktuna               [Salutation: Dear Minister]
Ministry of Health and Social Welfare
Saglik ve Sosya Yardim
Bakanligi
06434 Ankara
Turkey
Telegrams: Health Minister, Ankara, Turkey

Gendarmerie General Commander:

Orgeneral Esref Bitlis        [Salutation: Dear General]
Jandarma Kuvvetleri Komutani
Kuvvetleri Komutanligi
Bakanliklar
Ankara, Turkey
Telegrams: Jandarma Kuvvetleri Komutani, Ankara, Turkey

Sirnak Police Headquarters:

Sirnak Emniyet Mudurlugu      [Salutation: Dear Police Chief]
Sirnak 
Turkey
Telegrams: Sirnak Emniyet Mudurlugu, Sirnak, Turkey

COPIES OF YOUR APPEALS TO: 

President of the Parliamentary Human Rights Commission
Insan Haklari Arastirma Komisyonu Baskani
TBMM
Ankara, Turkey

and to the diplomatic representative in your country - please see the
responses to this topic for details.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.  Please do not send
appeals after 5 November 1992.

From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Fri Oct  9 08:27:22 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Fri, 09 Oct 1992 00:27:22 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: AI UA308/92 TURKEY Killings
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc673.6d6@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: AI UA308/92 TURKEY Killings

/* Written  2:37 pm  Oct  6, 1992 by gn:rmitchellai in cdp:ai.uan */
/* ---------- "AI UA308/92 TURKEY Killings" ---------- */
EXTERNAL (for general distribution)AI Index: EUR 44/96/92
                                  Distr: UA/SC       

                                    6 October 1992

UA 308/92   Arbitrary killings/fear of torture/fear of ill-treatment

TURKEY:     Scores of people in Kulp, including Vahit Narin

Amnesty International is concerned about continuing reports of
arbitrary killings in the town of Kulp, including Vahit Narin.

Reports are being received from Diyarbakir province that a military
operation comparable to the recent destruction of the town of Sirnak
(see UA 279/92, AI Index: EUR 44/85/92, 4 September 1992) is
under way in the town of Kulp. The first report of tanks and guns
being used against the civilian population went out on Saturday, 3
October 1992, at 1pm local time.  The reports also stated that all
telephone lines to Kulp had been cut.  Turkish newspapers reported
that a military vehicle had been fired upon by guerrillas of the Kurdish
Workers' Party (PKK) on Saturday, 3 October 1992, near the Kulp bus
terminal and that an armed clash ensued. Two soldiers were killed and
eight wounded as a result.  The security forces then reportedly opened
fire randomly from their buildings in the town centre.  The sound of
gunfire continued until nightfall.  Shops, houses and vehicles have been
damaged, civilians killed and wounded and scores of people detained.
Telecommunications remain cut and journalists are not permitted to
enter the town. Access to and from the district is prohibited and as a
consequence information is still scanty.

Latest reports mention five people killed and four wounded, including
Vahit Narin who reportedly died after being doused with petrol and
set alight. The names of the other dead are not yet known to Amnesty
International. People are said to be fleeing from Kulp as the military
operation continues.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION 

Turkey has a Kurdish ethnic minority which is estimated to number
some 10 million people, living mainly in southeastern Turkey. Since
August 1984, when guerrillas of the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK)
started armed attacks against the security forces, an alarming number
of reports of ill-treatment of detainees by the security forces have
come from the eastern and southeastern provinces. Furthermore, 
allegations of over 100 extrajudicial executions have been received
during the past 12 months. Nearly 5,000 lives have so far been lost on
both sides and among the civilian population in the fighting.
Emergency legislation is in force in 10 provinces in the region and the
Emergency Legislation Governor in Diyarbakir has extraordinary
powers over three additional provinces. 

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Telegrams/telexes/faxes/express and
airmail letters: 

- expressing concern at reports of arbitrary killings in Kulp, including
Vahit Narin;

- calling for an immediate, full and impartial investigation into the
events in Kulp, in particular the arbitrary killing and wounding of
civilians, including Vahit Narin;

- urging that the police and security forces carry out their duties
according to the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force
and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials;

- urging that steps are taken to ensure that all people from the town
of Kulp now held in police custody are not ill-treated;

- urging that the press be allowed immediate free access into the town
of Kulp.

APPEALS TO

Minister of the Interior:

Mr Ismet Sezgin               [Salutation: Dear Minister]
Icisleri Bakanligi
06644 Ankara, Turkey
Telegrams:  Interior Minister, Ankara, Turkey
Telexes:    46369 ICSL TR
Faxes:      +90 4 418 1795

Gendarmerie General Commander:

Orgeneral Esref Bitlis        [Salutation: Dear General]
Jandarma Kuvvetleri Komutani
Kuvvetleri Komutanligi
Bakanliklar
Ankara, Turkey
Telegrams:  Jandarma Kuvvetleri Komutani, Ankara, Turkey

Minister of Foreign Affairs:

Mr Hikmet Cetin               [Salutation: Dear Minister]
Disisleri Bakanligi
06100 Ankara, Turkey
Telegrams:  Foreign Minister, Ankara, Turkey

COPIES OF YOUR APPEALS TO: 

President of the Parliamentary Human Rights Commission
Insan Haklari Arastirma Komisyonu Baskani
TBMM
Ankara, Turkey

Chief of the Turkish General Staff
General Dogan Gures
Bakanliklar
06100 Ankara, Turkey

and and to the diplomatic representative in your country - please see
the responses to this topic for details.
      
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.  Please do not send
appeals after 17 November 1992.


From nyt at nyxfer.UUCP  Sat Oct 10 09:42:12 1992
From: nyt at nyxfer.UUCP (nyt at nyxfer.UUCP)
Date: 10 Oct 1992 09:42:12
Subject: Turkey steps up dirty war against K
Message-ID: <bac1c849.4HsFsB4w164w@nyxfer.uucp>

Subject: Turkey steps up dirty war against Kurds /ww
From: nyxfer!nyt (NY Transfer News)

 TURKEY STEPS UP DIRTY WAR AGAINST KURDS
 By Bill Doares
 
The government of Turkey is intensifying its dirty war against
the Kurdish people--with the full support of the U.S. government
and a deafening silence from the U.S. news media. Along with the
individual murders, the Turkish military has added the mass
killing of hundreds of Kurdish people in recent attacks.
 
Among the latest victims was Musa Anter, a 74-year-old journalist
for the pro-Kurdish newspapers Ozgur Gundem and Yeni Ulke and a
founder of the People's Labor Party (HEP).
 
Anter was gunned down in the streets of Diyarbakir, the largest
Kurdish city in Turkey, on the night of Sept. 20 as he was
walking to meet a relative for dinner. His cousin Orhan Miroglu,
who was with him, was critically wounded.
 
Anter was the fifth writer for Ozgur Gundem to be murdered this
year. The killers are believed to be members of
"counter-guerilla" death squads set up by the Turkish secret
police. Turkish Prime Minister Suleyman Demirel justified the
murders: "These are not the journalists you think they are. They
are all militants." The Turkish government is prosecuting
Gundem's editors, Yasar Kaya and Selcuk Gur, for printing an
interview with Abdullah Ocalan, general secretary of the Workers
Party of Kurdistan (PKK).
 
The systematic murder of journalists is only one aspect of the
Turkish government's anti-Kurdish terror campaign. In the past
six months over 5,000 Kurdish civilians have been imprisoned on
charges of sympathy for the PKK. And Turkey's U.S.-equipped air
force continues to bomb Kurdish villages in Turkey and northern
Iraq.
 
KURDISH BLOOD ON WASHINGTON'S HANDS
 
The extent of U.S. complicity with Turkey's regime is clear in
the town of Sirnak, where Turkish troops carried out a massacre
of Kurdish people on Aug. 15. Sirnak is only 40 miles from
Silopi--the base of Operation Provide Comfort, the U.S.-British
strike force whose alleged purpose is to "protect" Kurdish people
across the border in northern Iraq. These troops did nothing for
22 hours as Turkey's U.S.-financed NATO army set fire to entire
neighborhoods, destroyed homes with tanks and dragged civilians
into the street and shot them.
 
After the slaughter, Turkish troops marched through the town
chanting, "Sirnak will be the graveyard of Kurds." The killing
was timed to prevent Sirnak's Kurds from celebrating the eighth
anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army of
Kurdistan, the military wing of the PKK.
 
Six weeks later, Sirnak remains a ghost town. As cold weather
approaches, over 20,000 Sirnak residents are living in tents in
the mountains, where they fled to escape the bloodbath. HEP
legislators have asked neighboring Syria to accept the Sirnak
Kurds as refugees.
 
The hand of Washington is also apparent in northern Iraq, where
dozens of PKK supporters have been murdered by the CIA-linked
Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) of Massoud Barzani. Most of the
victims were members of the Free Kurdistan Party, which is allied
with the PKK. The KDP has set up a rump state in Iraqi Kurdistan
under U.S. military protection; U.S. officers are regular
visitors to its headquarters.
 
The fact that the PKK enjoys the enthusiastic support of the vast
majority of Turkey's 15 million Kurds does nothing to change the
minds of the decision makers in Washington. Their only concern is
to keep Turkey as a military base for controlling the Middle East
and an economic base for penetrating the Turkish-speaking
republics of the former Soviet Union.
 
(Copyright Workers World Service: Permission to reprint granted
if source is cited. For more info contact Workers World,46 W. 21
St., New York, NY 10010; "workers at mcimail.com".)

    The N.Y. Transfer News Service 718-448-2358, 718-448-2683
 nyxfer at panix.com * All the news that doesn't fit * nytransfer at igc.org

From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Sun Oct 11 07:55:49 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 1992 23:55:49 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: IPS: IRAQ: Kurds kill Kurds for con
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc674.df1@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: IPS: IRAQ: Kurds kill Kurds for control'

/* Written 12:27 am  Oct  8, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "IRAQ: Kurds kill Kurds for control " ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: IRAQ: Kurds kill Kurds for control in Northern Iraq


istanbul, oct 05 (ips) -- the first full day of existence for the
self-declared federal kurdish state in northern iraq monday was
also its first full day of civil war as the iraqi kurds battled
with their 'brothers' from the kurdistan workers party (pkk).

the first act of the self-declared federal republic on sunday was
to call on the pkk to withdraw from the guerrilla bases that they
have set up on iraqi kurdish territory.

the pkk, which is thought to control around ten thousand
guerrillas in the kurdish regions of turkey, iraq and iran,
rejected the order: ''we are not emigres in iraq,'' said a pkk
spokesperson in germany monday. ''it's our own fatherland. why
should we leave our bases?''

but serchil kazaz of the patriotic union of kurds (puk) in iraq
rejects pkk claims on northern iraq: ''this is our own territory.
iraq is iraq and turkey is turkey. they should move out.''

the first kurdish parliament in northern iraq was elected in may
but their claim to the territory is underwritten in part by the
fighters still deployed by the gulf war coalition allies to keep
iraqi armed forces out of kurdish iraq.

meeting sunday the parliament declared the territory a federal
state and as a sign of ''good neighbourliness'' with turkey -- who
are fighting their own bloody war against the pkk on the turkish
side of the border -- immediately called the pkk guerrillas  to
evacuate their bases in northern iraq.

kurdistan, a mountainous landlocked country divided among turkey,
iraq, iran, syria and turkey, with a small kurdish  population in
the former ussr, has seen centuries of conflict between the rival
states, intermingling with kurdish struggles for regional
authority.

in the fighting that commenced sunday night the continuing
clashes between the 'peshmerga' (kurdish partisans) of the kurdish
'federal state' and the pkk guerrillas have claimed 50 lives and
40 wounded from both sides. twenty of the dead are said to have
been pkk men shot in peshmerga captivity.

the attacks have centred on the pkk camps in haqurq, bazinan and
bakhtinan in northern iraq, and -- according to the pkk -- follow
an agreement between the two most powerful figures in iraqi
kurdistan, mesoud barzani of the kurdistan democratic party (kdp)
and jalal talabani of the puk.

turkey, primarily through the efforts of president turgut ozal,
then expecting the fall of the regime of iraqi president saddam
hussein after the 1991 gulf war, recognised the iraqi kurdish
parties as anti-saddam allies during the gulf crisis. (more/ips)

iraq: kurds kill kurds for control in northern iraq(2-e)

iraq: kurds kill kurds (2)

the kdp and puk were allowed in late 1991 to establish their
representative offices in ankara and then lived a semi-official
diplomatic existence. both iraqi kurdish leaders were also
recognised by the government and provided with turkish passports
in 1992 for their visits to the u.s. and western europe.

under prime minister suleyman demirel, turkey tried to use their
links with the puk and kdp to cut lines of communications between
the pkk guerrillas in turkey and their bases in iraq.

similar tactics were behind negotiations with syria, after which
damascus forced the pkk to evacuate its camps in the syrian
controlled bek'aa valley in lebanon in april.

following similar pledges by the iranian government in september,
which, albeit ambiguously, denounced ''international terrorism''
at turkish insistence -- the pkk now seems increasingly isolated.

''eight to ten thousand peshmergas are now fighting to oust the
pkk camps and it will go on until they are wiped out of our
country,'' said muhsin dizai, kdp representative in ankara.

in germany the pkk spokesperson described their attackers as
''not an army of kurdistan but kdp and puk henchmen'' and also
claimed that those forces are unofficially led by turkish
officers.

''they are seeking to besiege us both from the north and the
south,'' he said. ''the tide turned after the latest events in
semdinli,'' a reference to the reported killing of some 200 pkk
guerrillas by turkish troops supported by u.s. built cobra ground
attack helicopters following pkk attacks on three para-military
police outposts in semdinli, hakkari last week.

''we are trying to take it easy. we do not want a war of kurds
against kurds.'' he added. ''however we will have no way out but
fighting if the onslaught goes on.''

''the pkk will not be the last victim of inter-kurdish strifes
for local leadership, unless the kurds remould themselves as a
united nation,'' seyfi ongider, editor of the daily ozgur gundem
commented monday. (end/ips/rp/nm/ek/rj/92)


From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Sun Oct 11 08:04:39 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1992 00:04:39 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: IPS/IRAQ/OCTOBER 1992
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc675.127@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: IPS/IRAQ/OCTOBER 1992

/* Written 12:13 am  Oct  9, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "IRAQ: Turkish army joins the Peshme" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: IRAQ: Turkish army joins the Peshmerga assault against the PKK.


istanbul, oct 06 (ips) -- as fighting between 15,000 iraqi kurdish
'peshmergas' and 3,000 guerrillas from the kurdistan workers party
(pkk) entered a second day, turkey turned up the pressure on its
side of the iraqi border by deploying 20,000 troops of its own.

the combined efforts of the two mean the pkk, in the eighth year
of its war to ''liberate'' kurdistan, faces its most severe
military pressure since 1984.

turkey still refuses to comment officially on the self-declared
''kurdish federal state'' in iraq, leading analysts to speculate
that the peshmerga onslaught on pkk camps on iraqi territory
follows a secret agreement between turkey and the iraqi kurds.

''it will be a mistake to consider the developments in iraq are
routine. it is still too early for a general evaluation'' turkish
premier suleyman demirel said tuesday following a parliamentary
group meeting with his ruling true path party (dyp).

demirel would not comment further; saying only that any
''strengthening of the pkk will disturb other kurdish groups''.

however the ministry of foreign affairs is reported to be
studying the situation to establish the background to the
declaration of a ''federal kurdish state'' in northern iraq.

and ministry sources say that any ''independent kurdish state'' --
such as the 'kurdish federation' declared by the iraqi kurds on
sunday -- would be ''inadmissible''.

kurds in turkey also responded to the self-declared kurdish state
with mixed reactions. ahmet turk, the newly elected leader of the
pro-kurdish peoples' labour party (hep) emphasised so-called
''foreign influence'' over the declaration, noting that its
creation was announced to the world from washington d.c.

but fellow hep deputy sirri sakik welcomed the move as ''a step
forward for kurds in general''.

and leader of the turkoman party, muzaffer aslan -- leader of
several hundred thousand turkomans of turkic origin living in
iraqi kurdish controlled mousul and qirquq -- criticised turkey
for its ''lack of any proper policy towards iraq''. he is fearful
of the future of turkomans who have fallen under kurdish control.

it is also reported that turkish air and ground forces are
preparing to deliver the coup de grace to any retreating pkk
guerrillas seeking sanctuary from the iraqi kurdish attacks over
the turkish border. (more/ips)

iraq: turkish army joins the peshmerga assault against the pkk.(2-e)

iraq: turkish army joins (2)

colonel haluk alper, chief of public relations department of the
turkish chief of staff said ''turkish armed forces will not allow
the 'enemy' to pass the border.'' he also stated that turkish
ground forces ''in accordance with the developments may yet
intervene in the war on the other side of the border.''

some pkk guerrillas are reported to be trying to find haven
across the iranian border instead, but borders there have also
been closed according to sources in the area.

turkish ground and air forces reportedly struck at pkk guerrillas
in the eastern turkish town of igdir on the iranian border
tuesday. fighter planes chasing pkk guerrillas over iranian
airspace this week resulted in a diplomatic protest from iran
protesting the violation of the country's territorial integrity.

the turkish national news agency aa also quoted an anonymous high
ranking turkish officer as warning journalists to ''look and see
what happens''.

there are few indications of the level of casualties in the
fighting bar repeated requests for blood donors and the clearance
of iraqi kurdish hospitals of all but battle casualties.

safeir dzai of the iraqi kurdistan democratic party (kdp) in
ankara, refusing to comment on casualty figures, said they would
''not make propaganda on the number of the victims like the pkk.
however we will go on fighting until we wipe them out.''

pkk sources on the other hand report high casualties on both
sides. they also claimed that iraqi kurdish troop commander
mohammed simo and his 2,000 peshmergas had defected and joined the
pkk guerrillas. smaller groups of five to ten peshmergas were also
crossing over to the pkk, the party claim.

there are several innocent victims of the conflict; the south-
eastern kurdish town of kulp, near diyarbakir was badly damaged
during pkk clashes with turkish forces last friday, forcing the
entire populace to flee the area. (ends/ips/rp/nm/rj/92)


From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Sun Oct 11 08:11:33 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1992 00:11:33 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: IPS/IRAQ/OCTOBER 1992
References: <APC.1.0.54efc675.127@igc.apc.org>
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc676.2e1@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: IPS/IRAQ/OCTOBER 1992

/* Written 12:04 am  Oct 10, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "IRAQ: U.N. sanctions hurting aid pr" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: IRAQ: U.N. sanctions hurting aid projects, claims a Kurdish doctor


an inter press service feature

by judith perera

london, oct 7 (ips) -- aid projects in northern iraq are being
hampered by united nations security council sanctions against the
saddam hussein regime, claims a london-based kurdish doctor, who
regularly visits the area.

dr dlawer ala'aldeen, the head of the kurdish scientific and
medical association, said that one project which is particularly
hard hit is that being conducted by the british charity
organisation christian aid.

christian aid has set up a mines advisory group (mag) which is
training local people in mine clearance, in the surveying and
marking of mines and in raising community awareness of the
problem.

it is believed that hundreds of thousands of unexploded mines
have been planted in the region as part of the iraqi government's
overall attempt to make life uncomfortable and to drive the
minority kurds out of northern iraq.

according to ala'aldeen, mag's equipment -- simple detectors and
computers -- is being held in the south-eastern turkish province
of diyarbakir on the grounds that it is ''military'' equipment and
is therefore among those items covered by the u.n. sanctions
imposed on saddam's government following the invasion of kuwait in
august, 1990.

''karim, one of the students recruited for the mine-clearing
scheme, came to me obviously unhappy and frustrated,'' said
ala'aldeen. ''he wanted to know why they had not started work and
whether the students had been told the truth about the delay.''

ala'aldeen said that karim was having difficulty believing the
reason being given by the aid workers who had been promising for
the past six weeks, that the equipment would soon arrive.

most of the students have had previous training, with some
already having cleared 3,000 mines before joining the programme.
''we might as well go and do it ourselves (without the
equipment),'' ala'aldeen quoted karim as saying.

but ala'aldeen cautioned that kurdistan in northern iraq, is
littered with mines. ''clearing these will take years or even
decades, and in the meanwhile people are dying or suffering
injuries. (more/ips)

iraq: u.n. sanctions hurting aid projects, claims a kurdish docto(2-e)

iraq: u.n. (2)

several years ago, the kurdish peshmergas (freedom fighters)
received training in mine clearing from iran experts and according
to dr ala'aldeen, many of these kurdish guerrillas now clear the
mines free of cost for farmers in the region.

the problem is that many of these farmers watch the kurdish
peshmergas and then try to do it themselves, which normally
results in injury or death, said ala'aldeen.

many have lost limbs, noted the medical doctor, who emphasised
the point by adding that there is a great demand for artificial
limbs in the region -- particularly artificial legs.

the situation is such that christian aid has since launched
another project 'handicap international'. the hi group has opened
a prosthetic workshop in sulaimaniya, also in northern iraq, which
makes limbs using fibreglass and metal.

the workshop's staff, which is made up entirely of local
residents including three iraqi kurdish prosthetics experts,
produces up to five new limbs a day.

the limbs are not sophisticiated, but this is not a major
problem, said hi field officer vincent tollit in a recent ips
interview.

''it's an emergency service. we get legs on farmers who need them
to work. if the leg wears out in a year or two, they can come in
and we will patch it up so they can go back to work.''

but mines are not the only problems confronting iraqi kurds.
recent public statements by iraqi kurdish leader massoud barzani
suggest that the oppressed kurds feel that western support for
them is waning.

the u.n. security council has established a ''no-fly zone'' over
northern iraq to stop the repeated air attacks by saddam hussein's
government forces against kurds in the region.

''the next two months will be crucial,'' barzani has been quoted
as saying. ''the western countries were very helpful in keeping
saddam hussein from interfering in kurdistan during the period of
resettlement and elections, but now it seems as if they are
pulling the carpet from beneath our feet.''

his reference to the elections concerned the presence of a number
of western observers when the autonomy-seeking kurds in iraq held
their first ever democratic elections earlier this year.

''kurdistan cannot run its economy, and is deprived of hard
currency. people face the most uncertain future and there is no
sign of support for a proper solution, he said, adding: ''saddam
survives and we are forgotten again.''(end/ips/ip-cd/jp/cpg/92)


From nyt at nyxfer.UUCP  Fri Oct 16 01:07:36 1992
From: nyt at nyxfer.UUCP (nyt at nyxfer.UUCP)
Date: 16 Oct 1992 01:07:36
Subject: Massacre of Kurds: Turkey attacks w
Message-ID: <bac1c849.Ny5PsB4w164w@nyxfer.uucp>

Subject: Massacre of Kurds: Turkey attacks with Pentagon blessings /ww
From: nyxfer!nyt (NY Transfer News)

Massacre of Kurds: Turkey attacks with Pentagon blessings
 
By Ali Azad
 
The Turkish government is engaged in a major military assault
against a progressive Kurdish party with the full support of the
U.S. government. Meantime, the U.S. media have greeted this
massacre with a deafening silence.
 
This latest offensive started on Monday, Oct. 5, when two
bourgeois Kurdish groups, the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iraq
(KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), in
collaboration with the Turkish army, started a major military
offensive against the forces of the Workers Party of Kurdistan
(PKK). The first two organizations are heavily armed by the
Pentagon and the Turkish military. They have worked closely with
U.S. military forces in southeastern Turkey in "Operation Provide
Comfort."
 
On Oct. 9, the National Liberation Front of Kurdistan, the
political wing of the PKK, held a press conference in Brussels to
try and break the reactionary media whiteout. In a statement, the
group pointed out that "The clashes occurring in southern
Kurdistan are the result of an assault, the preparations for
which were made previously. The PKK is exercising its legitimate
right of self-defense against these forces' collaborationist and
treacherous attacks. ... The aggressors claim that the PKK's
presence in the area leads to Turkish air attacks on Kurdish
villages. ... We have to point out that the Turkish state is
responsible for these attacks and should be called to account.
 
"Also, the PKK did not come from outer space. It emerged from its
own people and receives support from them. ... Despite all its
persecution and violent methods, Turkey has been unable to
prevent the development of the PKK. Especially in the summer of
1992, our guerrilla forces have limited the Turkish state's
military presence in rural areas. Our war is continuing all over
our country, which covers 800 thousand square kilometers. The
Turkish state is now using these two treacherous Kurdish parties
in southern Kurdistan to attack the Kurdish people.
 
"We call on all democratic organizations and bodies to show
solidarity with the Kurdish people against this externally
supported assault which is contrary to their will, and to oppose
the positions taken by their own governments which are
encouraging these clashes."
 
When it suited the propaganda needs of the Pentagon in its war
against Iraq, the U.S. media depicted the plight of the Kurds in
heart-rending detail. But now that a progressive Kurdish
organization is being repressed by one of Washington's NATO
allies, the suffering of women and children and the bombing of
small villages is non-news. The only wire service coverage on the
fighting was an Oct. 5 report citing strong U.S. support for
Turkey by none other than U.S. Gen. John Shalikashvili, NATO's
supreme commander.
 
REPRESSION OF TURKISH WORKERS TOO
 
The Turkish government's onslaught against the Kurds has been
coupled with a new wave of repression against Turkish working
class organizations, trade union activists, human rights groups
and the progressive media.
 
Many Turkish and Kurdish journalists challenging the government's
attacks on the Kurds have been assassinated by death squads. At
the same time the government has imposed a virtual blockade of
the Kurdish region in order to make it more difficult for the
Kurds to get help from supporters and allies in the rest of the
country.
 
The Suleyman Demirel government has also embarked on a racist
campaign in the media against the Kurdish people in order to
divide the Turkish and Kurdish working class.
 
On Aug. 15, in the Turkish city of Adana, 30,000 Turks and Kurds
defied the military and marched in support of the PKK. On the
same day 70,000 people packed a sports stadium in the city of
Bochum in Germany in support of the PKK. The Turkish and the
Kurdish working class have good reason to unite against this
racist war on the Kurds.
 
(Copyright Workers World Service: Permission to reprint granted
if source is cited. For more info contact Workers World, 46 W. 21
St., New York, NY 10010; "workers" on PeaceNet; on Internet:
"workers at mcimail.com".

 NY Transfer News Service * All the News that Doesn't Fit
 Modem: 718-448-2358  *  Internet: nytransfer at igc.apc.org

From nytransfer at igc.apc.org  Tue Oct 20 04:27:39 1992
From: nytransfer at igc.apc.org (Blythe Systems)
Date: Mon, 19 Oct 1992 20:27:39 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Massacre of Kurds: Turkey attacks w
References: <bac1c849.Ny5PsB4w164w@nyxfer.uucp>
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc677.6e7@igc.apc.org>

From: Blythe Systems <nytransfer>
Subject: Massacre of Kurds: Turkey attacks w

/* Written  1:07 am  Oct 16, 1992 by nyt at nyxfer in cdp:mideast.genera */
/* ---------- "Massacre of Kurds: Turkey attacks w" ---------- */
Subject: Massacre of Kurds: Turkey attacks with Pentagon blessings /ww
From: nyxfer!nyt (NY Transfer News)

Massacre of Kurds: Turkey attacks with Pentagon blessings

By Ali Azad

The Turkish government is engaged in a major military assault
against a progressive Kurdish party with the full support of the
U.S. government. Meantime, the U.S. media have greeted this
massacre with a deafening silence.

This latest offensive started on Monday, Oct. 5, when two
bourgeois Kurdish groups, the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iraq
(KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), in
collaboration with the Turkish army, started a major military
offensive against the forces of the Workers Party of Kurdistan
(PKK). The first two organizations are heavily armed by the
Pentagon and the Turkish military. They have worked closely with
U.S. military forces in southeastern Turkey in "Operation Provide
Comfort."

On Oct. 9, the National Liberation Front of Kurdistan, the
political wing of the PKK, held a press conference in Brussels to
try and break the reactionary media whiteout. In a statement, the
group pointed out that "The clashes occurring in southern
Kurdistan are the result of an assault, the preparations for
which were made previously. The PKK is exercising its legitimate
right of self-defense against these forces' collaborationist and
treacherous attacks. ... The aggressors claim that the PKK's
presence in the area leads to Turkish air attacks on Kurdish
villages. ... We have to point out that the Turkish state is
responsible for these attacks and should be called to account.

"Also, the PKK did not come from outer space. It emerged from its
own people and receives support from them. ... Despite all its
persecution and violent methods, Turkey has been unable to
prevent the development of the PKK. Especially in the summer of
1992, our guerrilla forces have limited the Turkish state's
military presence in rural areas. Our war is continuing all over
our country, which covers 800 thousand square kilometers. The
Turkish state is now using these two treacherous Kurdish parties
in southern Kurdistan to attack the Kurdish people.

"We call on all democratic organizations and bodies to show
solidarity with the Kurdish people against this externally
supported assault which is contrary to their will, and to oppose
the positions taken by their own governments which are
encouraging these clashes."

When it suited the propaganda needs of the Pentagon in its war
against Iraq, the U.S. media depicted the plight of the Kurds in
heart-rending detail. But now that a progressive Kurdish
organization is being repressed by one of Washington's NATO
allies, the suffering of women and children and the bombing of
small villages is non-news. The only wire service coverage on the
fighting was an Oct. 5 report citing strong U.S. support for
Turkey by none other than U.S. Gen. John Shalikashvili, NATO's
supreme commander.

REPRESSION OF TURKISH WORKERS TOO

The Turkish government's onslaught against the Kurds has been
coupled with a new wave of repression against Turkish working
class organizations, trade union activists, human rights groups
and the progressive media.

Many Turkish and Kurdish journalists challenging the government's
attacks on the Kurds have been assassinated by death squads. At
the same time the government has imposed a virtual blockade of
the Kurdish region in order to make it more difficult for the
Kurds to get help from supporters and allies in the rest of the
country.

The Suleyman Demirel government has also embarked on a racist
campaign in the media against the Kurdish people in order to
divide the Turkish and Kurdish working class.

On Aug. 15, in the Turkish city of Adana, 30,000 Turks and Kurds
defied the military and marched in support of the PKK. On the
same day 70,000 people packed a sports stadium in the city of
Bochum in Germany in support of the PKK. The Turkish and the
Kurdish working class have good reason to unite against this
racist war on the Kurds.

(Copyright Workers World Service: Permission to reprint granted
if source is cited. For more info contact Workers World, 46 W. 21
St., New York, NY 10010; "workers" on PeaceNet; on Internet:
"workers at mcimail.com".

 NY Transfer News Service * All the News that Doesn't Fit
 Modem: 718-448-2358  *  Internet: nytransfer at igc.apc.org

From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Tue Oct 20 07:05:21 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Mon, 19 Oct 1992 23:05:21 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: AI EX083/92 TURKEY Fear of torture
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc678.155@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: AI EX083/92 TURKEY Fear of torture

/* Written 10:08 am  Oct 16, 1992 by gn:rmitchellai in cdp:ai.uan */
/* ---------- "AI EX083/92 TURKEY Fear of torture" ---------- */
EXTERNAL (for general distribution)AI Index: EUR 44/100/92
                                   Distr: UA/SC        

EXTRA 83/92    Fear of Torture     15 October 1992

TURKEY:        Ihsan Kurt, Kurdish journalist
               and scores of people in Adana

 Amnesty International is concerned that Ihsan Kurt may be subjected
to torture during interrogation in Adana Police Headquarters.

On 11 October 1992, Ihsan Kurt was detained while attending the
funeral of Ramazan Selgat, a PKK (Kurdish Workers Party) guerrilla,
in Adana, on behalf of the newspaper Ozgur Gundem (New Agenda).
The police reportedly broke his camera in the act of detaining him. 
More than 70 other people were also detained at the funeral and then
taken to Adana Police Headquarters.  Some were subsequently
released and reported that they had seen Ihsan Kurt being heavily
beaten.  When his lawyer sought confirmation of his detention, the
police at first denied holding him.  However, after the release of
fellow-detainees, his detention was confirmed, but access to him was
still denied. It is feared that Ihsan Kurt is being interrogated under
torture while in incommunicado detention in Adana Police
Headquarters.

Ihsan Kurt was last detained in Adana for two days at the end of
August 1992 when the police reportedly tried unsuccessfully to
persuade him to become a police informer.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION 

Turkey has a Kurdish ethnic minority which is estimated to number
some 10 million people, living mainly in southeastern Turkey. Since
August 1984, when guerrillas of the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK)
started armed attacks against the security forces, an alarming number
of reports of ill-treatment of detainees by the security forces have
come from the eastern and southeastern provinces. Furthermore, 
allegations of over 100 extrajudicial executions have been received
during the past 12 months. More than 4,000 lives have so far been lost
on both sides and among the civilian population in the continuing
fighting. Emergency legislation is in force in 10 provinces in the region
and the Emergency Legislation Governor in Diyarbakir has
extraordinary powers over three additional provinces. 

Turkey ratified the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture
on 25 February 1988 and the UN Convention Against Torture on 2
August 1988. However, all information available to Amnesty
International indicates that torture is still widespread and systematic in
Turkey. Most allegations relate to ill-treatment of detainees in police
custody during their initial interrogation when they are usually denied
access to relatives or a lawyer. In August 1990, the government
derogated from Articles 5, 6, 8, 10, 11 and 13 of the European
Convention on Human Rights, all of which contain important
safeguards for human rights. Under current legislation the maximum
period a detainee may be held before being formally charged or
released is 24 hours; in cases involving three or more suspects or due
to the 'nature of the crime' it may be extended to 15 days. 

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Telegrams/telexes/faxes/express and
airmail letters:

- expressing concern that Ihsan Kurt may be subjected to torture
during interrogation in Adana Police Headquarters;

-  urging that Ihsan Kurt and all those detained with him are allowed
immediate access to their families and lawyers as provided for by 
Article 136 of the Turkish Criminal Procedure Code;

-  seeking assurances that they shall not be subjected to ill-treatment
or torture while in police custody;

-  requesting to be informed of any charges brought against them.

APPEALS TO

Prime Minister:

Mr Suleyman Demirel                 [Salutation: Dear Prime Minister]
Office of the Prime Minister
Basbakanlik
06573 Ankara, Turkey
Telegrams:  Prime Minister, Ankara, Turkey
Telexes:    44061/44062/44063 bbmt tr, 42099 basb tr
42875 bbk tr
Faxes:      +90 4 417 04 76 PRIME MINISTER
            +90 4 230 88 96 (attn: Prime Minister)

Minister of the Interior:           [Salutation: Dear Minister]
Mr Ismet Sezgin
Icisleri Bakanligi
06644 Ankara, Turkey
Telegrams:  Interior Minister, Ankara, Turkey
Telexes:    46369 ICSL TR
Faxes:      +90 4 418 1795

PLEASE SEND COPIES OF YOUR APPEALS TO:

President of the Parliamentary Human Rights Commission:

Insan Haklari Arastirma Komisyonu Baskani
TBMM
Ankara, Turkey

and to the diplomatic representative in your country - please see the
responses to this topic for details.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.  Please do not send
appeals after 27 October 1992.

From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Thu Oct 22 06:51:15 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Wed, 21 Oct 1992 22:51:15 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: AI EX083/92 TURKEY Fear of torture
References: <APC.1.0.54efc678.155@igc.apc.org>
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc67a.ccf@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: AI EX083/92 TURKEY Fear of torture

/* Escrito 10:08 am  Oct 16, 1992 por gn:rmitchellai en cdp:ai.uan */
/* ---------- "AI EX083/92 TURKEY Fear of torture" ---------- */
EXTERNAL (for general distribution)AI Index: EUR 44/100/92
                                   Distr: UA/SC        

EXTRA 83/92    Fear of Torture     15 October 1992

TURKEY:        Ihsan Kurt, Kurdish journalist
               and scores of people in Adana

 Amnesty International is concerned that Ihsan Kurt may be subjected
to torture during interrogation in Adana Police Headquarters.

On 11 October 1992, Ihsan Kurt was detained while attending the
funeral of Ramazan Selgat, a PKK (Kurdish Workers Party) guerrilla,
in Adana, on behalf of the newspaper Ozgur Gundem (New Agenda).
The police reportedly broke his camera in the act of detaining him. 
More than 70 other people were also detained at the funeral and then
taken to Adana Police Headquarters.  Some were subsequently
released and reported that they had seen Ihsan Kurt being heavily
beaten.  When his lawyer sought confirmation of his detention, the
police at first denied holding him.  However, after the release of
fellow-detainees, his detention was confirmed, but access to him was
still denied. It is feared that Ihsan Kurt is being interrogated under
torture while in incommunicado detention in Adana Police
Headquarters.

Ihsan Kurt was last detained in Adana for two days at the end of
August 1992 when the police reportedly tried unsuccessfully to
persuade him to become a police informer.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION 

Turkey has a Kurdish ethnic minority which is estimated to number
some 10 million people, living mainly in southeastern Turkey. Since
August 1984, when guerrillas of the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK)
started armed attacks against the security forces, an alarming number
of reports of ill-treatment of detainees by the security forces have
come from the eastern and southeastern provinces. Furthermore, 
allegations of over 100 extrajudicial executions have been received
during the past 12 months. More than 4,000 lives have so far been lost
on both sides and among the civilian population in the continuing
fighting. Emergency legislation is in force in 10 provinces in the region
and the Emergency Legislation Governor in Diyarbakir has
extraordinary powers over three additional provinces. 

Turkey ratified the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture
on 25 February 1988 and the UN Convention Against Torture on 2
August 1988. However, all information available to Amnesty
International indicates that torture is still widespread and systematic in
Turkey. Most allegations relate to ill-treatment of detainees in police
custody during their initial interrogation when they are usually denied
access to relatives or a lawyer. In August 1990, the government
derogated from Articles 5, 6, 8, 10, 11 and 13 of the European
Convention on Human Rights, all of which contain important
safeguards for human rights. Under current legislation the maximum
period a detainee may be held before being formally charged or
released is 24 hours; in cases involving three or more suspects or due
to the 'nature of the crime' it may be extended to 15 days. 

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Telegrams/telexes/faxes/express and
airmail letters:

- expressing concern that Ihsan Kurt may be subjected to torture
during interrogation in Adana Police Headquarters;

-  urging that Ihsan Kurt and all those detained with him are allowed
immediate access to their families and lawyers as provided for by 
Article 136 of the Turkish Criminal Procedure Code;

-  seeking assurances that they shall not be subjected to ill-treatment
or torture while in police custody;

-  requesting to be informed of any charges brought against them.

APPEALS TO

Prime Minister:

Mr Suleyman Demirel                 [Salutation: Dear Prime Minister]
Office of the Prime Minister
Basbakanlik
06573 Ankara, Turkey
Telegrams:  Prime Minister, Ankara, Turkey
Telexes:    44061/44062/44063 bbmt tr, 42099 basb tr
42875 bbk tr
Faxes:      +90 4 417 04 76 PRIME MINISTER
            +90 4 230 88 96 (attn: Prime Minister)

Minister of the Interior:           [Salutation: Dear Minister]
Mr Ismet Sezgin
Icisleri Bakanligi
06644 Ankara, Turkey
Telegrams:  Interior Minister, Ankara, Turkey
Telexes:    46369 ICSL TR
Faxes:      +90 4 418 1795

PLEASE SEND COPIES OF YOUR APPEALS TO:

President of the Parliamentary Human Rights Commission:

Insan Haklari Arastirma Komisyonu Baskani
TBMM
Ankara, Turkey

and to the diplomatic representative in your country - please see the
responses to this topic for details.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.  Please do not send
appeals after 27 October 1992.

From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Thu Oct 22 06:52:00 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Wed, 21 Oct 1992 22:52:00 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: AI EX083/92 TURKEY Fear of torture
References: <APC.1.0.54efc678.155@igc.apc.org>
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc67b.d00@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: AI EX083/92 TURKEY Fear of torture

/* Escrito 10:09 am  Oct 16, 1992 por gn:rmitchellai en cdp:ai.uan */
/* ---------- "AI EX083/92 TURKEY Fear of torture" ---------- */
The address of the diplomatic representative in the UK
is as follows:

His Excellency Mr Candemir Onhon
Embassy of Turkey
43 Belgrave Square
London SW1X 8PA

------------------------------------------------------

If you have any queries about this Urgent Action or about
the UA scheme in general, please contact:

Ray Mitchell
Amnesty International British Section
99 - 119 Rosebery Avenue
London
EC1R 4RE

email: gn:rmitchellai


From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Thu Oct 22 06:52:30 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Wed, 21 Oct 1992 22:52:30 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: AI EX083/92 TURKEY Fear of torture
References: <APC.1.0.54efc678.155@igc.apc.org>
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc67c.d1e@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: AI EX083/92 TURKEY Fear of torture

/* Escrito  1:00 pm  Oct 21, 1992 por sharrison en cdp:ai.uan */
/* ---------- "AI EX083/92 TURKEY Fear of torture" ---------- */

for USA readers:

Ambassador Nuzhet Kandemir
Embassy of the Republic of Turkey
1714 Massachusetts Ave NW
Washington DC 20036

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the Colorado
office between 9:00 am and 6:00 pm, Mountain Time, weekdays
only, if sending appeals after December 2, 1992.

From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Thu Oct 22 06:55:45 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Wed, 21 Oct 1992 22:55:45 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: AI EX083/92 TURKEY Fear of torture
References: <APC.1.0.54efc678.155@igc.apc.org>
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc67d.ded@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: AI EX083/92 TURKEY Fear of torture

/* Escrito 12:23 pm  Oct 21, 1992 por gn:rmitchellai en cdp:ai.uan */
/* ---------- "AI EX083/92 TURKEY Fear of torture" ---------- */
EXTERNAL (for general distribution)   AI Index: EUR 44/103/92
                                      Distr: UA/SC        

                                      21 October 1992

Further information on Extra 83/92 (EUR 44/100/92, 15 October
1992) - Fear of Torture

TURKEY:     Ihsan Kurt, Kurdish journalist 
            and scores of people in Adana

Amnesty International has learnt that Ihsan Kurt was released on 19
October 1992 without being charged.  According to information
received by Amnesty International he was also allegedly tortured while
in police custody.

No further action is required from the UA network.  Thank you to all
those who sent appeals.

From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Wed Oct 21 05:56:11 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Tue, 20 Oct 1992 21:56:11 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: IPS:TURKEY: Military crosses into I
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc679.e0b@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: IPS:TURKEY: Military crosses into Iraq

/* Written 12:04 am  Oct 20, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "TURKEY: Military crosses into Iraq " ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: TURKEY: Military crosses into Iraq to step up Kurdish crackdown


an inter press service feature

by nadire mater

istanbul, oct 17 (ips) -- ''we have gone into iraq'', proclaimed
the banner headline in saturday's 'sabah', turkey's most widely
circulated newspaper.

the ''we'' referred to turkish military operations inside the
northern iraq border which started friday as turkey stepped up its
crackdown against the kurdistan workers party (pkk) guerrilla
group -- already engaged in a territorial battle against brethren
iraqi kurds.

reports suggest that since early friday turkish f-104 and f-5
warplanes have made sorties as far as 30 kms inside iraqi
territory -- the scene of two weeks of fighting between iraqi
kurdish peshmergas (freedom fighters) and the pkk -- a kurdish
guerrilla group seeking self-determination in turkey.

last month, the turkish military launched a concerted military
offensive against the pkk, forcing the guerrilla group to abandon
its strongholds in south-east turkey and join comrades across the
iraqi border.

the pkk has been in search of a permanent base ever since the
syrian authorities -- in an agreement with the turkish authorities --
flushed the guerrillas out of the syrian-controlled bekaa valley.

they took control of the northern iraq region to the extent that
they prevented all across the border trade -- a move which angered
the iraqi kurds since it was crippling their already fragile
economy.

''this is our own territory. iraq is iraq and turkey is turkey,''
declared serchil kazaz of the ruling coalition partner patriotic
union of kurds (puk) on oct 4 when iraqi kurds declared their own
federal kurdish state.

it is no secret that the iraqi kurds have closed ranks with the
turkish military in an attempt to force the pkk guerrillas out of
northern iraq, but up until friday, the turkish military had been
concentrating their operation within the turkish border.

the turkish military also maintains that this latest crackdown is
aimed at preventing the pkk from crossing the border into turkey.

''though we have not decided to intervene in the internal affairs
of iraq so far, this does not mean that we will not do so in the
future,'' warned turkish prime minister suleyman demirel on friday
evening.(more/ips)

turkey: military crosses into iraq to step up kurdish crackdown(2-e)

turkey: military (2)

reports indicate that around 2,000 military commandos,  special
police and village guards followed up the air operation by
advancing 10 kms inside the border and engaged in ground fighting
with the pkk. the casualty count could not be ascertained.

this latest operation came one day before the deadline date given
by the northern iraqi kurds for the pkk to leave the region which
is already reeling from united nations security council sanctions
aimed at hurting the saddam hussein regime.

northern iraq has been suffering dire food, medical and energy
shortages on account of the u.n. sanctions imposed on iraq after
its invasion of kuwait in august, 1990. so that when the pkk
prevented across the border trade with turkish entrepreneurs, the
situation just went from bad to worse.

the northern iraqi kurds are scheduled to convene a parliamentary
session -- they held their first ever parliamentary elections
earlier this year -- on oct. 23 which is expected to focus among
other things, on the economy.

speaker of the iraqi assembly mehdi salih, who visited ankara mid-
week, said that ''the pkk owes its existence in the region to the
leadership vacuum that arose after the gulf crisis''.

the iraqi president has in the past pursued his own military
campaign to rid the region of the minority kurds -- that is until
the the united nations declared the area a 'no fly zone' and put
''operation poised hammer'' in place -- an allied military force
based along the southern turkish border.(end/ips/rp/nm/cpg/92)


From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Thu Oct 22 06:56:55 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Wed, 21 Oct 1992 22:56:55 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: AI UA324/92 TURKEY Hunger-strike
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc67e.e37@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: AI UA324/92 TURKEY Hunger-strike

/* Escrito 12:30 pm  Oct 21, 1992 por gn:rmitchellai en cdp:ai.uan */
/* ---------- "AI UA324/92 TURKEY Hunger-strike" ---------- */
EXTERNAL (for general distribution)AI Index: EUR 44/102/92
                                   Distr: UA/SC        

UA 324/92   Alleged Ill-Treatment/ 21 October 1992
                  Hunger-strike

TURKEY:     Faruk Tarla
            Huseyin Kurt
            Huseyin Akduman
            Ismet Kalabaktas
            Ercan Karatas
            Deniz Sarikaya, aged 17,
            Kadir Aksu, aged 16
            Aysel Erdem (female), aged 14

On the evening of 14 September 1992, political prisoners protested
against the reduction in their exercise periods by refusing to leave the
exercise yard of Buca Closed Prison in Izmir.  They were reportedly
beaten by more than a hundred gendarmerie and prison guards in the
presence of the prison prosecutor and prison officials. More than 58
prisoners were injured, at least five seriously.  They did not reportedly
receive medical treatment until the following day. Those injured
included Faruk Tarla (a broken rib), Huseyin Kurt (a broken leg),
Huseyin Akduman (a broken rib), Ismet Kalabaktas (broken nose), and
Ercan Karatas (a broken arm). In addition to the beating, the
prisoners' belongings were allegedly damaged or destroyed and their
money and valuables taken. On the night of 15 September, the
prisoners were allegedly beaten again by prison guards.

   Since then more than 100 prisoners, including those named above, have
been on a hunger-strike in protest at the ill-treatment.  The hunger-strike
is now in its 37th day.  Fourteen of the hunger-strikers, including Faruk
Tarla and Deniz Sarikaya, are in a serious condition and have been
transferred to hospital where they have reportedly refused treatment.
There is fear for their lives.

   The prisoners have made a number of
demands concerning better prison conditions which are said to already
exist in other prisons. They have also demanded that "our possessions
stolen on 14, 15, 16, 17 September must be returned to us, damage
compensated, and the torturers who attacked us brought to trial".
According to a newspaper report of 22 September, the Izmir Public
Prosecutor was investigating the incident, but to date no further action
appears to have been taken to bring those responsible to justice. 

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Telegrams/telexes/faxes/express and
airmail letters either in  English or in your own language:  

- expressing concern about the alleged ill-treatment of political
prisoners at Buca Closed Prison in Izmir on 14 and 15 September
1992 leaving 58 prisoners injured, some severely;  

- expressing concern that more than 100 prisoners have since been on
hunger-strike to protest against the alleged ill-treatment and that some
are now believed to be in a very serious and weak condition;  

- seeking assurances that they are receiving proper medical care and
attention;   

- noting that the alleged ill-treatment is reportedly being investigated
by the Izmir Public Prosecutor;  

- asking that the findings be made public as soon as possible;

- urging that those responsible for the ill-treatment are brought to
justice.

APPEALS TO

Minister of Justice:

Mr Seyfi Oktay               [Salutation: Dear Minister]
Adalet Bakanligi
06659 Ankara, Turkey
Telegrams: Justice Minister, Ankara, Turkey
Faxes:     +90 4 425 40 66   

Prime Minister:

Mr Suleyman Demirel           [Salutation: Dear Prime Minister]
Office of the Prime Minister 
Basbakanlik                         
06573 Ankara, Turkey                     
Telegrams: Prime Minister, Ankara, Turkey
Telexes:   44061/44062/44063 bbmt tr; 42099 basb tr; 42875 bbk tr
Faxes:     +90 4 417 04 76; +90 4 230 88 96

COPIES TO one or more of the following:

Cumhuriyet Newspaper
Turkocagi Cad. 39/41
Cagaloglu
34334 Istanbul 
Turkey
         
President of the Parliamentary Human Rights Commission:

Insan Haklari Arastirma Komisyonu Baskani
TBMM
Ankara
Turkey

and to the diplomatic representative in your country - please see the
responses to this topic for details.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.  Please do not send
appeals after 2 December 1992.

From nytransfer at igc.apc.org  Thu Oct 22 08:46:49 1992
From: nytransfer at igc.apc.org (Blythe Systems)
Date: Thu, 22 Oct 1992 00:46:49 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: NEWS: Pentagon's Hand in Turkey's W
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc67f.bb1@igc.apc.org>

From: Blythe Systems <nytransfer>
Subject: NEWS: Pentagon's Hand in Turkey's War on Kurds/ww


Via The NY Transfer News Service * All the News that Doesn't Fit


             PENTAGON'S HAND IN TURKEY'S WAR ON KURDS

                          By Bill Doares

Once more war is raging in the Middle East, and the U.S. military
is involved. But hardly a word has appeared in the U.S. news
media.

The place is Kurdistan, a land of 25 million people divided
between Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria. The fighting pits freedom
fighters of the Workers Party of Kurdistan (PKK), who are fighting
for self-determination for the Kurdish people, against the
U.S.-financed Turkish army, the second-largest in NATO, and
mercenaries of the CIA-linked "Kurdistan Democratic Party" (KDP)
and "Patriotic Union of Kurdistan" (PUK).

On Oct. 5, U.S.-made Turkish fighter bombers began terror bombing
Kurdish villages in northern Iraq that it claimed were bases of
the PKK. The air attacks were coordinated with ground assaults by
KDP and PUK forces from the south and Turkish tanks and artillery
from the north.

On Oct. 19, according to Turkey's semiofficial Anatoli news
agency, Turkish planes carried out heavy bombing of the Zakho
region in northern Iraq, while the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet
reported that Turkish mountain troops backed by helicopter
gunships opened a second offensive against PKK forces in Iraq's
Hakurk region.

A week earlier Turkish troops had launched a "search-and-destroy"
campaign against Kurdish villages in Haftanin, near the Syrian
border. Turkish troops have had to join the ground assault
directly because of the widespread desertion of PUK and KDP
soldiers.

This massive air-and-ground assault on the Kurdish people would be
impossible without the active cooperation of the U.S.  military,
which has thousands of troops in the region. All the villages
bombed are in the "no-fly" zone that the U.S. Air Force
established over northern Iraq, allegedly to protect the Kurdish
people. This zone is patrolled by U.S. planes operating from U.S.
bases in Turkey.

But far from interfering with the Turkish raids, the U.S.
military has, since last April, been providing Turkey with
satellite reconnaissance photos of northern Iraq. It has also
provided the F16 fighter bombers and other war material that
Turkey is using against the Kurds.

Turkey receives the third largest allotment of U.S. military aid,
after Israel and Egypt.

On Oct. 5, the Associated Press reported that U.S. Army Gen. John
Shashkavili, NATO's Supreme Commander, had proclaimed the
Pentagon's full support for Turkey's war against the Kurds.
Similar statements were made by U.S. State Department spokesman
Richard Boucher.

It is also unlikely that the KDP and PUK would be collaborating
with the Turkish army without Washington's approval. It is only
U.S. military protection that has allowed them to carve out an
"independent" enclave in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq, and
U.S. military officers regularly cross the border from Turkey to
meet with KDP and PUK officials. The CIA has links with the KDP
going back to the early 1970s.

Washington's assistance to Turkey's genocidal war against the
Kurds and the silence of the U.S. news media on this score speak
volumes about the imperialist motives behind U.S. intervention in
the Middle East. During its war against Iraq in 1991, the Bush
administration encouraged the Kurds in northern Iraq to revolt
against the Baghdad government. But that was when Washington hoped
to use the Kurds to establish a pro-U.S., pro-oil company regime
in oil-rich Iraq.

In this effort, the KDP, whose feudalist founder, Mustafa Barzani,
once promised to make Kurdistan the "51st state" of the United
States, was a willing ally. But for the struggle of the PKK and 15
million Kurds in Turkey against that country's U.S.-backed
dictatorship, Washington, the Pentagon and the oil companies have
nothing but hatred.

                               -30-

(Copyright Workers World Service: Permission to reprint granted if
source is cited. For more info contact Workers World, 46 W. 21
St., New York, NY 10010; "workers" on PeaceNet; on Internet:
"workers at mcimail.com".)

 NY Transfer News Service * All the News that Doesn't Fit
 Modem: 718-448-2358  *  Internet: nytransfer at igc.apc.org


From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Tue Oct 27 05:38:54 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Mon, 26 Oct 1992 21:38:54 -0800 (PST)
Subject: AI FI322/92 TURKEY Fear of torture
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc680.9b6@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: AI FI322/92 TURKEY Fear of torture

/* Written  5:59 pm  Oct 23, 1992 by gn:rmitchellai in cdp:ai.uan */
/* ---------- "AI FI322/92 TURKEY Fear of torture" ---------- */
EXTERNAL (for general distribution) AI Index: EUR 44/104/92
                                    Distr: UA/SC        

                                    23 October 1992        

Further information on UA 322/92 (EUR 44/101/92, 16 October
1992)  - Fear of "disappearance"/Fear of Torture

TURKEY:           Cengiz Uguz

and also:         27 others, names unknown to Amnesty International

 On 16 October 1992, a lawyer at the State Security Court in Istanbul
confirmed that the police were given permission to hold 28 detainees,
suspected of PKK (Kurdish Workers' Party) membership, for 15 days.
It is understood that Cengiz Uguz is one of these detainees.  Cengiz
Uguz was originally detained on 11 October 1992 and was held for
five days in incommunicado police detention without any authorization
or registration by the competent authorities, in contravention of
existing legislation. He and his fellow-detainees may be held until 30
October, if the 15-day maximum detention period is counted from the
day on which their detention was officially registered. 

It is feared that Cengiz Uguz and the 27 people detained with him
may be interrogated under torture at the Anti-Terror Branch of
Istanbul Police Headquarters.

NOTE: Please only send appeals if they can reach Turkey by 30
October since appeals are only necessary during this period.  For those
of you who do not receive this follow-up in time to act thank you for
your appeals on the original action.

FURTHER RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send
telegrams/telexes/faxes/express and airmail letters in English or your
own language:

-  noting that Cengiz Uguz and the 27 people detained with him have
been held at Istanbul Police Headquarters for five days without any
authorization or registration by the competent authorities, in
contravention of existing legislation;

-  urging that Cengiz Uguz and his 27 fellow-detainees are granted
immediate access to their families and lawyers and that they are not
ill- treated while in police custody;

-  requesting to be informed of any charges against them.

APPEALS TO:

Minister of the Interior:

Mr Ismet Sezgin               [Salutation: Dear Minister]
Icisleri Bakanligi
06644 Ankara, Turkey
Telegrams: Interior Minister, Ankara, Turkey
Telexes:   46369 ICSL TR
Faxes:     +90 4 418 1795

Istanbul Chief of Police:

Mr Necdet Menzir              [Salutation: Dear Sir]
Istanbul Emniyet Muduru
Istanbul, Turkey
Telegrams: Emniyet Muduru, Istanbul, Turkey
Telexes:   30811 IEHM TR, 30812 EMMH TR, 26177 IEMT TR

PLEASE SEND COPIES TO one or more of the following:

President of the Parliamentary Human Rights Commission
Insan Haklari Arastirma Komisyonu Baskani
TBMM
Ankara, Turkey
     
and to the diplomatic representative in your country - please see the
responses to this topic for details.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.  Please do not send
appeals after 30 October 1992.

From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Tue Oct 27 06:34:53 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Mon, 26 Oct 1992 22:34:53 -0800 (PST)
Subject: IPS/IRAQ: Iraqi Kurds may be winnin
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc681.8b5@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: IPS/IRAQ: Iraqi Kurds may be winning

/* Written 12:22 am  Oct 22, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "IRAQ: Iraqi Kurds may be winning ci" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: IRAQ: Iraqi Kurds may be winning civil war, but losing credibility


an inter press service feature

by john roberts

shaqlawa, iraq, oct 19 (ips) -- iraqi kurdish peshmergas
(guerrilla fighters) on monday said they had recaptured most of
the border strip of iraqi kurdistan occupied in recent years by
the turkish kurds of the guerrilla kurdistan workers party (pkk).

after two weeks of heavy fighting, a senior kurdish leader told
ips in irbil, the capital of iraqi kurdistan, that iraqi-based
kurdistan front forces, had won back control of 85 percent of some
300 villages which had recently come under the control of the pkk.
''i think now they are leaving,'' said another kurdish source.

but fighting was still reported to be continuing near the iraqi
border town of zakho, and it was not clear how long it would last.

relations between the iraqi kurds and the pkk have been simmering
over the past few months -- ever since syria in an agreement with
turkey drove the pkk from its main base in the syrian-controlled
bekaa valley in april.

it was a move intended to cement better relations with the
turkish government which has been at war with the pkk for the past
eight years. the turkish authorities themselves launched a series
of crackdowns on the pkk, which had been occupying the south-
eastern regions of the country.

as a consequence, the pkk guerrillas, which are seeking self-
determination for the minority kurds in turkey, were driven across
the iraqi border where they joined up with other pkk forces which
had taken control of the border region between turkey and iraq.

the iraqi kurds and the pkk were at odds because the latter had
not only declared its intention to settle in the area, but had
also stopped all across the border trade -- crippling the already
struggling economy of the iraqi kurds.

the kurdish leadership however says it never wanted a war
against its brethren, and charge that it was forced on them by
both turkey and the west.

they are particularly worried that turkey's recent military
intervention in northern iraq -- some turkish troops are still
believed in the zakho region -- has caused them to lose the
support of their own people.

reports over the weekend state that the turkish military launched
both air and ground attacks late friday and early saturday as deep
as ten kilometres inside iraq territory.
(more/ips)

iraq: iraqi kurds may be winning civil war, but losing credibilit(2-e)

iraq: iraqi (2)

the turkish authorities and the kurds of northern iraq have been
in discussion about the pkk presence in recent months with some
kurdish leaders calling on turkish intervention.

the iraqi kurds have also been dependent on the presence of the
allied forces in the region -- 'operation poised hammer' -- a
united nations force set up to protect the iraqi kurds from the
backlash of iraqi dictator saddam hussein, in the wake of the gulf
war.

the iraqi kurdish officials who spoke to ips on monday, however
insist that they did not want the war, and certainly not the
intervention of the turkish military; they appear to be trying to
keep the whole thing secret from the civilian kurdish population.

journalists have been prevented from visiting the shiranish
battlefield region some 20 to 30 kms north-east of zakho;
hospitals treating the wounded have been closed to visitors; and
kurdish government and peshmerga guerrilla leaders have declined
to discuss the war in public.

''later we will tell the people about this,'' iraqi kurdistan
front guerrilla leader francois hariri told ips. but this would
only be when ''we are sure'' that the pkk forces are leaving iraqi
kurdistan.

the 10,000 strong pkk has recently taken control of the often
ruined remains of more than 300 villages along the iraqi-turkish
border. ''they occupied very many villages -- more than 300 --
between bradash (towards the iranian border) and zakho. but 85
percent are under our control now. we regained them by fighting,''
hariri said.

''in the last year, we wrote them (pkk) many letters asking them
to leave our area and to leave our villages and to allow our
villagers to return home,'' harriri said. ''we said we would not
allow them to remain as an armed force in (iraqi) kurdistan. but
if they chose to fight politically they were free to do so.''

as it turned out, the kurdish brethren have instead been engaged
in a vicious civil war over the past two weeks -- the true death
toll of which is never likely to be known -- because of both the
embarrassment and the pride.

''our leaders have lost their credibility with the people,'' said
one kurdish soldier. ''we should not be fighting our brothers.''

the looks on the faces of a score of kurdish leaders and
officials interviewed by ips in the last few days, reflected the
same story. the leadership might regard the war against the pkk as
necessary, but it does not like having to fight it.
(end/ips/rp/jmr/cpg/92)