From mbayram at igc.apc.org Thu Sep 1 15:59:27 1994 From: mbayram at igc.apc.org (mbayram at igc.apc.org) Date: Thu, 01 Sep 1994 07:59:27 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Labor News from Turkey 07/23/94 Message-ID: *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** LABOR NEWS FROM TURKEY July 23 1994 Compiled from a collection of newspapers, magazines and news reports. *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** CALL FOR ACTION BY TURK-IS (Confederation of Labor Unions) Frustrated with the governments indifference to workers demands, TURK-IS (Confederation of Labor Unions) has called for a day of action on July 20, 1994. Other Labor confederations have joined the action. DISK (Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Unions), HAK-IS, The Platform of Civil Servants Union and many democratic mass organizations have declared their support and have pledged to join on July 20th to demonstrate against the massive layoffs, privatization, breaking of unions and the rise in the cost of living. A leaflet prepared by The Platform of Workers and Civil Servants called for all the people to resist against the attacks of the capital. In the leaflet it was stated that, 'Capital is attacking the people and the laborers with all its forces, using every tool and weapon under its power and using the political power.' The leaflet also said that the problems will only be solved by the workers getting collective bargaining with the right to strike, right to involve in political activities and unity for their legal right to struggle. Turk-Is is proposing an action that does not call for workers to leave the work places on July 20th. Instead, the confederation is asking the workers to stay at work and read the Turk-Is declaration. The leaflet distributed yesterday responds to this request but, ' Nobody hears about the action if we stay at our work places. You cannot form a public opinion this way. Hang on to your rights for your job, your bread, your rights, your freedom, your honor, family, class, and your country. Get out to the fields. Show your legal and democratic power. Fill the streets!' The leaflet also draws attention to the war being waged against the Kurds in the East, 'According to the Prime Minister, in 1994 alone there will be more than 400 trillion liras spent on the ongoing war. This money goes to the pockets of the rich who manufacture arms and weapons. We are the ones paying this money, our children are paying this money.' A day before the action takes place 55,000 leaflets describing 'Why General Action' have been read at lunch time to the workers by their shop stewards. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GOVERNMENT CAN NOT ANNOUNCE PAY RAISES TO CIVIL SERVANTS. Last week as they were going to get their paychecks, some civil servants learned that they had been retired! These workers denounced this unusual action by demonstrating in Ankara, the Capital. Also, the government has forced 34,000 civil servant to retire and stopped paying their wages by privatizing the public works which employed them. Workers have announced that they will appeal the decision. 420 workers forced to retire from ETIBANK, a state owned bank protested the decision and staged a demonstration. A long waited decision of pay raises to the civil servants have been postponed by the Deputy Prime Minister Murat Karayalcin. He had promised to announce the raises today. A general work stoppage action on July 20th seems to have caused the Deputy Prime Minister to stall the announcement. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MUNICIPALITIES KEEP LAYING OFF WORKERS. The municipality of Tarsus, where the fascist National Action Party (MHP) has won the control after the March 27 local elections, has laid off 450 workers since. On July 14 more than 100 workers who gathered in front of the mayors office demonstrated the continuing lay offs at the municipality. Murtaza Acar, the president of 6th region of Genel-Is (Union of Municipality Workers) has said that, 'after the local elections, the workers are being collectively laid off from municipalities. We need to resist the attack on the working class.' When the workers wanted to march towards their union while shouting slogans and clapping, the police stopped them. The workers were able to gather again in front of the union building and started another demonstration there. After several speeches the workers dispersed. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D.A. WILL NOT PROSECUTE THE POLICE. Enver Tagac was murdered on July 11th, 1993 by the police for being a suspect in the robbery of a beer plant. His parents had asked the DA to start an investigation on the police who murdered their son last year, but DA's office has not responded to this request. Enver Tagac's family has stated that,' It raises suspicions with us to see no case being opened after a year has passed since the murder. The autopsy report clearly demonstrates that the killing was a murder. We want the DA to investigate everything in full detail.' -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 'FILL THE STREETS, DEFEND YOUR RIGHTS!', SAYS PLATFORM OF WORKERS AND CIVIL SERVANTS UNIONS. Contrasting the TURK-IS's (Confederation of Labor Unions) call to 1 day of 'general action' against the governments practices, the Platform of Workers and Civil Servants have called to carry the action onto the streets. The call said, "We will walk no matter what. All laborers; defend your rights, fill the streets". Few hours before the general action, at midnight, the civil servants were threatened by an announcement from the government. The announcement said that it was illegal for any civil servant to participate in the demonstrations. It was also said that "Participation to this action will be prevented by the managers of each plant". The action will be carried out by all sections of the working class. Today workers, civil servants, lawyers, doctors, nurses, teachers, university instructors and all laborers will stop work. A day earlier, the spokesman for the Ankara Civil Servants Unions, Alper Ozturk was arrested from his home without any charges. He is also the secretary of Ankara Branch of EGIT-SEN (Union of Educational Workers). The president of Ankara Branch of EGIT -SEN, Kemal Unal said the purpose of the arrest was to threaten the workers from participating in the July 20 general action. He also stated that they were worried about the life of Alper Ozturk and demanded his release immediately. Political prisoners in the Ankara prison have declared their solidarity with the action. HADEP (Peoples Democracy Party) announced their support for the action on July 20. President of Istanbul Branch Kemal Parlak reminded that the organized struggle of the workers of Turkey has been dissolved. Parlak said, "As a result of the war in East and Southeast provinces the economic and political practices have come to the steps of a tremendous bankruptcy. The point we are in is a very meaningful action of the laborers and the people on July 20 against this economic exploitation. We see this as a democratic action against the political and economic oppression policies of the government and the ruling powers." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST STEP IS TAKEN, RESISTANCE WILL CONTINUE. Despite TURK-IS's call to action in the work places and despite governments threats, workers in Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir have stopped work and demonstrated outside. Blue and white collar workers marched together. City busses, ferry boats, trains and hospitals did not work. Shopkeepers in Umraniye and Gulsuyu district of Istanbul closed their shops for support. Police attacked the marching people. Slogans protesting the Governments actions were shouted and demonstrators demanded an end to the dirty war in the east which has impoverished all the working class. Emphasis was given to the brotherhood of all peoples. Tens of thousands of workers left their work in Diyarbakir, Antep, Urfa and Mardin despite the threats of the Regional Governor. Cement factory workers in Ergani who wanted to march were prevented by the government forces by using tanks. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- URFA BRANCH OF HUMAN RIGHTS ASSOCIATION: 'TEN PEOPLE DIE EVERY DAY' President of the Urfa Branch of the Human Rights Association called attention to the escalation in the violation of human rights and said as a result of murders by unknown murderers, disappearances under detention, evacuation and burning down of the villages results in the death of ten people every day. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SWISS PRESS UP IN ARMS OVER DETENTION OF TV CREW. Swiss press is shocked at the news that two Swiss TV reporters who were reporting on the state of tourism and the migrant families in Antalya were detained by the Turkish security forces. It was said that the Turkish action of arresting and confiscating all documents of the TV reporters meant that the state had a lot to conceal from the press. Werner Van Gent, the reporter for Neu Zurcher Zeitung reported the following: "If Turkey claims to be an ideal tourism country, then it should know what is best for them. Turkey should not try to find the reasons of attack on its tourism elsewhere. For us, the actions of the state to suppress the press is as much unacceptable as the attacks on the tourists. "We are protesting the actions against our reporters. In Antalya, a HADEP official is claiming that the bombings against the tourists are not done by PKK. Our reporters were in Antalya to investigate this and other similar issues." On the other hand, 37 people who have talked with the Swiss TV reporters have been detained by the political police and one person has been arrested. Those who were released said they were assaulted and tortured all day long under detention. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AUTHOR-PUBLISHER RECEP MARASLI IS ARRESTED. Author-Publisher Recep Marasli was arrested yesterday by the State Security Court after his 14 day detention. Ergul Kiyak and Yuksel Bekiroglu who were detained at the same time with the author have also been arrested while the other 9 of the 13 detained were released. Nuran Camli also detained at the same time with the author could not make it to the courtroom from the hospital where she is being treated from her torture wounds. Recep Marasli had participated in a TV discussion earlier and was charged with 'separation propaganda' from what he said during the show. He was also charged for being the general secretary of PKK -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SECRETARY OF STATE AKTUNA: 'WE COULD HAVE NOT GIVEN ANY RAISES' The pay raises which is expected to be 120,000 TL ($4.00 a month) was not announced again by the government. Question on the raises upset the Secretary of State and he threatened,'We could have not given any raises at all!'. While the question of raises are being discussed, the state has purchased 13 Dragon tanks which amounted to 5 times the raise amount of all workers would have gotten in a month. These tanks will be used against the Kurds in the east and they cost around 12 billion TL. Also, 140 panzer tanks Turkey purchased earlier cost 1 trillion 680 million TL. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NO PAY TO 25,000 WORKERS. 25,000 workers have not received their paychecks for a month in Sumer Holding, a public factory. The total amount owed to the workers is 220 billion TL. ($7.3 million) in back pays. TEKSIF (Textile Union Workers) president Sevket Yilmaz has said that the negotiations with the Secretary of State Necmettin Cevheri and Privatization Administration Management have not given any results. He said that the plant has had problems in the las t three months but at least they were paid. But Sumer Holding has held the paychecks in the last month. Yilmaz continued, 'The workers are forced to take their vacations. According to the labor agreement, the pay should be given in advance. Those who go on vacation return back and there is still no pay. There is no cotton, no thread, no dye, no material and the factories are working at 30-40% capacity. This is because Sumerbank has no owner!' (Sumerbank is a publicly owned bank and clothes/shoes production plant for the people) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHIEF EDITOR OF DAILY OZGUR ULKE ARRESTED Halil Dalkilic, the Chief editor of Ozgur Ulke, has been arrested by the State Security Court. He is charged with 'publishing material containing criminal elements'. The last 24 days of Ozgur Ulke was also banned and confiscated by the State. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RAPE WHILE UNDER ARREST Leyla Karaluk who is under arrest was raped by an officer and the driver of the military vehicle while transporting her from the court back to the prison. District Attorney has taken the deposition of the officer Ayhan Dagtas and the driver Adem Demirta s but has released them and refuses to take further action. The officer Ayhan Dagtas also tried to take Karaluk to hospitals in Urfa and Antep and tried to get a report that she was not a virgin before the assault. Leyla Karaluk told the incident in a l etter she wrote as, 'Between Urfa and Siverek the prison vehicle stopped. Officer Ayhan Dagtas send the gendarme away. Later he and the driver raped me. The officer threatened Karaluk with death if she ever told anybody but she reported the incident to the Prison Manager Musa Tirpan. 'We were called to the D.A.'s office and we gave depositions but the two perverts were let go even without an investigation.' Karaluk said. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23 WORKERS FIRED FOR PARTICIPATING IN A PRESS RELEASE 23 Workers of ASKI (Ankara Water and Sewage Works) have been fired from their jobs because they participated in a press release to protest the forced relocation of 30 workers earlier in the month. The workers were charged with demonstrating and performing an illegal action in front of the ASKI building, leaving a black protest wreathe at the doorsteps of the management, and disrupting the flow of work and work peace. These workers were summoned to the management earlier and fired after the meeting. 9 other workers who participated in the press release meeting in front of the General Management of ASKI at lunch time were also summoned to the management. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WORKERS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE JULY 20 ACTION ARE BEING FILED. Government has asked all management to file a list of all the workers who participated in the July 20 action. The management has started filing the workers especially in the finance, postal, municipality and energy sectors immediately and has started an investigation. Due to the action taken on July 20 the financial office had not processed any payments and had lost billions of TL expected to be received that day. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** From lvpsf at igc.apc.org Sun Sep 11 04:02:10 1994 From: lvpsf at igc.apc.org (Labor Video Project) Date: Sat, 10 Sep 1994 20:02:10 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Where Is Home:Migrant Wrks In Turke Message-ID: From: Labor Video Project /* Written 11:00 AM Sep 2, 1994 by lvpsf in igc:labr.turkey */ /* ---------- "Where Is Home:Migrant Wrks In Turke" ---------- */ From: Labor Video Project WHERE IS HOME? 50 families that have migrated to Beypazari are in search of a 'living like a human being'. They feel happy if they find work which pays 80- 90,000 TL ($3.00) per day. 50 families who escaped from the villages of Mardin or from the town of Siverek in the Urfa Province are struggling for life in the small town of Beypazari near Ankara. Everyday a wish to live like a human being gets compounded with the wish to return back to their homes for these migrant families. A committee organized by the Human Rights Association and attended by Tum Saglik-Sen (Union of All Health Workers), Human Rights Foundation of Turkey and press reporters went to Beypazari on June 28 to report on the condition of these families. The place where the Kurdish migrants live is a small land at the end of the village right at the skirts of the mountains. They are living inside shacks made of plastic sheets and mats, spread around wooden sticks. These shacks are so small and neglected that if no people around were seen, it would be easy to assume no human could live in them. But the reality is that there are 50 families with around 400 people live here, or better yet are trying to live here. All of these people will have to live on a very thin flow of water from a very small pipe. Those who are lucky to find jobs are working for 80-90,000 TL a day ($3.00) and try to survive. Fahrettin Cavus who greets the committee takes us to an arbor with a closed overhead but open sides. We sit down and tell them the reason why we are here. We ask their problems, why they had to migrate and how the villagers treat them. In the beginning they answer us but after a while suddenly they stop talking. They start whispering among themselves. Later we understand that a plainclothes policeman nearby is listening to us. They are scared so much that they can not even talk about their problems. It is possible to see the fear in everybody's eyes. Mehmet, age 61, sums up the situation when he says, "We are 10 people in a house. Only 2 of us can find work. There is no work. Al we get is 80-90,000 TL. a day. You figure out the rest". Another one asks, "Would someone just leave his house, home, land and come here?", then he continues, "a lot of villagers have left their villages like us. I am not thinking of myself. I am thinking of everybody. Let this bloodbath stop soon so we can go back to our homes". Those who migrated from Isikyaka (Birki) are saying that 2 or 3 days ago their whole village has been burned down and there is nobody left in there now. The peasants fear the paramilitary 'guard' system the most. "Someone who has a blood feud goes and becomes a guard. Then he goes and kills all the family members of his enemy. Then they either say the PKK has done it or they say those who got killed were the PKK guerrillas. But this has nothing to do with the PKK. Those who get killed were his personal blood enemies. This is why out of fear we can not return home", they say. Mehmet continues, "we are all running away for our lives. What can we do with our lives I don't know. Is there more to it? If it wasn't for all the cruelty we would never have come here. If they ask us to go one step further, we can not!". He stands up and leaves us. CHILDREN WITH MARKED HANDS Most people here are children. Peasants tell us that there is on the average, 5 kids per house and out of all the children there, only 7 are able to go to school. Those who can not go to school either take care of their younger brothers and sisters or they go to work. Someone has painted marks with red ink on the hands of those who work. When we ask them what the marks are they answer that, "the boss puts those marks". The boss explains to the peasants that he has to take such an action because there are so many children and he has to distinguish who is working for him. Peasants complain about the insufficiency of the toilets and say there are a lot of cases of diarrhea among children. They are exposed to all dangers such as attacks or epidemic diseases. They say that the members of the MHP (fascist National Action Party) constantly threaten them. 18 year old Ayse and 32 year old Bedriye are sitting outside with their children on their laps. When we approach them they greet us with sympathy. Both have their husbands serving in the army. They are alone and most of the time they can not get even a bite to eat all day long. They say that the peasants here mostly work in agriculture but they are not given work because they have children. "We have to nurse them, but we have no milk to feed the babies" they say. Ayse continues to say that she has had bronchitis but she has not had any medical care because she does not have any money and wishes her husband to return right away. As the committee is conversing with the peasants, suddenly a flurry breaks among the people. The word is out that, "the police has arrived". Soon a man in plainclothes surrounded by uniformed police with radios in their hands approach us and he introduces himself as the superintendent. After he shakes the hand of each of the committee members he sits down and says, "We, as the security organization of Beypazari, are happy with these people. We are here to help". And explaining that he is doing this for 'security reasons' he makes a list of all the committee members. We learn that after finding out that the committee will visit the place, the security forces started to take interest in these people whom they had not shown any interest earlier, and that they had visited them 2 or 3 times before the arrival of the committee. And the peasants tell us that on every visit they had threatened the people not to say anything about their problems. Likewise, the police continue their "escort" service until the committee leaves. IGNORANT LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS Municipality is controlled by ANAP (right wing political party) since 1989. They have been living with these peasants for about 5 years, but no services except for that very small amount of water have been provided. Deputy Mayor Mesut Ayan says, "We gave them water but we were questioned by MHP (fascist National Action Party), DYP (conservative right wing Right Way Party which holds office in the state government in coalition with the social democratic party) and the people on our purpose in providing water. We told them that we gave the water because of humanitarian reasons, because of health reasons. We do not want an epidemic disease in this town. He confirms that for five years they have not given any services but the reason is, "they never asked for any!". But as an officer of the local government he has not even seen the place these villagers are living in. He says he saw it once from a distance while he was on his way to see the slaughter house. But, the local government offices did not neglect to have the surroundings checked by the municipal police. He says they get tips from the people that behind the plastic sheets they are doing construction with bricks and this has to be investigated. Out of 50 families only 59 people are registered to vote and they have voted. Hundreds of Kurdish villagers are migrating, leaving behind their villages, their land, their homes and go to places where they do not know what is waiting for them. They try to gather together as a means of protection. But they all migrate with the hope of returning back to their home, with hope that someday someone will put a stop to all this... Sultan Ozer from Gercek Magazine From lvpsf at igc.apc.org Sun Sep 11 04:02:37 1994 From: lvpsf at igc.apc.org (Labor Video Project) Date: Sat, 10 Sep 1994 20:02:37 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Union Busting by US Corp In Turkey Message-ID: From: Labor Video Project /* Written 9:53 PM Sep 8, 1994 by lvpsf in igc:labr.turkey */ /* ---------- "Union Busting by US Corp In Turkey" ---------- */ From: Labor Video Project Subject: US Bosses Layoff Workers For Organizing WORKERS FOOLED BY THE UNION 30 Workers were laid off on June 27 from a U.S. based Pioneer Seed factory in Adana which produces quality seeds due to economical crises. The workers on the other hand claimed that the lay offs were not due to economical crises but rather was a political move of the owners to destroy the union organization. The workers working without a union from the first days of the Pioneer Seed started to organize for a union in 1992. They went and talked to TARIM-IS (Agricultural Workers Union) first. But they were rejected by this union on the basis that 'they would have a lot of problems'. Then they went to 'Land, Water, Agriculture and Forest Workers Union' under DISK (Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Union) which was called Devrimci Toprak Is (Revolutionary Land Workers Union) at that time. With the efforts of the union the workers were able to bring the union to the factory. But the counter attacks of the business owners started at the same time. First they challenged the union by a lawsuit on authority. They showed all managers, team leaders, personnel managers as workers and tried to show that the "workers" did not want the union. In this process they even showed the managers working in Istanbul as employed workers in Adana. But the court decided for the union in January 1994. The workers who are fired today hold the union as the primary responsible party. They claim that the union was acting negatively from the first collective bargaining and continued all the way to taking the side of the employers on the issue of the firings. Workers' representatives Erdogan Akgun, Hazim Guntekin and Mehmet Senol who participated in the negotiations say that the Union kept the 30% pay increase that was given every six months out of the negotiations and forced the workers to give up the unpaid rights accrued in the last 20 months. Hazim Gultekin says that the workers did not want to sign the contract because it contained too many concessions. But the employer sent the threat via the union to the workers that "all the workers belonged to the PKK (illegal Workers Party of Kurdistan) and that all of them will be replaced". The union also smoothed the reaction from the workers who opposed the first firing of 7 workers and told the workers to pick up their compensation checks for being fired, then they can organize an action against the employer. Faruk Danaci who says they acted in accordance with what the union told them continues, 'because of our ignorance on unionization we did not know that once we receive the compensation, legally we can not resist the lay offs'. Mehmet Senol who says that they were fooled by the union and that they have been trying to negotiate with the Pioneer Seed employers for a while but they been threatened by the employer with calling the gendarmerie and having them arrested for criminal political activities. Today, instead of the fired workers, the contracting firms temporary workers are doing the jobs in Pioneer Seed. This way, legally, the employer will not have to hire back the fired workers after 6 months if it is to hire any help HaberdeYorumda GERCEK July 30 1994. From lvpsf at igc.apc.org Sun Sep 11 04:03:06 1994 From: lvpsf at igc.apc.org (Labor Video Project) Date: Sat, 10 Sep 1994 20:03:06 -0700 (PDT) Subject: LABOR NEWS FROM TURKEY 7/30/94 Message-ID: From: Labor Video Project /* Written 9:54 PM Sep 8, 1994 by lvpsf in igc:labr.turkey */ /* ---------- "LABOR NEWS FROM TURKEY 7/30/94" ---------- */ ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** LABOR NEWS FROM TURKEY July 30 1994 Compiled from a collection of newspapers, magazines and news reports. ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 'FREEDOM TO THOUGHT' CAMPAIGN The Human Rights Association together with The Contemporary Jurists Association have started the 'Freedom to Thought' campaign in Istanbul after establishing the 'Committee for The Freedom of Thought'. On July 22, the president of The Human Rights Association of Istanbul Branch Ercan Kanar gave a press release in Sultanahmet Park where he stated that Turkey was one of the few countries left in the world where a thought could be prosecuted under criminal law. Gercek ----------------------------------------------------------------- WORKERS AND THEIR FAMILIES LAY A BLACK WREATH AT THE DOOR OF ARAS CARGO 55 Workers who were fired from Aras Cargo have laid a black wreath as a protest at the door of the Aras Cargo with their families. Also placards reading "Aras Cargo laid my father off", "Put an end to lay offs at Aras Cargo", "Long Live Workers Solidarity", "Workers solidarity will win over capital" were carried by the workers and their families. Workers said they started a resistance in Susuzkoy but the security forces attacked and dismantled their resistance tent. The workers will continue their struggle in Ankara from now on. OLEYIS (Hotel, Restaurant and Entertainment Industry Workers Union) has protested the firings and Mehmetali Akpinar from OLEYIS has said that,"Our struggle should teach our children not to be slaves on a chain, otherwise we will raise nothing but slaves". Veli Beysulen, the branch manager of Birlesik Metal-Is (United Metal Workers Union) said what was happening at the Aras Cargo was not the first and that they would continue supporting the workers to the end. Ozgur Ulke ----------------------------------------------------------------- COUNTER-GUERILLA KILLS TWO SHEPHERDS Mehmet Alabacak and Mehmet Yolpir, two shepherds in Malatya were killed after being tortured and their arms cut off. The villagers who called the soldiers to search for the missing shepherds said that although they told the soldiers where to search for the shepherds, the soldiers did not listen to them and they went off in the other direction. Later when the villagers insisted for the soldiers to search the place where the shepherds were prior to their disappearance the search was conducted and the two missing shepherds were found. The bodies showed signs of torture and both of them had their arms cut off. This is typical of the contra-guerilla killings, the villagers said. Gercek ----------------------------------------------------------------- POLICE HARASSMENT TO PUBLISHER SATIK'S FAMILY Kadir Satik, the publisher in charge for KOMAL publishing said the police harassment and arrests on his family has been accelerated in the last weeks. Satik stated that his brother Murat Satik and his wife Fahriye Satik had been arrested and tortured on July 8th. Later the police arrested his two sisters Ayse and Hulya Satik who work in Marmaris on July 19. Satik said that the assult on his family and to the publishing house was a direct attack on the Kurdish nations national liberation and democratic struggle. Ozgur Ulke ----------------------------------------------------------------- UNION CONTRACT AT HAVZA MUNICIPALITY Belediye-Is (Municipal Workers Union) signed a contract for two years at Havza municipality which fixed the minimum wage at the municipality at 100,000 TL ($3.00) daily. On the first year the workers will get 65% raise and the second year the raise will be 80%. Also, the workers secured a 500,000 TL ($16.50) cleaning allowance. The fuel allowance will be 6,000,000 TL ($200.00) for the first year and 7,500,000 TL ($250.00) for the second year. Ozgur Ulke ----------------------------------------------------------------- CONTEMPORARY JOURNALIST ASSOCIATION CONDEMNS CENSURE On the 86th anniversary of abolition of censure, the Contemporary Journalists Association has sent a letter to more than 90 journalists, scientists and writers who are jailed because of their thoughts and protested the use of censure. The Association repeated their July 1993 declaration that, "Until all anti democratic preventions and oppression is completely lifted, to say that the censure has been abolished is nothing but deceit." Gercek ----------------------------------------------------------------- SOLDIER KILLED BY OTHER SOLDIERS. On July 23, Yuksel Guzel, a private in Izmir's 57th Artillery Brigade was killed by covering his head in a sack and beaten by iron clubs. His father Riza Guzel said he was given four contradictory explanations over the phone on how his son was killed. Yuksel's funeral was brought to his home town Adana on July 26 and was attended by a crowd of 250. The funeral was carried on shoulders to the graveyard with a march that lasted for more than an hour and a half. The marchers chanted slogans and shouted 'Long Live the brotherhood of the peoples!' Goksel Yuksel, the brother of the deceased said that his brother was murdered intentionally and the authorities were trying to cover up the killing. Gercek ----------------------------------------------------------------- WORKERS FIRED FOR PARTICIPATING IN JULY 20 ACTION. 80 Workers at Sariyer municipality was fired for participating in the July 20 action. The workers said they were fired for being a union member. On July 27 the workers held a press conference in front of their work and said that after the local elections when the Refah Partisi (RP) (Islam fundamentalist Prosperity Party) got elected it started conducting business with the contracting firm Albayrak and that the union workers were being laid off from Albayrak. The workers said that if they were not unionized they would still be working today. The workers accused the RP also in the firing as, "Those who keep on talking about a just system or being a Muslim have fired us to have workers from Romania take our jobs". Abbas Atli, a fired worker, complained that the union was not standing behind them and have left them alone in the struggle. Ayhan Yildiz another fired worker said,"They think they can silence us, but, this makes us more aggressive!" Workers have started a sit in at the steps of the workplace and have said that they will continue their struggle. Gercek ----------------------------------------------------------------- 90 YEAR OLD RESIDENT OF SIRNAK MURDERED BY SECURITY FORCES. THEY SUSPECTED HIM TO BE A GUERRILLA! Sahin Bektas (90) residing in the Bilmat village of Sirnak was murdered by security forces while watering his garden. He was machine gunned down because the security forces suspected him to be a guerrilla for the PKK (Workers Party of Kurdistan). Other residents of Sirnak have said that the village was also bombed by helicopters. Ozgur Ulke ----------------------------------------------------------------- 'LABOR'S FLAG' MAGAZINE CLOSED DOWN BY THE STATE SECURITY COURT. Istanbul State Security Court has closed down the magazine Emegin Bayragi (Labor's Flag) for 15 days. The journal was closed down because of the news and commentary articles: "Dictatorship is attacking, Kurds are resisting" and "A step towards the struggle for freedom against the fascist dictatorship". The court ruling was delivered to the magazine at 3:00 PM on the day a new issue was published. Although the new issue had been printed the morning before the ruling was delivered to the magazine, the officials said they will start an investigation of printing against the court ruling. Another magazine Devrimci Cozum's (Revolutionary Resolution)16th issue was confiscated by the police. Devrimci Cozum workers stated that, "In general the whole socialist press, in particular our magazine Devrimci Cozum, has been the target of a policy of daunting. All of our issues since we started publication and lastly our 16th issue has been confiscated because of all the articles in it". Ozgur Ulke ----------------------------------------------------------------- MUNICIPAL POLICE ATTACKS STREET VENDORS. 30 Municipal Police suddenly attacked street vendors with clubs without any reason. Several people and vendors were injured from the attack. People standing by wanted to interfere with the beating but undercover and uniformed police prevented them from stopping the attack. Vendors have said that the revolutionary and democrat vendors were chosen for the attack and many vendors have been arrested. Ozgur Ulke ----------------------------------------------------------------- SIT IN CONTINUES AT OY-PI 100 workers laid off last week is continuing their protest of sit in at the gates of the OY-PI factory in Bursa. The Employer has called the police saying that the resisting workers have assaulted the workers in the factory. Police have started a questioning on the matter. Ozgur Ulke ----------------------------------------------------------------- 3 MAGAZINES CONFISCATED Yeni Demokrat Genclik (New Democratic Youth), Denge Azadi and Yoksul Halkin Gucu (Poor Peoples Power) magazines were confiscated. State Security Court found criminal ideas in the articles printed. Ozgur Ulke ----------------------------------------------------------------- WORK STOPPAGE AT MAN FILTER FACTORY Protesting for not being paid and their social rights not given, 350 workers stopped work at the Gebze plant. Workers were not paid their June paychecks, bonuses, fuel allowances, 2 months of tax returns and meal allowances for a month. Ozgur Ulke ----------------------------------------------------------------- SINGER BILGE ERENUS ON TRIAL Bilge Erenus and OZDEP Istanbul Branch President Orhan Kaya stood trial for a meeting they attended to support the workers fired from the Kagithane Municipality. The municipality is run by the RP (Islamic fundamentalist Prosperity Party) which came to office in the last elections and fired hundreds of workers. Bilge Erenus is on trial because some people chanted slogans while she was singing and Orhan Kaya and Hasan Sincar are on trial for the speeches they gave at the meeting. They are being charged for speaking against the indivisibility of the Turkish State. If sentenced, they may get jail terms ranging from 1 to 3 years and fines up to 100,000,000 TL ($3330.00). The state police which was present in the meeting stated that there was no such action in the meeting and everything was under control. He said if there was any subversive activities he would have included that in his report. The trial will continue at October 5. Ozgur Ulke ----------------------------------------------------------------- CONFISCATED MAGAZINES AND BOOKS The following magazines were confiscated by the State Security Court: Yeni Demokrat Genclik (New Democratic Youth) Haberde Yorumda Gercek (Truth in news and commentary) Ozgur Gelecek (Free Future) Gencligin Sesi (Youths Voice) Express Newroz Also, the book 'Kapitalizm, Sosyalizm, Orgut' (Capitalism, Socialism, Organization) written by Teslim Tore has been confiscated. Ozgur Ulke ----------------------------------------------------------------- PARASITES, WORKERS AND GAP PROJECT 'Turkey's Parasitological Association' prepared a report on the impact of GAP project which will build huge dams and waterways in the east. The report calls for action to prevent parasitological diseases which may spread throughout the area when the GAP project is completed. But their approach to people is only from the standpoint of 'labor power'. The report states that, "Only the healthy people can work productively. Those who are losing blood to parasites in their intestines, who have became pale, who have lost the joy of life can not contribute to productivity but can only become a consumer". Ozgur Ulke ----------------------------------------------------------------- NOBODY TO NEGOTIATE, SO POSTPONE ACTION! Ozcelik-Is (Steel Workers Union) had prepared for a joint action with other democratic mass organizations to protest the plant closing of publicly owned Karabuk Demir-Celik (Karabuk Iron-Steel Works) factory. But the action has been postponed due to the internal crises of the government. Metin Turker, the president of the Ozcelik-Is Union said they can not proceed with the actions before talking to the authorities and since the authorities were not there the action had to be postponed. Ozgur Ulke ----------------------------------------------------------------- PROTEST BY BMC WORKERS IN IZMIR 226 Workers fired from BMC plant in Izmir showed up in front of the plant the other day to protest the firing by clapping their hands and calling for the management to resign. The president of Turk Metal Sendikasi (Turkish Metal Workers Union) said for 7 months the negotiations have gone nowhere and that after every negotiation more workers are being laid off. There has been 593 lay offs since January at BMC. The workers had accepted to take a leave without pay for the last 3 months and the last lay offs of 226 workers were from those on unpaid leave. The workers have estimated that by taking unpaid leave the employer gained access to a 60 billion TL ($2,000,000.00) credit but turned around and fired the workers who sacrificed their income for the employer. Turan also called the workers to a meeting in the Union hall to decide on opening a court suit against the employer. Ozgur Ulke ----------------------------------------------------------------- GEBZE WORKERS RELEASED FROM JAIL Workers accused of clashing with the police were released by the Judge. 34 workers were on trial 5 of which were arrested previously. Union leaders including the President of DISK (Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Union) were at the trial. 5 lawyers represented the workers. Ozgur Ulke ----------------------------------------------------------------- POLICE ATTACKS COMMEMORATION OF A UNION LEADER. Police attacked a commemoration meeting on the 13th anniversary of the death of Kenan Budak who was the president of DERI-IS (Leather workers Union) under DISK ( The Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Unions). About 100 people gathered by the grave and observed a minute of silence. After several short speeches by unionists the police attacked the crowd as it began to disperse quitely. When people started to flee from the attack, police opened fire at the crowd. One person was injured by the police bullets while 10 people were arrested. The Leather Workers Union protested the police attack where police was taking aim before firing. Fevzi Gercek, the president of TUM SAGLIK-SEN (Health Workers Union) said, "As if the killing of Kenan Budak was not enough, now it is becoming illegal to even mention his name or go near his grave'. Gercek ----------------------------------------------------------------- OZGUR ULKE CORESPONDENT MIHRIBAN ARTIKLAR ARRESTED When Mihriban Artiklar went to the police headquarters to learn the result of her application to get a passport the correspondent for Ozgur Ulke newspaper was arrested. She was detained for two hours in the passport division of the police before being taken to the political branch of the police. No reason for arrest was given. Ozgur Ulke ----------------------------------------------------------------- SHEPHERD LOSES LEG AFTER STEPPING ON A MINE A 12 year old shepherd who stepped on a mine lost his leg in the Soban village of Kars. He was grazing the sheep at the time. Ozgur Ulke ----------------------------------------------------------------- VILLAGERS DEMAND REPARATIONS FOR THEIR BURNED CROP Villagers who had their crops burned down by the state security forces have demanded to be paid by the government for their losses. The incident which left several families without any crop this year involved the security forces attacking the village and burning crops, vineyards and fruit trees. The cost of damage is estimated at 500,000,000 TL. At a similar incident near Atabag village a crew of experts are being expected to come and prepare a damage assessment after the security forces burned down the villagers crops. Ozgur Ulke ----------------------------------------------------------------- OZGUR ULKE CORRESPONDENT NECATI BOZKURT ON TRIAL IN MILITARY COURT. In an article published in Ozgur Ulke, Necati Bozkurt had written on the 'conscientious rejection and the state'. This article is the subject of investigation by the military court which questioned the correspondent the other day. If convicted, Bozkurt could get a jail sentence from 2 months to 2 years in prison. In his defence, Bozkurt claimed that the news article he had written did not contain any criminal activity. Ozgur Ulke ----------------------------------------------------------------- THREE MORE MAGAZINES ARE CONFISCATED Add three more magazines to the list of magazines confiscated this week: Haberde Yorumda Gercek S:17 (Truth in news and commentary No:17) Ozgur Halk S:45 (Free People No:45) Alinteri S:22 (Sweat of Brow No:22) Ozgur Ulke ----------------------------------------------------------------- ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** From lvpsf at igc.apc.org Fri Sep 16 01:25:19 1994 From: lvpsf at igc.apc.org (Labor Video Project) Date: Thu, 15 Sep 1994 17:25:19 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Labor News From Turkey 8/6/94 Message-ID: From: Labor Video Project /* Written 11:33 AM Sep 14, 1994 by lvpsf in igc:labr.turkey */ /* ---------- "Labor News From Turkey 8/6/94" ---------- */ From: Labor Video Project ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** LABOR NEWS FROM TURKEY August 6 1994 Compiled from a collection of newspapers, magazines and news reports. ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** ANOTHER ATTACK, ANOTHER EXECUTION! On August 4, the 'Anti-Terrorist' squad conducted an assault on a house in Esenler, Istanbul. On the same day, at 2.00 AM, police surrounded an apartment building in Yanimahalle. Special Force teams and police in bullet proof vests spread around the 4 storey building. Suddenly the shooting started and the police sprayed the 4th floor with machine gun fire. The apartment was being machine gunned constantly and sometimes the police was calling to the inhabitants to surrender in a voice they could not hear themselves. The people in the apartment answered the fire with fire. As time went by the shooting gained momentum. Police were constantly requesting more ammunition and grenades over the radio. At 8.00 AM first hand grenades then tear gas bombs were thrown inside from the roof by police wearing bullet proof vests. After the police who had thrown in the grenades from the roof signalled that it was OK to enter, the teams entered the apartment building and for two full minutes heavy firing was heard from inside the house. It was heard from the police radio at 8:45 that the "task was accomplished". Now it was time for the show. Civilian policeman and muslim style bearded agents who entered into the crowd watching the clash started to shout slogans supporting the police and celebrating the victory. Those who knew the people living in the apartment did not engage in the shouting of slogans for the police and some of these were arrested by the police. Police who did not allow the press to enter the apartment for three hours left the premises at 11:00 AM with the corpses of three people who were in the apartment wrapped in blankets. The bodies who were protruding from the blankets were in a state where they could not be identified. The police who puts a gun next to everybody they kill in these kinds of executions and then call in the journalists to have pictures taken did not do it this time. After the corpses were removed and it was allowed to enter the apartment it was seen that it was in ruins. It looked like a massive earthquake had hit the apartment due to bullets and hand grenades thrown into the apartment. A day later the security forces announced the names of those killed in the apartment as Huseyin Arslan, Guner Sar and Ozlem Kilic. When the team from the 'Platform of Rights and Freedoms' and 'Contemporary Jurists Association' entered the apartment, their assessment was that the conscious plan of the security forces were to "capture dead" without any intention of trying to capture alive the residents. The radio communication between the police who was recorded and published in a newspaper also demonstrates that the police had come to the scene with the intention to execute: - Somebody is firing from the roof.. Does anybody know who it is? - Yes sir. I see him clearly. I can finish him off. - Yes,Right. Don't finish him off before making sure. - We are forcing the door with hand grenades, if we push it in it will be over. - OK, we are pushing in. - OK, this will do it. - May God help you! - The task is completed sir. - Well done, it is clean inside now. - I kiss you all! The relatives of those who came to take the corpses from the coroners office said there was at least 50 bullet wounds on each corpse and that every one was burned from the grenades thrown into the apartment. Gercek ------------------------------------------------------------------- WORKERS ACCUSED OF BEING TRAITORS Eskisehir's Tepebasi mayor Orhan Soydas (From DYP-Right wing government party) accused the workers who participated in the July 20 general action of being traitors to the country. The bus drivers in Tepebasi municipality had stopped work on July 20 and had not worked for a full day to support the general action called by the Confederation of Workers Union Turk-Is. This was also an opportunity for the workers to express their resentment in the negotiations which had come to a halt with the municipality. This action had coincided with the Greater Eskisehir's Mayor Aydin Aral's being in Ankara, the capital of Turkey. As soon as Aral returned home he opened a lawsuit against the workers charging that they had acted against the strike-and-lockout laws and had stopped work with bad intentions and had caused losses to the municipality. The situation got more tense when the Mayor of Tepebasi accused the workers with treason in the local government meeting. When this remark was published in a local newspaper, the issue got out of hand. REACTIONS Immediately, Belediye-Is (Municipal Workers Union), Genel-Is (General Municipal Workers Union), Eskisehir Platform of Democracy, Platform of Public Workers Unions and Turk-Is (Confederation of Workers Union) representatives responded back by calling the Mayor himself a traitor. Mayor of Tepebasi called for a press conference as soon as the news spread around that he had called the workers traitors. Soydas, changed his words in the press conference and said that he had not called the workers traitor, but he had meant that those workers who had participated in the July 20 action were the traitors to the people of Eskisehir. Rumor has it that when he worked in the Eskisehir municipality as a clerk, Soydas had to resign from his post due to accusations of fraud. When Ahmet Kilic, the President of the Eskisehir Branch of Belediye-Is (Municipality Workers Union) asked him to first give the reason why he had resigned from his position and left the municipality, Soydas chose to ignore the question. The workers said there was no difference between calling them traitors to the motherland and traitors to the people of Eskisehir, but really showed how the Mayor viewed the workers. And they continue; "yes, if this is treason, we will continue to be traitors. But the people will one day find the real traitors." Gercek ------------------------------------------------------------------- A CALL FOR CONTINUOUS ACTION Executive committee of Petrol-Is (Petroleum Workers Union) met on August 20 to discuss the general action taken on July 20. The topics were the overall action, the methods of future struggle and the what action should bee taken against the unions who sabotaged the action on July 20. Bayram Meral, the president of Turk-Is (The Confederation of Workers Unions), said, "This action was done in 76 cities and some towns. This was a success for us. The only thing that went wrong was to see the Ankara municipality buses running". He said the media wanted to show the action as a failure, but the people expected a lot from Turk-Is. But many other union leaders do not see the July 20 action as rosy as Bayram Meral. They do not think that the action was as successful as stated by the Turk-Is president, and they say they have no answers to the rank and file about why some unions did not participate in the action. Petrol-Is executives said "If we allow these to get away with breaking the solidarity and unity of the workers, we will not be successful in our future actions". They stated that they had participated in the action with full knowledge that they may be fired from their jobs, but that the Turk-Is president Meral Bayram had asked the workers in Ankara not to participate because they may loose their jobs if they took to the streets. An executive from Samsun said, "I do not have anything to say to my rank and file. You try to tell the worker in TUG-SAS who did not work for three days and occupied the factory that the July 20 action was a success". Batman branch manager said all kinds of weapons are speaking in the country today but, those unionists who should be speaking now were not. He criticized Turk-Is for not having an ideological stand. Petrol-Is executive committee will meet again on August 8 and will assess the situation. They will decide to take the future actions on themselves and will carry it out if the Turk-Is executives can not come up with a decision. Gercek ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ARAS CARGO WORKERS STRUGGLE CONTINUES. While the attack on the workers by the capital continue as firings, lay off's and contracting the work out, the 55 workers organized under Nakliyat-Is (Freight Workers Union) at Aras Cargo are paying their dues. The workers of Aras Cargo had stopped work on July 3 because they had not been paid the portion of their wages from January 1994. This was a spontaneous reaction to the bosses, but the workers were determined to struggle to the end. But the employer Celal Aras had given his promise to the workers saying, "I will pay your wages from January in three days. Nobody will loose their jobs for this action. If I am the Celal Aras, the owner of this business, I am a man of my word, I will not lick what I spit". On this promise the workers had started work again. But, Celal Aras did lick what he spat. He terminated three workers on July 12. The workers responded by stopping work and requested that the terminated workers be hired again. This raised the number of workers fired from Aras Cargo to 55. The employer also called the soldiers to scare the workers away from the work place. There were around 5 soldiers per fired worker. Despite the presence of the soldiers, a tent was erected by the plant on Istanbul-Ankara highway and the workers were able to resist here for 12 days. After a while the tent was destroyed by the gendarmerie and the workers were forced to carry the struggle to the center of Ankara, the Capital. Here, the workers had the chance to talk to the prospect customers of Aras Cargo and persuaded them to take their business elsewhere. One terminated worker said, "The employer is squeezed to the corner, we will win for sure. And, the victory will be for the working class but, won by the cargo workers". The Resistance Committee formed to conduct the struggle has stated that the average worker here did not even have primary school education, but, this struggle had become the best school for the workers. The workers in the Resistance Committee said, "We are actually fired for union organizing. We were conducting the organizing for Nakliyat-Is (Freight Workers Union). The time had come for us to start the negotiations. But the employer fired us because of this. Our worker brothers did not even know how to do anything. They were scared of police and gendarmerie oppression. But, all of them became concious in the struggle. They could not have learned what they have learned in the resistance even if they had gone to school for years. Cargo workers enjoy the support of the other workers who are still working for the employer. The workers are visiting every neighborhood and are distributing a flyer prepared to explain their struggle door to door. They have gotten support from workers in Istanbul, Izmir, Bursa, Adana and Ankara. Gercek ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** From lvpsf at igc.apc.org Sat Sep 17 15:37:12 1994 From: lvpsf at igc.apc.org (Labor Video Project) Date: Sat, 17 Sep 1994 07:37:12 -0700 (PDT) Subject: AI UA329/94 TURKEY Fear of torture Message-ID: From: Labor Video Project /* Written 12:00 PM Sep 9, 1994 by gn:rmitchellai in igc:ai.uan */ /* ---------- "AI UA329/94 TURKEY Fear of torture" ---------- */ +------------------------------------------------------+ + Paper reprints authorised. Electronic redistributors + + must request permission from Amnesty International. + + Contact: rmitchellai at gn.apc.org (UK) + + sharrison at igc.apc.org (USA) + +------------------------------------------------------+ EXTERNAL (for general distribution) AI Index: EUR 44/93/94 Distr: UA/SC UA 329/94 Fear of Torture/"Disappearance" 9 September 1994 TURKEY Dr.Mustafa Ersoz, medical doctor Fevzi Ersoz, lawyer Hikmet Senol Amnesty International is concerned for the safety of Dr Mustafa Ersoz, his uncle Fevzi Ersoz, and Hikmet Senol, who were detained on 5 September 1994 and are believed to be held at the Regimental Gendarmerie Headquarters in Diyarbakir, southeast Turkey. On 4 September 1994, Dr Mustafa Ersoz, the lawyer Fevzi Ersoz and Hikmet Senol travelled from Elazig to Lice to retrieve the bodies of relatives killed in a clash between PKK militants and the security forces which occurred on 30 August in the village of Resan, near Lice. In Lice they were reportedly told that, on the orders of the Lice State Prosecutor, the bodies could not be released to them. After informing relatives of this by telephone on the evening of Monday, 5 September, nothing more was heard from Mustafa Ersoz, Fevzi Ersoz, or Hikmet Senol. Relatives of the three men applied to local police stations, including the Diyarbakir Regimental Gendarmerie Headquarters, for information of their whereabouts, but it was repeatedly denied that they were in custody. On Wednesday 7 September, however, the Diyarbakir Provincial Governor responded to inquiries from the Turkish Human Rights Association, saying that all three men were held at the Diyarbakir Regimental Gendarmerie Headquarters and would remain in detention for 30 days. However, Diyarbakir Regimental Gendarmerie Headquarters still deny holding the three men. The Prosecutor at Diyarbakir State Security Court, where their detention should be registered, denies any knowledge of their custody, and there has been no written confirmation of their detention. Relatives are concerned that Mustafa Ersoz, Fevzi Ersoz, and Hikmet Senol are being interrogated under torture, and that they may be at risk of "disappearance". BACKGROUND INFORMATION There has been a striking increase in reports of "disappearance" since the summer of 1993 - particularly in the 10 southeastern provinces where a State of Emergency is in force and where police and gendarmerie have the right to hold political suspects incommunicado for up to one month. Procedures laid down in the Turkish Criminal Procedure Code for the prompt and proper registration of detainees, and for notification of their families, are almost universally ignored in the southeastern provinces and increasingly disregarded in the rest of Turkey. Lack of proper registration and notification is not only extremely distressing for families, but it creates the conditions in which "disappearances" can occur and torture takes place. Turkey ratified the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture on 25 February 1988 and the UN Convention Against Torture on 2 August 1988. Following a programme of visits to Turkish police stations in 1990, 1991 and 1992, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (ECPT - established by the Council of Europe) reported: "In the light of all the information at its disposal, the ECPT can only conclude that the practice of torture and other forms of severe ill-treatment of persons in police custody remains widespread in Turkey and that such methods are applied to both ordinary criminal suspects and persons held under anti-terrorism provisions". RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send telegrams/faxes/express and airmail letters either in English or in your own language: - voicing your concern at the arbitrary detention of Mustafa Ersoz, Fevzi Ersoz, and Hikmet Senol; - mentioning the ECPT's findings and seeking assurances that the three detainees are not subjected to torture or any other form of ill-treatment; - urging that their families and lawyers are informed without further delay of their whereabouts and state of health; - asking to be informed of any charges against them. APPEALS TO Chief Prosecutor at Diyarbakir State Security Court: DGM Bassavcisi [Salutation: Dear Sir] Devlet Guvenlik Mahkemesi Diyarbakir, Turkey Telegrams: DGM Bassavcisi, Diyarbakir, Turkey Minister of the Interior: Mr Nahit Mentese [Salutation: Dear Minister] Icisleri Bakanligi 06644 Ankara, Turkey Telegrams: Interior Minister, Ankara, Turkey Faxes: +90 312 428 4346 Emergency Legislation Governor: Mr Unal Erkan [Salutation: Dear Governor] Olaganustu Hal Valiligi Diyarbakir, Turkey Telegrams: Olaganustu Hal Valisi, Diyarbakir, Turkey Faxes: +90 412 224 3572 PLEASE SEND COPIES OF YOUR APPEALS TO: His Excellency Mr Candemir Onhon, Embassy of Turkey, 43 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8PA [Please see the responses to this topic for the addresses of diplomatic representatives in other countries] AND, IF POSSIBLE, TO THE FOLLOWING: Minister of Foreign Affairs: Prof Mumtaz Soysal Disisleri Bakanligi 06100 Ankara, Turkey Faxes: 90 312 287 1886 PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Please do not send appeals after 21 October 1994. +-----------------------------------------------------------+ + 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: rmitchellai at gn.apc.org + +-----------------------------------------------------------+ From lvpsf at igc.apc.org Sat Sep 17 15:40:34 1994 From: lvpsf at igc.apc.org (Labor Video Project) Date: Sat, 17 Sep 1994 07:40:34 -0700 (PDT) Subject: AI FI329/94 TURKEY Fear of torture Message-ID: From: Labor Video Project /* Written 4:39 PM Sep 14, 1994 by gn:rmitchellai in igc:ai.uan */ /* ---------- "AI FI329/94 TURKEY Fear of torture" ---------- */ +------------------------------------------------------+ + Paper reprints authorised. Electronic redistributors + + must request permission from Amnesty International. + + Contact: rmitchellai at gn.apc.org (UK) + + sharrison at igc.apc.org (USA) + +------------------------------------------------------+ EXTERNAL (for general distribution) AI Index: EUR 44/96/94 Distr: UA/SC 14 September 1994 Further information on UA 329/94 (EUR 44/93/94, 9 September 1994) - Fear of Torture / "Disappearance" TURKEY Dr Mustafa Ersoz Fevzi Ersoz, lawyer Hikmet Senol Amnesty International has learned that the above named are being held at the Lice Regimental Gendarmerie Headquarters, approximately 80 kms north west of Diyarbakir. The Gendarmerie have now confirmed that they are holding Dr Mustafa Ersoz, the lawyer Fevzi Ersoz and Hikmet Senol in custody. All three men were due to appear before the Diyarbakir Prosecutor on 12 September 1994. They were not, however, taken before the Prosecutor. The reason given for this by the Lice Regimental Gendarmerie Headquarters is that the security situation in the area does not allow them to transfer the three men to Diyarbakir to appear before the Prosecutor at Diyarbakir State Security Court. The Prosecutor, for his part, has indicated that he is powerless to expedite their appearance. The Regional Governor also stated that he is powerless to act in this case. The three men therefore remain in custody in Lice and there is continued concern for their safety. FURTHER RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send telegrams/telexes/faxes/express and airmail letters in English or your own language: - urging that Dr Mustafa Ersoz, Fevzi Ersoz and Hikmet Senol appear before the Prosecutor in Lice or Diyarbakir at the earliest opportunity; - seeking assurances that they are not being subjected to torture or any other form of ill-treatment; - asking to be informed of the date of their hearing and of any charges against them. APPEALS TO: Chief Prosecutor at Diyarbakir State Security Court: DGM Bassavcisi [Salutation: Dear Sir] Devlet Guvenlik Mahkemesi Diyarbakir, Turkey Telegrams: DGM Bassavcisi, Diyarbakir, Turkey Minister of the Interior: Mr Nahit Mentese [Salutation: Dear Minister] Icisleri Bakanligi 06644 Ankara, Turkey Telegrams: Interior Minister, Ankara, Turkey Faxes: +90 312 428 4346 Emergency Legislation Governor: Mr Unal Erkan [Salutation: Dear Governor] Olaganustu Hal Valiligi Diyarbakir, Turkey Telegrams: Olaganustu Hal Valisi, Diyarbakir, Turkey Faxes: +90 412 224 3572 PLEASE SEND COPIES OF YOUR APPEALS TO: His Excellency Mr Candemir Onhon, Embassy of Turkey, 43 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8PA [Please see the responses to this topic for the addresses of diplomatic representatives in other countries] AND, IF POSSIBLE, TO THE FOLLOWING: Minister of Foreign Affairs: Prof Mumtaz Soysal Disisleri Bakanligi 06100 Ankara, Turkey Faxes: 90 312 287 1886 PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Please do not send appeals after 26 October 1994. +-----------------------------------------------------------+ + 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: rmitchellai at gn.apc.org + +-----------------------------------------------------------+ From lvpsf at igc.apc.org Sat Sep 17 15:42:14 1994 From: lvpsf at igc.apc.org (Labor Video Project) Date: Sat, 17 Sep 1994 07:42:14 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Newspaper Workers Face Torture In T Message-ID: From: Labor Video Project Subject: Newspaper Workers Face Torture In Turkey /* Written 4:42 PM Sep 14, 1994 by gn:rmitchellai in igc:ai.uan */ /* ---------- "AI UA337/94 TURKEY Fear of torture" ---------- */ +------------------------------------------------------+ + Paper reprints authorised. Electronic redistributors + + must request permission from Amnesty International. + + Contact: rmitchellai at gn.apc.org (UK) + + sharrison at igc.apc.org (USA) + +------------------------------------------------------+ EXTERNAL (for general distribution) AI Index: EUR 44/95/94 Distr: UA/SC UA 337/94 Fear of Torture/"Disappearance" 14 September 1994 TURKEY Mehmet Balamir, newspaper distributor for Ozgur Ulke Kadriye Ozcanli, (f), office manager for Ozgur Ulke On 5 September 1994, Mehmet Balamir, a distributor for the newspaper Ozgur Ulke, was detained at a road block and identity check while carrying copies of the newspaper by bus between Urfa and Diyarbakir. He was detained by members of Pirinclik Gendarmerie Station, but it is not known where he is being held. The Regimental Gendarmerie Headquarters in Diyarbakir have confirmed that he is in custody, but have not disclosed his whereabouts. Later that same day, the newspaper's office in Diyarbakir was raided by members of the gendarmerie and the police. They checked the identity of all those present, but detained only the office manager Kadriye Ozcanli. She is being held at Diyarbakir Regimental Gendarmerie Headquarters and her detention has been confirmed. Apparently, the reason for her detention is because Mehmet Balamir named her as the person who supplied him with the copies. It is feared that both Mehmet Balamir and Kadriye Ozcanli are being subjected to torture during interrogation. BACKGROUND INFORMATION The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (ECPT) and the UN Committee against Torture (UN CAT), both mechanisms of international human rights instruments to which Turkey is a State Party, have published reports to the effect that torture is widespread and systematic in Turkey. Detainees held on suspicion of political offences to be tried in State Security Courts may be held without charge for 15 days. This period may be extended to 30 days in provinces under emergency legislation such as Diyarbakir province. Turkey ratified the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture on 25 February 1988 and the UN Convention Against Torture on 2 August 1988. Following a programme of visits to Turkish police stations in 1990, 1991 and 1992, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (ECPT - established by the Council of Europe) reported: "In the light of all the information at its disposal, the ECPT can only conclude that the practice of torture and other forms of severe ill-treatment of persons in police custody remains widespread in Turkey and that such methods are applied to both ordinary criminal suspects and persons held under anti-terrorism provisions". The ECPT also stated that in Diyarbakir Police Headquarters they had found "the equipment necessary for suspension by the arms in place and ready for use (ie a three metre long wooden beam which was mounted on heavily- weighted filing cabinets on opposite sides of the room and fitted with a strap made of strong material securely tied to the middle ... the delegation's discoveries caused considerable consternation among police officers present; some expressed regret, others defiance." RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send telegrams/faxes/express and airmail letters either in English or your own language: - expressing concern for the safety of Kadriye Ozcanli and Mehmet Balamir, both detained on 5 September 1994 and presumed to be held at Diyarbakir Regimental Gendarmerie Headquarters; - seeking assurances that they are not subjected to torture or any other form of ill-treatment; - asking to be informed if any charges are brought against them. APPEALS TO Chief Prosecutor at Diyarbakir State Security Court: DGM Bassavcisi [Salutation: Dear Sir] Devlet Guvenlik Mahkemesi Diyarbakir, Turkey Telegrams: DGM Bassavcisi, Diyarbakir, Turkey Minister of the Interior: Mr Nahit Mentese [Salutation: Dear Minister] Icisleri Bakanligi 06644 Ankara, Turkey Telegrams: Interior Minister, Ankara, Turkey Faxes: +90 312 428 4346 PLEASE SEND COPIES OF YOUR APPEALS TO: His Excellency Mr Candemir Onhon, Embassy of Turkey, 43 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8PA [Please see the responses to this topic for the addresses of diplomatic representatives in other countries] AND, IF POSSIBLE, TO THE FOLLOWING: Minister of Foreign Affairs: Prof Mumtaz Soysal Disisleri Bakanligi 06100 Ankara, Turkey Faxes: 90 312 287 1886 PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Please do not send appeals after 26 October 1994. +-----------------------------------------------------------+ + 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: rmitchellai at gn.apc.org + +-----------------------------------------------------------+ From lvpsf at igc.apc.org Sun Sep 18 20:42:21 1994 From: lvpsf at igc.apc.org (Labor Video Project) Date: Sun, 18 Sep 1994 12:42:21 -0700 (PDT) Subject: LABOR NEWS FROM TURKEY 8/13/94 Message-ID: From: Labor Video Project /* Written 12:40 PM Sep 18, 1994 by lvpsf in igc:labr.turkey */ /* ---------- "LABOR NEWS FROM TURKEY 8/13/94" ---------- */ From: Labor Video Project ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** LABOR NEWS FROM TURKEY August 13 1994 Compiled from a collection of newspapers, magazines and news reports. ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** REACTION TO MINIMUM WAGE. Reaction to the minimum wage which has been prepared by the bosses and the government is continuing. The minimum wage was set at 2,759,000 TL ($91.00) a month. Sahabettin Ozarslaner, the Deputy President of HADEP (Peoples Democracy Party) said this minimum wage meant condemning the workers to hunger. He called for all trade unions and political parties to challenge the governments policy. Muzaffer Unlu, the president of the Emek-Is Labor union, called for all the union bureaucrats who have not been effective at determining the minimum wage to resign and said the government should be ashamed of the figure. Workers Party Deputy President Bedri Gultekin, at the same time, said the new minimum wage would further impoverish the already poor workers by another 50%. Ozgur Ulke ----------------------------------------------------------------------- RELATIONS WITH SHP IS DISCUSSED IN DISK GENERAL ASSEMBLY Third day in the General Assembly of DISK (The Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Union): Kemal Nebioglu announced his candidacy for the presidency for DISK (The Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Union), at the same time, Suleyman Celebi who was running for the General Secretary position has withdrawn. On the third day of the General Assembly of DISK, the delegate from Genel- Is accused the administration of "not giving the delegates or the workers who have come here from the resistance the chance to speak". He also prevented Faruk Pekin, the advisor to the President from speaking. When the agenda was moved to deal with the criticisms against the executive committee, Daysal said nobody could critisize him on the issue of socialism, especially those who take positions inside a social democratic party had no right of criticizing him. Daysal reminded that the Presidents Committee had decided to support the SHP (Social Democratic Party in coalition with the Right wing DYP in the government) and that some unions provided free ads to support the social democrats. He said the criticisms should be directed to these unions. Later, Suleyman Celebi, the former General Secretary of DISK took the microphone to answer the criticisms on the development of DISK and the relations with the SHP. He said, "They are accusing us of selling out to the 10% barrier (the law that requires a union to have at least 10% of the workers membership in a work place before the authority is given to that union to negotiate), they are accusing us of abandoning our principles and adopting the contemporary unionist thought. If we were fixated on the 10% barrier we would have delayed the Early General Assembly another six months and called for the normal General Assembly. Who can abandon the principles of DISK? DISK's principles are alive and well but DISK does not have the old organization and power it used to have." Suleyman Celebi also replied to those who accused them of selling out the DISK to SHP (Social Democratic Party). He said, "We do not submit DISK to anybody. DISK is our pride and honor. But, there has been a relationship between DISK and SHP. By God, there has been! Yes there is a relationship but we have not given in. DISK has taken advantage of SHP in the local and state governments. Nebioglu, an ex president of DISK replied criticisms with humor and a soft approach. He said, "For those who expected the former DISK, expected a lot out of today's DISK. Today, we do not have that DISK, nor do we have the organization we had before. Turkey needs that DISK. I am also missing that DISK. But there is no DISK today which has given up on its principals." Another ex DISK executive committee member, Riza Guven also announced his candidacy for the new executive committee. A proposition to move the General Headquarters from Istanbul to Ankara did not collect the required two thirds of the vote to succeed. This left the headquarters in Istanbul. The argument to move the headquarters to Ankara supported the idea that it would be easy to conduct business in the Capital. Ozgur Ulke -------------------------------------------------------------------------- WORKERS SHOULD OPPOSE THE DIRTY WAR IN THE EAST A leaflet prepared by some members who called themselves "the Patriotic Laborer" , was distributed to all the members at the General Assembly of DISK (The Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Unions). In the leaflet it was emphasized that the fascist junta of September 12 had done what it was supposed to do to suppress the revolutionary and socialist wave and to create a working class which was silenced, pacified and integrated to the system. The leaflet said that today's DISK had made a lot of compromises from the DISK of the past. It said," Today, the cost of the real war is being paid by the workers. The Turkish State wants the working class and the laborer people to share the dirty and unjust war it is waging against the Kurdish people by calling for 'national unity' and 'global sacrifices'. If today, the workers get beaten by the cops when they take to the streets, if they are tortured, exiled and fired, if the intellectuals are thrown to jails because of their thoughts, the most important reason for this is the dirty war conducted by the state in Kurdistan. Every year more than hundreds of trillions of TL is spent on this war. These policies should be made to fail. DISK should have an initiative to do this." Ozgur Ulke ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUGAR BEET GROWERS REFUSE TO SELL THEIR CROP The beet growers have accused the state factory's low prices for the drop in the production of sugar beet this year. The growers in Agri stated that the current policy was nothing but exploitation. The declaration from the growers said, "Our cost in growing the beet is 2000 TL and the factory is giving us 800 TL. Why should we grow more crop when there is no incentive to. Then they turn around and ask us why we are not growing more when we can not even get our labor's worth. Give our labor's equivalent and we will grow more than you need." Factory officials said they have not decided how much to pay for the beet crop this year yet. Ozgur Ulke ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ASSAULT ON ZONGULDAK COAL MINERS STARTS Turkey's Coal Society decided to retire 2,300 underground miners. The decision was announced to workers who are discussing ways to fight this decision. Proposals for resistance includes plans like marching to downtown Zonguldak everyday from the coal mines, using the power that producing gives to the workers and marching all the way to Ankara, the Capital. Genel Maden-Is (The Union of General Mine Workers Union) branch managers are in constant meetings with the workers. These managers have already come to the following understanding that "Without toppling the current government there is no way to solve the problem. We have to succeed in our struggle no matter what. This time, the struggle will be very hard and we have to be prepared for it." Workers have united in the three plants which will experience the first round of 'retirement' in Armutcuk, Kozlu and Amasra. The union officials are emphasizing the solidarity of the workers as, "We have to be in unity as workers and the Union. Every worker is a trooper and a leader of this struggle. When you go back to your villages, talk to your fellow peasants, talk to your mayors because we will be resisting with the whole people of Zonguldak." Semsi Demirer, the president of Genel Maden-Is (GMIS - The Union of General Mine workers Union) and also General Secretary of Turk-Is ) and Selahattin Ataman, the Deputy president of GMIS have made calls to all Zonguldak residents to be prepared for a new struggle. The political party Zonguldak and all it's branches have made announcements about the latest developments in their town. DYP (Right wing governing party in coalition with the social democratic SHP) and CHP(right wing social democratic party) have declared that they will resist in closing of the mines united as whole Zonguldak. SHP (The social democratic party in the government in coalition with the right wing DYP) Zonguldak branch has declared that in the case of the mine closures, the whole party branch with the members will resign from their party. Niyazi Isik, the president of the Zonguldak Branch of the Isci Partisi (The Workers Party) said in a televised speech in Zonguldak that the only party who has been struggling on behalf of the workers was the Workers Party and that they were the ones who have exposed the assault on the workers of Zonguldak by the imperialist collaborator ANAP (a right wing party) and DYP-SHP coalition from the time of the great miners strike. Niyazi Isik is proposing the following action plan: "Miners have shown they can start the struggle immediately in the past. And this time, the workers are ready for struggle also." "1- As in the previous great miners strike, the workers should march to downtown from their regions everyday. These marches will prepare the workers for the future struggles and will gather all the miners in Zonguldak every day." "2- GMIS (The Union of General Mine Workers Union) should use its power which comes from doing the actual production to stop this assault. Preventing the firing of 2300 workers will provide great incentives to Zonguldak." "3- A struggle line should be drawn up in Zonguldak-Karabuk-Eregli regions. This regional struggle line will also help establish a line in Turkey. Karabuk is getting ready to march to Ankara. Zonguldak and Eregli should be participating in this march. The totality of Zonguldak, Eregli and Karabuk should march to Ankara." Aydinlik ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SIX OFFICE WORKERS UNIONS ARE MERGING On June 26 the Central Executive Committees met and declared that in the process of strenthening union organization today, there is a burning need for multi dimensionality of the struggle and more powerful joint struggle among unions organizing in the same sectors. The Executive Committee said that to have separate unions organizing in the same sector was superficial and that they have decided to join and combine their forces. Aydinlik -------------------------------------------------------------------------- WHILE THE GOVERNMENT WANTS 'ASSOCIATIONS', THE OFFICE WORKERS ARE FORMING CONFEDERATIONS OF UNIONS. The government is preparing legislation for office workers associations, not office workers unions. But the Commission on the Constitution in the Parliament is leaning toward giving the 'right to unionize' to the public workers without the right to strike or collective bargaining. This brings up the old discussions of whether this is constitutional or not. While the government wants to continue discussing the President of Tum Maliye-Sen (The Union of all Fiscal Office Workers) Irfan Erdemoglu said, "We will not be participating in the discussion that the government has opened. We have been showing our demand for independent, democratic union organization which includes the right to strike and collective bargaining for the last three years." As Erdemoglu has stated also, the public workers are building a confederation of all their unions. "The society has accepted us, Who cares about the legislation? Suppose that the government comes up with the legislation, then we will solve the problem at the work places with the rank and file. The workers got their right to strike by striking in the first place." The public workers will participate in the confederation with the understanding that each sector will be represented by one union from that sector. This way, the building of confederation will also help join the division the unions are experiencing in the same sector. The works are under way in five different sectors to join and build the confederation: Transportation, education, energy-road-building, office and health. In the transportation sector for example, Demiryol-Sen (Railroad Workers Union), Tum Hava Sen (Airport and Air Transportation Workers Union) and Lim-Sen (Ship Transportation and Port Workers Union) are completing their merger on August 21. This will combine the 15,000 workers out of 26,000 total workers of transportation under one union. Aydinlik ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SUSER WORKERS ONCE AGAIN MARCHES IN PROTEST The workers who will be laid off from Suser by the Greater Istanbul Municipality yesterday marched again in protest. Workers demanding their right signed under the contract to be exercised wanted to give their petition to the mayors office but could not find any official who would take their petition. The petitions were left at the door of the recorders office. Faruk Buyukkucak, the President of Region 1. of Turk Is (The Confederation of all Workers Unions) have sent a letter to all the branches of unions under Turk-Is urging everybody to take up the struggle for the Suser workers. Workers, on the other hand, have vowed to continue their struggle against such political decisions as firing workers. Ozgur Ulke --------------------------------------------------------------------------- EGIT SEN (UNION OF EDUCATION WORKERS) CONDEMNS THE POLICE MURDER OF 3 IN BAGCILAR. In a statement given by the Headquarters of the Union of Education Workers it was stated that the 3 people murdered by the police 4 days ago in Bagcilar was done completely in contradiction to any law. It was stated that the police had tried and executed the 3 people in the house which were bombed and machine gunned without any effort to capture them alive. The statement read, "A new case was added to the long list of systemized execution-without-trial murders on August 4. Guner Sar, Huseyin Arslan and Ozlem Kilic were tried, found guilty and executed against all judicial procedures by the police. The murder was also televised via media to show how 'legitimate' the execution was. Ozgur Ulke -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 30 PEOPLE ARRESTED FOR PARTICIPATING IN THE FUNERAL OF OZLEM KILIC MURDERED BY THE POLICE IN BAGCILAR. 30 people were arrested in Ankara today for wanting to participate in Ozlem Kilic's funeral who was killed by the police in Istanbul Bagcilar. It was reported that the bus which was bringing the people to the funeral was stopped by the police and after identity checks everybody including the representative of the Ankara Platform of Freedoms and Rights who was also arrested. The funeral was conducted under heavy surveillance by more than 100 plainclothes police was attended by more then 100 people including her family members. Ozgur Ulke --------------------------------------------------------------------------- RIDVAN BULAK, ACCUSED OF BEING A MEMBER OF SHP, IS ELECTED AS PRESIDENT OF DISK AT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. After heated discussions and protests, Ridvan Bulak was elected as the President of DISK (The Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Union). Ridvan Bulak has been accused of being a social democrat and a member of SHP(the social democratic party). The discussions, closed door negotiations and dealings shadowed the real question of identity search in DISK. The discussions on the conditions of the working class and the position of DISK on the issues of the 'dirty war' and 'Kurdish question' were completely ignored and the discussions were totally focused on the presidential elections. Kemal Nebioglu who spoke first, ended his speech by saying 'If you vote for me, vote also for those young friends like me who will not put their asses down in the struggle'. Ridvan Bulak who spoke after Nebioglu explained the issues about an investigation started for him which were printed recently in the press. He said he demands the presidency to 'create the DISK which will meet with the workers all the way.' On the accusations that he was a member of the Social Democratic Party he said that he was a unionist on the side of the labor. The president of SOSYAL-IS, Ozcan Keskec said the unions should be independent of the government, the state and the capital but, sometimes, if needed, the unions could engage in organic ties with a political party. Last to speak was Ismail Hakki Onal who is the president of the GENEL-IS workers union. He said that he did not agree with those who spoke as 'This is the last General Assembly of DISK. DISK will either sink or swim. Will DISK live or die?'. He said the congress did not give him a similar impression and, 'Here we are, on our feet, alive and well'. He also voiced a somewhat self criticism by saying that, "We have not been effective in the resolution of the Kurdish question" . In the elections, none of the three candidate was able to collect the necessary votes to win the presidency. The elections were repeated three times. After the delegates started to resign from their posts with heavy and heated discussions, Ridvan Budak finally got the required votes to be elected as the next President of DISK. Enver Oktem said, 'The DISK where Ridvan Budak is the president, will not give anything to the working class'. DISK's ex-president Nebioglu said that he was a president who had been hit from the back but this did not mean his career as a unionist was over. He said he would put on his walking shoes and restart the union struggle as a trooper again as of now. Ozgur Ulke ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ONE HOUR OF WAR MEANS 40 UNEMPLOYED Ibrahim Kibrizli, the special consultant to the Joint Chamber of Commerce has said that the businesses staying alive with the state subsidies have gone into a crises with the recent stagnation in the building sector. Kibrizli said that with the 11 billion TL the state is spending in a hour for the war, it could build a factory which will employ 20 to 40 workers every hour in the east. While the state is spending 11 billion TL every hour, not a single penny is being spent on anything else in the east. All projects including the famous GAP, which will build huge dams across the east, have been stopped except for military and security operations. The production capacity of the people which had been accumulated in the past hundreds of years, has been destroyed by forcing people to migrate, by burning down of villages, crops, nurseries and forests by the economical warfare conducted against the people of the region. Ozgur Ulke ------------------------------------------------------------------------ MAGAZINES CLOSED DOWN BY STATE SECURITY COURT. The special issue named 'The Flag of the Labor will not be silenced' published by Genclik Yildizi (Star of Youth) has been confiscated by the State Security Court. Also, the last issue of the magazine Taraf (Side) and the first issue of Oncu Partizan (Vanguard Partisan) has also been confiscated by the same court. Ozgur Ulke -------------------------------------------------------------------------- DISK AND TISK MEET EACH OTHER! The first to congratulate the new elected president of DISK(Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Unions) was the president of TISK (Confederation of Employers Unions) Refik Baydur! Refik Baydur said that once DISK was a confederation based on ideology and slogans, but, today it has become a confederation which has adapted to a changing world. DISK President Budak said DISK is aware of the changes taking place throughout the world and "the most important thing is to find an agreement. We will discuss with you but we will capture a common point." Budak also stated that they wanted to get together with TISK in the future again. Ozgur Ulke --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** From lvpsf at igc.apc.org Mon Sep 19 23:55:34 1994 From: lvpsf at igc.apc.org (Labor Video Project) Date: Mon, 19 Sep 1994 15:55:34 -0700 (PDT) Subject: LABOR NEWS FROM TURKEY 8/20/94 Message-ID: From: Labor Video Project /* Written 3:51 PM Sep 19, 1994 by lvpsf in igc:labr.turkey */ /* ---------- "LABOR NEWS FROM TURKEY 8/20/94" ---------- */ **************************************************************** **************************************************************** LABOR NEWS FROM TURKEY August 20, 1994 Compiled from a collection of newspapers, magazines and news reports. ****************************************************************- ****************************************************************- COAL WORKERS FORCED TO RETIRE, FORM LONG LINES IN FRONT OF SOCIAL SECURITY OFFICES 2392 Coal Workers who were forced to retire formed long lines in front of the Social Security offices and demanded that their retirement process be completed by filling all the necessary papers out. The Social Security office could not handle the large number of requests filed by the workers and the work at the offices came to a stop. Ozgur Ulke ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- HOSPITAL VISIT FROM ARAS CARGO WORKERS The resistance is at its 33 day at Aras Cargo where the workers resisting the lay offs marched together to the hospital with their co-workers who are still employed. The workers gathered in front of the Aras Cargo branch management. Heavy security measures were to be seen at the site. Here, the resisting workers were joined by their co-workers who demanded a hospital visit slip from the management which is required for any health problems the workers may experience. First the management refused to provide any hospital visit slips to the workers. When workers insisted, the slips were finally made available. From here, the workers marched to the Social Security Health Clinic. Abidin Yilmaz, the representative for Ankara branch of Nakliyat-Is (Transportation workers Union) held a press conference at the door of the Aras Cargo and said that their friends had been fired because they were members of the union. Yilmaz said the bosses are scared of organized workers as if it was death, but, he continued, being scared will not prevent dying. Yilmaz said the bosses had started new tactics to scare the workers. The workers are being followed and threatened by plainclothes security guards who impersonate police officers. Yilmaz also said, "The basic right to work and to organize is being prevented at Aras Cargo by some street gangster tactics." Ozgur Ulke ---------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------- POLICE ATTACKS CONSTRUCTION WORKERS Police have arrested 35 workers after raiding the construction site of Garanti Koza Insaat at Kilyos, Istanbul, where 4,000 workers are employed. The raid started at 4:00 AM when around 600 gendarmerie troops who surrounded the construction site together with plainclothes and uniformed police. After gathering all the workers in an open field, the security forces conducted a search in the workers quarters. A large number of books,cassettes, tape recorders and personal properties of the workers were confiscated. The search continued till 10:00 AM. and 35 workers were arrested and taken to Sariyer police headquarters. A worker explained the raid and arrests as, "We were able to organize a lunch boycott and a one day work stoppage about 3 or 4 months ago. The bosses then built a gendarmerie station right here inside the construction site. As the 15th of August is nearing (the 10th anniversary of the start of the armed Kurdish resistance) the police and the army increased their attacks on us. When they could not find anything illegal in the search, they threatened us." Ozgur Ulke --------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- THEY RAN AWAY FROM THE STATE TERROR, NOW THEY ARE UNEMPLOYED Four families had ran away from Sirnak to Antep when they could not take the state oppression prevalent in the region. The security forces had harassed the families number of times by conducting raids to their homes, arresting family members and torturing them, because their sons had joined the guerrilla. Hazim Benek said that their house had been hit with the artillery fire by the Turkish Army and her husband Ismail Benek, their visitor Ismail Yaman and his 4 year old daughter Meryem Yaman had been killed in the attack. She said there was nothing left behind that she can call a home back in her village. But, in Antep nobody would employ any of the 21 people of the Yaman and Benek families because they are from Sirnak. Now, the families have migrated to South Kurdistan (in Iraq). ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- WORKERS WHO DEMANDED THAT THEY GET PAID ARE FIRED 37 workers who work at minimum wage at the Erhaz clothes factory have been fired by the employers because they demanded to get paid. Most of the workers are young women aged 18-25 coming from nearby villages to work at Erhaz in Erzincan. The workers demanded their wages be paid for the past three months and stopped the machines last Monday. The employers prevented them from entering the factory after this action. The factory produces clothes to be exported and last year 450 people were employed. But with the lay offs, this year only 115 workers are employed. The workers have started a resistance in front of the factory. They said, "Although we work for a full month, we are shown on the papers as having worked for two weeks for the Social Security Service. None of our social or other rights are given. The only thing they provided were lunches but they were very inappropriate to eat. Lately, we can not even afford the bus fare to come to work." The resisting workers said their friends at work are under pressure too and the bosses have prevented the workers from taking breaks `fearing that they may socialize with the resisting workers. The owners have also locked all doors and windows and will not allow any worker to leave the premisses during the day. "We are constantly being threatened by the bosses. Even the team leads are doing every trick in the world to break our resistance. But, we want to work. We will struggle to the end. We want financial and moral support from unions, democratic mass organizations, our people and the media". Ozgur Ulke ----------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------- TISK (CONFEDERATION OF EMPLOYERS UNIONS) ASKS WORKERS UNIONS TO BE SOFT Kubilay Atasayar, the General Secretary of TISK (The Confederation of Employers Unions) said the real issue between workers and the employers was to decide whether the firms were going to live or not. He said he had observed that the workers unions had been very understanding up to now, and he requested the continuation of this softness. Ozgur Ulke --------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- PUBLIC WORKERS GIVE BACK THEIR 'INCREASE' TO PRIME MINISTER CILLER Public workers of the state protested the unbelievable little raise of 217,0L ($7.00) the state has finally decided to reward them with. The workers started an action the other day by mailing back their inreases to P Minister, Cille. In their declarations they announed that they would continue their actions and struggle to get demands met. The governments policies were criticized including the collaboration of the government with the IMF. POLICE ARRESTS A 5 MONTH OLD BABY Political police arrested Adil Vurgun, his wife Dunya Vurgun and their 5 month old baby after raiding their house at 11:00 PM in Mardin. Ozgur Ulke ---------------------------------------------------------------- STATE FORCES A PROTEST MARCH IN SIRNAK State security forces going from door to door gathered people and forced them to march in protest of PKK, the Kurdistan Workers Party. The march was ordered by the governor of Sirnak, Kamil Acu. Similar marches were conducted by the state in neighboring Silopi, Cizre and Beytussebap towns recently. The forces threatened the people by saying they will repeat what happened in 1992 if they did not march and chant slogans against the PKK. In 1992 the army had opened artillery fire against the town of Sirnak and had killed many people and destroyed sections of the town. Ozgur Ulke ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- WORKERS FORCED TO TAKE VACATION AT TOFAS AUTOMOBILE The TOFAS automobile factory forced the workers to take vacations at half pay while the factory undergoes an annual service for two weeks. 4,000 workers are affected by the forced 'vacation'. Sabri Ozdemir, the general secretary of Turk Metal Sendikasi (Turkish Metal Workers Union) has said that the workers have given compromises in these hard economic times, but if the workers do not get full payments they will start a court suit against the automobile factory. Ozgur Ulke ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- INCREDIBLE WITNESS TO MASSACRE A witness tells story of how guerrillas were tortured, mutilated and killed by the Turkish Army. "I was going to see my family in Batman when I met 5 guerrillas. Their commander Yilmaz told me not to go because there was heavy military operations on Cudi Mountain. A taxi came and they changed their clothes and put their arms in the luggage of the taxi. We started out on the evening of July 21. We were stopped in front of Hacilar Battalion.... "We were tortured for 4 days in the battalion. Then they put me, the guerrillas, Yilmaz Uzun, Gabar, Gabar, Selim, Behdinan and Ilhan who had been arrested in Silopi into a Panzer tank. The team cut and mutilated the guerrillas just like butchers while reciting the names of the killed soldiers. First they cut off Yilmaz Uzun's ears, nose, his arms then finally his throat like a sheep. "They also cut the others ears and other parts. They cut off my left ear. (The picture shows A.T with the scar left on his head where his left ear was) We were taken to an empty field. There was an unbelievable bad smell, this was the execution cemetery. They took off the chains from our hands and feet. It was ordered to dump Yilmaz's corpse in a ditch dug like a grave. They threw use by one into ditches an machine gunned us. I played dead and survived that way..." Ozgur lke From lvpsf at igc.apc.org Sat Sep 24 03:53:37 1994 From: lvpsf at igc.apc.org (Labor Video Project) Date: Fri, 23 Sep 1994 19:53:37 -0700 (PDT) Subject: LABOR NEWS FROM TURKEY PART 2 8/20/ Message-ID: From: Labor Video Project /* Written 7:52 PM Sep 23, 1994 by lvpsf in igc:labr.turkey */ /* ---------- "LABOR NEWS FROM TURKEY PART 2 8/20/" ---------- */ From: Labor Video Project INTERNATIONAL PROTEST AGAINST FIRINGS AT GARANTI BANK In an announcement made by DISK (The Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Unions) it was said that 140 workers fired from Garanti Bank for organizing have received international support from all over the world. Letters from Sweden to Malaysia were sent to President Demirel, Prime Minister Ciller and the President of Garanti Bank Akin Gungor demanded that the workers should be hired back to their jobs. Ozgur Ulke ------------------------------------------------------------------- ATTORNEY ARRESTED Necati Guven, an attorney in Erzurum was arrested by the police on August 16 when he came out of a trial from the State Security Court. Gercek ------------------------------------------------------------------- JOURNALIST ARRESTED Dogan Turan, working for the magazine 1 Mayis (May First) was arrested by police after he left the office in the evening of August 16 in Kadikoy, Istanbul. Gercek ------------------------------------------------------------------- POLICE GANG RAPE WOMAN On August 3, Songul Ozyurt was kidnapped and raped by policemen when she went to see her sister in the Kayseri prison. In a press announcement, Ozyurt said after she got out of the bus two men forced her to a blue van (Police uses blue vans in Turkey), tied her eyes and was taken to an unknown place. Police kept on asking her why she came to Kayseri and accused her of supplying people to the guerrillas and that she had hung an illegal banner. Later on, Ozyurt said two policemen raped her. Her rape was video taped by the police. The police also threatened to send the videotape to the newspapers and declare that the guerrilla was using the women in the mountains this way. "The law is on our side" the police threatened Ozyurt, "and nobody will believe you". The police also promised to kill her if they were to see her again. Gercek ------------------------------------------------------------------- TURK METAL CONDEMNS THE WORKERS After the April 5 austerity measures the lay offs are happening en mass at BMC. 102 workers were laid off in January, 55 in February, 210 in March and 226 in July. Total number of fired workers adds up to 593. The third 'action' taken by Turk Metal (Turkish Metal Workers Union) was concluded by a recent press release. From the very first day of the crises, the Izmir Branch manager Yilmaz Turan had done nothing but try to ease the burden of the crunch on the bosses by offering free work. Currently there are 1500 workers who work in the two shifts in the plant. When asked if there are any more cuts expected, Turan replied, "When BMC received more contracts, they hired more workers. This is why, after the crises an excess of workers were employed by the plant. The 1500 workers in the plant are the normal capacity of the factory". The union did not fight for the workers kicked off the factory. The only gain was to negotiate with the bosses and receive the benefits which were not paid to the fired workers in installments. The employer forced the workers to sign an agreement to work for one week and three weeks without any pay last June 2. Some workers who opposed this started a court suit against the bosses. The was for 90 of these workers who were not paid. The union found refuge again in the arms of the law. In an open courtsuit against the employer filed in July when the employer said that its workers past benifits would not be paid. Three workers started sitting in front of factory from 8AM to 5 PM for three days between Aug 5 to August 8. Grcek --------------------------********************************** From lvpsf at igc.apc.org Thu Sep 29 19:31:18 1994 From: lvpsf at igc.apc.org (Labor Video Project) Date: Thu, 29 Sep 1994 11:31:18 -0700 (PDT) Subject: LABOR NEWS FROM TURKEY 9/24/94 Message-ID: From: Labor Video Project /* Written 3:17 PM Sep 28, 1994 by lvpsf in igc:labr.turkey */ /* ---------- "LABOR NEWS FROM TURKEY 9/24/94" ---------- */ From: Labor Video Project ************************************************************************** ************************************************************************** LABOR NEWS FROM TURKEY September 24, 1994 Compiled from several newspapers and journals ************************************************************************** ************************************************************************** HAVA-Is (Air Workers Union) REQUESTED FREEDOM OF THOUGHT On September 15th, the executive board of Air Workers Union held a press conference announcing their demand for freedom of thought. Members of the board who met were reminded that their president Atilla Aycin had been sentenced to 20 months and 42,000,000 TL ($1200.00) fine for a speech he had made at the Human Rights Association in 1991. Members protested about putting people in jail for their thoughts, then apologetic visits from the government ministers was not seen anywhere else in the world. Gercek. September 17, 1994. ************************************************************************** PUBLIC WORKERS FROM SINCAN RETURNED TO THEIR JOBS. Celebrating the victory brought by a court suit over a dinner party, the workers of Sincan Municipality who were fired from their positions by the new mayor Bekir Yildiz from RP(fundamentalist Islamic party) will be returning back to their jobs. The celebration was also attended by the Mayor of Dogan Tasdelen of Cankaya and an ex minister of SHP(Social Democratic Peoples Party), Ibrahim Tez. The workers denounced the new mayor for also removing a public statue which he accused of having similarities to a hammer and a sickle. Gercek. September 17, 1994. ************************************************************************** PRODUCTION STOPPED AT ORHANELI THERMAL POWER PLANT Dev Maden Sen (Revolutionary Mine Workers Union) announced in a declaration that the stoppage of the Orhaneli Thermal Power Plant by the regional court served as an extension of the current prevailing line of privatization. The declaration announced that the employers immediately started the procedures of laying off 530 workers as a result of the court injunction. "While they try to open new power plants like Gokova and Kemerkoy right in the middle of touristic heavens, they are shutting down production plants with the excuse of pollution. They are doing this to get rid of the workers." said the announcement. It was asked by the ecologists and the greens that this not to be used by the bosses but, if they are concerned, to show this concern by improving the technical conditions in the plant. Gercek. September 17, 1994. ************************************************************************** POLICE RAID A WEDDING The police, Special Team Squads and Rapid Force Units conducted a raid on a wedding in Gulbahce, Adana on September 11 and arrested 18 people including 3 women. Gercek. September 17, 1994. ************************************************************************** THERE IS NO RETURNING BACK, WE HAVE DRAWN OUR SWORDS! 53 Workers fired from Alibeykoy, Istanbul Aras Cargo. Reason: organizing for a union. Workers are resisting. The police have the workers surrounded. Lay offs are happening everywhere at full speed. The Aras Cargo workers are receiving their shares also. The ex-leftist boss of Aras Cargo, using his previous expertise on organizing and unionization is using intimidation tactics on the workers. He pressured the workers to resign from the union using his 'body guards' from the Political Police squad whom he has stationed in the work place. A total of 53 workers who were organizing for a union or who were members of the union are fired. But the Cargo workers did not take this silently. The occupation on August 28 of the offices in Ankara by the workers immediately spread throughout the branches and resulted in a reaction of workers joining the union more than ever. While the occupation was going on, 130 workers in Alibeykoy stopped work and collectively went to the hospital for medical reasons to support the occupation. This made the bosses start laying off workers from the Alibeykoy connection center also. Workers were called to the office individually and were threatened to resign from the union or else to lose their jobs. Then the police surrounded the workers and attacked them: 13 workers were arrested on the grounds that "they were suspicious individuals". The workers are defending themselves from all these assaults by resisting in front of the doors of the Aras Cargo, Workers who sit all day long in front of the offices on some make-shift banks say, "We have drawn our swords. There is no returning back. Let Celal Aras think from here on!. Don't be fooled that this is made out of wood. Our sword is made of steel, it will not break easily. We are very determined, we have nothing to lose. We have lost our bread, we have lost our jobs. We want our jobs and bread back without loosing our pride. This is the reason why we are here. Just to prevent us from organizing for a union, the boss transferred the company to a contracting firm Demkar Limited. But, Demkar is not running the business. Celal Aras is conducting the business behind the scene. The employer started playing all kinds of tricks when we started to organize for the union. They hired workers whom they brought all the way from Adana, Mersin and Tunceli. The workers employed here are Kurds mostly. Because we are Kurds, we are treated like slaves. A worker employed for 4 years gets only 2,400,000 TL. ($68.00 a month). The employer does not even pay our social security insurance premiums. They have only paid only 120 days of premiums till today. They provoke the police against us, then the police attack us. The security officer of Alibeykoy comes here and threatens us not to build any fires or not to have anybody else here besides the workers. Police have us surrounded. They will not allow even the press to get close to us for interviews. Also, they have forbidden us to stay here the night." While these are happening in the connection center at Alibeykoy, the branches started to lay off workers also. The employer has announced a lock-out in the branches. Because they were waiting in front of the Eminonu Aras Cargo branch 3 workers 2 of whom were women were arrested by the police and taken to the headquarters. But the workers are discussing the resistance to get lessons out of the Ankara Occupation. "We have to draw lessons from both the class history and our own resistance. We are thinking about going further than Ankara office occupation. We will shed blood if necessary to protect this position till our last drop of blood. We will try numerous actions. The public will witness this in a short while. We expect support and solidarity from our class brothers and sisters. "Ex-Leftist' Celal Aras who has sold his soul will learn a lesson here." Gercek. September 17, 1994. ************************************************************************** TEMPORARY WORKERS ON HUNGER STRIKE Workers of Yol-Is (Road Workers Union) left a black wreath at the doors of DYP (The Right Way Party of the government) and SHP (The Social Democratic Peoples' Party in coalition with the DYP in the government). The band on the wreath read:, "The Seasonal Workers". Abdulkadir Candemir, the president of the Eskisehir Branch of the Yol-Is Union said couple of years ago they had worked 9 months. Last year they worked for only 5.5 months and this year they were able to work only 3 months. He said, "they tell us to come and work at minimum wage. This is impossible. We work in remote lands. If we were to accept this, how can we support all our expenses out there in the field and also our families. The workers chanted "Government Resign" as they marched. A hunger strike for three days in the Union was also started by the workers. Gercek. September 17, 1994. ************************************************************************** INVESTIGATION FOR SIVAS TEACHERS Governors office and the local Nation Educational Office has started an investigation on 40 education workers who are members of Egit-Sen (Educational Workers Union) for participating in the Public Workers Meeting held in Ankara last May 28. Also another investigation has been launched for Muzaffer Uclu, a member of Egit-Sen also, for having taken the union publication to school where he works. The members held a press conference at the offices of Egit-Sen and denounced the investigations on September 7. Also a farewell dinner was given to the members of the union who had been 'sent to exile' by the government. Also, in Sivas 800 temporary workers who had been laid off from Village Services on August 15 were called back to work. The workers who had worked only 3 months will be laid off again after a month. Gercek. September 17, 1994. ************************************************************************** STRIKE AT GAZIANTEP PUBLIC WORKS 280 of the total 370 public workers went on strike at Gaziantep's Sehit Kamil district. 90 of the striking workers do not legally have the right to strike. The workers have been 'sitting' at a park in front of the Municipality office or around the offices for the last 10 days. While the union Genel-Is under DISK has settled for the pay, the dispute for job security has not been resolved. The mayor from the RP (Welfare Party- A right wing Islamist fundamental party.) has insisted that the discipline board members from his side should have two voting rights. On September 2, 50 people from Human Rights Association and Egit-Sen (The Education Workers Union) came to give support to the striking workers carrying banners which read "Long Live Work-Bread- Freedom". The Human Rights Association also came back the next day with food for the striking workers. The police forced the workers away from the strike site on September 4 saying they can only come as close as 300 meters to the Municipality offices. Only 6 workers were allowed to get closer. Also, 2 members of the Human Rights Association were arrested on site, but were released later that day. The mayor, Mehmet Bozgeyik, has started 150 workers from the Municipality's company Sekabel for cleaning jobs at minimum wages. He is trying to break the organization of DISK (The Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Union) and establish an organization of Hak-Is (Confederation of Right Workers Union- An Islamic Fundamentalist Workers Union) at the public works. Gercek. September 17, 1994. ************************************************************************** MINE WORKERS UNION SUES GOVERNMENT Dev Maden Sen (Revolutionary Mine Workers Union) had requested to conduct negotiations in a work site from The Ministry of Work and Social Security for collective bargaining, claiming to have authority for representation from the workers. In order for the union to participate in collective bargaining or for representation the union must have a minimum 10% of the organized workers in that site. The union was turned down by the Ministry because they did not make the required minimum. The Dev Maden Sen has opened a court suit to appeal the decision. The purpose for the court suit is also aiming for the laws which require a minimum percentage for representation. The union has announced that they will fight to the end to change every undemocratic law brought by the September 12 regime of 1980. Gercek. September 17, 1994. ************************************************************************** WORK STOPPAGE AT YEMAS FOOD FACTORY The workers at Yemas have re-started their action after they did not approve the new agreement with the employers of Yemas. Oleyis (Hotel and Restaurant Workers Union) under DISK has been negotiating with the company which produces food products. All workers at Cukobirlik supported the action of workers who refused to leave the premises. A support committee was formed at the site to conduct the resistance. The employer is trying to nullify the previous contract. Omer Fethullah, the president of Cukobirlik has called in the gendarmerie to force the workers out of the plant but the workers were able to resist this assault too. The plant can not distribute food since September 7. Gercek. September 17, 1994. ************************************************************************** NEGOTIATION AUTHORITY HURTS THE WORKERS 100,000 workers have been prevented from collective bargaining due to authorization dispute between DISK (Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Union) and Turk-Is (Confederation of Workers Union of Turkey). The collective bargaining, which was due in September between the Trade Unions and the Textile Employers' Union was not held because of a dispute of authority between the two workers unions, The Textile and The Teksif Labor Union. In the work places where the employers are organized under the Textile Employers' Union, DISK is organized under The Textile Workers Union at 15 plants and has 12,200 members. Turk-Is, on the other hand has organized under The Teksif Labor Union at 70 plants with 60,000 members. This means that about 70,000 workers are faced with not being able to do collective bargaining. The vice president of DISK's Textile Union pointed out that this number includes only the work places whose employers have been organized under the Employers' unions and if the total organized work places are considered, the number of organized workers are exceedingly high in this industry. DISK's Birlesik Metal-Is (Joint Metal Workers Union) has taken away the authority to bargain from Turk-Is's Turk Metal (Metal Workers Union of Turkey) in Eregli Iron-Steel Works (ERDEMIR) which employs 7,000 workers. Having lost the work place the Turk Metal has opposed Birlesik Metal-Is Union's bargaining authority which has stopped between the workers and the employers. The vice president of the Textile Workers Union has said that the workers are the ones who are suffering. And he added that they are ready to take back their opposition, if the other side does the same: "There should be respect for the workers will. Even if we have exceeded the minimum number of workers needed to be organized to request authority, we are against this minimum requirement. Servet Bayka, the Head of the Collective Bargaining Department of Birlesik Metal-Is Union said, "The main reason of this situation are the laws. These laws should be cleared off the anti-democratic items. But until then, a referendum will serve an important role to provide the workers with an authorized labor union and to prevent them from working without a contract. Ozgur Ulke. September 16, 1994. ************************************************************************** BRANCHES REJECT TURK-IS' AGREEMENT WITH THE GOVERNMENT Reactions are coming in from Turk-Is (Confederation of Workers Union of Turkey) branches objecting to Turk-Is signing an agreement against the 'inflation payments' owed to 600,000 workers by the government. The branches in Istanbul held a meeting and announced that they did not recognize the agreement between Turk-Is and the government and that they will appeal by using their own legal rights. Turk-Is was also criticized for cutting ties with DISK (Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Union) and Hak-Is which will severe the workings of the Platform of Democracy. The meeting was called by the Region 1's representative Faruk Buyukkucak to discuss the actions needed to be taken against the Turk-Is who signed an agreement with the government against the Executive Board and Extended Executive Board's decision. The problems the working class will face in the future and democratization was also discussed in the meeting. Faruk Buyukkucak, in his opening speech to 32 unions said the agreement at the Executive Board to take action was not only for the workers to receive their payments on inflation adjustment, but was also for gaining other democratic rights. Ali Kolos, the president of Gida-Is (Food Workers Union)Branch 3, said that Turk-Is, by signing such an agreement, has delivered a blow to the system of collective bargaining at a time of unprecedented troubles for unionization. He suggested that the unions get together for an action against Turk-Is. Ercan Atmaca from Yol-Is (Road Workers Union) said for the agreement, 'I am summarizing this in one word: Sell out!'. Hasan Saygili from Tes-Is also said that they will not honor the agreement between Turk-Is and the government and they will exercise their legal rights to oppose the agreement. He said, "What will Turk-Is do when it is time to pay the bonds and government announces that it can not pay? Will Turk-Is say the government lied to them like before? When did this government ever kept its promise to the workers?". He also said that the Turk-Is will not act differently in the future as it is obvious from its actions today. The letter from Turk-Is to DISK and Hak-Is where it announced its break away from them was also discussed in the meeting. 500 workers from Harb-Is (Military Workers Union) protested the agreement in front of Turk-Is. The workers left a black wreath reading 'No to sell out' at the door. Necmettin Dogan, the president of Ankara branch said the problem was not only because of 50-60% pay hikes, but the real problem was the reversal of their right of collective bargaining. Dogan continued by stating that the Turk-Is executives who signed the agreement were as guilty as the representatives of the capital. He said Turk-Is left its position to join the ranks of the capitalists. He said they were ready for all kinds of struggle. During the protest the workers chanted slogans as "We do not want a sold out Turk-Is", "Turk-Is resign", "We don't want money, we want democracy","Death to the capitalist government". Ozgur Ulke. September 17, 1994 ************************************************************************** TURK-IS PUNISHES BRANCHES. The September 12 Coup of 1980 changed the laws on Workers' Unions and gave unlimited authorities to the presidents and administrators of the unions. The administrators use these powers against their political rivals. Bayram Meral, the president of Turk-Is (The Confederation of Workers Unions of Turkey) is the head of Yol-Is (The Road Workers Union). This union has shown the structure these unions operate under and what they mean by "Union Democracy" recently. Some of the union branches which were penalized by their administrations lately include Yol-Is Istanbul Region 1 Branch, Tek Gida-Is (Food Workers Union) Branch #1, Tes-Is Branch #1 and Tez Koop-Is Branch #4. The following represent a small sample of punishment tactics used by Turk-Is authorities against the branches: - Starting an investigation against Ercan Atmaca, the president of a branch, who gave a press release. - Cancellation of the branch drivers contract 'to make the branch see the reality'. - An economical embargo against the branch against all bylaws of the union. - Cancellation of fax telephone lines of Yol-Is branch. - Disciplining the whole Executive Board of the branch. Ozgur Ulke. September 18, 1994. ************************************************************************** POLICE PREVENTS NEGOTIATIONS The bosses of Aras Cargo continue their assault on the workers rights despite the 45 days of struggle by the fired workers. The workers protested the employer for not paying their social benefits and a portion of their pays kept by the employer on their 45th day of termination. The police stopped the 29 workers and their families from meeting with the employer by not allowing them near the building. Police also prevented the workers lawyer and member of the Human Rights Association's Commission on Work Life Sakir Yordam from seeing the Aras Cargo employers. The lawyer announced that he was protesting the Police action which clearly showed the police took the side of the bosses. Semsi Ercan, the president of Nakliyat-Is(Transportation Workers Union) said the company owed each worker at least 4-5 million TL ($110-$150) but the company refused to pay these to the workers for the last month and half. He said they see the lay offs as unlawful lock outs and will start legal procedures against the owners. The union will protest the action of Aras Cargo with a press release in front of the companies building next Tuesday. On the other hand it was reported that the employers are forcing the workers to sign a resignation paper. The workers are promised that they will get paid their dues if they sign the paper. The workers want to add a phrase to the resignation paper saying they have not received their pays yet. The employer does not accept this phrase. The company already started hiring workers from outside Istanbul and have filled the positions of the laid off workers. Ozgur Ulke. September 18, 1994. ************************************************************************** WAR CREATES ITS OWN WARLORD The largest giant in automotive industry Koc Holding's firm Otokar produced a total of 4,900 armed vehicles for the army and the security forces. Otokar also received the contract to produce 5000 more tactical armed vehicle. The company produces the vehicles under the British Land Rover license. 4,300 vehicles alone by Otokar is being used by the gendarmerie forces. Ozgur Ulke. September 20, 1994. ************************************************************************** WORKERS KIDNAPPED BY ARGK GUERRILLAS ARE RELEASED. 18 Workers kidnapped in Diyarbakir by ARGK guerrillas were set free by the same. The workers in good health were immediately taken to the police headquarters for questioning. Ozgur Ulke. September 20, 1994. ************************************************************************** SOLDIERS SHOOT JOURNALIST Rifat Ozungur, the ex representative in Sivas for Mucadele (The Struggle) was gunned down by the gendarmerie for allegedly not stopping when asked to. Several magazines and newspapers announced that Ozgunur was a member of the socialist press and demanded an explanation on his killing. But no explanation was given by either the District Attorney, or the Security Office or the Gendarmerie Office or the Health Clinic he was taken after being shot. Ozgur Ulke. September 20, 1994. ************************************************************************** ONE YEAR OLD BABY UNDER DETENTION Arbitrary detention are still being carried out in Diyarbakir, Batman, Adiyaman and Dersim. In Diyarbakir, after a raid to a house, the security officers from the political branch of the police arrested a 1 year old baby with both parents. An eyewitness to the arrest said, "This family migrated to Diyarbakir only four months ago from Lice. We were at home at the time of the raid. Two plainclothes teams came to raid the house. They tied everybody's eyes and took them away with their 1 year old baby. What they did is inhumane. What could a one year old baby have done? We have no information where they have been taken." Ozgur Ulke. September 20, 1994. ************************************************************************** WEEKLY EXPRESS CONFISCATED Weekly Express was confiscated by the State Security Court for printing an article which discussed the Kurdish question. In an interview with Kemal Burkay, the leader of Kurdish Socialist Party who is in exile, the weekly printed his views that the question could only be solved with a democratic federation. This view was seen as a propaganda to divide Turkey which is illegal. Ozgur Ulke. September 20, 1994. ************************************************************************** CALL FOR UNITY FROM DISK'S TEKSTIL Suleyman Celebi, the deputy president of Tekstil (Garment Workers Union) of DISK (The Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Union) called to the other unions Teksif and Oz Iplik-Is operating in the same industry under Turk-Is and Hak-Is for a unity to complete the collective bargaining to the best advantage of the working class. Ozgur Ulke. September 20, 1994. ************************************************************************** 19 MARTYRS FROM NEWSPAPER OZGUR ULKE IN TWO YEARS. The following 19 journalists and Ozgur Ulke workers have been murdered in the last two years. MUSA ANTER CENGIZ ALTUN HUSEYIN DENIZ HAFIZ AKDEMIR KEMAL KILIC AYSEL MALKAC FERHAT TEPE NAZIM BABAOGLU YAHYA ORHAN ADNAN ISIK MEHMET SENOL ORHAN KARAAGAR YALCIN YASA MEHMET SENCER ISMAIL AGAYA M. ZEKI AKSOY LOKMAN GUNDUZ HASIM YASA ABDULKADIR IPEKSUMER Ozgur Ulke. September 20, 1994. ************************************************************************** PUBLIC OFFICE WORKERS PUNISHED FOR MARCHING 1/30th pay of 9 Public office workers' pays were cut as a result of an investigation by the governors office in Samsun. The workers, all members of Tum Maliye-Sen (Public Accounting Office Workers Union) had participated in a march from Samsun to Ankara last May 28th called by the Platform of Public Workers Samsun Branch. The workers were accused of travelling beyond the province border without permission. Tum Maliye Sen announced today that an action like this will not go without a reply and protested the cuts which totalled 9,000,000 TL ($250.00). It was also announced that other members of the union were also subject to investigations. Union will start a six month campaign to help the workers financially. Ozgur Ulke. September 21, 1994. ************************************************************************** TURKISH SOLDIERS WOUND A MOTHER AND SON Sirin Yildirim age 35 and her 12 year old son were wounded by soldiers from Yolustu Gendarmerie Station who opened fire on them while grazing their sheep near the village of Zagxe in Elazig. Mother and son were taken to Erzurum Research Hospital by the villagers. Sirin Yildirim was announced to be in critical condition. Ozgur Ulke. September 21, 1994. ************************************************************************** PROTEST AGAINST ARAS CARGO Tumtis Union organized a protest in front of Aras Cargo plant in Izmir to protest the firing of 15 workers. Around 60 workers protested Aras Cargo for firing workers and chanted slogans as "End lay offs", "End waged slavery", "Long live the unity of the workers", "We are workers, we are right, we will win" and started marching towards Turk-Is' regional offices from Aras Cargo. Ozgur Ulke. September 21, 1994. ************************************************************************** WORKERS DEMAND TO GET PAID Seasonal road workers in Erzincan declared the government an enemy of the workers for not paying them for over a month. The workers are not paid their bonuses and the benefits they received as a result of their collective bargaining. Ozgur Ulke. September 21, 1994. ************************************************************************** TURK-IS INTERNAL FIGHT GETS DIRTY After responding to criticism from DISK and Hak-Is for signing an agreement against workers with the government by cutting all relationships with them, Bayram Meral, the president of Turk-Is has started dirty tactics against other Turk-Is unions who have criticized him. Bayram Meral started to pile up the dirty laundry of other unions for burning his coffin, demonstrating in front of Turk-Is and calling the agreement 'shameful'. Meral is complaining from other union presidents in a letter sent out to the organization. He claims Izzet Cetin, the president of Harb-Is (Military Workers Union), has given his unlisted home telephone number to the organization and has insulted his wife and daughter while he was not there. Izzet Cetin responded by saying Meral's number was publicly available from the telephone information office. This letter was the second complaint letter Meral sent after the first letter complained from Faruk Barut, the President of Tes- Is. EMPLOYERS UNION: THE PEACEMAKER! The ongoing dispute between Turk-Is and DISK and Hak-Is has got TISK (The Employers Union of Turkey) worried. Refik Baydar, the president has stepped in to create 'peace' between the workers confederations. He said he has talked to all sides and that he will continue seeing all parties to stop the feud. Ozgur Ulke. September 21, 1994. ************************************************************************** 5 OZGUR ULKE WORKERS UNDER TORTURE The raids on Ozgur Ulke offices on fake reasons started after the resolution to prevent the paper from the 'State of Emergency Coordination Council'. The security officers this time explicitly said "We have orders. We will not allow you to work here." A number of our friends had been forced to leave the paper after being threatened by the police. Although the State Security Court, the police, the special team and the gendarmerie has kept the paper under heavy pressure since its first day of publication, the pressures have been increased especially recently on the paper. Our Diyarbakir office has been raided 3 times and Van and Agri offices has been raided once in the past month and half. Police who raided the home of our Mardin representative, arrested our correspondent. 18 Ozgur Ulke workers are under arrest. Gursel Sahin, Nezahat Ozen, Metin Dag, Kadriye Ozcanli and Mehmet Balamir are under torture in JITEM (Gendarmerie Information gathering service). 3 of those under arrest are editors of the paper. 143 of 147 issues of the paper has been confiscated. It is forbidden to sell the paper in Kurdistan. Ozgur Ulke. September 22, 1994. ************************************************************************** TEACHERS ARE FORCED TO TAKE UP ARMS The state started to arm the teachers in an effort to force them to join the paramilitary 'guards' organized by the state to combat the guerrillas. 35 teachers received their kalashnikov assault rifles and ammunition in Erzincan. In Erzurum, the state is preparing to distribute arms to doctors and nurses as well as teachers. Teachers in Basbudak village refused to receive arms from the government. Basyurek Altin, the education secretary of Egit-Sen (Edcation Workers Union) protested the state's action and declared that they did not approve the arming of the teachers. Human Rights Association also protested the pressure to take up arms by the state and called for all educational institutions and general public to strongly refuse this action. Ozgur Ulke. September 22, 1994. ************************************************************************** ATTACK ON THE TURKISH SOLDIERS Soldiers from the Geman Batallion participating in a joint operation with the paramilitary 'village guards' were ambushed by the guerrillas where 4 soldiers and a 'guard' was killed. When the soldiers opened fire to a civilian vehicle an 11 year old was killed. In another ambush by the guerrillas at Genc (Bingol), the soldiers who went to protect the railroad from the guerrillas were attacked and one soldier was killed. In the same Genc area in another attack 2 soldiers lost their lives in Akdag. Guerrillas resting in Kerboran (Mardin) were surrounded by the paramilitary guards. When the guerrilla sensed the operation they slipped away from the ambush and the guards thinking they were fighting the guerilla started firing at each other. One guard was killed while 5 was wounded. Ozgur Ulke. September 22, 1994. ************************************************************************** NORWAY'S HUMAN RIGHTS PRIZE GIVEN TO LEYLA ZANA, THE JAILED DEP DEPUTY The 1994 prize for human rights was given to Leyla Zana, the deputy from DEP (Democracy Party). Leyla Zana jailed for being Kurdish received the prize for trying to solve the 'dispute between Kurds and the Turkish State in a democratic way'. She was elected from Diyarbakir. In the announcement it was stated that Leyla Zana, together with 5 other deputies are jailed and are being tried with death sentences because of their thoughts on the Kurdish question. It was also stated that Leyla Zana, together with her husband, became a symbol of the Kurdish people and the Kurdish resistance. Ozgur Ulke. September 22, 1994. ************************************************************************** 260 PEOPLE ARRESTED IN ADANA IN TWO MONTHS. Mostly from Denizli, Daglioglu and Barbaros neighborhoods, 260 people were arrested in the last two months in Adana. All of those who were released said they underwent heavy torture while under arrest. In the operations police destroyed everything in the houses under the excuse of conducting a search. Although inquiries have been demanded no explanation or announcement was made by the security forces for those under arrest for over two weeks. The families of those arrested were given permission to see the arrested but when they demand to see their family members, they are beaten by the police at the headquarters. On the other hand, the whereabouts of Mehmet Turgay who was arrested on August 15 is still unknown. Ozgur Ulke. September 22, 1994. ************************************************************************** PARAMILiTARY GUARDS ROBBED A JEWELER, THE STATE ACCUSES PKK 11 paramilitary guards serving time in Iskenderun Jail and their relatives announced that they had been forced by the state to sign a deposition accusing the PKK for the robbery. The guards stated in their joint press release that none of them belonged to PKK and the security forces were trying to blame the PKK guerrillas for a non political robbery. Their declaration read as follows: "We, the undersigned robbed a jeweler on August 8, 1994 on the road between Iskenderun and Antep. Later we were captured when someone tipped the police. Everything was normal up to this point". The guards then tell how they confessed the crime to the police. "There was nothing abnormal in the progression of the procedures. The crime was an ordinary crime. We signed the depositions while our eyes were tied. But when we faced the D.A. the whole crime had been taken out of context and we were made to have committed the robbery for the PKK. None of us have any relationship with the PKK organization. We are the states paid employees who have been fighting against the PKK guerrillas for a long time. Many of us have other family members still fighting the guerrillas as guards." Ozgur Ulke. September 22, 1994. ************************************************************************** PROTEST AGAINST EXILING 26 WORKERS TO SOUTH EAST Turgut Altinok, the mayor of Ankara's Kecioren district, temporarily exiled 26 public workers to Cizre. The mayor from MHP (paramilitary, fascist National Action Party) said the municipality of Cizre also needed the expertise of these 26 technicians, municipal police and investigators. It is reported that in the coming days the number of exiles may increase to 60. The workers will work in Cizre for three months before returning back home. The mayor asked the protesting workers "Isn't that a part of our country? Go and serve over there for a while". The workers immediately went to court to stop the action. Their union Bel- Sen (Municipality Workers Union) also has started legal action against the Kecioren Municipality. Secretary for Internal Affairs, Nahit Mentese said he will start an investigation as soon as he gets the papers on the exiling of workers. On the other hand, a court suit filed by 611 public workers ended today with a victory for the workers. 611 workers were fired from the Greater Ankara Municipality. After the decision all 611 workers will be able to return back to their positions. Ozgur Ulke. September 22, 1994. ************************************************************************** SECRETARY OF FORESTRY: WE HAVE NO MONEY FOR AFFORESTATION Hasan Ekinci, the Minister for Forestry announced today that the state had no money for afforestation. According to his calculations, he said, "we can create the 300,000 hectares of needed forest in 50 or 100 years". He called attention to loss of topsoil from erosion and said Turkey was undergoing a tremendous desertification. "One hectare of forest costs 30 million TL ($850.00). But we only have 200-400 billion TL ($5,714,000.00-$11,000,000.00) budget. In this case we will not be able to plant 300,000 hectares in 50 or 100 years". Ozgur Ulke. September 22, 1994. ************************************************************************** TURK-IS IS ATTACKING RIVAL UNIONS. Last week the union presidents of Turk-Is received a long letter from Turk-Is' president Meral Bayram. They thought, when they opened the letter and saw the signature of Bayram that the President was informing them of the latest developments. Yes, the letter did contain information about the latest developments alright, but it had nothing to do with some special information needed to be communicated to the union presidents on how to further the struggle. The only thing Bayram wanted to communicate was his complaint about how the workers in Golcuk had obtained his unlisted telephone number and how they had assaulted his wife and daughter. But, Bayram was more critical of the President of Harb-Is (Military Workers Union) Izzet Cetin than the workers who called him over the unlisted line because, he alleged that Izzet Cetin was the one who provided the number to the workers. "I only gave this number to the presidents of the unions" said Meral. On the other hand, the strongest opposition to the latest agreement between Turk-Is and the Government was coming from the workers of the Military Workers Union. But, Meral did not mention that he was bothered by this reaction in his letter. All he said was that the workers who had called him at home bothered him. It became obvious shortly that this 'special' reaction was not so 'special' after all and that this was a launching pad for the assault on Harb-Is for its opposition to the agreement. This was apparent when Harb-Is was disciplined for the opposition and for the demonstration of its workers in front of Turk-Is building on September 16. The accusation: TO DISRUPT THE UNITY OF THE CONFEDERATION AND TO CREATE A PUBLIC OPINION AGAINST THE CONFEDERATION. The Discipline Board convened on September 21 to discuss the actions of Harb-Is. Members included the General Secretary of TOLEYIS, SELLULOZ-IS, TEZ KOOP-IS(Cooperative Workers Union), BASIN- IS(Press Workers Union) and DERI-IS(Leather Workers Union). The Board met for three hours with no decision. They will meet again on October 3rd. The opposition unions are saying that disciplining the Harb-Is union like disciplining the Yol-Is(Road Workers Union) branch who had gone to Ankara to protest both the Yol-Is Central Branch and Turk-Is shows that Turk-Is can not tolerate opposing views in the confederation. They also point to the contradiction that while Meral feels nostalgic about the late president Ozal who had gone down the history as an enemy of the working class by saying, "Ozal, who was tolerant to criticism", can not show any tolerance to opposition in his confederation. But these days the upper management of Turk-Is in no state to see any contradiction or something because, nobody except the upper management is accepting the notorious agreement. Even Hak-Is (Confederation of Right Workers Union-Islam Fundamentalist Confederation) and DISK (Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Union) has taken up this excuse to show as if they are for a the working class. There are reports that even those union bureaucrats who had secretly sent message to Meral saying they will support him if he signs the agreement are saying, "Nothing like this has ever been seen". And it is said that all these are making the upper management in Turk-Is more aggressive and tough. It is said that the friendship established between the "Change Group" emerged in Turk-Is' General Assembly in 1993 and Harb-Is' president Izzet Cetin was considered as treason by Meral Bayram. But, it is a common practice in the history of Turk-Is to knife from the back, to play tricks on, to leave alone in mid stream, so, it is said that Meral's criticism is a cover for the campaign started to silence the opposition. Those unionists who know the past policies of Turk-Is extend their evaluation, "As seen in the past, the more compromise is given to either to the capital or to the government, the more oppression comes to the opposing unions and the unionists". So, these unionists say it is necessary to be ready for more tougher struggles not only against the capital but also for the Turk-Is bureaucracy. But, it is also said that the road taken today does nothing more than deepening the differences and lays the groundwork for a division. Specially activating the Discipline Board brings back painful memories such as the decision of the Discipline Board to expel unions from the Confederation which resulted in the birth of DISK in 1967. Those in the union work find it funny to give the Harb-Is union to the Discipline Board. They think that if anybody is going to talk about disrupting the unity in the Confederation or creating a negative public opinion, the higher management and the majority of the Board of Directors should be given to the Discipline Board for doing exactly the same. On the other hand, these oppression against dissent does not stop the protests. Lately the agreement between Turk-Is and the government was protested by the Izmir Platform of Union Branch Representatives and meeting of Istanbul Union Branch Executives. Gercek. September 24, 1994. ************************************************************************** UNIONISTS UNDER PRESSURE Musa Ulusoylu, the Central Committee Reserve Member and Ankara Branch Representative for Tum Maliye-Sen (Public Accounting Office Workers Union) was arrested at 11:00 PM by teams from the Anti- Terror Squad on September 11. It was also reported that the police established a station in his house till 11:30 next day. (This is done to arrest anybody who comes to his house. Translator's note.) Musa Ulusoylu had been threatened many times by the police previously. Nesrin Hatiploglu, member of the Executive Board for Tum Maliye-Sen said that Ulusoylu was arrested as a part of escalating pressure on the unions lately and, "If anything happens to him while under arrest, the Ankara Anti-Terror squad will be responsible for it". Ulusoy is expected to appear at the State Security Court on September 26. Gercek. September 24, 1994. ************************************************************************** PROTEST AGAINST ASSAULT ON WORKERS The resistance of the workers fired from The Greater Ankara and Anakent municipalities. Last week, the workers had been beaten by a gang of MHP (fascist para military National Action Party) and RP (Islam fundamentalist Welfare Party) militants when they went to the local government assembly hall. Unions and mass organizations showed strong reaction to the assault. In Mersin, Genel-Is (Public Workers Union) of DISK (The Confederation of the Revolutionary Workers Unions), Platform of Unions in Mersin, Turk-Is (The Confederation of Workers Union of Turkey), DISK and Mersin Platform of Public Workers Union condemned the attack with declarations. In Adana, Tum Maliye-Sen (Public Accounting Office Workers Union), in an announcement condemned the attack also. In the same announcement the actions against the food workers in Cukobirlik and forced unpaid leaves to workers in Mavi Marketler were condemned. Gercek. September 24, 1994. ************************************************************************** ************************************************************************** From stk at schism.antenna.nl Tue Sep 27 14:22:00 1994 From: stk at schism.antenna.nl (stk at schism.antenna.nl) Date: 27 Sep 1994 14:22:00 Subject: David Korn: "A Washington Arrest" References: Message-ID: <092794112242Rnf0.77b9@schism.antenna.nl> ------------------------------ forwarded message ----------------------------- akin at kurdish.org writes: From: AKIN (by way of JusticeNet Prison Issues Desk) A Washington Arrest By David A. Korn First came the sound of shattering glass. Then the office door burst open and a dozen beefy men, several with shotguns at the ready, charged through it. As he turned from his desk to learn what was happening a command rang out: "Freeze!" He was grabbed, thrown face first against the wall, searched, then cuffed and led off to jail. The date was Friday, April 12,1996. The place was Washington, D.C., a small commercial and office building on upper Connecticut Avenue, but he might have imagined himself back in Ankara, or in any city of his native Turkey. Still, one reassuring thought ran through his mind: This is America. I won't be tortured. He was known as Kani Xulam and he was the Director of the American Kurdish Information Network. In the three years since he had taken up residence in the nation's capital and set up AKIN, as it became known, as a legally registered non-profit organization, he had become a highly effective spokesman for the cause of Turkey's Kurdish minority. He had come to Washington from Los Angeles, where his parents and brother were established amid a small but prospering Kurdish-American community. He was tall and slender and though exceedingly polite and slightly reserved had a warm friendly smile and a firm handshake. His wire rimmed glasses marked him as the intellectual his friends knew him to be; if you gave Kani Xulam a book, they found, he would actually read it and then want to talk with you about it. He had worked for the Kurdish cause since his student days on scholarship at the University of Toronto where he was the most active Kurd on campus, and he represented Kurdistan at a model U.N. session. The task he assumed in the nation's capital was far more ambitious. It was to make known to the American public and to the United States government, the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the vast and intricate executive branch, the oppression inflicted by the government of Turkey upon its millions of Kurdish citizens, the denial of cultural and political rights, the arrests, the torture and the killings. It was to argue for a political solution to the conflict between the Turkish government and the Kurds, instead of the military one that was being persued by the Turkish army. And to plead and cajole for a change, even a small one, in the U.S. policy of massively arming Turkey with the helicopter gunships, artillery, tanks and armored personnel carriers that were being used in the wanton destruction of Kurdish villages and the devastation of the Kurdish countryside in southeastern Turkey. Kani Xulam's arms were the modem and the fax machine. He bombarded his targets with press releases, petitions, and newsletters. At the start he had a lot to learn about how things get done in Washington, but he learned fast. His was basically a one man operation and certainly not that of the typical Washington lobbyist. He didn't sport expensive suits or alligator shoes or Gucci briefcases. He couldn't afford them. He worked eighteen hour days, lived on next to nothing, and walked the two miles each way between his office and his small downtown apartment. He was totally dedicated to the cause. He found few friends in the foreign policy bureaucracy of the executive branch, ruled, as he discovered, by a long-entrenched and stubbornly pro-Turkish policy. But he made headway on the Hill, established wide ranging contacts there, even got passed a Sense of Congress Resolution calling on the U.S. government to withhold arms supplies and press Turkey to observe international human rights standards and guarantee democratic political rights to its Kurdish minority. He joined enthusiastically in the work of Washington human rights organizations and became a respected member of that community. He became a formidable competitor of Turkey's lavishly financed propaganda machine, a David pitted against the Goliath of high-priced Washington and New York public relations and law firms hired by the Turkish government to cast a rosy glow over Turkey's dismal reality. The Turkish Embassy didn't like it at all. It considered Kani Xulam dangerously effective. It put out word that AKIN was an operation run by the Kurdistan Workers Party, the PKK, which since 1984 has been leading an armed rebellion against the government of Turkey and which the State Department - at Turkish government instigation - has labeled a terrorist organization. The Turks claimed that Kani Xulam was the PKK's chief representative in the united States and, therefore, a terrorist. They wanted AKIN closed down and Kani Xulam removed from the scene. Ever since he opened AKIN, the Turks had watched him closely. Their review of his records apparently led them to believe that he was using an assumed name. Human rights advocates and AKIN supporters are persuaded that the Turkish Embassy passed this and other more serious allegations against Kani Xulam to the State Department's Office of Diplomatic Security and that it was at Turkish government urging that the Department began secretly to investigate him. On February 22, 1996 he was put under FBI surveillance. On April 11, the day before his arrest, the FBI sent an agent in disguise to his office, an attractive blond woman in her thirties who claimed to be visiting from Boston and seeking information on the Kurds for a term paper her nephew was writing. But the arrest warrant that State Department security officers produced as they handcuffed Kani Xulam's hands behind his back, as though he were a violent and dangerous offender, spoke only of his having made false statements on U.S. passport applications. For someone with no criminal record, like Kani Xulam, the charge carried a recommended maximum penalty of six months in prison. For that, federal law enforcement agencies would hardly send a dozen heavily armed agents to break down doors. What else was it then that the Turkish Embassy told U.S. authorities they should expect to find at AKIN's offices? A cache of arms, explosives, or drugs? Discovering none of those things, federal agents carted off the organization's computers, files, and even petty cash on hand. Kani Xulam's faith that, in America, he wouldn't be tortured turned out to be justified. But he also learned that, even in America, the rules aren't followed scrupulously and the courts don't automatically protect the rights of the accused. When he asked to call an attorney he was told he could do so at the police station where he was to be taken. At the police station he was told he could do so at the District of Columbia jail. And at the D.C. jail he was put straight into solitary confinement. It wasn't until the next day, some 18 hours after his arrest, that he was able to talk to a public defender attorney and get her to notify his family in California. In Federal Court hearings the following Monday and Wednesday, judges denied his request for release on bail, disregarding both the fact that he had no previous criminal record and character witness testimony given by three highly respected members of the Washington community. Turkey's ambassador to Washington, Nuzhet Kandemir, exulted over the arrest and the court's action in denying bail. At a lunch with reporters on April 17, Kandemir called AKIN a terrorist group and expressed the hope that U.S. authorities would close it down. He added: "We have been very unhappy with a lot of activities of AKIN on a daily basis which were very harmful to Turkish interests and this administration knows (that) quite well." Kani Xulam found that prison conditions in America could be as bad as what one might expect in Turkey. His solitary cell was full of cockroaches. The bed was a metal frame with no mattress or pillow (though later he was given a foam rubber matting half his height). He wasn't allowed to make phone calls or receive mail, and the jail had no library to draw on. He sat for seven days looking at the walls and talking with cockroaches that came to eye him inquisitively. Still, he was a little apprehensive when released from solitary "into the general population" (as the prison expression goes). He had heard stories about prison violence, and the reputation of the D.C. jail was far from reassuring. His first cellmate was a disturbed young man in his late teens who at times muttered incoherently and at other times loudly described the details of making love to his girlfriend. But a subsequent cellmate, also in his late teens, turned out to be a follower of Louis Farrakhan. Kani instructed him in Islamic prayers and in reading the Koran in Arabic and the young man held him in reverence. A little over two weeks after his arrest, Kani was packed off to Los Angeles, where he had filed his passport applications and where he was to be tried. The trip there was the worst of his time in jail. It lasted ten days and it turned out to be a kind of grand tour of the American prison system, a crazy odyssey that took him from the D.C. jail in turn to more than half a dozen federal and state prisons in Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Oregon, Arizona, Nevada and California before ending up at the federal penitentiary in Los Angeles. It consisted of long bus and airplane rides shackled to a seat alongside dozens or sometimes hundreds of other prisoners. Travel from Pennsylvania to Oklahoma was by Boeing 747; the Oklahoma prison had its own airstrip and the plane taxied right up to the prison gate to disgorge its passengers into the care of waiting guards. At each stop prisoners were searched, fingerprinted, and photographed. They were routinely awakened at 2 or 3 a.m. to be "processed" for travel that did not begin until late morning. At the federal prison in Las Vegas, Kani was put in solitary confinement after speaking up to calm cellmates near riot in their frustration at not being fed and allowed to sleep. Unlike the D.C. Jail, however, the Las Vegas prison had a library. He read through two thick volumes and considered his brief stay there almost a pleasure. But the most memorable leg of the trip came near the end. It was a six hour bus ride without rest stop or on board access to a toilet. Prisoners urinated in their seats and the urine sloshed up and down the floor of the vehicle as it wound its way along the road. While Kani Xulam was being shipped back and forth across the country like a piece of lost luggage, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia was considering an appeal filled by his attorney, Daniel Alcorn, of the lower court's denial of bond. The Court's ruling was unambiguously sharp. Judges Patricia Wald and David Tatel wrote: "We cannot but conclude that a serious error has been made here. A first time offender accused of a nonviolent crime with strong community ties and respected members of that community willing to supervise his release in any manner the court finds necessary...is incarcerated pending trial, despite the fact that his entire lifestyle and mission strongly suggest he will stay in place, and his charged misdeed (if, indeed, he is found guilty) was to falsify information on a passport in order to remain in this country." Kani Xulam was released from Los Angeles federal prison on $50,000 bond on May 15, 1996 and he was taken into custody by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and set free days later after filing an application for political asylum. His Los Angeles attorney, Peter Schey, President of the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law, summed up the defense's view of the government's actions: "...the United States Government's criminal and deportation charges against Kani Xulam are politically motivated and were encouraged by the Turkish Government. The United States Government is more concerned with its strategic relations with the undemocratic Government of Turkey than with the human and democratic rights of the Kurdish minority in Turkey..." Even before Kani Xulam's release, AKIN was back in business under volunteer management. It is still waiting, however, for the government to give it back its files, computers, and petty cash. AKIN can be contacted at the following address: American Kurdish Information Network 2623 Connecticut Avenue NW #1 Washington, DC 20008-1522 Tel: (202) 483-6444 Fax: (202) 483-6476 E-Mail: akin at kurdish.org Home Page: http://burn.ucsd.edu/~akin keywords: international liberation-struggle political-repression ----------------------------- end forwarded message -------------------------- ********************************************************** Solidaritygroup Turkey-Kurdistan Memberorganisation of Foundation Initiativegroup Kurdistan P.O. Box 85306 3508 AH Utrecht The Netherlands stk at schism.antenna.nl ********************************************************** From stk at schism.antenna.nl Sat Sep 10 13:49:00 1994 From: stk at schism.antenna.nl (stk at schism.antenna.nl) Date: 10 Sep 1994 13:49:00 Subject: The Kurdish Conflicts in Iraq Message-ID: <091094104917Rnf0.77b9@schism.antenna.nl> ------------------------------ forwarded message ----------------------------- zonehero at aol.com writes: ***I published the following for a service organisation. Please email me with your impressions of it.*** The Kurdish Conflicts in Iraq By Students for Social Responsibility (SSR) The following is a fact sheet published by SSR concerning the present Kurdish conflicts in Iraq. We know that hearing a limited amount of information concerning separate Kurdish factions, groups of Kurds in Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Syria, and even who the Kurds are can be confusing, so we have decided to inform you about this situation. The great majority of people who hear about any issue develop an opinion on it, and we recognize that all opinions are different, and believe that informed opinions that can be substantiated by using established facts are the best opinions. The purpose of this handout is not to tell you what opinion to develop, but rather to aid you in developing an informed opinion. First of all, we will explain who the Kurds are. The Kurds are the world s largest ethnic minority with no independent homeland. Their language is Kurdish, which is related to Farsi (Persian), the language of Iran. Most Kurds live in Turkey and are Sunni Muslims. The name of the region in which the Kurds live is called Kurdistan, and it includes parts of Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and a very small part of Syria. In 1925, the Treaty of Sevres established an independent Kurdish state called Kurdistan, but this treaty was violated by Turkey. Throughout time the Kurds have fought for the creation of an independent Kurdistan, and have been persecuted by totalitarian governments which rule over traditionally Kurdish areas. Turkey has limited the Kurds democratic means of promoting their struggle for cultural and national rights and atrocities by this government against the Kurds have been documented, so Kurds have resorted to terrorism. After the conclusion of the Gulf War, the people of Iraq were encouraged to rise up against Saddam Hussein by President George Bush. The Kurds heeded this call and revolted, perhaps expecting aid from the United States. Instead of receiving any foreign aid, the world watched as they were once again massacred. The Kurds have had dark moments in their history. They have terrorized their Armenian neighbors to the north and west. A traditional enemy of the Kurds is the Assyrians, who claim descent from the ancient Assyrian empire based in Nineveh which is mentioned in the Old Testament. They occupy the same areas of the Near East as the Kurds do. In the past Kurdish tribes have looted Assyrian villages. The present conflicts are in the Republic of Iraq, and Hussein s Sunni Muslim government has always dealt harshly with other ethnic groups, whether they be Jews, Shi ite Muslims, Assyrians, or Kurds. Involved in these conflicts are two major Kurdish factions, the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) led by Massoud Barzani and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) led by Jalal Tablani. Although both claim to be fighting for the Kurdish cause, these two groups have been fighting with each other since at least 1994. In late July, several Iranian troops moved into northern Iraq in pursuit of Kurds from Iran. They pulled out two days later but left behind weapons for Tablani s troops. In response to this, Barzani sent a fax to Secretary of State Warren Christopher complaining about the Tablani-Iran alliance and presumably requesting aid from the United States. Much later, on August 22, when the United States failed to respond, Barzani sent an obsequious letter to Saddam calling him "your excellency" and "pleading" with him to intervene on the KDP s behalf. This was probably a last resort for Barzani, given that Hussein s greatest contribution to the Kurds was to use mustard gas on thousands of them prior to the Gulf War. Hussein agreed to intervene in order to keep Iranian influence out of Iraq, preserve Iraq s territorial integrity, and show the world that, despite the rulings of the United Nations, he still controls all areas of the country over which he rules. When President Bill Clinton saw Saddam moving into Irbil, the "capital" of Iraqi Kurdistan located in the "no fly zone" in northern Iraq, he launched 44 cruise missiles into southern Iraq, an operation which cost the government about $50 million. The rational behind this decision is that many of Iraq s key military and industrial sites are located in southern Iraq. This strike served to send a message to Iraq. There are widespread allegations that this was a ploy by Clinton to increase his popularity in the presidential race. These are all important facts about the situation of the Kurdish people in Iraq. If anybody notices errors in this information, please contact SSR. For those interested in the Kurdish people, the World Wide Web has a great wealth of information concerning this and virtually every other subject, and more information about them is available by request from SSR. Please pass this information on to a friend or recycle it when you are done reading it. Thank you. Works Consulted al-Khalil, Samir. Republic of Fear. Parthenon Books, New York: 1989. Fisher, Sydney N. "Kurdistan." World Book Encyclopedia. World Book, Inc., Chicago: 1988. Slavin, Barbara. "Critics: Saddam coddled again." USA Today. 6 September 1996. Various email articles by different authors concerning the Kurdish conflicts. ----------------------------- end forwarded message -------------------------- ********************************************************** Solidaritygroup Turkey-Kurdistan Memberorganisation of Foundation Initiativegroup Kurdistan P.O. Box 85306 3508 AH Utrecht The Netherlands stk at schism.antenna.nl ********************************************************** From stk at schism.antenna.nl Sun Sep 18 18:11:00 1994 From: stk at schism.antenna.nl (stk at schism.antenna.nl) Date: 18 Sep 1994 18:11:00 Subject: Abdullah Ocalan: The New Saladin? References: Message-ID: <091894151108Rnf0.77b9@schism.antenna.nl> ------------------------------ forwarded message ----------------------------- Arm The Spirit writes: Kurdish Leader Is Key Player Abdullah Ocalan heads guerrillas in Turkey, whose power is spreading Analysis By Franz Schurmann Pacific News Service/San Francisco Examiner September 5, 1996 His name is barely mentioned in officials accounts of why the United States launched cruise missile attacks on Saddam Hussein's military bases. But Abdullah Ocalan is creating waves that are destabilizing the Middle East far more than the Iraqi dictator. Ocalan is the leader of the Maoist-inspired [sic] Kurdistan Workers Party - called the PKK - which has waged a decade-long guerrilla war in Turkey and is now viewed by many observers as the rising power in Kurdish-dominated northern Iraq. Roughly 20 million Kurds inhabit the region stretching from eastern Turkey through northern Iraq into Iran, Syria, and the Caucasus. Rarely throughout their 3000-years history have they been able to form a state of their own. Yet they have fiercely resisted every attempt to destroy or assimilate them. At the same time, Kurds have long believed that they are destined for greatness. The greatest Kurd in history - Saladin - destroyed the crusader states in the Holy Land, unified Arabs, Turks, and Kurds, and paved the way for the Ottoman Empire's 500-year rule. Could Ocalan become a modern-day Saladin? Expectations are rising rapidly in the region even as popular disdain deepens for the two quarreling Kurdish leaders - Masoud Barzani and Jalal Talabani - on whom the Clinton administration has pinned its hopes for stabilizing Kurdistan. A year ago, the United States sponsored a summit between Barzani and Talabani in Dublin, but it flopped. A second summit, scheduled for last month, never got off the ground. In fact, U.S. policy was doomed from the start because it assumed that far too much power was in the hands of these two factions, while underestimating that of the PKK. Attacks by PKK Today Ocalan holds together the biggest guerrilla insurgency in the world. His influence reaches far beyond Turkey. Last month the PKK demolished 24 of Barzani's military outpost in northern Iraq. Seeing his power seep away, Barzani turned to the only other leader able to help him: Saddam Hussein. Hussein obliged by attacking Talabani's stronghold, Irbil, a move that led to this week's U.S. retaliatory missile attacks. Even the Iranian mullahs who preached an Islamic message similar to Mao's early on in their revolution are now fearful that Ocalan's message could spill over into Iran. At the core of Ocalan's appeal is the fact that he alone among Kurdish leaders understands that a social revolution is going on in Kurdish society everywhere. Kurds feel oppressed not only by their alien rulers, but also by one of the most rigid feudal social systems still in existence. The message of Maoism has always been to empower the poor and fight their oppressors. Like Mao, the PKK teaches it followers gender equality and willingness to sacrifice one's life for the cause. Communism with religion Ocalan also accepts the devout religious beliefs of the Kurds, in contrast to classic Marxist movements that have denounced religion as an opiate of the people. Muslims preach that their common faith crosses all boundaries of nationality, race, and class. The Maoist's agree on the first two but not the third. Marxist ideas of class struggle have given them an organized militancy that the Islamic movements sweeping the Middle East generally lack. If these two forces - Islam and Maoist ideology - should coalesce, the region is likely to see a new transnational empire arising that no amount of high-tech weaponry from the West can thwart, and Ocalan will go down in the history books as the Saladin of the late 20th century. ++++ stop the execution of Mumia Abu-Jamal ++++ ++++ if you agree copy these lines to your sig ++++ ++++ see http://www.xs4all.nl/~tank/spg-l/sigaction.htm ++++ ----------------------------------------------------------------- Arm The Spirit is an autonomist/anti-imperialist information collective based in Toronto, Canada. Our focus includes a wide variety of material, including political prisoners, national liberation struggles, armed communist resistance, anti-fascism, the fight against patriarchy, and more. We regularly publish our writings, research, and translation materials in our magazine and bulletins called Arm The Spirit. For more information, contact: Arm The Spirit P.O. Box 6326, Stn. A Toronto, Ontario M5W 1P7 Canada E-mail: ats at etext.org WWW: http://burn.ucsd.edu/~ats FTP: ftp.etext.org --> /pub/Politics/Arm.The.Spirit ATS-L Archives: http://burn.ucsd.edu/~archive/ats-l ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------- end forwarded message -------------------------- ********************************************************** Solidaritygroup Turkey-Kurdistan Memberorganisation of Foundation Initiativegroup Kurdistan P.O. Box 85306 3508 AH Utrecht The Netherlands stk at schism.antenna.nl ********************************************************** From stk at schism.antenna.nl Thu Sep 22 19:03:00 1994 From: stk at schism.antenna.nl (stk at schism.antenna.nl) Date: 22 Sep 1994 19:03:00 Subject: THE KURDISH "TEMPLE" HAS BEEN RANSA Message-ID: <092294160328Rnf0.77b9@schism.antenna.nl> ------------------------------ forwarded message ----------------------------- M.MERLIN at TBX.berlinet.de writes: ## Nachricht zur Information/Dokumentation weitergeleitet ## Orig.-Abs. : akin at kurdish.org (AKIN) American Kurdish Information Network (AKIN) September 20, 1996 Press Release # 14 Telephone 202.483.6444 The Kurdish "Temple" Has Been Ransacked (We received the following Press Release from the desk of Yasar Kaya, the President of Kurdish Parliament in Exile. It is a deeply felt indignation. We ask that you validate it. Letters of protest to the Belgium and British authorities would be greatly appreciated. A sample letter follows for your perusal) "On Wednesday, September 18, 1996, the Belgium police raided the various Kurdish institutions. We later found out that the same search was also undertaken in London, England. The Kurdish Parliament in Exile, the Kurdish satellite television, Med TV and the homes of Kurdish families were among the places that were searched. The Kurdish parliament is a "temple" of the Kurdish people. It has been destroyed rather than searched. When the police came to my house, I made it clear to them that if they want to silence the parliament, they would have to kill us. The Belgian and the British authorities are trying to criminalize and humiliate the Kurdish people and their national cause. This is linked to the Turkish government's continuation of the war against our people. We categorically reject the charges that have been leveled against us. We do not deal with drugs, bribes or abductions! The Turkish government has silenced the Kurdish dissent in Turkey proper and now wishes to do the same abroad. I warn, the Belgian authorities as well as all the western governments, not to be accomplices in this coordinated Turkish act of subjecting Kurds to a silent a genocide. To do that with impunity, the Kurdish institutions have been the target of intimidation and closure in Turkey. We ask the West not to be the tools of this policy abroad. Our struggle will continue to the last of us. If this is the path left open to us; we will take it. It is not our aim to live dishonorably in this world. It should be known that everyone will have to pay a price for such an eventuality. Those who have endorsed the dismemberment of our country have now taken upon themselves to be tools of the Turkish government. Our calls for peace have been disregarded; the course of war is shown to us as an alternative. Everybody must face the consequences of their actions. We will not bow before anyone. Those who are after creating enmity between us and our host nations must think twice. We, therefore, respectfully ask the Belgian and the British authorities to correct their respective mistakes." Draft letter to the Belgian Ambassador We are/I am concerned to learn of the raids by the Belgian police on a number of offices and homes of Kurdish exiles in Belgium, and in particular, the sequestration of the files and enforced closure of the offices of both MED TV and the Kurdish Parliament in exile (KPE), thus effectively silencing this voice of the Kurdish people. The Belgian authorities have the right to act against persons and institutions engaged in criminal activities, but MED TV and the KPE have always kept within Belgian law. If it turns out that any person has committed offences, then charges must be brought accordingly, but to criminalise whole institutions on the grounds of acts by individuals would be a very serious matter. Freedom of expression is severely limited in Turkey, and this is the reason why MED TV and the KPE operate from Belgium, where they were able to discuss Kurdish affairs, including constitutional reforms that would allow the Kurdish people to manage their own affairs, without the threat of prosecution. It is unfortunate that the Belgian authorities appear to be acting in collusion with the Kurds' oppressors, in extending Turkish censorship to the outside world. We/I would be grateful if you could let us/me know what evidence was presented to the courts in Belgium to justify such extensive operations of search, confiscation and detention. Please may we/I also know what charges have now been made, against whom, and when the property confiscated will be restored to its owners. We/I would like to know whether any compensation will be payable to MED TV or to the KPE for the interruption of their activities, and the costs they will incur in reconstituting their files. ---- American Kurdish Information Network (AKIN) 2623 Connecticut Avenue NW #1 Washington, DC 20008-1522 Tel: (202) 483-6444 Fax: (202) 483-6476 E-mail: akin at kurdish.org Home Page: http://burn.ucsd.edu/~akin ---- The American Kurdish Information Network (AKIN) provides a public service to foster Kurdish-American understanding and friendship ----------------------------- end forwarded message -------------------------- ********************************************************** Solidaritygroup Turkey-Kurdistan Memberorganisation of Foundation Initiativegroup Kurdistan P.O. Box 85306 3508 AH Utrecht The Netherlands stk at schism.antenna.nl ********************************************************** From stk at schism.antenna.nl Tue Sep 27 04:03:00 1994 From: stk at schism.antenna.nl (stk at schism.antenna.nl) Date: 27 Sep 1994 04:03:00 Subject: Turks Attack Kurdish Prisoners; Mor References: Message-ID: <092794010347Rnf0.77b9@schism.antenna.nl> ------------------------------ forwarded message ----------------------------- akin at kurdish.org (AKIN) writes: American Kurdish Information Network (AKIN) September 25, 1996 Press Release # 15 Telephone: (202) 483.6444 Turks Attack Kurdish Prisoners; More Than A Dozen Is Killed! A statement issued, today, by the President of Human Rights Association of Diyarbakir, Mahmut Sakar, notes that ominous developments are taking place in Diyarbakir, the largest Kurdish city in the Turkish controlled Kurdistan. "13 Kurdish prisoners have died as a result of attacks by the Turkish security forces in the city's prison." A Reuter report filed from Diyarbakir, today, notes that a hospital official confirmed the death of eleven individuals. Many of the dead had suffered injuries to their heads. The statement of the Human Rights of Association of Diyarbakir notes that eight of the killed were identified as: "Edip Donekci, Nihat Cakmak, Ekrem Perisan, Ridvan Bulut, Hakki Tekin, Ahmet Celik, Mehmet S. Gumus. and Cemal Cam." Listed in critical condition were twelve other prisoners who were taken to the hospital for treatments: "Ramazan Nazber, Mehmet Aslan, Yasin Alevcan, Ramazan Korkar, Mehmet Batuge, Mehmet E. Izra, Iskan Osal, Kenan Acar, Abdullah Eflatun Hakki Bozkus, Bedri Bozkus and Emin Mizrak." The statement goes on to add that in the last ten days, the dead (and often mutilated) bodies of "... nine (9) people have been found in the city streets. These individuals were reported missing in our office. The invariable story of their loved ones was that the plain clothes Turkish police officers came to the house, arrested these individuals and later claimed that they knew nothing of them. " The official Ankara has made some "contradictory" remarks about the origins of the Diyarbakir prison carnage says, Mr. Sakar. "One version of the events is that some Kurdish prisoners were harassing a group of inmates who were informers. The prison officials in Diyarbakir, says the official statement, asked the Justice Department for the transfer of these individuals. Apparently, as this transfer was taking place, this deadly altercation took place." "The missing link in this argument is that the transfers are not automatically granted. In the past, these same requests were often denied because of lack of funds. One can not help but ask the question why this request was accepted so quickly and why so much force was used to put down the altercation." "We feel that this is nothing but part of a larger policy to instill fear in the population. We call on the friends of human family to condemn this brutality and send observers to the region to investigate this deadly attack on the defenseless prisoners." These mass killings illustrate the deterioration of the human rights situation in Turkey. This was also noted, on September 19, 1996, by the European Parliament's decision to block "hundreds of millions of dollars of aid to Ankara for reneging on promises to improve its human rights record." We ask that you join the European parliamentarians by condemning this particular act of brutality and the overall Turkish aggression toward the Kurds. ---- American Kurdish Information Network (AKIN) 2623 Connecticut Avenue NW #1 Washington, DC 20008-1522 Tel: (202) 483-6444 Fax: (202) 483-6476 E-mail: akin at kurdish.org Home Page: http://burn.ucsd.edu/~akin ---- The American Kurdish Information Network (AKIN) provides a public service to foster Kurdish-American understanding and friendship ----------------------------- end forwarded message -------------------------- ********************************************************** Solidaritygroup Turkey-Kurdistan Memberorganisation of Foundation Initiativegroup Kurdistan P.O. Box 85306 3508 AH Utrecht The Netherlands stk at schism.antenna.nl ********************************************************** From stk at schism.antenna.nl Fri Sep 30 23:23:00 1994 From: stk at schism.antenna.nl (stk at schism.antenna.nl) Date: 30 Sep 1994 23:23:00 Subject: Barzani's March Toward Abyss Message-ID: <093094202350Rnf0.77b9@schism.antenna.nl> ------------------------------ forwarded message ----------------------------- akin at kurdish.org (AKIN) writes: Saddam Prevailed By Jim Hoagland Sunday, September 29 1996; Page C07 The Washington Post The two pillars of the Clinton administration's Middle East policy are crumbling at nearly the same time, and for many of the same reasons. Chief among them is the administration's growing inability to tell the world -- and itself -- the truth about inconvenient change in that volatile region. The horrific explosion of Israeli-Pal\estinian violence last week is not directly linked to Saddam Hussein's armed conquest of northern Iraq 30 days ago. But the moral and intellectual lameness the administration demonstrated in responding to unexpected events in Iraq is mirrored in its initial response to the eruption of new hatred and killing in Jerusalem, on the West Bank and in the Gaza strip. In Iraq, the administration claimed an imaginary success after a strategically senseless missile raid against Saddam. U.S. initiatives on the north, once a protected haven for opposition to Saddam, have been confined to pretending that Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani is an independent agent who can be wooed back from his alliance with Saddam. The Kurds are not important, the White House in effect says. Neither are the past U.S. policy (and promises) and the existing U.N. resolutions that Saddam's invasion of the north violated. Worse, the renewed wooing of Barzani shows an almost Carteresque belief by the Clintonites that men of good intentions can always talk things out. In Israel, the administration is similarly pressing Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to sit down as partners in peace and talk. There is scant recognition that confrontation and violence have overtaken partnership for these two and that a much more active U.S. role is now needed. Part of the lust for proclaiming success and ignoring inconvenient truths is campaign-driven, of course. But a strategic U.S. blindness preceded both Middle East upheavals as the White House failed to adjust means and goals at vital turning points. Last March, as a Saddam-penetrated CIA operation based in Amman was coming apart and the Kurdish factions were moving again to war footing -- events reported at the time in this column -- the State Department's Northern Gulf Affairs bureau was concluding in a classified internal analysis that its policy toward Iraq was "an unqualified success." A major part of the success, poli\cymakers at State and the National Security Council told each other, was that Iraq had been kept off the president's desk in an election year. Their definition of success was for them to keep Saddam "in his box" and let the president concentrate on more important matters, like reelection. But without presidential involvement the lower levels lost control over policy toward Iraq by the end of August. They were unable to get $2 million freed to pay for cease-fire monitors to defuse the Kurdish struggles and to bolster the sagging Iraqi National Congress, a group Vice President Gore and national security adviser Anthony Lake met with -- and promised to support -- in April 1993. Saddam, who had been dealing secretly with Barzani for months and probably receiving reports through him on Washington's complacency, struck with a boldness that a distracted and inadequately briefed Clinton could not begin to match. The most damaging part of Clinton's too-little, too-soon response in Iraq may well be the way in which he reached it. Strategy briefings were conducted on the campaign trail in harried circumstances, usually by telephone or fax. Clinton did not return to Washington for a face-to-face meeting in the White House with his principal Cabinet officers to discuss the use of force or the difficult strategic problems of keeping the multinational coalition on Iraq solidly together. A Cabinet-level group met without him four times as the crisis escalated. Clinton left the impression of a partially engaged president who checked off the least ambitious, least risky option box on a decision list prepared by Lake. Clinton's well-known preference to conciliate rather than confront now finds an echo in the soft approach he is taking to violence and force on two fronts in the Middle East. Weeks after he betrayed U.S. interests, Barzani is being treated as a wayward ward to be forgiven if he will now betray Saddam. Assistant Secretary of State Robert Pelletreau met with the Kurdish leader in Turkey last week. But Saddam's half brother and chief representative in Europe, Bar\zan al-Takriti said in an interview with the London based Al Hayat newspaper last week that the Barzani Kurds had returned irrevocably "to their mother's lap" and Barzani met Pelletreau as part of an effort by Saddam "to normalize relations with America." He linked that normalization effort with new veiled threates against Kuwait, threats the United States has let pass without response. The United States now saw that "its interests lie with Iraq," Barzan continued. "The Americans will turn 180 degrees away from Kuwait," which he accused of being drunk with "power and arrogance." He added that "danger lies ahead for Kuwait" at the hands of Iraq "if it persists in ignoring the facts." The launching of 44 cruise missiles into the southern Iraqi desert has not deterred Saddam from renewing his war of nerves with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Self-induced blindness has made U.S. policy on Iraq a mess, not an "unqualified success." The White House's denial of this -- even to itself -- disgusts middle-level officials within the government who know what has happened. The crisis in Israel again found Clinton on the campaign trail, being briefed by fax and phone while his aides clung desperately to policy levers of the past that no longer worked. Instead of being able to rely on a Labor government commited to reaching a long-term peace settlement with the Arabs, Washington must now react to an Israeli prime minister who disdains the peace process but has nothing to put in its place to prevent new violence, except brute force. That requires a leadership that Clinton fell woefully short of in Iraq. ---- American Kurdish Information Network (AKIN) 2623 Connecticut Avenue NW #1 Washington, DC 20008-1522 Tel: (202) 483-6444 Fax: (202) 483-6476 E-mail: akin at kurdish.org Home Page: http://burn.ucsd.edu/~akin ---- The American Kurdish Information Network (AKIN) provides a public service to foster Kurdish-American understanding and friendship ----------------------------- end forwarded message -------------------------- ********************************************************** Solidaritygroup Turkey-Kurdistan Memberorganisation of Foundation Initiativegroup Kurdistan P.O. Box 85306 3508 AH Utrecht The Netherlands stk at schism.antenna.nl **********************************************************