From ozgurluk at xs4all.nl Fri Oct 1 01:41:45 1999 From: ozgurluk at xs4all.nl (ozgurluk at xs4all.nl) Date: 01 Oct 1999 01:41:45 Subject: AP: Turkey Prisoners To Free Hostages Message-ID: Thursday September 30 5:04 PM ET Turkey Prisoners To Free Hostages ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) - Leftist inmates agreed Thursday to release 74 guards held hostage for five days at prisons throughout Turkey, a news agency reported. The inmates, in a coordinated action Sunday, seized guards at seven prisons in retaliation for the storming of an Ankara jail by security forces earlier in the day. The raid by security forces, which followed reports of leftist inmates digging an escape tunnel, left 10 inmates dead and more than 20 injured. Prosecutor Ferzan Citici, who had negotiated with inmates at Istanbul's Bayrampasa prison, announced Thursday that the inmates would free all of the guards, the Anatolia news agency said. Prisoners at Bayrampasa, where four of the guards were held captive, were ringleaders in the hostage-taking. It was not immediately clear if prison authorities had agreed to all of the prisoners' demands. They had asked that comrades injured during the Sunday attack receive proper medical treatment and that those responsible for the raid be put on trial. Also Thursday, truncheon-wielding police attacked demonstrators in Istanbul who were mourning the death of one of the inmates. The independent Human Rights Association said more than 100 demonstrators were detained and several people injured near the cemetery where inmate Umit Altintas was buried. Altintas and nine other leftist prisoners died in the Sunday clash at Ankara's Ulucanlar prison. In coastal Izmir in western Turkey, police attacked human rights activists and mourners attending the funeral of another slain prisoner, the human rights group said. Television reports said 65 people were detained. From dhkc.bruxelles at chello.be Fri Oct 1 02:51:31 1999 From: dhkc.bruxelles at chello.be (dhkc.bruxelles at chello.be) Date: 01 Oct 1999 02:51:31 Subject: Declaration of the Central Coordination of prisons: Message-ID: This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0023_01BF0C01.9CC4B160 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Declaration of the Central Coordination of prisons: THOSE WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MASSACRE CANNOT HIDE THEIR GUILT The state which has massacred 10 and injured tens of our comrades in = Ulucanlar prison is lying to cover up their guilt. The claims that prisoners were digging a tunnel, refused to let a search = take place, used fire arms against the security forces, ...etc. are all = nothing but a travesty. There were 120 prisoners living in a ward where the maximum capacity is = 40. The political prisoners have been demanding that the prison = authorities open a new ward for almost a year. But, despite the fact = that there were possibilities to solve the problem, this demand was = refused. The prisoners acted in a responsible manner and the dialogue = continued for ten months. When they realised that there was no positive = approach by the authorities, they occupied Ward 76 on September 2nd, = 1999. Since that date, the prison authorities stopped taking the head = count and punished the prisoners by stopping the food parcels from = outside, cutting off the water supply and not allowing visits. Our experiences in the past have taught us that these events were the = preparation of the coming massacre. On the September 10th, that is 3 = weeks before the massacre, we tried to contact the Bayrampasa prison = administration and the Istanbul State Prosecution. But they ignored us. = We gave verbal and writen assurances that if the problem of = overpopulated wards was solved after the general amnesty, our friends = would withdraw from the occupied ward 7. We warned them to change the = situation to normal, otherwise this was the evidence of a coming = msassacre. Despite all our efforts we received no response. The only = thing that they said was "they would mention it to the relevant = authorities". We are now being told by the state "to forget about these deaths". They = wish to cover up the massacre by initiating a bogus investigation which = will aim to clear the names of the guilty ones. Haven't we witnessed = that many murderers and torturers were cleared the same way before. In = these days when many speeches about human rights and democracy take = place, it is not only our duty to not let them escape justice, it is = also the duty of all democratic people and the media. Who was supplying guns, telephones, drugs and the other needs to the = mafia gangs in prison? Why could not the problem of overpopulated wards be solved in the last = year? Why did not they give a promise to sort out our ward problem after the = general amnesty? Why did they shoot the prisoners with automatic rifles when the = prisoners did not have any weapons, only their bodies and pieces of = wooden sticks? What was the reason for shooting hundreds of bullets against 50 people = in a closed space? Do not let those who have committed the massacres clear themselves. Do = not share their crime. Hold them responsible. What do we want now? Why do we continue with our actions of taking = prison wardens hostage? We want the truth told and heard by the people. And punishment of those = who committed these crimes. The authorities have to confess that their claims that there was a = tunnel, that weapons we used against soldiers and officers and wounded = them, that prisoners refused the head count, that the political = prisoners asked for an amnesty...etc. were lies. They have to confess = that the real aim of this massacre is, as the Prime Minister B=FClent = Ecevit stated, "to prepare the conditions for the transition to the = cell-type-prisons". * The medical treatment to the injured should not be prevented. We = witnessed before murders through this way. In order to not let such = murders occur again the Medical Association, Human Rights Association, = The Law Society and our legal representatives should be allowed to = observe that the proper medical treatment is administered. * They have to accept their responsibilities for the massacre. Those who = are responsible should be suspended and prosecuted. The Human Rights = Association, the Contemporary Lawyer's Association, the Law Society and = our legal representatives should be included in the investigation of the = massacre in the Ankara Central Prison. * Our friends who were transferred from Ankara central Prison should be = brought back and the previous conditions must be re-established (except = the overcrowding). * All these should be made public by a spokesperson from the Ministry of = Justice. * The massacre preparations in several prisons must be halted. The minor = problems which can easily be solved, should be solved. * What we lived through was a clear and pre-planned massacre and those = who are responsible cannot cover up the truth and their crimes by lying. = Those who are responsible will definitely pay the price. This is our = promise. CENTRAL COORDINATION OF PRISONS The prisoners of (TKP(ML), TKP/ML, TIKB, TKEP/L-Direnis Hareketi, = DHKP-C) and=20 MLKP TDKP, TDP and DY prisoners in Sagmalcilar Prison. (Translated from the Turkish original) ------=_NextPart_000_0023_01BF0C01.9CC4B160 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Declaration of the Central = Coordination of=20 prisons:

 

THOSE WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MASSACRE

CANNOT HIDE THEIR GUILT

The state which has massacred 10 and injured tens of our comrades in=20 Ulucanlar prison is lying to cover up their guilt.

The claims that prisoners were digging a tunnel, refused to let a = search take=20 place, used fire arms against the security forces, ...etc. are all = nothing but a=20 travesty.

There were 120 prisoners living in a ward where the maximum capacity = is 40.=20 The political prisoners have been demanding that the prison authorities = open a=20 new ward for almost a year. But, despite the fact that there were = possibilities=20 to solve the problem, this demand was refused. The prisoners acted in a=20 responsible manner and the dialogue continued for ten months. When they = realised=20 that there was no positive approach by the authorities, they occupied = Ward 76 on=20 September 2nd, 1999. Since that date, the prison authorities stopped = taking the=20 head count and punished the prisoners by stopping the food parcels from = outside,=20 cutting off the water supply and not allowing visits.

Our experiences in the past have taught us that these events were the = preparation of the coming massacre. On the September 10th, that is 3 = weeks=20 before the massacre, we tried to contact the Bayrampasa prison = administration=20 and the Istanbul State Prosecution. But they ignored us. We gave verbal = and=20 writen assurances that if the problem of overpopulated wards was solved = after=20 the general amnesty, our friends would withdraw from the occupied ward = 7. We=20 warned them to change the situation to normal, otherwise this was the = evidence=20 of a coming msassacre. Despite all our efforts we received no response. = The only=20 thing that they said was "they would mention it to the relevant=20 authorities".

We are now being told by the state "to forget about these deaths". = They wish=20 to cover up the massacre by initiating a bogus investigation which will = aim to=20 clear the names of the guilty ones. Haven't we witnessed that many = murderers and=20 torturers were cleared the same way before. In these days when many = speeches=20 about human rights and democracy take place, it is not only our duty to = not let=20 them escape justice, it is also the duty of all democratic people and = the=20 media.

Who was supplying guns, telephones, drugs and the other needs to the = mafia=20 gangs in prison?

Why could not the problem of overpopulated wards be solved in the = last=20 year?

Why did not they give a promise to sort out our ward problem after = the=20 general amnesty?

Why did they shoot the prisoners with automatic rifles when the = prisoners did=20 not have any weapons, only their bodies and pieces of wooden sticks?

What was the reason for shooting hundreds of bullets against 50 = people in a=20 closed space?

Do not let those who have committed the massacres clear themselves. = Do not=20 share their crime. Hold them responsible.

What do we want now? Why do we continue with our actions of taking = prison=20 wardens hostage?

We want the truth told and heard by the people. And punishment of = those who=20 committed these crimes.

The authorities have to confess that their claims that there was a = tunnel,=20 that weapons we used against soldiers and officers and wounded them, = that=20 prisoners refused the head count, that the political prisoners asked for = an=20 amnesty...etc. were lies. They have to confess that the real aim of this = massacre is, as the Prime Minister B=FClent Ecevit stated, "to prepare = the=20 conditions for the transition to the cell-type-prisons".

* The medical treatment to the injured should not be prevented. We = witnessed=20 before murders through this way. In order to not let such murders occur = again=20 the Medical Association, Human Rights Association, The Law Society and = our legal=20 representatives should be allowed to observe that the proper medical = treatment=20 is administered.

* They have to accept their responsibilities for the massacre. Those = who are=20 responsible should be suspended and prosecuted. The Human Rights = Association,=20 the Contemporary Lawyer's Association, the Law Society and our legal=20 representatives = should be=20 included in the investigation of the massacre in the Ankara Central=20 Prison.

* Our friends who were transferred from Ankara central = Prison=20 should be brought back and the previous conditions must be = re-established=20 (except the overcrowding).

* All these should be made public by a spokesperson = from the=20 Ministry of Justice.

* The massacre preparations in several prisons must be = halted.=20 The minor problems which can easily be solved, should be = solved.

* What we lived through was a clear and pre-planned = massacre and=20 those who are responsible cannot cover up the truth and their crimes by = lying.=20 Those who are responsible will definitely pay the price. This is our=20 promise.

CENTRAL COORDINATION OF PRISONS

The prisoners of (TKP(ML), TKP/ML, TIKB, = TKEP/L-Direnis=20 Hareketi, DHKP-C) and

MLKP

TDKP, TDP and DY prisoners in Sagmalcilar = Prison.

 

(Translated from the Turkish=20 original)

------=_NextPart_000_0023_01BF0C01.9CC4B160-- From ozgurluk at xs4all.nl Fri Oct 1 04:08:15 1999 From: ozgurluk at xs4all.nl (ozgurluk at xs4all.nl) Date: 01 Oct 1999 04:08:15 Subject: Human Rights Watch report on inhuman conditions in Turkish prisons Message-ID: Source: Human Rights Watch: http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/turkey/prison.htm Memorandum to the Turkish Government on Small Group Isolation and Kartal Soganlik F-type Prison JULY 1999 The Turkish Ministry of Justice has begun to apply a regime of small group isolation to political prisoners held at Soganlik F-type Prison in the Kartal district of Istanbul, which began construction in 1986. It is believed that 190 prisoners are held in the 500 capacity prison, and that some at least are held in conditions of extreme isolation. Human Rights Watch has received information from prisoners released from Soganlik F-type Prison, and June this year interviewed relatives of a group of prisoners remanded under the Anti-Terror Law: Hakim Yavas, Ergin Atabey, Abdullah G?nay, Hasan G?den, Metin Yamalak, and a juvenile, seventeen-year-old Yunus ?alis. Prisoners have told their families that on arrival at Soganlik they were held for two weeks or more in solitary confinement before being transferred to a cell designed to hold up to six people. The cells are not spacious, but provide room for bunks, a table, a shower, and a toilet. Although there is no natural light within the cell, a door leads into a high walled courtyard with an estimated area of sixteen square meters. It is not known how many hours each day that prisoners have access to this courtyard. Photographs confirm that the prison has few if any external windows. The door from the corridor to the cell is kept closed night and day. Meals are delivered under or through the door. Although some cells are permitted to have a television or radio, no facilities are provided for exercise or sport and no access is provided to a library or canteen. Therefore, apart from weekly family visits lasting half an hour, prisoners are locked down twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week with no social -or even visual -contact with any person outside their cell. There seems to be an attempt to impose a military discipline on the prisoners. Warders who do not reveal their names require prisoners to stand at attention when they enter the cell to take them for family visits. Only clothes of a limited range of colour may be worn. The family of seventeen-year-old Yunus Calis say that he had become very depressed and withdrawn, and told them: "I feel as if I am in a grave here -the only way out is to join a hunger strike or burn myself." Many penal experts believe that a regime of extreme social isolation is dangerous to mental and physical health. Prisoners may become physically and mentally ill if they are kept insulated from the stimulation to the brain and senses provided by a range of human contact and some variety of activity and environment to become physically and mentally ill. Most pronounced in solitary confinement, these effects may also occur when prisoners are held in small groups of up to six, as is the case in Soganlik. The European Commission for Human Rights stated (in its ruling on Applications 7572/76, 7586/76 and 7587/76 by Gudrun Ensslin, Andreas Baader and Jan Raspe) that "the international literature on criminology and psychology indicate that isolation can be sufficient in itself gravely to impair physical and mental health. The following conditions may be diagnosed: chronic apathy, fatigue, emotional instability, difficulties of concentration, diminution of mental faculties." A statement by Dr Stuart Grassian submitted to the court in a prosecution brought by prisoners against officials at Pelican Bay Prison in California, USA (Madrid v Gomez, 1995) asserted that: "Solitary and small group confinement can cause severe psychiatric harm in the form of a specific syndrome that has been reported by many clinicians in a variety of settings." It appears that the arrangements at Soganlik F-type Prison are the latest step in a move away from Turkey's traditional system of holding prisoners in very large wards with up to 100 prisoners. Prison staff supervise the corridors and perimeter of the prisons, but are normally not present within the wards. Because wards bring together large numbers of people with minimal outside supervision, they provide an environment in which gang-like structures, criminal or political, can develop. In some prisons there are wards exclusively populated by members of one or other illegal armed political group. These groups organize the daily life of the wards which may include sessions of political discussion/indoctrination. Some former prisoners have told Human Rights Watch that the political organization within wards offered them stability as well as support and protection against the worst excesses of the prison authorities -but it is also true that political organizations exert tough party discipline, to the extent that they have sentenced and "executed" many supposed spies and informers. As for common criminal wards, much anecdotal evidence suggests that there is a harsh pecking order in which access to basic needs and privileges depends on physical strength and the ability to pay a bribe. New designs of prisons are under construction, and existing prisons are being remodeled. Physical arrangements similar to those at Soganlik F-type Prison are in place at Eskisehir Prison, Nigde, Afyon, Burdur, Amasya, and Nevsehir Prisons but it is not clear that an isolation regime is being applied in these facilities. There are also reports of construction work to subdivide wards in Elbistan, Ceyhan, Yozgat, and ?ankiri Prisons. While remodeling work continues, the Justice Ministry has remained inexplicably silent on how the new prisons are to be run. Yet this is the vital piece of information which will determine whether the planned changes represent progress or a serious retrograde step for the Turkish prison system. Speaking about the plan to institute an individual cell or room system, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture said, in a report to the Turkish Government (CPT/Inf (99) 2 [EN]; 23 February 1999): "it is imperative for moves towards smaller living units for prisoners in Turkey to be accompanied by measures to ensure that prisoners spend a reasonable part of the day engaged in purposeful activities outside their living unit. Indeed, the effects of the current almost total absence of any organized programme of activities for prisoners would be felt even more keenly in smaller living units. In the absence of a significant improvement in activities for prisoners, the introduction of smaller living units will almost certainly cause more problems than it solves."The CPT asked for detailed information about the planned regime, but unfortunately the Turkish Government failed to address this question in its public reply to the CPT's report. The regime at Soganlik F-type Prison is apparently an attempt to enact the provisions of Article 16 of the Anti-Terror Law which states: "The sentences of those convicted under the provisions of this law will be served in special penal institutions built on a system of cells constructed for one or three people ... Convicted prisoners will not be permitted contact or communication with other convicted prisoners." The Anti-Terror Law states that prisoners on remand should also be subjected to small-group isolation: "Prisoners awaiting or standing trial on charges under the provisions of this Law will be held in penal institutions as described in the first paragraph of this article." Indeed those prisoners held in small-group isolation at Soganlik F-type Prison are all remand prisoners. The Turkish penal system, in common with most enlightened and contemporary systems, assumes that confinement in a prison is a punishment sufficient in itself, and does not impose additional penalties in contravention of international standards such as corporal punishment or forced labor.1 Article 16 of the Anti-Terror Law, then, was put in place not to provide special punishment for those held under this law, but rather to ensure a high degree of security. In its report on a visit to Turkey between February 27 to March 3, 1999, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture summarized the basic criteria used by the Council of Europe in assessing the regime in a high security unit: "Prisoners who present a particularly high security risk should, within the confines of their special unit, enjoy a relatively relaxed regime (able to mix freely with fellow prisoners in the unit; allowed to move without restriction within what is likely to be a relatively small physical space; granted a good deal of choice about activities, etc.) by way of compensation for their severe custodial situation." The Committee emphasizes the importance of developing a good atmosphere between staff prisoners, and a program of activities which should include education, sport, and work. Recommendation No R (82) 17 of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (September 24, 1982), urges member governments such as Turkey to apply ordinary prison regulations as far as possible to dangerous prisoners, to apply security measures in a way respectful of human dignity, to counteract, to the extent feasible, the possible adverse effects of reinforced security conditions and "to provide education, vocational training, work and leisure-time occupations and other activities to the extent that security permits." The regime at Soganlik Prison, by contrast, appears to be one of extreme isolation, falling far short of such criteria, and may amount to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. Prisoners anticipating possible transfer to a high security system based on cells with no communication to other prisoners and limited communication with the outside world, there is also a greater risk of ill-treatment by prison staff. Ill-treatment and torture are widespread in Turkish police stations and gendarmeries, but comparatively rarely reported from Turkish prisons. No doubt this is partly explained by the open nature of the ward system since, in Human Rights Watch's experience worldwide, ill-treatment and torture tend to flourish in conditions of secrecy. In its report on a visit to Turkey between 27 February to 3 March 1999, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) made the general comment that a high security facility "brings with it a greater risk of inhuman treatment than is the case with the average prisoner." In fact, during the 1990s, almost all ill-treatment in Turkish prisons has occurred when police or gendarmes are brought into contact with prisoners -typically, when employed to take prisoners from prison to travel to court, hospital or another prison, or to quell unrest. The last time an attempt was made to begin systematic imposition of an isolation system, in 1991, scores of prisoners reported that they were subjected to terrible beatings when being extracted from their existing prisons, and on arrival at Eskisehir Special Type Prison. Three prisoners were beaten to death at Buca Prison in Izmir in September 1995, and four prisoners died of beatings at ?mraniye Prison in Istanbul in January 1996. Ten prisoners were beaten to death at Diyarbak?r Prison on 24 September 1996. With past experience of the brutality that might accompany a transfer, and the knowledge that a closed room or cell system has the potential to expose them to greater risk of abuse, prisoners might well be justified in fearing the planned changes. But illegal political organizations may also oppose the cell system because it would threaten the political control they can exercise within wards. Unless the Justice Ministry makes clear that it intends to run the cell system humanely, there will be an information vacuum which can be exploited by illegal political organizations in order to preserve their control of parts of the prison system. The price of conflict within the prison system in Turkey can be very heavy. In the past, prisoners' methods of resistance have always been: refusal to attend roll-call and occupation of parts of the prison building (thereby inviting the brutal intervention by the security forces described above) and hunger-strikes. In April 1996, the Justice Minister of the day issued a circular to the effect that prisoners arrested under the Anti-Terror Law and tried at Istanbul State Security Court should thenceforth be held at Eski?ehir Special Type Prison, notorious as the first prison to open with the new cell system. This was the trigger for a hunger strike in prisons throughout the country which claimed twelve lives. The Justice Ministry should clearly not be intimidated by the threat of hunger-strikes or prison unrest from taking the right path of action in prison management. In choosing its path, however, it should be guided by international human rights instruments such as the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, which emphasizes the importance of contact with the outside world, the rehabilitative aspects of imprisonment, access to constructive work, education and recreation, and the observations of the CPT and Council of Europe on prison administration and dangerous prisoners, and put an end to the regime of intense isolation at Soganlik F-type Prison. The Justice Ministry should then remove fear and uncertainty by making clear its plans for the management of prisons in Turkey, particularly in respect of those remanded in custody or serving sentences for offences under the Anti-Terror Law. In respect of the most critical issue - out of cell time - the Turkish Government should refer to the CPT's recommendation in its report the Swedish Government (CPT/Inf (92) 4 ; [EN]; ; 12 ; March ; 1992, ; Para ; 160) ; that prisoners should spend "a reasonable part of the day (8 hours or more) outside their cells, engaged in purposeful activity of a varied nature." In order to be credible and gain the confidence of the prison population, a clear, comprehensive, and public statement on the planned regime must be backed up with monitoring mechanisms to ensure that isolation is not imposed surreptitiously or in remote corners of the penal system. For further information contact: Jonathan Sugden (London): tel: +44 189 289 1263 or +90 532 598 0771 (mobile phone) --- Ozgurluk.Org In support of the Liberation struggle in Turkey and Kurdistan http://www.ozgurluk.org From ozgurluk at xs4all.nl Fri Oct 1 14:27:17 1999 From: ozgurluk at xs4all.nl (ozgurluk at xs4all.nl) Date: 01 Oct 1999 14:27:17 Subject: Turkey/prisoners: TDN: Standoff Persists/Mass arrests Message-ID: Standoff in prisons persists As police detain 150 participants in 'symbolic funerals,' leading figures from the Istanbul Bar Association are pessimistic about reaching a solution to the dispute Ankara - Turkish Daily News Despite the quiet pause in the recent bloodshed at a number of Turkey's prisons, the tension is increasing outside the prisons as funerals are held for the prisoners who were killed as security forces stormed Ankara's Ulucanlar Prison. Police stopped a march conducted by demonstrators in Izmir and Istanbul who were holding symbolic funerals for the prisoners, officials from the Human Rights Association (IHD) told the Turkish Daily News. Nearly 150 people including human rights activists were detained by police in these cities. The bodies of the prisoners who were killed were not given to their families and were instead given burials by police, human rights officials in Ankara said. Moreover, police did not allow even symbolic funerals to be held by the prisoners' loved ones. Leading figures from the Istanbul Bar Association who were trying to negotiate a solution to the dispute between the prisoners and the prison administrations were pessimistic on Thursday about the possibility of reaching any sort of reconciliation. "I don't want to elaborate since there are no new developments," said a senior member of the Bar Association. Despite the pessimism of the Bar Association officials, prison officials were hopeful about reaching a solution to the problems. Meanwhile, Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk said that the prison problem should not be seen now as a major issue. Commenting on the recent events in the prisons, Turk noted that a search of the prison began to be conducted after information surfaced about a planned escape from Ankara's Ulucanlar Prison Left-wing inmates in seven prisons captured at least 74 guards to protest the storming of a prison by government forces on Sunday. The attack on the prison by security personnel sparked a riot that left more than 10 inmates dead and 20 injured. Turk said Wednesday that autopsies had shown that seven inmates were killed with standard firearms while three others died of shotgun wounds. "Security forces do not use shot guns," he said, adding that it was likely that the three were accidentally killed by their fellow prisoners during the melee. Meanwhile, Health Minister Osman Durmus released a circular ordering all the hospitals to provide health services for the prisoners to the best of their abilities. "Everybody, regardless of whether he is a prisoner, should be provided health services," said Durmus in the circular, alluding to the bloody prison uprisings. --- Pressagency Ozgurluk.Org http://www.ozgurluk.org For the Peoples Liberationstruggle in Turkey and Kurdistan From kicadam at xs4all.nl Mon Oct 4 13:49:18 1999 From: kicadam at xs4all.nl (kicadam at xs4all.nl) Date: 04 Oct 1999 13:49:18 Subject: [stk-l] IMK Information Service Message-ID: International Association for Human Rights of the Kurds IMK Weekly Information Service Date: 30 September 1999 Number: 36 Eleven Inmates Killed in Ankara Prison - Protesters Hold 114 Hostages Turkish gendarmes killed eleven prisoners and injured more than eighty at the Ankara Closed Prison on 26 September. Reports indicate that in the course of an early morning search of cells the gendarmes encountered resistance and thereupon stormed a cell block and beat prisoners with heavy truncheons. Prime Minister B?lent Ecevit claimed that the incident was due to the guards' discovery of an escape tunnel, but this was not confirmed in the Justice Ministry statement made after the incident. Prisoners' relatives believe that prisoners' protests at overcrowding sparked the intervention. The action followed months of simmering unrest in Turkey's jails over the state's efforts to bring the jails fully under its control. According to the People's Law Bureau in Istanbul, the tension is due to the Justice Ministry's refusal to recognize the prisoners' representatives as negotiation partners and its insistence on introducing the cell model in the prisons to replace the dormitories which the prisoners are used to. Six gendarmes were shot and wounded in the incident, one of them seriously, according to a statement issued by the Justice Ministry. The violence spread to nine other prisons throughout the country, where other political prisoners took a total of 114 guards hostage to protest the Ankara incident. The Anatolia news agency identified the hostage-takers as jailed members of the extreme left-wing movement, notably the DHKP-C, a radical group blamed for bomb attacks and the murder of a former justice minister and several retired generals. By 28 September many of the actions had ended with the release of the hostages. The prisoners demanded an investigation of the security officials who had organized the attack, medical treatment for the wounded prisoners, and an end to the transfer of prisoners to different prisons so as to disperse groups. The incident was the latest example of prison unrest that has highlighted the inadequacies of Turkey's overcrowded and brutal prison system. Most Turkish prisoners, including those convicted of political crimes, are held in large dormitories for ten to sixty people in old and dilapidated buildings. The day-to-day running of the blocks is often in the hands of gangs of inmates, with leftist, far-right, mafia and Kurdish prisoners each running their own blocks. The violence in Ankara came on the third anniversary of riots in a Diyarbakir jail in which eleven jailed Kurdish rebels were killed by guards. Also in 1996, eleven prisoners starved themselves to death in protest against jail conditions and the policy of dispersing groups of prisoners among different prisons. Turkish human-rights groups condemned the gendarmerie's use of excessive force and called the action a "massacre". In a statement co-signed by other rights and labor groups, the Turkish Human Rights Association (IHD) said the violence was the result of official neglect that leaves political prisoners living in overcrowded and badly-equipped dormitories while other inmates have access to luxuries in their blocks. Inmates have frequently complained about their living conditions, lack of medical care, and brutal treatment by prison guards. International watchdog groups also protested the Ankara action. Human Rights Watch (HRW) recommended that the gendarmerie, which has a history of fatal attacks on prisoners, should be pulled off guard duties. HRW official Holly Cartner declared, "It is inappropriate that assault forces should be used to guard civilian prisoners." In a statement issued on 27 September, HRW said: "Counting yesterday`s toll, twenty-seven prisoners have been beaten to death in Turkish prisons since 1995. Most of these deaths occurred when gendarmes were sent into prisons to 'restore order', usually with extreme brutality. Warders employed by the Justice Ministry provide the internal security for all prisons in Turkey, but the external perimeter of prisons is guarded by gendarmes under the authority of the Interior Ministry. These gendarmes are trained for anti-insurgency in southeastern Turkey rather than for the difficult task of dealing with prison disturbances. The gendarmes seem to view such prison unrest as an opportunity to settle accounts with prisoners who are alleged to have connections with illegal armed groups that may be fighting security forces elsewhere in the country. All those killed were prisoners remanded or convicted for offenses under the wide-ranging Anti-Terror Law." President Suleyman Demirel earlier this month vetoed an amnesty bill that would drastically reduce the prison population in Turkey, yet leave most political prisoners - an estimated 11,000 inmates - behind bars. The Turkish parliament is expected to debate the bill again after it reconvenes on 1 October. (Human Rights Watch, Reuters, 27.9.99; ?zg?r Bakis, People's Law Bureau, Radikal, 28.9.99) More than 100 Protesters Arrested On 28 September police detained more than 100 protesters, including dozens of human-rights activists, who had gathered in Istanbul to protest the security forces' killing of eleven leftist prisoners in the Ankara Closed Prison. Two days later, at a remembrance ceremony in Istanbul for one of the dead prisoners, baton-wielding riot police charged the crowd and arrested dozens of people. The Turkish Human Rights Association (IHD) said that about 100 people, including relatives of some of the dead prisoners, had been detained and several had been injured by police beatings. Television broadcasts showed the police charging the crowd and beating several people with batons as they were dragged off to waiting buses. In the meantime, about thirty members of the Istanbul branch of the IHD were beaten by the police on 29 September when they tried to send protest telegrams from the Sirekci post office to the President, Prime Minister and Justice Minister concerning the killings. The police officers brutally beat and detained Saban Dayanan, a member of the executive board of the Istanbul chapter of the IHD. The police then raided the Istanbul branch of the IHD on orders of the Istanbul Governorate and stayed there for two hours. (BBC, 28.9.99; Cumhuriyet, Reuters, 30.9.99) Akin Birdal Released from Prison Turkey's leading human-rights activist, Akin Birdal, was temporarily released from jail on 25 September after medical reports said his two-year jail term could prove fatal. The Prime Minister's office said Birdal's sentence was being postponed for six months, according to the Anatolia news agency. Birdal, the former chairman of the Turkish Human Rights Association (IHD), was convicted for "inciting hatred" in two speeches he made in 1998 calling for a negotiated end to the state's fifteen years of conflict with Kurdish rebels. Birdal was attacked in his office in May 1998 by right-wing attackers who shot him six times in the chest and leg. The attack was prompted by the publication in the Turkish mass media of alleged confessions by a former member of the Workers' Party of Kurdistan (PKK) linking Birdal with the party. Birdal, who survived five subsequent operations, has a lame leg from the shooting. The European Union had urged the Turkish government to suspend Birdal's sentence on humanitarian grounds because of the severe chest and leg injuries he sustained in the attack. (Reuters, 25.9.99) German Government's Policy Is Criticized on "Day of the Refugee" In a press statement issued on 30 September for the "Day of the Refugee" on 1 October, the German refugee-counseling organization Pro Asyl vehemently criticized the present German government's refugee policy. Pro Asyl speaker Heiko Kaufmann said that few of the aims formulated by the coalition government on 20 October 1998 have been put into practice so far. Instead of implementing the voters' mandate for a new policy regarding the right to asylum, the government is continuing the hard-line policy of its predecessor, he said. By now, the government's promise to speedily process the backlog of asylum applications has nearly dropped out of sight, according to Kaufmann. He said the repeated postponement of a meeting of the Interior Ministers of the federal states on this question shows that they, together with the federal Minister of the Interior, hope to "sit out" the issue while the repatriation of refugees continues. In the meantime, "human dignity includes the possibility of planning one's life with confidence. The permanent uncertainty of many refugees who have been living in Germany for many years and are well-integrated here, as to whether they can stay here or will be repatriated, is intolerable." The situation in Germany's prison institutions for refugees about to be repatriated is still "unworthy of human beings", he said. People who have not committed any crime are still being imprisoned for months on end. There is still a high incidence of acts of desperation such as suicide attempts and hunger strikes. The Ministry of Justice and the Interior Ministry have made no attempt to deal with the situation directly. Furthermore, the government is not living up to its earlier promise to advocate a Europe-wide refugee policy based on the Geneva Convention on Refugees and the European Human Rights Convention, Kaufmann said. Instead, Foreign Ministry representatives in a high- level European working group are helping to formulate action plans aimed at closing off Europe more effectively from all current refugee movements. Thus "the motto of the former government - Yes to the international protection of refugees, but don't give them asylum here! - is also the motto of the present government's European policy." According to Kaufmann, only the Foreign Ministry's long-awaited situation report on Turkey offers a "ray of light". He said the report, labeled "confidential", gives a more realistic picture than did predeceding reports. The former German government repeatedly referred to the "alternative possibility of flight within the country", i.e. to western Turkey; this is no longer claimed to be generally available. Instead, the Foreign Ministry has now officially admitted that rejected asylum applicants who were repatriated to Turkey have been tortured, and that there is not always an "alternative possibility of flight within the country" in every individual case. In terms of refugee policy, this means that it will no longer be possible to reject asylum applications out of hand using the argument that they can escape persecution by simply moving to western Turkey. Kaufmann said that Kurdish refugees now have a greater chance of re-applying for political asylum successfully. Other refugee-counseling organizations in Germany said they had hoped for a situation report with more bite. In early September, Foreign Ministry official Ludger Volmer had promised that the report would take a clear stand on the persecution and oppression of Kurds in Turkey. The ministry also promised to end the practice of allowing the German embassy in Ankara to assess whether rejected applicants for asylum will be persecuted or not after they are repatriated. Refugee-counseling groups have long criticized this practice as reflecting foreign-policy interests rather than a desire to protect the persecuted. Moreover, in the past the German embassy in Ankara has employed officials of the federal Bureau of the Interior and the Bureau for the Recognition of Foreign Refugees and let them have a say in the formulation of country reports - although these departments have an interest in keeping the number of recognized asylum seekers to a minimum. A government speaker said in July: "We will make absolutely sure that from now on the reports are prepared by the Foreign Ministry alone." Moreover, the ministry said it would use information provided by Turkish human-rights organizations, amnesty international and the UNHCR in compiling its reports. With all this in mind, German commentators have expressed their disappointment with the report. A columnist for the daily newspaper "Berliner Tageszeitung" pointed out that in many areas the report's conclusions precisely repeat those of the previous Christian Democratic government. The commentary called the report "half-hearted" and said: "It wavers between the effort to describe the situation of the Kurds in Turkey realistically, and diplomatic formulations that are used so as not to overly antagonize Germany's NATO partner Turkey." Although the slight re-evaluations will prevent repatriation in a small number of cases, they will not change the basically restrictive policy of the federal Ministry of the Interior, according to the critics. The Refugee Council of North Rhine-Westphalia criticized the fact that the confidential situation reports, which are important for refugees, decision-makers and courts, are available only to official state bodies. Counselors, initiatives and lawyers have virtually no access to this information. (Jungle World, 15.9.99; Berliner Zeitung, 21 and 22.9.99; Refugee Council of NRW, 29.9.99; Pro Asyl press statement, 30.9.99) Nadire Mater Charged with "Insulting the Military" in Mehmet's Book Ms. Nadire Mater, a reporter with Inter Press Service (IPS) and the representative of Reporters sans Fronti?res (RSF) in Turkey, has been formally charged with "insulting" the Turkish military - a crime under Article 159 of the Turkish Penal Code. The first court hearing in the case took place on 29 September. If convicted, Ms. Mater faces a prison term between one and six years. The charge stems from the publication of her recent book Mehmet's Book: Soldiers Who Have Fought in the Southeast Speak Out, which was banned by the Turkish authorities on 23 June. (see WIS Nr. 18, 20.5.99) The book consists of interviews with forty-two retired Turkish soldiers who had fought against Kurds in southeastern Turkey. Ms. Mater's indictment underscores the shortcomings of the amnesty law concerning "press crimes" that was approved by Turkey's parliment on 18 August. The law, signed by President S?leyman Demirel on 2 September, suspends for a period of three years court cases or jail terms against individuals charged or convicted of "crimes" committed through the media before 23 April 1999. A number of journalists have already been freed under the amnesty, and dozens of court cases are expected to be quashed temporarily. But journalists such as Ms. Mater, who have committed "crimes" since the 23 April cutoff date, do not qualify for the amnesty. In a letter to Prime Minister B?let Ecevit, RSF expressed its concern about the case. Considering that "the journalist did nothing more than exercise her professional duty, which is to inform the public in an objective and independent fashion", RSF asked Ecevit to use his influence to ensure that the charges against her are dropped. The letter points out that because the first edition of the book was published before 23 April, she qualifies for the amnesty. Only the second, third and fourth editions were published after the cutoff date. (Committee to Protect Journalists, 22.9.99; Reporters sans Fronti?res, 30.9.99) To our readers: We would like to provide you with the latest news updates as fast as possible. If you are still receiving our Weekly Information Service by mail, but you have a fax number or an e-mail address, please let us know so that we can put you on a faster delivery track. ? The Editors. ISSN 1438-2016 Publisher: IMK e.V., Postfach 20 07 38, 53137 Bonn, Germany Telephone: + 49 ? 228 ? 36 28 02, Fax: + 49 ? 228 ? 36 32 97 e-mail: IMK-Bonn at t-online.de and imkkurds at aol.com Visit our website at: http://www.kurden.de Director: Abubekir Saydam Subscriptions (quarterly): Institutions, foundations, political parties, governments, and international organizations: 45 DM Courts, lawyers, human-rights organizations, refugee counseling centers: 23 DM Individuals and small non-governmental organizations: 10 DM Bank account: Volksbank Bonn (Bank code number: 380 60 186), Account number: 201 246 9015 From kicadam at xs4all.nl Mon Oct 4 13:50:18 1999 From: kicadam at xs4all.nl (kicadam at xs4all.nl) Date: 04 Oct 1999 13:50:18 Subject: [stk-l] (Fwd) september 1999 -arms trade - Turkey Message-ID: ------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- Date sent: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 09:56:37 MET-1DST From: Study Centre on Turkey Subject: september 1999 -arms trade - Turkey To: turkey-arms-net at igc.org Survey of reports taken form turkish press and international press gencies on arms trade to and from Turkey; reports on Turkish military industrial complex and defence policies. September 1999. This survey has two parts. The first consists of articles in english, the second has two relevant articles in german langu- age (of which no translation in english is available at Study centre on Turkey). I Part. English 3 September 1999 L-3 Communications Gets $29.5M Pact With Turkish Navy NEW YORK -- L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. (LLL) signed a contract valued at $29.5 million to supply eight Helicopter Long Range Active Sonars to the Republic of Turkey Navy for its Sikorsky S-70B helicopter fleet. In a press release Wednesday, the company said these systems are in addition to other sonars that will be integrated to upgrade the Turkish Navy's fleet of Agusta-Bell AB212 helicop- ters. In a separate release, the company said its Electrodynamics unit was awarded an additional multiyear technology and pro- duction contract with a value of $7.5 million and a potential value of more than $17 million over the next five years. Under the contract, awarded by Lockheed Martin Corp.'s (LMT) Missiles and Fire Control unit, L-3 Communications will supply advanced safety equipment for all future Longbow and Hellfire II missiles. The equipment, Electronic Safe and Arm Device, prevents warhead firing during handling, flight operations and the initial missile launch from a helicopter. L-3 Communications has previously provided this same techno- logy to Lockheed. L-3 Communications sells secure communicati- on systems and products, microwave components, avionics and ocean systems and other products. September 5 1999 -''SAROS-99'' MANOEUVRES TO BE STAGED BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 8 AND 17 ANKARA, Sept 5 (A.A) - The ''Saros-99'' joint manoeuvres of Turkey, Britain and the U.S. will be performed between Septem- ber 8 and 17, it was reported on Saturday. The Naval Forces Commandership issued a written statement saying that the ''Saros-99'', which is one of the concerted manoeuvres of the Naval Forces, will be staged in Central and Northern Aegean, Doganbey and Saros regions with the partici- pation of Turkish, British and the U.S. naval and land ele- ments. The manoeuvres, which will start with the departure of ves- sels from the Golcuk and Foca Bases on September 8, will be concluded with the return of vessels to their bases on Septem- ber 17. The Fleet Commandership's frigates namely TCG Ege and TCG Oruc Reis, submarine namely TCG Batiray, assault boats namely TCG Sahin, TCG Atmaca, TCG Kartal; The Landing Fleet Comman- dership's landing ships namely TCG Serdar, TCG C-142, TCG C-145, TCG C-146, TCG C-147, and Maritime Infantry units will join the manoeuvres. Besides, helicopters of the Land Forces Commandership, the Mechanized Infantry Squadron, the Air Forces' F-16 and F-4 war planes, and the U.S. and British warships and infantry naval units will participate in the manoeuvres. 11 September 1999 -SOUTHEAST EUROPEAN MULTINATIONAL PEACE FORCE -TURKEY TO ALLOCATE MILITARY UNITS TO PEACE FORCE ANKARA, Sept 1 (A.A) - The opening ceremony of the Southeast European Multinational Peace Force will be performed in Plovdiv, Bulgaria on September 11, it is reported on Wednes- day. Secretariat General of General Staff said that Sabahattin Cakmakoglu, the National Defense Minister, General Edip Baser, the Deputy Chief of General Staff and the Director of General Staff's Planning and Operation Department will represent Turkey in the opening ceremony of the Peace Force, which was activated on Tuesday. Besides a ceremony team of 25 persons from the Presidency Troop of Guardsmen will be ready in the ceremony. Turkey allocates one mechanized infantry battalion, one reconnaissance company and one gunner battery for the Operati- on of Supporting Peace that will be performed by the resoluti- ons of the United Nations (U.N) or Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). In addition to Turkey; Albania, Bulgaria, Italy, Macedonia, Romania and Greece participate in the Peace Force and the U.S. and Slovenia participate as observors. QUAKE BRIEFING FROM SOLDIERS The Land Forces Commandership held a press information pro- gramme about its efforts carried out in the disaster zone. The Land Forces Commandership said that the military units rescued 2,014 citizens alive and recovered the dead bodies of 3,799 citizens from debris caused by the August 17's massive earthquake. A total of 425 military personnel were killed in the quake region. (ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)) -F-16 WARPLANES PRODUCTION PROGRAM TO BE CONCLUDED NEXT MONTH ANKARA, Sept 11 (A.A) - F-16 warplanes production process, which Turkish Aviation and Space Industry (TAI) started in the year 1987, will be concluded within October, it was reported on Saturday. TAI, which started the first warplane production program in 1987 with the licence of the U.S. General Dynamics company, produced a total of 232 planes within the context of Oncel-1 and Oncel-II projects so far. A total of 152 f-16 warplanes were produced for Turkish Air Forces between 1987 and 1995. The first eight planes of the project, which covers 160 planes, were produced in installati- ons of General Dynamics Fort Worth, and delivered to Turkish Air Forces. TAI, within the framework of this project, realized 70 per- cent of the body of the plane as local production. TAI, which realized the first project with success, started Oncel-II warplane production project with the need of Turkish Air Forces and with the financial support of Defense Industry Undersecretariat. Most of the planes, which are included within Oncel-II pro- ject, that TAI started to produce in the year 1995, were delivered to Turkish Air Forces Commandership. The last two planes within the context of the second project, will be delivered to Turkish Air Fleet during the ceremonies which will take place on October 29, 1999. TAI, which producted a total of 230 F-16 warplanes for Tur- kish Air Forces, also produced 46 planes within three years and delivered to Egyptian Air Forces. 13 September 1999 BIG STEP IN THE TANK PROJECT Five foreign firms from among more than ten foreign firms remain for the final of the tender put out for the joint production of 1000 main battle tanks, which is considered to be the most comprehensive defence project in the course of Turkish history, reported the Anatolian News Agency. In a statement by American defence sources, the names of the coun- tries and firms which are on the shortlist and the models of the tanks under consideration are as follows: U.S.A:General Dynamics Firm - the MIA2 Abrams France: Giat Firm - the Ler- clerc Germany: Krauss-Maffei Firm - the Leopard 2 Ukrain: Ukrspetseksport Firm - the T-80D Italy: Iveco and Oto Breda Firm - the CI Ariete The project was launched by the Defence Industry's Undersecretary, who sent a letter proposing the tender to these five firms. It was reported that the candida- tes of countries such as Israel and England were left off the list. The IMI Firm from Israel is preparing itself for the bid to modernize the M60, which is an offshoot of the main tank production project. The five foreign firms which hope to win the bid and jointly manufacture the tank with five Turkish firms that are candidates for being the prime contractors; these are as follows: FNSS, OTOKAR, ASMAS, BMC and ROKETSAN. Turkey's great tank project is expected to cost 7 billion dollars (3.3 quadrillion TL) and take 15 years to complete. TURKISH WIRELESS SYSTEM FOR EUROPEAN HELICOPTER One of the most important establishments of the Turkish defence industry, the Military Electric and Electronics Indus- try (ASELSAN), has managed to gain a place on the inventory list of the French-German Helicopter Consortium's Eurocopter. The consortium will use ASELSAN's FLIR wireless system in helicopters which are produced by them. The Defence Underse- cretary, Yalcin Burcak, said that they had agreed with Euro- copter to buy 30 helicopters and ASELSAN's FLIR wireless system will be integreted into these helicopters. /Milliyet/ TURKISH GENERAL FOR PEACE Brigadier General Hilmi Akin Zorlu will be the Commander of the Balkans Peace Force established by Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Albania and Italy to protect peace in the Balkans for the next two years. The Southeastern European Brigade (SEERBIG), under the umbrella of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), was launched at a ceremony held in Filibe yesterday. National Defence Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu, the Deputy Chief of General Staff, Gen.Edip Baser, and the Head of the Planning Department, Major General Ethem Erdagi, represented Turkey during the ceremony. The wind of frienship between Turkey and Greece has also affected the politicians. Defence Minister Sabahattin Cakma- koglu invited his Greek counterpart to Turkey. The two Minis- ters came together during the ceremony. Cakmakoglu and his Greek counterpart, Athanasios Cahacopulus, pointed out that the rapprochement between the two countries should continue. /Milliyet-Turkiye/ 14 September 1999 -''COUNCIL OF COOPERATION AND SECURITY MEASURES IN ASIA'' MEETING ALMATY, Sept 14 (A.A) - Abdulhaluk Cay, the State Minister who attended the ''Council of Cooperation and Security Measu- res in Asia'' meeting on Tuesday said the council formation must be supported by institutional structures and practical elements which might be a long term process. Cay also stated that he was happy to see that terrorism and struggle against terrorism was widely covered by the declaration. The Minister started his speech by reminding that global conflicts and polarizations came to an end while the world is entering the new millenium and added that international rela- tions emerged as important in maintaining world peace and stability. The formation of the Council of Cooperation and Security Measures in Asia must be supported by institutional formations and practical elements in order to become a security forum, he stressed. Cay also said experience of Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) was used in the Council which was promising. Cay spoke Turkish in the Council's meeting which was attended by Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev. The Minister said Turkey has always supported efforts to protect independence of countries, showed respect to their sovereignty and territorial integrity, did not interfere in their domestic affairs, worked for disarmement and control of weapons, and human rights. These principles have been once again approved in Almati and they are in accordance with the basic phylosophy of UN and Organization of Security and Coop- eration in Europe, he said. Cay pointed out that all member countries of the Council have total consensus about security matters. Speaking about struggle against terrorism, Cay said he was happy to see the declaration widely covered the terrorism issue. ''We are happy to see that terrorism which threatens peace and stability and democratic life was widely covered in this declaration,'' he said. Cay later joined the dinner given by Kasimcomart Tokayev, the Kazakh Foreign Minister. The Minister will be received by Nursultan Nazarbayev, the Kazakh President on Tuesday evening. Cay and his delegation will return to Turkey on Wednesday morning. -U.S. LOCKHEED MARTIN COMPANY GRANTS 250,000 U.S. DOLLARS FOR SURVIVORS WASHINGTON D.C., Sept 14 (A.A) - The U.S. Lockheed Martin company, the company which has the licence of the F-16 war planes, granted 250,000 U.S. dollars for the quake survivors on Tuesday. Robert H. Trice, one of the deputy directors of the Lockheed Martin company, gave the donation cheque to Tolga Cubukcu, the Chairman of Turkish-American Associations Assembly. The Turkish-American Council which covers many U.S. and Turkish companies, continue its initiatives to call the giant weapon companies which have deals with Turkey to give financi- al aid for the quake survivors. 16 September 1999 MILITARY HELICOPTER CRASHES: THREE DIE Captain Ersan Dag and Leman Akbas and Tulay Celik, the two nurses, died when a military helicopter carrying personnel assigned in Koprucay village in Pervari had crashed into ground at about 10:00 local time while trying to make an emergency landing near the village. Three soldiers were inju- red in the crash. Officials said the helicopter belonged to the Seventh Army Corps and crashed due to a technical fault. IDEF TURKEY '99 The Fourth International Defence Industry, Aerospace and Maritime Fair will be held between September 28 and October 1 in Ankara. The Fair is being organized by CNR International Fair Organisers' Inc., under the auspices of the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation. Defence Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu held a press conference yesterday and said that a total of 11 Defence Ministers will attend the Fair and added that impor- tant agreements would be signed during IDEF Turkey '99. /All papers/ SUSPENSION IN MISSILE SALE TO TURKEY BY NORWAY The Norwegian Government has stated that it has temporarily suspended the sale of missiles to Turkey. According to offici- al sources in Oslo, Foreign Minister Knut Vollebaek said that the sale of the Penguin missile to Turkey has been suspended. An agreement worth $38 million for the sale of the Penguin-ty- pe missile had been signed between the Kongsberg firm in Norway and Ankara. The Norwegian Foreign Ministry Spokesman said that they would issue a final decision following a mee- ting between officials from the Kongsberg firm and Turkey, the Anatolia News Agency reports. 17 September 1999 -TURKEY-PAKISTAN DEFENSE COOPERATION -A MILITARY DELEGATION FROM PAKISTAN DUE IN TURKEY ANKARA, Sept 17 (A.A) - A military delegation, led by Gen. Iftihar Ali Khan, Pakistani Defense Minister, will come to Turkey for talks on defense cooperation issues between Turkey and Pakistan, it was reported on Friday. A statement of Pakistani Embassy said contacts of the delega- tion, which will come to Turkey on September 19, will last for four days. The statement said, ''improvement of defense cooperation between the armed forces of the two friendly countries'' will be taken up during the meeting of the Turkish-Pakistani mili- tary delegations. The statement said the visit was a part of annual consultati- on meetings between the armed forces of the two countries. 20 September 1999 -GAYDALI, MINISTER OF STATE, IN PARIS -TURKEY AND FRANCE TO SIGN A COOPERATION AGREEMENT REGARDING USAGE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY WITH PEACEFUL TARGETS PARIS, September 20 (A.A) - Edip Safder Gaydali, Minister of State, arrived in Paris on Monday on an official visit. Following a meeting between Gaydali and Christian Pierret, French State Minister responsible for industry, Turkey and France Tuesday will sign a cooperation agreement regarding usage of nuclear energy for peaceful targets. Gaydali, who will hold meetings with representatives of several industry sector, is expected to return to Turkey on Friday. 21 September 1999 SINGAPOREAN CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF IN TURKEY The Singaporean Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant General Soo Khiang Bey, visited the Turkish Air Forces' Commander, Gen.Ersin Celasin, yesterday. Gen.Celasin delivered a speech and said that he was very pleased to see Lieutenant General Khiang Bey in Turkey. Gen.Celasin stated that an 18-strong team of Turkish military staff would receive training in Singapore concerning the modernization of military aircraft and said that, in line with the military training agreement signed with Singapore, one Singaporean officer would come to Turkey next year to be trained at the Air Force Academy. Khiang Bey remarked that the Turkish Army was extremely pro- fessional and added that, as part of the military cooperation agreements signed between the two countries, an exchange of staff would also be made, the Anatolia News Agency reports. BLACK SEA PARTNERSHIP-99 MANEOUVRES The Black Sea Partnership-99 Maneouvres will be staged in the Western Black Sea between September 20 and 24, 1999, the Anatolia News Agency reports. The General Staff statement said that Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, the Ukraine and Georgia will participate in the maneouvres and that the maneouvres aim to improve joint training initiatives and cooperation between the countries bordering the Black Sea, to support the 'partnership for peace', and to encourage the improvement of Turkey's political and military involvement in the region. Admiral Metin Atac, the Commander of the War Fleet, will command the maneouvres. 22 September 1999 MODERN TANKS FOR TURKEY The most modern tanks in the world, produced by five foreign companies which reached the final round of the tender for tanks worth $7 billion put out by Turkey, will be sent to Turkey for a one-year test period as of the beginning of next year. According to the 'Defence News' magazine published in the U.S., the tanks will be tested by Turkish officials. The firm which will win the tender will be determined in 2002 and the production of 1,000 tanks will begin in 2004. It is also reported that the foreign firm which wins the tender will produce the tanks jointly with a Turkish company. /Turkiye/ 24 September 1999 TURKISH GENERAL ON DUTY Major General Metin Yavuz Yalcin will become the Chief of Staff of the Southern European Sub-Regional Command based in Larissa, Greece, set up as part of NATO's new command structu- re. Six common sub-regional commands have been established in Southern Europe while five have been set up in Northern Euro- pe. /Cumhuriyet/ 27 September 1999 -CAKMAKOGLU, NATIONAL DEFENSE MINISTER: ''TURKISH AIR FORCES IS THE MOST TALENTED AIR FORCE AMONG THE OTHER EUROPE- AN AIR FORCES'' LONDON, Sept 27 (A.A) - Sabahattin Cakmakoglu, the National Defense Minister, said on Monday that Turkish Air Forces is the most talented air force among the other European air forces. Speaking to the British Jane's Defense Weekly (JDW) magazine, Cakmakoglu noted that Turkish Air Forces, including the hig- hest number of F-16 war planes following the U.S., is the only air force in Europe which has the biggest personnel, opportu- nity and training capacities. Stressing that the Turkish Armed Forces can charge 40,000 or 50,000 staff for a joint operation in a short time, Cakmakoglu stated that the Turkish Armed Forces can also provide the supply, maintanence and the fire support of the operation in a short time. Cakmakoglu added that five or six battalions can reach their target in a short time by an air attack. Noting that the risk resulting from the long-range missiles does not only come from the southern neighbours of Turkey, Cakmakoglu stressed that the most important point is to own the necessary defense equipment to overcome the risk without it spreads and that to this end, the Turkish Armed Forces carries out short and long term exercises. Stating that the aim of the cooperation between Turkey and Israel is to contribute to the two nations, two countries and to the stability of the region, Cakmakoglu recalled that the military visits and agreements between the two countries led to the speculations in the Arab world saying that Turkey and Israel set up a strategical alliance. Pointing out that these allegations are continuously uttered by Syria, Iran, Iraq and Greece, Cakmakoglu emphasized that the fact that the the press is too much interested in the military dimension of the relations between the two countries play an important role in strengthening the strategical alli- ance image. Emphasizing that the tension between Turkey and Syria which escalated in the beginning of October 1998 revealed that the Turkish-Israeli cooperation does not target any third coun- tries, Cakmakoglu pointed out that Israel stopped her military exercises at the Syrian border during the crisis. Underlining that it is obvious that Turkey will not arrange her relations with Israel in accordance with the developments in the Middle East Peace Process, Cakmakoglu said that the Turkish-Israeli relations don't constitute a pact. Cakmakoglu said, ''the latest developments indicate that the Arab countries started to understand the real dimension of our relations with Israel and that they started to digress from the distorting approaches.'' Referring to the Turkish defense industry, Cakmakoglu noted that Turkey will continue buying weapons and modernization in the following 25 years and that the National Defense Ministry will carry out some renewal studies for directing the defense industry initiatives. Cakmakoglu added that they are carrying out significant initiatives to set up a Turkish defense industry which is away from the idea of protection. Emphasizing that the Turkish Armed Forces has become a modern army by high technology, Cakmakoglu stated that Turkey needs some developed technologies, including guided systems, com- mand-control-communication-computer-intelligence systems and remote control systems in 2000. 28 september 1999 FIRST TURKISH ROCKET Turkey has accelerated its efforts to develop rocket and missile technology. The Defence Research and Development Institute, set up as part of the Turkish Scientific and Tech- nical Research Institution (TUBITAK), which developed a com- plete rocket from its engine to its oil, has completed its test-launch successfully. The rocket weighs 150 kilos and has a 60-km range. /Turkiye/ TURKISH SOLDIERS DUE IN EAST TIMOR Turkish soldiers, including gendarmes and policemen, will participate in the UN's Peacekeeping Force in East Timor. The size of the Turkish Force will not be as large as that in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo or Somalia, but will be a token force only. /Hurriyet/ TURCO-SLOVAKIAN COOPERATION An agreement concerning the 'Exchange and Protection of Sensivitive Defence Industry Information and Materials' was signed between Turkey and Slovakia; National Defence Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu signed the agreement on behalf of Tur- key, while Defence Minister Pavol Kanis signed it on behalf of Slovakia. Before signing the agreement, the two Ministers held a meeting prior to which Cakmakoglu stated that the Slovakian Defence Minister was in Ankara for the opening of the 'Fourth International Defence Industry Aviation and Naval Fair'. Cakmakoglu remarked that friendly relations between Turkey and Slovakia were continuing to be further developed. Slovakian Defence Minister Kanis said for his part that Slovakian and Turkish relations had shown a positive improvement and added that Turkey's support for Slovakia's acceptance into NATO was important for his country. He expressed his desire to further develop relations with Turkey in the area of defence, the Anatolia News Agency reports. -DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER DEVLET BAHCELI:''ALTHOUGH TURKISH DEFENSE INDUSTRY HAS DEVELOPED AN EXPORT CAPACITY IN RECENT YEARS, IT STILL COULDN'T REACH THE DESIRED LEVEL'' ANKARA, Sept 28 (A.A) - Devlet Bahceli, the Acting Prime Minister, said on Tuesday that ''Turkey was not in an armament competition, however it has to be strong because of the jeo- strategic and jeopolitic position to contribute global and regional peace and stability''. Bahceli who spoke at the IDEF-99's opening said new foreign enterpreneurs were interested in investing in Turkish defense industry which is important to bring modern technologies to Turkey. He said they were ready to give all kinds of support to technology and capital transfer to countries and institutions who openly want cooperation with Turkey. ''I believe that our businessmen and investors will evaluate the opportunities in the best way. Turkey is working to moder- nize its army with its limited resourses and it will provide its defense equipment within the country as possible as it could. This way it will be possible to allocate more resources for the modernization of the Turkish Armed Forces,'' Bahceli explained. Bahceli also stated that after the cold war some threats against Turkey continued to exist in various forms. Turkey will be open to foreign countries in its defense industry, but it will not allow this to turn into a dependen- cy, he stressed. Bahceli said with the foundation of the Republic, creating a national defense industry gained importance. Ataturk always showed social, cultural and economic development as a target to Turkish people, he stated. ''The last 75 years has been very important in our nation's life. Turkey has become powerful in industry fields which are very important in the world. In the recent years, especially the defense industry has become strong with the contribution of local and foreign private sector, information and technolo- gy. Turkey came to a point where it can produce the most modern arms and defense equipment. However, although it is self-sufficient in certain fields and has a certain export capacity, it could not reach the desired level in foreign markets. Lack of promotion is the biggest factor of this. I hope that the fair will contribute to the promotion of Turkish firms,'' he said. -IDEF 99 FAIR -PRESIDENT DEMIREL: ''WAR IS NOT A TARGET, THE TARGET IS PEACE'' ANKARA, Sept 28 (A.A) - President Suleyman Demirel said on Tuesday that the target was not war, but peace, adding that ''the weapons which were used for war will be used to provide peace. If this can be understood well, and if the balance can be preserved well, the sufferings of the 20th century will not be repeated in the coming centuries.'' Addressing the opening ceremony of IDEF 99, Demirel recalled that the fair was a defense industry fair, and noted that works of the technology, samples and the weapons were exhibi- ted in the fair. Stressing that ''defense industry'' term was one which was carefully selected, Demirel said ''we don't say war industry. We should altogether understand the meaning of this.'' Recalling that 20th century was a stage to important wars, Demirel said weapons which are products of war indsutry were used in these wars. Demirel said ''it has been revealed that these weapons which were made by human beings were devastating to human beings. Nearly 60-70 million people lost their lives in the first and second World Wars. Many cities and counties were destroyed and civilized countries were damaged. Yet, it was understood after 1945 that war was in vain. The target is not war, the target is peace. The weapons which were used for war should be used to provide peace to consolidate peace. This means, the weapons will be under the service of defense industry. The term ''deterrence'' expresses one of the most important concepts which human beings revealed. The weapons exist to prevent war. If this can be understood well and if this balance can be preserved well, the sufferings will not be repeated again.'' Demirel said the world entered 21st century in an organized way, adding that the U.N. and NATO took very important steps to this end and gained positive results. Demirel said ''defense industry is the highest industry power of the country. This means, the countries who could not suc- ceed in industrialization, will not have defense industry. Turkey has a defense industry. Armed forces and defense indus- try of Turkey is for deterrence, to provide peace in the region and to serve peace in the world. This was seen in various places like Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo and Somalia. I consider them as very important examples.'' Recalling that Turkey experienced a very important quake disaster, Demirel said more than 15,000 people died and nearly 200,000 houses were demolished. Demirel pointed out that 87 countries rushed to the help of Turkey, adding that ''I think this is a very important inci- dent while entering to the year 2000's. I wish all the world countries to be in this feeling and I also wish the weapons to be used for peaceful reasons.'' 30 September 1999 MILITARY COOPERATION WITH MALAYSIA National Defence Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu has streng- thened defence industry cooperation with Malaysia. Cakmakoglu delivered a speech at the ceremony of the signing of a defence industry agreement between Turkey and Malaysia and said that with this agreement, relations would further develop. /Turkiy- e/ ****************************************** II. German part Yahoo, 11. September 1999 Auswaertiges Amt gegen Panzer fuer Tuerkei Verbot von deutscher Beteiligung bei Wettbewerb - Offenbar aus Ruecksicht auf Grie- chenland Hamburg (AP) Das Auswaertige Amt blockiert offenbar die Betei- ligung der deutschen Industrie an einem internationalen Wett- bewerb um 1.000 neue Kampfpanzer fuer die Tuerkei. Wie die <> unter Berufung auf Regierungskreise am Freitag vorab berichtete, verbot das Aussenministerium die Beteiligung deutscher Panzer an dem Wettbewerb, weil Ruecksicht auf Grie- chenland geboten sei, um der Tuerkei eine Perspektive fuer einen EU-Beitritt zu geben. Mit dem Verbot wolle das Ministerium um die Zustimmung Athens fuer den Beitritt der Tuerkei werben, hiess es in der <> weiter. Im Gegensatz zur Tuerkei erhalte Griechenland derzeit deutsche Kampfpanzer. Das Verteidigungsministerium und das Wirtschaftsministerium hatten dagegen keine Einwaende gegen die Teilnahme an dem Wettbewerb, wie die Zeitung weiter be- richtet. Ankara hatte demnach Interesse an dem deutschen Panzer <> signalisiert. Die Vergleichserprobung in der Tuerkei, an der sich unter anderem die USA, Russland, Italien und Suedkorea beteiligen, soll im Dezember beginnen. Nach Angaben der <> koennte der Auftrag der deutschen Wirtschaft eine Wertschoepfung von rund sechs Milliarden Mark einbringen und etwa 6.000 Arbeitsplaetze fuer zehn Jahre sichern. 30 September 1999 HAZ, Tuerkei-Geschaeft in der Schwebe In zwei Wochen wird der Bundessicherheitsrat ueber ein Milli- ardengeschaeft mit der Tuerkei zur Lizenzproduktion des Kampfpanzers Leopard II zu entscheiden haben. Zunaechst geht es "nur" um die Ausfuhrgenehmigung eines einzelnen Leopard II in die Tuerkei noch im Oktober. Er soll in einem mehrere Monate dauernden Wettbewerb mit konkurrierenden Panzer-Prototypen aus vier weiteren Laendern, den USA, der Ukraine, Frankreich und Italien, auf technische Leistungsfaehigkeit und Wirtschaftlich- keit hin getestet werden. Wie die "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" (FAZ) gestern berichtete, will die tuerkische Regie- rung dann auf Grund der Testergebnisse entscheiden, welcher der Panzertypen den Zuschlag fuer die Modernisierung des Heeres erhaelt. Dem Leopard II, der von der Firma Krauss-Maffei Weg- mann gebaut wird, werden grosse Chancen eingeraeumt. Insgesamt plant die Tuerkei die Anschaffung von 1000 Panzern. Bisher hat sich die Bundesregierung auf eine Exportgenehmi- gung fuer den Prototypen nicht einigen koennen. Nach Zeitungsbe- richten setzen sich das Bundesverteidigungsministerium wie auch das Wirtschaftsministerium fuer die Beteiligung an dem Wettbewerb ein, das Auswaertige Amt sperrt sich, angeblich aus Ruecksicht auf den griechischen Nato-Partner, gegen das Pro- jekt. Begruendung: Wenn die Tuerkei eine Perspektive fuer einen EU-Beitritt erhalten solle, brauche man die Zustimmung Athens. Sie aber sei eher gegeben, wenn sich Deutschland an dem Pan- zer-Wettbewerb nicht beteilige. Die Panzer-Schmiede Krauss-Maffei ist an dem Export-Projekt, an dem nach Auskunft des Unternehmens 6000 Arbeitsplaetze haengen und das mit einer Wertschoepfung von sechs Milliarden DM verbunden ist, hoch interessiert, bestaetigte am Mittwoch jedoch lediglich, dass eine Ausfuhrgenehmigung noch nicht vorliege. Wuerde sie erteilt, so kann dies als Signal gedeutet werden, dass die Bundesregierung auch dem moeglichen Auftrag ihre Zustimmung nicht versagen wuerde. Laut FAZ wollen die Tuerken mit der Panzerproduktion 2004 beginnen und dann jaehrlich 100 Panzer bauen. Im Rahmen der Nato-Verteidigungshilfe hat Deutschland der Tuerkei zwischen 1964 und 1995 Ruestungsgueter im Wert von 6,5 Milliarden DM ueberlassen, darunter auch frueheres NVA-Material. Zwei Mal, 1992 und 1994, kam der Waffentransfer ins Stocken, weil der Verdacht aufkam, die tuerkische Armee setze die Waffen im Krieg gegen die Kurden ein. Dagegen ergingen an deutsche Werften Auftraege der tuerkischen Marine fuer den Bau von Fregat- ten, U-Booten, Minensuchbooten und Schnellbooten. Bei der Genehmigung fuer Ruestungsgueter des Heeres tut sich die Bundesregierung hingegen schwerer: Ausser um den Leopard II geht es um die noch ausstehende Ausfuhrgenehmigung von 150 ausgemusterten Leopard I, um die gemeinsame Produktion von 2000 gepanzerten Radfahrzeugen und um 145 Kampfhubschrauber. Um den Abschluss eines deutsch-tuerkischen Ruestungsrahmenabkom- mens bemueht sich Ankara seit fuenf Jahren. hap/rtr, Muenchen + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Study centre on Turkey (SOT) + + P.O. Box 94802, 1090 GV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands + + Ph: +31-20-4284061 Fax: +31-20-4284062 + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Study centre on Turkey (SOT) + + P.O. Box 94802, 1090 GV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands + + Ph: +31-20-4284061 Fax: +31-20-4284062 + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + From dhkc.bruxelles at chello.be Tue Oct 5 14:13:49 1999 From: dhkc.bruxelles at chello.be (dhkc.bruxelles at chello.be) Date: 05 Oct 1999 14:13:49 Subject: Fw: international forum protest - political prisoners massacre Ankar Message-ID: ----- Original Message ----- From: Internationalt Forum To: ; Sent: Tuesday, October 05, 1999 4:51 PM Subject: FW: international forum protest - political prisoners massacre Ankara > > > ---------- > From: Irene Clausen[SMTP:Irene.Clausen at skolekom.dk] > Sent: 3. oktober 1999 18:40 > To: svendborg at image.dk; inter.fo at inform.dk; majordomo at igc.apc.org; ats at etext.org; florida at netline.cl; ernk-serhildan at mclink.it; ernk.sweden at swipnet.se; ernk.es at nodo50.org; isgard at aol.com; is.kurdistan at link-lev.dinoco.de; irsp at netwizards.net; inprecor at oln.comlink.apc.org; mail at humanrights.de; office at ihf-hr.org; info.turk at ping.be; info at kampagne.de; info at gaaa.org; info at boell.de; illoyal at kampagne.de; itkka.jaakkola at kolumbus.fi > Subject: international forum protest - political prisoners massacre Ankara > > Internationalt Forum > Griffenfeldsgade 41 > 2200 K?benhavn N > tlf. 35371889/ 35371888 > e-mail: inter.fo at inform.dk > www.cikadenet.inform.dk//if/ > > P r e s s D e c l a r a t i o n > > International Forum protest against the massacre > on the political prisoners in the Ankara State Security Prison > > International Forum which is a 30 year old antiimperialistic organization, > strongly protests against the massacre which on the 26th of September, > resulted in the murder of at least 12 political prisoners in the Ankara > High Security State Prison Ulucanlar. By brutality from the gendarms and > prison personnel, the political prisoners all of whom are emprisoned > according to the Antiterror Law, were brutally beaten to death. > > The Turkish authorities have, after the massacre, tried to legitimate the > massacre by saying fact that the prisoners were trying to grave a tunnel > out of the prison, which seems very unlikely to be true, in view of the > intense security systems that are controlling the prison day and nightf. > Rather it is the protest of the prisoners against the planned > deteriorations of their situation, for instance the plans to put them into > new cell systems (isolation) that have made the Turkish authorities try > to 'maintain law and order' in the special Turkish way: by beating the > prisoners to death. Most of the prison personnel are known for their > sympathies with the fascist Grey Wolf Party MHP and they consider alle > freedom fighters as ennemies of the 'fatherland' who deserve the highest > possible punishment.. > > The massacre of the political prisoners in Turkey provoked manifestations > all over Turkey and resulted as might be expected in arrestestations. > Thus the highly respected advocate and President of the Istanbul IHD > (human rights organisation), Eren Keskin together with other advocates > were arrested when reading their resolution of protest against the > massacre of the Ankara Prison. > > International Forum hereby pronounce our strongest protests against the > massacre on our comrades in the Ankara Ulucanlar Prison and support the > international demand of a solid examination of the massacre of which the > main responsibles are the Interior and Justice Ministeres of Turkey. We > require those guilty in the massacre made responsible for their crimes. > > We encourage the Danish and International human rights organisations and > governments to protest against the brutal massacre in the Turkish Prison. > > Fight the oppression and racisme in Turkey > > For democracy and human rights in Turkey > > International Forum, Copenhagen > 3.10.99 > > > > From ozgurluk.xs4all.nl at ozgurluk.xs4all.nl Wed Oct 6 17:36:43 1999 From: ozgurluk.xs4all.nl at ozgurluk.xs4all.nl (ozgurluk.xs4all.nl at ozgurluk.xs4all.nl) Date: 06 Oct 1999 17:36:43 Subject: TDN: Prisonsituation in Turkey Message-ID: Taken from turkishdalynews.com Istanbul prisons rife with unrest In Istanbul prisons over the last six years, 39 inmates have been killed and 42 guards and 109 inmates have been injured in riots and other clashes Ankara - Turkish Daily News The situation of state prisons in Istanbul has again come on the country's agenda following an incident in which hostages were taken at Ankara's Ulucanlar prison. In the last six years, 39 inmates have been killed in Istanbul prisons, while 42 guards and 109 inmates have been injured in riots and other clashes, reported the Anatolia news agency. According to information retrieved by Anatolia from state archives, Bayrampasa, Umraniye, Metris, Kartal and Pasakapisi prisons and the Bakirkoy Women and Children Detention Center have been the scene of numerous riots, murders and hostage crises, among other incidents, creating a great deal of unrest in the public at large when they occur. In Umraniye prison, 36 inmates and 12 guards were injured during an uprising initiated by members of terrorist groups on Dec. 13, 1995. Those same inmates, who said that promises made on their demands by prison officials to stop the unrest were not kept, initiated another episode of unrest on Jan. 4, 1996. During the clashes between the inmates and police trying to end the riot, Abdulmecit Seckin, Riza Boybas, Orhan Ozen and Gultekin Beyhan, all with links to terrorist groups, lost their lives, while 36 inmates, 20 soldiers and 10 guards were injured. During a hunger strike begun in July 1996 that lasted for 69 days, another six inmates connected with terrorist organizations lost their lives. Inmates serving time in Metris prison for crimes not associated with terrorism began an uprising on Jul. 9, 1997, resulting in a damaging fire. Once the riot was quelled by security personnel, it was discovered that inmates Kubilay Biciciler, Feyzullah Ozmen, Sedat Demiroz, Semsettin and Mahmut Demir had either been burned to death in the fire or had been fatally beaten by fellow inmates, while an additional five inmates suffered injuries. On Nov. 27, 1998, again in the Metris prison, a group of prisoners belonging to the illegal Federation of Islamist State (AFID) began an uprising following an attempt by prison guards to conduct a body search of inmates. Three guards were taken hostage. During the incident, a great deal of material damage was caused by the prisoners. In the Bakirkoy Women and Children Detention Center, juvenile inmates reacted to one of their fellow inmates being placed in solitary confinement for self inflicted injuries, setting ablaze mattresses and pillows. On Sept. 2, 1999, inmates at both Bayrampasa and Umraniye prisons started an uprising after refusing to submit to a role call by prison officials. On Sept. 10, 1999, a group of inmates including Salih Izzet Erdis, the leader of the terrorist Islamic Great East Raiders Front (IBDA/C) organization, revolted against the prison administration after prison officials refused their request for visiting rights, breaking glass and damaging computers belonging to the prison administration. And finally on Sept. 26, 1999, members of leftist organizations rioted in support of inmates at Ankara's Ulucanlar prison, resulting in 17 guards at Umraniye prison and four at Bayrampasa prison being taken hostage. After negotiations, the four hostages at Bayrampasa were released on Sept. 30, with the remaining 17 at Umraniye being released the next day. In a separate incident in Bayrampasa prison, five inmates serving time for rape were stabbed to death by other inmates. Again at Bayrampasa prison, Mete Nezihi Altinay, Ibrahim Yalcin, Murat Gul, Semih Genc, and Halil Cakiroglu, all belonging to illegal leftist organizations, escaped on Jul. 18, 1994 by impersonating security guards. On Jan. 5, 1996, Mehmet Okten escaped from Metris prison with the help of a noncommissioned officer assigned to the prison administration. On Aug. 7, 1997, Fehmi Capan, Haydar Sonmez, Muhammet Akyol, Ali Ugur and Tamer Tuncer, all members of the illegal Marxist-Leninist-Communist Party (MLKP) organization, escaped from the Umraniye prison by changing places with five visitors. Another jailbreak took place on Apr. 20, 1998, at Bayrampasa prison, on the fourth and final day of the sacrifice bayram. Nurettin Ozdemir, who was serving time for a non-terrorist crime, changed places with visitor Metin Badruk and fled the prison. On June 16, 1998, Mehmet Cakir, who was serving a 16-year prison sentence, fled Bayrampasa prison by jumping over the prison wall. Another prisoner who followed Cakir was apprehended by security personnel before making it to the clear. Yakup Sut, boss of a notorious crime syndicate, escaped while being transferred to Kartal hospital for physical therapy but was later apprehended by security forces. On Feb. 19, 1993, Sadrettin Aydinlik, Yildirim Ozturk, Ali Riza Dermanli, Hasan Sevim and Adem Kepenekli, all members of a terrorist organization, were able to reach as far as the outer door of Bayrampasa prison, successfully passing all checkpoints dressed as security guards, until they were caught by gendarmerie forces prior to leaving the premises. On Dec. 12, 1996, an attempted mass jailbreak at Bayrampasa prison was thwarted when a tunnel dug by inmates was discovered by prison officials. On Nov. 8, 1997, Ahmet Attila Tez, serving time for drug trafficking, was apprehended by security personnel as he tried to make his escape by climbing over the wall of the prison courtyard. Ercan Kartal and Sadi Ozpolat, high-ranking members of the outlawed Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C), which allegedly inspired the assassination of Ozdemir Sabanci of Sabanci Holding a few years ago, were stopped while making their way to the visitors lounge with borrowed clothes and facial make up to conceal their identity. On Oct. 19, 1998, an 80-meter tunnel, leading from Bayrampasa prison to a nearby ready-made clothing workshop, was discovered, preventing another mass jailbreak attempt. --- Pressagency Ozgurluk.Org http://www.ozgurluk.org From echap at eng.gla.ac.uk Thu Oct 7 04:49:08 1999 From: echap at eng.gla.ac.uk (echap at eng.gla.ac.uk) Date: 07 Oct 1999 04:49:08 Subject: News from workers struggles in iran Sept/Oct 99 Message-ID: NEWS BULETTIN SOLIDARITY CAMPAIGN WITH IRANIAN WORKERS Volume 1, Issue 3 Sept/Oct 1999 http://www.etehadchap.com/worker INSIDE THIS ISSUE 1 In Iran there is no social security p1 2 Workers Protest in Poushak factory p4 3 Workers struggles go beyond the factory p1 & 2 4 Strike in Haft Tapeh sugar plant p4 5 Protest by Pars Textile workers p6 In Iran there is no social security Iran has declared 15th of July ( 25th Tir 78) as the day of "social security" while everyone knows , there is no such thing in Iran. Of course we have the offices for social security but Dr Sattarifar who is the director of this service, describes it as follows: "it is a collection of offices dealing with insurance, retirement funds for state employees and military personnel, in other words state insurance and retirement organisations, it is not what is generally known as social security". ( in journal Atiyeh 222, July 99) It is worth noting that in Iran, the right to work and the right to housing the two pillars of social services, never existed. Although there is an organisation for social services, no one gets social security benefit when they loose their jobs, there is no housing benefit for those who can't afford housing, there has never been any payment for health and medical services for those who can't afford it. Therefore when Iran's leaders claim that 35 million Iranians are covered by social services, one has to take into account the real role of this service. According to Dr SattariFar, who was addressing a series of discussions titled: "Challenges to social services", the definition of social services is limited to provisions of 'insurance '. These Services are mainly part of the state sector , where corruption is ripe and where there is no inspection and no control. Inevitably these services have deteriorated every year, becoming more expensive and more limited. According to the second speaker in the same series of discussions, from every 100 worker who looses his/her life due to accidents at work, only one receives any insurance payment or cover for the family, this payment is so little that very few bother using it, although they pay their insurance regularly. As the price of medical services and drugs increases , the services provided are reduced regularly , and the list of available medical/health services and drugs are reduced. This discredited social insurance scheme , presented as social services by the Islamic authorities, is supposedly covering 30 million Iranians . The false propaganda of Islamic leaders has two purposes: 1- As the structure of Iranian economy is deteriorating and facing major recession and dropping to levels comparable with 40 years ago, with a foreign debt evaluated at 30 billion dollars , not only is it incapable of providing social services but it is failing even in its attempts to provide retirement funds and basic health insurance for those who have paid for such services. 2-The government policy over the last ten years to "reconstruct the economy" , following the instructions of the International Monetary fund to change the structure of Iranian economy, has eroded even the most basic cover of the social services. During these 10 years the Iranian regime has followed a policy of privatisation and therefore the state sector has not paid anything to the social services funds. The government owes 350millirad Tomans to these services ( according to the paper Kar va Kargar 22/4/99) 3-because of factional fighting and competition between various groups of the clergy to steal from the funds of the social services, under the guise of 'privatisation' , the corruption in this sector has been exposed. This fund was declared 'bankrupt' however information from various Mafia style groups within the Islamic regime shows that this information was wrong , in fact the fund has a surplus, its investments over the last 7 year have increased 10 times and it currently owns the production of 30% of drug products, 50 % of cement manufacture, 80% of Freezer manufacture and copper mines , in companies coming under the cover of the 'social services. ( Journal Atieh number 220, June 99) Information that was unavailable in previous years where stricter censorship had allowed its cover up. For whatever reason, this information is now available and shows that leaders of the Islamic regime plan to plunder this fund According to article 29 of Iran's constitution passed 20 years ago, soon after the Feb uprising, the organisation for social services was set up with the responsibility to provide the right to work (article 28) , provide the right to housing (article 31) , right to health and medical services (article 29), right to free education for all (article 30) . However all this has remained on paper and even the limited rights to free education and free health service during the Shah's regime have disappeared. without giving any service to workers and employees whose contribution has created this fund. Whatever exists in this fund belongs rightly to Iranian workers , however under a dictatorial regime the workers have no control over these funds and cannot do much to safeguard their interests- About the campaign The campaign in Solidarity with Iranian workers has been set up to provide regular information about the struggles of Iranian workers to save jobs, for better salaries, for the right to establish independent organisations. We believe that workers demonstration on 1st of May 1999 protests by Iranian workers against changes to the labour law have created new conditions in Iran. We aim to bring news of these events and seek support from International organisations, trade unions and workers organisations throughout the world. Sit in by workers in AlaEdin, 1st Sept - Workers in AlaEdin plant staged a sit in protesting ,they have not received any wages for over two months. One of the workers, in despair, attempted suicide during the sit in and was 300 workers. Workers in this privatised plant , have received no salaries for various periods over the last two years. In March 99, 250 subsequently badly injured. He had come to the sit in with his wife and children. AlaEdin plant is situated 8km from Karaj and employs workers from this plant protested that their salaries had not been paid in March and Feb, by staging a picket Iranian year 1377, workers struggles go beyond the factory (Continued from previous issue) There are a number of reasons why the council of labour , which normally sets the minimum wage in Iran, has been unable to do so: one because at a time when most factories and plants have failed to pay any wages for over a year , the issue of pay rises is meaningless, two because there is no point specifying the minimum wage at a time when the rate of inflation and price rises are so astronomical. As a result of this, the Labour Council delayed any decision on the minimum wage to the last days of the year 1377, and finally Kamali, its director announced that given recession and the reduction in workers' purchasing power, it will not announce a minimum wage, but even this decision was changed and in the last day of the Iranian year, after many hesitations, the Council announced a 20% pay raise to annual minimum wage setting it at 36 thousand one hundred and eighty three rials (36,183 tomans) , almost 30 pounds at the current rate of exchange . It became clear that this delay to the eve of the annual holidays , was to avert any opposition by workers who were angry at poor pay and massive price increases. The debate about changing Labour legislation The debate concerning changes to the labour legislation, showed that this legislation , which negate sits own authority by banning strikes and the right of workers to set up their independent organisations, is no more than a paper legislation. It showed that the provisions of such a law and its implementation, depends primarily on the ability of the working class to resist and struggle for its rights. Protests against the proposal to exempt factories of 10 workers or fewer from this legislation, forced the government to change the proposal to exempt factories of 3 employees or less . However major protest against this proposal reduced any illusions amongst workers regarding this legislation. According to Parviz Ahmadi, a member of the executive committee of the co-ordinating Islamic labour councils, in the first six months of 1377 , 15,000 workers lost their jobs and in the years 1376/1377 ( March 97- 99) some 400,000 workers have become unemployed. , while the arbitration courts set up by this Islamic legislation have not dealt with any of the job losses. In other words it is quite clear that any labour legislation and this Islamic version of it , can only mean anything if there is an economy and if there is employment - It is inconceivable that it would have any significance for workers , while half a million of them loose their jobs without any protection . Secondly that any labour legislation, is only valid if on the one hand it recognises the workers rights and on the other hand it has guarantees and safeguards for its implementation, i.e. the capitalists are forced to respect it- How can anyone expect workers to trust this legislation, when it denies their basic right to organise and to strike- In any case with changes to the labour legislation, 91 per cent of all workshops, factories will be exempt from it , given that 39percent of Iranian workers are employed in workshops of 3 employees or less , one can see the effects of these changes- Conclusions: There is no doubt that 1377 was the year of street protest and demonstrations by workers for the right to earn a decent wage , to keep their jobs and to receive their unpaid salaries The experience eof 1377 , after the economic problems of the last few years showed workers that the economic chaos, recession in the entire economic structure and in production, leaves no room for improvement in their daily life, that the unbearable leaving conditions will prevail under this regime and every day more workers will loose their jobs and their livelihood under this government. Workers have learnt through their own experience that routine protests will not bear any results , that without a fundamental change in the economic , political system the conditions of poverty and destitution will not improve. There is no doubt that as workers move their protest outside the factory, in demonstrations and in protest at government authorities, their economic struggle become political and this is the most significant characteristic of the workers protests of 1377. News of Workers Protests Protest by workers in Poushak factory -Sanandaj The worsening economic crisis and recession in production is spreading. In Kurdistan as in other regions of Iran , many workshops, factories have closed down , causing further unemployment. Poushak (clothing ) factory of Sanandaj used to employ 90 workers and was part of the Foundation for the dispossessed . Production in this factory stopped 5 months ago and workers with more than 20 years service , are left with no job, no redundancy money. A woman worker from this plant says: "It is more than 5 months that my family is facing anguish , every where I go no one can give me any answers. Millions of Tomans of equipment and product are sitting idle and no one cares about the 90 workers who have lost their jobs. " Workers from this factory have protested a number of times by going to the regional government offices, the foundation for the dispossessed and their local member of parliament, however nothing has been done to deal with the workers' grievances. The last time the workers went to the local government offices, government officials insulted some of the women employees. Protest by"Engineering consulting company- specialist in earth mechanical/technical laboratory" Some of the employees of this company which is associated with the ministry of roads and transport , wrote a letter on the 26th July , protesting that the company had made them redundant in order to reduce the government budget, without notice or payment of any redundancy. Protest by workers in Abhar Hospital: Service workers in Bahar hospital have received no salary for more than 4 months .Like many other hospitals the service sector of this hospital has been privatised , a few workers have received their wages , although it is not clear how they're selected. One of the workers told the paper "Labour and the worker": with 12 dependants, my salary from the hospital is our only income , in this 5th month of the year (Iranian year), we have only received 2 months full wages including child benefit. He added I owe so much to local shopkeepers, they refuse to sell me any food until I settle my accounts. Workers in the service sector of Abhar hospital claim that according to a deal between the hospital authorities and the private contractor, only the basic salary ( excluding any benefits) will be paid to the workers. In general salaries in Iran have two components the basic salary and benefits such as child benefit, hard work supplement, food subsidy, overtime extras... In this way , at times of economic crisis, factory owners and the state can cut back half of the salary by stopping all benefits , bonus payments while dividing workers struggles and diverting them from pursuing a united struggle. Workers in Abhar hospital had gone on strike at the end of May and on the 22nd of June, in support of their demand for payment of salary. Strike by workers in Haft Tapeh Sugar plant: on the 6th of august 99, workers in Haft Tapeh factory in Ahvaz went on strike to support their demands Protest by Oil pipeline workers in Ahvaz: In Khuzestan province , many workers have not received any wages . Only in the last few weeks they have received their wages for May 99. Workers have written a letter of protest demanding full payment of salaries of the last few months. Protest by Pash Bafi workers : Keshmir wool plant in Kermanshah with 400 workers is in serious trouble as production has come to a halt and it is expected that the factory will close down any day. Workers in this plant have received no salary for months and although they have complained to the authorities , no one has addressed their grievances. In early September , workers in this factory issued protest leaflets blaming the management for the problems and threatening to go on strike unless their demands are met. Protest by Workers of bicycle manufacturers in Gouchan Workers in this factory wrote a letter complaining about the general manager and sections managers . The workers complain that despite promises by management to give them permanent , official jobs following a period of training, workers remain on temporary contracts and therefore they are denied many benefits and rights. They have no social benefits and they are deprived of work clothes and shoes and they have received no salaries in the last few months . Protest by Pak Dam workers :There are 100 workers in Pak Dam factory , which is a private company in Karaj-Tehran road. On the 31st August the workers in this plant issued a statement complaining strongly about low wages and working conditions . The workers write: " the current situation is so bad that a group of workers have written a joint letter demanding early retirement , while the workers don't really want to retire nor is there such possibility under Iranian labour legislation . In this plant every method is used to put pressure on workers , for example in one section where six workers were employed , the number of employees is reduced to 3 or 4 , it has been announced that workers will have to work 7am to 5.00pm , they can't leave the plant between these hours many workers have to do night shifts . Is it that workers are slaves , is that why you don't allow them to leave the factory even after hours ! is this a military barrack?" Zari Var shoe factory Kurdistan: this factory is facing closure. Unemployment is already a serious problem in Kurdistan were in the last few months 269 workers were dismissed form the roads offices of Mahabad, in Sanandaj 90workers have lost their jobs in Sanandaj Clothing factory and now 58 workers some with more than 10 years experience face redundancy as the factory is likely to close down . The workers say this plant has 1milliard Toman capital and can produce 3000 pairs of boots, shoes and slippers for consumption in western Iran, nowadays produces a few pair for the ministry of education and it is clear that the management intends to close this factory . Sefalin brick construction -Tehran - Electricity has been cut off in this plant , situated in Khavaran highway near Tehran and the workers have received no salaries for over 3 months. Their insurance is out of date and despite repeated protest by workers , authorities have not responded to their demands. Clothing plant Khazar: 316 workers work in this factory , owned by the foundation for the dispossessed . Workers in this plant are still waiting for payment of their salaries for the months of May and June . Although every month health insurance payment is deducted from the workers' salary , this has not yet been paid to the Social Services and workers cannot obtain basic health care when they need medical or hospital treatment. Closure of Chahar Kaf plant : 25th June 999 , Chahr kaf plant , producer of paper bags in Kerman ( southern Iran) has closed down and 44 of its workers have lost their job. Before this 15 workers were expelled and the management had threatened that if the local offices of the ministry of Labour forces the management to reinstate these workers they will close down the plant . However the closure of the plant and the subsequent redundancy of all the workers happened while the ministry had issued no orders. Protest by Nour Afshar Hospital workers: Following the closure of Nour Afshar hospital , the majority of workers in this hospital have lost their jobs. In march , 30 workers ,accepted the management's proposal to transfer to medical unit Sadr and to accept loosing the cover of the labour legislation, mainly in order to save their jobs, 140 workers refused to sign the new contract and were left with no jobs . However those workers and medical staff who had been transferred from the hospital to the en medical unit lost their jobs on the 22nd of May and all service work in this unit was given to a contract firm. Sacked workers have now written a letter complaining about their plight and demanding an investigation Protest by Rah Ghods workers : The road Works Ghods, closed on the 12th of August leaving 100 workers unemployed. The workers gathered outside the regional offices of Red work in Mahabad, complaining that they have received no unemployment insurance . It is worth noting that another 269 workers from the same company had lost their jobs on the 18th of July 99 Gathering by Pars Textile: Workers sacked by Pars textile company in Semnan , gathered on the 23rd Aug in front of House eof Labour ( Khaneh Kargar) to protest against their sacking. The textile plant with over 300 workers , closed down a year and a half ago Protest by Iran Wood industry workers: on the 16th Sept 99 , workers in wood industries Iran , announced that as they have received no satisfactory answer to their complaints regarding the state of the plant , as many workers have not been paid and face poverty and destitution and this has caused them mental and physical distress , they are staging a demonstration to raise e their voice against this injustice. This company 's main investor , took his share of investment out of the country and over the last one and half years other shareholders in this company including, the National Bank, Bank of Housing have refused to pay the workers. Gathering by Leather works employees in Lorestan On the 19th Sept , some of the workers in Leather work in Lorestan gathered outside the plant demanding its reopening . A month ago, the management issued force holiday notices to workers and in practise closed down the plant ., workers say they don't want this enforced 'holiday' Gathering by Khazar Khez workers Workers in Khazar Khez in Tonokabon demanded payment of their wages by protesting outside the local governor's offices . 300 workers in this plant claim they have received no salaries for 7 months Solidarity Campaign with Iranian workers http:\\www.etehadchap.com\worker email : iwo35 at hotmail.com From migulen at hotmail.com Mon Oct 11 23:18:54 1999 From: migulen at hotmail.com (migulen at hotmail.com) Date: 11 Oct 1999 23:18:54 Subject: Ulkucu hareket engellenemez! Message-ID: Siz Turkiye'yi ne kadar bolmek isteseniz de Turk milleti buna izin vermeyecektir. Bunlari ancak ruyalarinizda gorebilirsiniz. MHP milliyetceligin savunucu partisi oldugu icin MHP'ye saldirmanizi anliyorum. Ama bir laf vardir "It urur, kervan yurur." Turk milleti tarih sahnesinde yerini aldigindan beri bircok ilerlemeler kaydedip destanlar yazdigi halde siz zavallilarin hic bir icraatini goremedik. Sefiniz olacak o pezevenk apo elimizde. ALLAH ulkucu genclige saglik ve sihhat verdikten sonra hepinizi yeryuzunden kaziyincaya dek mucadelemize devam edecegiz. Siz zavalli komunistler istediginiz kadar cirpinin. Sonucta ulasacaginiz nokta mezar cukuru olacaktir. Leslerinizi Turkiyeye gommeyecegiz bile. Turkiye sahipsiz degildir. Bu millet tarihte 17 tane buyuk devlet kurmustur. Oyle uc bes capulcuya papuc birakmayiz. From now on, you are dead. Even Europe can not save you as they could not do it before. TURKIYE TURK'LERINDIR. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com From ozgurluk at xs4all.nl Wed Oct 13 09:46:12 1999 From: ozgurluk at xs4all.nl (ozgurluk at xs4all.nl) Date: 13 Oct 1999 09:46:12 Subject: excuses for fascist mailing Message-ID: Our sincere excuses for slipping a fascist mail to our subscribers of our english mailinglist. We are realy sorry about it. --- Pressagency Ozgurluk.Org In solidarity with the Peoples Liberationstruggle in Turkey and Kurdistan http://www.ozgurluk.org From echap at eng.gla.ac.uk Sun Oct 24 04:21:34 1999 From: echap at eng.gla.ac.uk (echap at eng.gla.ac.uk) Date: 24 Oct 1999 04:21:34 Subject: Protest against Khatami's visit Message-ID: Protest Against Khatami's visit Mohamad Khatami , the president of Iran's Islamic Republic is planning to visit France at the end of October at the invitation of the French government and UNESCO. Such invitations show a complete disregard for human rights in Iran. They prove once more that European governments are far more concerned about economic deals than human rights in Iran. There can be no doubt that Khatami's visit is that of an official of the Islamic Republic, its representative and as such marks an at tempt to break the isolation of the Islamic Republic in Iran. For our part we are committed to oppose the visit as we see it as an invitation to the leader of a regime responsible for the execution of tens of thousands of political prisoners. The Iranian people and progressive forces throughout the world are well aware that Mohamad Khatami was a member of the Iranian government at a time when thousands of political prisoners were massacred in Iranian prisons in the summer of 1988, in fact he was Minister of Culture and Islamic guidance. He has never condemned such inhumane behaviour and in fact he called Lajevardi, known in Iran as the butcher of Evin prison , a hero of the Islamic revolution, a true soldier of Islam. We believe as one of the most senior leaders of the Islamic regime, as someone who has never condemned such crimes, he is responsible for Iran's appalling human rights record and inviting him for official visits is an insult to the victims of such crimes and will be condemned by defenders of civil and political freedoms. The French government, the French president and any one else involved in such invitations will inevitably be condemned. We call on all Iranian progressive forces, all human rights organisations, and European parties to join us in opposing this visit and exposing the Iranian regime, its president and by extension his hosts. Co-ordinating Committee of Workers Left Unity Iran 24-10-99 Email: web at etehadchap.com http://www.etehadchap.com Fax 46 31 139 897 & 44 141 3004316 From ozgurluk at xs4all.nl Sat Oct 30 11:56:49 1999 From: ozgurluk at xs4all.nl (ozgurluk at xs4all.nl) Date: 30 Oct 1999 11:56:49 Subject: DHKC declaration 101 Message-ID: DEVRIMCI HALK KURTULUS CEPHESI Press Bureau Date: October 21, 1999 No: 101 THE SUSURLUK SCANDAL CONTINUES WITH THE MURDER OF A. TANER KISLALI Those who involved in the Susurluk Scandal committed another murder. One of the journalists of the Cumhuriyet Newspaper, A. Taner Kislali was assassinated by a bomb explosion. This murder belongs to the state. Whoever claims responsibility for this murder, in reality, this is one of the murders of those who involved in the Susurluk scandal. The state of "Susurluk" is responsible of murders and massacres like Ugur Mumcu, Abdi Ipekci, Ulucanlar prison, Adana massacre and A. Taner Kislali. The institutions which lead, train, protect the murderers continue their duties. No one can deceive the people. The condemnation of the murder by those, who rule the state, and their statements of "we will capture them" are nothing but lies. It is known that the state is behind all these murders. Whenever the state of Susurluk in economic and political crisis these murders are brought up the agenda. Whenever the revolutionary struggle develops they are trying to change the agenda by organising massacres and such murders. They aim to create mistrust towards the revolutionary actions by using the demagogy of the right and left terrorism. The murder of Kislali is the last example of this. the state used all kind of methods and plots to suppress the struggle of revolutionaries and the people. For decades they used, trained and lead the civil fascists and those who claims to be Islamists to massacre and murder. There are thousands of examples of these murders. Abdullah Catli, M. Ali Agca, Hizbullah are well known examples of those murderers. The state used those who are called Hizbullah members, helped them to commit murders and now, since they are no longer useful, they are eliminated by "show" operations. Whenever it is necessary, the state will create the new 'Hizbullahs' and use them. Those who are known by the people as democrats are targeted by the Susurluk state. The aim is to pressurize the people with the demagogy of terror, to divide the people as secular / non-secular, Sunni / Alevite,.. and to organise them in the state institutions. As long as the Susurluk state is in the power and the Susurluk scandal has not been revealed completely, neither the real murderers will be captured nor the murders will be ceased. Because those who are involved in the Susurluk scandal are responsible of the murder. Those who did not oppose the massacre of revolutionaries in Ulucanlar and Adana and applauded the murderers are the accompanies of the murderers of Kislali. They serve for the state of Susurluk. If you wish the end of these murders, there is no other way but to struggle against the Susurluk state. This is the struggle for revolution. If an independent, democratic and a state of law is desired, then it is inevitable to realise that this is only possible by a revolution. Otherwise massacres and murders will continue. As long as we let them to rule us murders will take place. Those who are in power will continue to commit murders. New victims like Kislali will follow. THE SUSURLUK CONTINUES WITH THE ULUCANLAR MASSACRE AND A. TANER KISLALI MURDER. THOSE WHO INVOLVED IN THE SUSURLUK SCANDAL CANNOT RULE US. DEVRIMCI HALK KURTULUS CEPHESI (REVOLUTIONARY PEOPLE'S LIBERATION FRONT) --- Pressagency Ozgurluk.Org In solidarity with the Peoples Liberationstruggle in Turkey and Kurdistan http://www.ozgurluk.org DHKP-C: http://www.ozgurluk.org/dhkc From ozgurluk at xs4all.nl Sun Oct 31 07:07:47 1999 From: ozgurluk at xs4all.nl (ozgurluk at xs4all.nl) Date: 31 Oct 1999 07:07:47 Subject: Germany: The SPD's left wing mobilizes against supplying tanks to Tu Message-ID: Date: Sun, 31 Oct 1999 14:40:56 +0100 From: German News - The SPD's left wing mobilizes against supplying tanks to Turkey Things are still simmering in the coalition. According to Joschka Fischer, the Green Foreign Minister, Defense Minister Rudolph Scharping (SPD) today admitted that there were problems between the partners. Of course, now that the difficulties are public knowledge, there is always the possibility of overcoming them. The main frictions now seem to be within the Social Democratic Party. Its left wing has mobilized against the planned shipment of tanks to Turkey. The SPD district of South Hesse declared itself completely against supplying German tanks to Turkey. At a party conference in Frankfurt am Main, the delegates passed a resolution on the matter stating that such arms exports could not be answered for in light of the armed conflict with the Kurds. -- Pressagency Ozgurluk.Org In solidarity with the Peoples Liberationstruggle in Turkey and Kurdistan http://www.ozgurluk.org DHKP-C: http://www.ozgurluk.org/dhkc From tburghardt at igc.apc.org Sun Oct 31 22:52:55 1999 From: tburghardt at igc.apc.org (Tom Burghardt) Date: Sun, 31 Oct 1999 14:52:55 -0800 (PST) Subject: ANTIFA INFO-BULLETIN, Number 222 Message-ID: ____________________________ ANTIFA INFO-BULLETIN News * Analysis * Research * Action ____________________________ =46REE MUMIA ABU-JAMAL! =46REE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS & PRISONERS OF WAR! - AFIB #222, October 31, 1999 - =46ascism is the vanguard of reaction, therefore Anti-fascism is by definition a rearguard response. The re-emergence of the far-right represents a political as well as physical threat to all progressive and working class people and organisations, and other oppressed groups that are used as scapegoats by fascism. This is self evident, yet today, in many countries, the political threat is either talked down or ignored, while the physical threat is dealt with theoretically rather than practically. -- Manifesto & Founding Statement of the International Militant Anti-Fascist Network, 1998, http://burn.ucsd.edu/~imafn * * * Contents: Number 222 1. REFUSE & RESIST! [US]: FBI Office Occupied in Support of Mumia Abu-Jamal; Complete Update on Mumia's Case. 2. THE A-INFOS NEWS SERVICE [Canada]: 40,000 Participate in Anti-Fascist Manifestations in Sweden. 3. THE NAZISM EXPOSED PROJECT [Norway]: New Nazi Bombing in Sweden; Open Letter from Mikael Wiehe, Artist Targeted by the Fascists. 4. ANTI-FASCIST ACTION [UK]: `Behind Enemy Lines' - Analysis on the BNP's Electoral Strategy. 5. REPORT: Fascists and Anti-Fascists Clash in Prague. 6. AFRIKAN FRONTLINE NEWS SERVICE [US]: Action Alert! Political Prisoner Albert Nuh Washington's Health. 7. ANTI-RACIST ACTION (SF Bay Area): November ARA Meetings. 8. ANTIFA NETWORK [Belgium]: We Did It! Extreme-Right Vlaams Blok Denied Permit for Fascist Meeting on Kristallnacht. 9. GERMANY ALERT [Germany]: Swiss Right-Wing Wins. 10. THE DAILY TELEGRAPH [London]: Swiss Swing to the Right Welcomed by Haide= r. 11. ASSOCIATED PRESS: Austrian Police Report Uncovering Neo-Nazi Group Plotting Coup. 12. REUTERS: Jailed Colombian Rebels Fight On Behind Bars. 13. ASSOCIATED PRESS: Neo-Nazi Movement Banned in Russian Territory. 14. MUMIA ABU-JAMAL: The Easiest Road ... Death. * * * REFUSE & RESIST! 305 Madison Ave. Suite 1166 New York, NY 10165 Tel: 212-713-5657 =46ax: 212-822-8535 E-mail: refuse at calyx.com Web: http://www.calyx.net/~refuse - Saturday, 30 October 1999 - ----- ____________________________________________________________________ =46BI OFFICE OCCUPIED IN SUPPORT OF MUMIA ABU-JAMAL ____________________________________________________________________ =46OR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 27, 1999 Source: C. Clark Kissinger, cck1 at earthlink.net Portland, Ore. --Six supporters of Pennsylvania prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal were arrested today after a five hour occupation of the Portland office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. On behalf of the Portland Free Mumia Coalition, they brought the following statement of demands: The Portland Free Mumia Coalition makes the following demands to the =46ederal Bureau of Investigation. Those present inside the FBI office and the lobby of the FBI floor will not leave the premises until these demands are met. 1. The FBI must immediately release all files containing any information on Wesley Cook/Mumia Abu-Jamal. 2. The FBI must immediately release all files pertaining to the MOVE organization. 3. The FBI must immediately release all files dealing with all U. S. organizations and individuals organizing support for Mumia Abu-Jamal. 4. Release the files to the Portland Free Mumia Coalition immediately or to Leonard Weinglass, Mumia's lead defense attorney, for distribution to the affected people. Under normal circumstances the Portland Free Mumia Coalition would file =46reedom of Information Act requests for the above information; however, Mumia Abu-Jamal's execution is pending. Justice demands that this information be released immediately in order to provide necessary material for a new, fair trial for Mumia Abu-Jamal. Mumia Abu-Jamal was a member of the Black Panther Party, and a later supporter of the MOVE organization. He was a leading critic of police violence against the minority communities of Philadelphia. Despite the fact that he had no prior criminal record, The Federal Bureau of Investigation responded to Mumia's outspoken opposition to racism and police brutality by amassing at least 600 pages of surveillance files on him, beginning when he was only 15 years old. The Portland Free Mumia Coalition believes that the =46BI retains information pertinent to Mumia's case. Justice will not be served until a new trial including the most complete information is held. * * * ____________________________________________________________________ COMPLETE UPDATE ON MUMIA'S CASE ____________________________________________________________________ By C. Clark Kissinger, cck1 at earthlink.net - Thursday, 28 October 1999 - As reported yesterday, Mumia's legal team and the attorneys for the state of Pennsylvania were asked to a meeting on Tuesday morning with federal judge William Yohn in his chambers to "get acquainted." This was expected and is usually the way a major case like this begins. When they arrived at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, they were conducted into the courtroom where Judge Yohn took the bench and went on the record. This was totally unexpected since the defense team had not even filed the necessary papers to allow them to appear in the federal district court for Eastern Pennsylvania (they are from another federal court district). There was no one else present in the courtroom except a Philadelphia Inquirer court reporter. This is when Judge Yohn announced that he was granting the stay of execution, although he did not sign it on the spot. [A number of people have asked if the stay is "permanent" or "temporary." Such a stay is a temporary order, preventing the execution until the judge can consider the petition to have Mumia's original conviction overturned. Once the case is ruled on by the judge, the stay will be "vacated" (ended)]. The judge asked where the trial record was, and the state said that they would bring it in for him. Since the petition submitted by Mumia's lawyers on October 16 contained only the arguments regarding facts, the judge ordered them to submit a memorandum of law citing the relevant legal precedents for the requests they have made in their petition for a writ of habeas corpus. This is to be submitted by December 7. The state then asked for 90 days to respond, but the judge gave them only 60 days to submit a reply (which would be by February 11). Then Len Weinglass asked for 30 days to file a short rejoined to the state's reply, and he was given 20 days and a limit of 20 pages (this would be due on March 2). After the judge gets all these papers, he will then set a date for the first major court appearance, at which time Mumia will be present. Thus Mumia's first court appearance could be in early March, but could be later depending on the judge's calendar and case load. Weinglass raised the issues of discovery (an order from the court to the state to produce key documents) and an evidentiary hearing (where witnesses would be questioned). The judge indicated that the 1996 Effective Death Penalty Act made an evidentiary hearing unlikely, but he told Weinglass to put his argument for such a hearing in his Dec. 7 filing. In response to the judge's questions, Weinglass indicated that were 10 to 15 (of the 29 issues raised) on which he would like to present evidence, and he thought it would take two or three weeks to do so. (If the judge denies an evidentiary hearing, he will be in the position of condemning Mumia without even hearing from him.) After Judge Yohn rules of some of the procedural points (perhaps in March), such as discovery and an evidentiary hearing, there is expected to be another round of legal briefs, followed by oral arguments. Several other issues came up. First, the judge asked if Mumia's attorneys were aware that the state could "depose" Mumia. (They did know this.) Since a petition of habeas corpus is a civil action, the "respondents" (those named in Mumia's petition as holding him illegally) are allowed to take a deposition, that is, question Mumia under oath. (Mumia can have his attorneys present if this happens.) The judge indicated that Mumia will be present for all hearings in his court, and he asked Mumia's attorneys if they had any concern about Mumia's safety. Weinglass raised the issue that Sabo had allowed large numbers of armed police in the courtroom. Judge Yohn said that there would be no armed cops as spectators in his courtroom. The judge also brought up the issue of the letters he has been receiving. Weinglass asked if he had been receiving mail from both sides, and he replied "No, only for a new trial." He indicated that he didn't think it would be correct for him to read them, and asked if Weinglass would accept them (which he agreed to do). Later the judge mentioned that he had received a very few letters opposing a new trial, and he would give these to the state. Weinglass has already received over 500 letters directly from the public, and he indicates that some of them are very moving and should be printed. We cannot draw any definitive conclusions about this judge from this one short encounter. A great range of this possibilities exist, from a worst case scenario of no evidentiary hearing and a quick summary judgment against Mumia; to a hearing with unknown results; to a summary judgment (without a hearing) in Mumia's favor. The main thing we learned was the schedule of events for the next few months. This does not mean that people can now "relax." We are now on the federal fast track, and every day counts in building the movement to save and win a new trial for Mumia Abu-Jamal. ***** THE A-INFOS NEWS SERVICE E-mail: a-infos at tao.ca Web: http://www.ainfos.ca - Monday, 25 October 1999 - ----- ____________________________________________________________________ 40,000 PARTICIPATE IN ANTI-FASCIST MANIFESTATIONS IN SWEDEN ____________________________________________________________________ Source: ksvensson at antifa.net 24 October 1999 Stockholm, Sweden Manifestations Against Fascism, Nazism and Racism Saturday the 23rd of October, manifestations in memory of the recently assassinated SAC-Syndikalisterna member Bj=F6rn S=F6derberg were held across the entire country of Sweden. Altogether, circa 40 000 people manifested their sorrow and anger in 20 different Swedish cities. This was the largest anti-fascist manifestation in Sweden since the Second World War. Bj=F6rn S=F6derberg was assassinated on October the 12th after revealing that an active fascist had been elected as a shop steward into a local union club. Early in the morning of the 23rd a bomb was detonated at SAC-Syndikalisternas offices in the town of G=E4vle. The offices were locate= d in the building that was the birthplace of Joe Hill, a central figure within the Swedish and American revolutionary syndicalsit tradition. The explosion was an obvious attempt to frighten people from attending Saturday's manifestations. In G=E4vle 2 000 people participated. In Stockholm, the manifestation attracted 20 000 participants who crowded together to listen to speakers from SAC and 3 other central union organisations. An anarcha-feminst choir sung anti-fascist songs of struggle and a representative from the Network Against Racism also spoke. Red and black flags and libertarian inspired banners dominated the podium. In G=F6teborg, the manifestation attracted 8 000 participants and speeches were held by amongst others Helmut Kirschey, German anti-nazi and former volunteer in the Spanish Revolution. In the southern Swedish town of Malm=F6 about 1000 people participated and the list continues in a similar fashion all the way up into the far north of the country. The challenge facing the Swedish anti-racist, syndicalist and union movements is now to pool their resources in order to continue to mobilise the entire Swedish working class to meet fascism when and wherever it's ugly face arises. NO PASARAN! ***** THE NAZISM EXPOSED PROJECT Web: http://www.ekran.no/html/nazismexposed E-mail: paal at ekran.no - Tuesday, 26 October 1999 - ----- ____________________________________________________________________ NEW NAZI BOMBING IN SWEDEN ____________________________________________________________________ The Swedish Nazi tried to kill the artist Mikael Wiehe in a bombing Monday night . Just after the bomb exploded, an anonymous man called the Swedish police and said that they had failed this time, but that he hoped for better luck next time. The bomb, which the police regards as a "minor", detonated outside the home of the Swedish artist at night to Monday. Wiehe has earlier been threatened by the Nazis. "I am not afraid. I am upset," says Wiehe in a letter. His record company acknowledges the authenticity of the letter to Aftonbladet (a Swedish newspaper). Someone has carved the Jewish star and written "Mikael Wiehe, state traitor," on the gateway entrance of his house. "I feel targeted, someone is trying to scare and threaten me into silence," says Wiehe. Wiehe also writes in the letter that the bomb exploded a few seconds afterwards someone shouted, "Sieg Heil" and disappeared. Also this Tuesday, the police filed charges against the three suspects of the killing of two police men in Kisa/Sweden at the 28. May this year. The three suspects, Jackie Arklov, Tony Olsson and Andreas Axelsson was indited for attempted murderer and several severe robberies. The suspects refused having anything to do with the murder. Source: Nettavisen.no * * * ____________________________________________________________________ OPEN LETTER FROM MIKAEL WIEHE ____________________________________________________________________ "At night between Sunday and Monday, 24th and 25th of October, there was an explosion, or as the police states, "a smaller explosion," outside my house in Malmo. Then someone shouted "sieg heil" and left. At about the same time, someone is calling the police alarm central, claiming to be a member of a Nazi organisation, saying that unfortunately they were unable to kill me, but hopes to have better luck next time. It was expected. I performed at the demonstration at the 23th October at Gustav Adolf's square in Malmo, which was a part of the nation wide protest against the Nazis and the murder of Bjorn Soderberg. Last time something happened was in connection with a demonstration against Nazi harassment at Kriseberg - a suburb in Malmo. I was not able to be present, but the same day someone carved a Jewish star and they had written, "Mikael Wiehe, state traitor," on my gate. I am targeted, someone was trying to frighten, threat and squeal on me. I am not afraid, but I am quite disturbed. It disturbs me that a small group of Nazis are allowed to harass me, when I am expressing my democratic rights and when I express my opinions and ideas about different questions. It disturbs me when I get a letter from the police where they state that they will not work on the case, due to lack of surveillance. It disturbs me when I contact the national security police, and they say that they are busy, but will get back to me tomorrow. It disturbs me that my fellow citizens, even though we pay tax, apparently with our own money, has to pay for their protection. And it disturbs me that both the national security police and the minister of justice, agree that the Nazi are not a threat to national security. As I see it, not only I, but also others are victims, even also the democracy are threatened each time one of us are forced to look back over our shoulders to see if we are followed or someone is lurking, waiting for us in the shadows, when we get home at night. I see it as a threat to democracy, each time someone is not speaking in questions about immigration, fascism and racism, from fear of retaliation. I see it as a threat to democracy, each time I or someone else feels unsafe about participating in public meetings or any debate, in fear that something something should happen to ourself or our families. I see it as a threat, both to us, the democracy and the safety of the nation each time someone is forced from yielding their democratic right, i.e. the right to express oneself on issues that they find important, and where one is forced to change opinion or side, just for the sake of their own safety. What is national security, unless it is the security of these citizens? I realize that one can not fight Nazism entirely by using police methods. I do know that the fundament of Nazism is ignorance, social insecureness, unemployment and fear of changing what "work on yourself-" mentality has brought. Nevertheless my demand is that the community which I have helped building, shall bring the resources, both personal and financial, needed. So that I and my fellow citizens will not fear violence or threats of violence from Nazis and racists when we express our beliefs. I will not let me them frighten me and I will not be silenced!" Mikael Wiehe Malmo, 26/10-99 Source: Aftonbladet.se ***** ANTI-FASCIST ACTION Box BM 1734 London, WC1N 3XX Tel: 0976-406-870 E-mail: afa at mailwire.com Web: http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Senate/5602 - October 1999 - ----- ____________________________________________________________________ BEHIND ENEMY LINES ____________________________________________________________________ `FIGHTING TALK,' No. 22, October 1999 http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Senate/5602/behind.html In this issue we look at BNP analysis of the Euro-elections in relation to their new strategy. Generally the BNP pronounced itself satisfied witht the results of the Euro elections (Nick Griffin in July's Spearhead). More than 100,000 people voted for the BNP despite the adverse publicity of the London nail bombings and the UK Independence Party taking a lot of the anti-European vote. The BNP attributed the drop in its vote in London to the bombings, but in many seats outside London the party doubled or even trebled its vote compared to the general election. Uxbridge, Bournemouth West and Gillingham all saw an increase of 300% or more. While many may claim that 100,000 votes nationally is small potatoes, the fact that the numbers are still growing and are well in advance of those voting for parties of the conservative Left Griffin provides a very upbeat assessment in July's Spearhead. He sees two significant implications of the collapse in voter turn out, a factor which the media wrung its hands over for a few days and then quickly forgot about. Firstly Griffin states: "Growing popular refusal to participate in elections does not mark a permanent loss of interest in politics ... it is simply the calm before the storm". When turn-out of those registered to vote is down to 13% on some estates in this country, it is clear that none of the establishment parties have a mandate to govern any longer in those areas. Griffin recognises this not as a symptom of popular apathy but of popular disillusionment. This disillusionment represents a clear political opportunity (and an implicit rejection of the relevance of Europe to the majority of the British electorate), for anyone willing to put in the work. Griffin's ambition is to seize this opportunity, through the expanding grass roots and locally relevant activities of BNP branches. And this is more than about campaigning on "political" issues. Patriot and August's Spearhead report on a "Family Day" organised in the West Midlands in July, with over 150 people attending, half of them children, with games, food stalls and a magician. People may laugh at the idea that this represents anything at all, but the truth is that this kind of activity can reap significant rewards (see below). And how do you tackle this? Militant disruption of such an event is going to look really good in the local press and you can bet the BNP would ring every ounce of publicity out of it. The second lesson contrasts with the first. The collapse in voter turn out, combined with the introduction of proportional representation and the likely establishment of elected regional assemblies means that any party standing for election which can turn out its supporters on polling day has a greater impact than the actual size of the vote cast warrants. To achieve 5% of the vote is easier when only 13% of the electorate is voting. Even in local elections we now regularly see councillors elected on 800 votes in a ward with 20,000 inhabitants. This "democratic deception" can favour smaller parties which are prepared to put in a lot of ground work in the area and which have a committed supporter base. We only have to look at Oxford where the Greens now control seven council seats including two whole wards, much to the discomfiture of Labour. In the West Midlands one of the BNP's rising stars, Steve Edwards, got 17% of the vote and his wife got 13% in a neighbouring ward. This is the couple who organised the Family Day referred to above. So for the moment they have every reason to be encouraged with their current twin track strategy. But electoral success is the BNP's long term aim. Their mid-term aim is to achieve respectability and they are well on the way with their new pro-active approach. The BNP Press Officer Michael Newland provides a diary of his dealings with the media during the campaign (June & July's Spearhead), which shows how committed they are to seizing every opportunity to push the message that they are a serious party with a serious agenda. The nail bombings in London may have represented a set-back but gradually, before our eyes, the old tactic of continually referring to BNP extremism and the criminal record of candidates becomes a hollow exercise. Even telling people that the friendly family faces and the comfortable slogan of "Freedom, Security, Identity and Democracy" conceal a fully fledged fascist ideology has little relevance when they see nothing to reveal what that actually means. As in Germany in the 30's or more recently in the South of =46rance by the time fascists are in power and the reality of their politics is plain, it can already be too late. ***** ____________________________________________________________________ REPORT: FASCISTS AND ANTI-FASCISTS CLASH IN PRAGUE ____________________________________________________________________ Source: ksvensson at antifa.net - Sunday, 31 October 1999 - Here is small info about 28.10.99 in Prague, anyway we will send more information very soon with a timetable of what exactly happened. 28.10.99: Neonazis prepared a demonstration at the Vitkov monument to the memory of the establishment of the Czech republic in 1918. There were around 400 supporters of Narodni Odpor and Vlastenecka liga (both nationalist/neonazi organisations). They met at 14.00 with speeches by their leaders and then they were preparing to attack an antifascist demonstration which was at the same time in downtown Prague at Tesnov. Antifas were trying to go straight to the meting place of the neonazi but police cordoned off the area and held them at Tesnov. They then marched with the nazis to get them out of this part of Prague. The neonazi demonstration finished at Namesti Miru. At approximately 18.00: Antifas escaped the Police and ran around 2 kilometres through the historical centre of Prague and tried to attack the fascists at Namesti Miru place. At around 18.15 Antifas and neonazis meet in I.P. Pavlova where the police seperated both groups. =46ascists were then directed to the subway with police assistance while all antifas were beaten down in a police circle and then taken to police stations. All night in Prague there was small fighting bettween neonazis and antifas... I'm sorry for this short info with no corrections but it' s only for the meantime... -- maxim at czechia.com ***** AFRIKAN FRONTLINE NEWS SERVICE Web: http://www.afrikan.net E-mail: nattyreb at ix.netcom.com - Tuesday, 26 October 1999 - ----- ____________________________________________________________________ ACTION ALERT! POLITICAL PRISONER ALBERT NUH WASHINGTON'S HEALTH ____________________________________________________________________ Source: The Jericho Movement, jericho98 at usa.net We are concerned about the health of former Black Panther Party member and political prisoner Albert Nuh Washington. Nuh, one of the NY3, is currently serving a 25 year to life sentence in New York State. He has been in prison since August of 1971 and his health has been steadily deteriorating over the last six (6) months. He is presently using two crutches to walk and is experiencing numbness in his lower back. While the Jericho Medical Project is attempting to get his medical records we are reaching out to you for your assistance in speeding up the process of getting Nuh medical help. =46or too often political prisoners have had to suffer behind the walls alone, with no outside support. Ahmed Evans died in prison, Kwasi Balagoon died in prison, Merle Austin Africa died in prison and so many more died and/or suffered under devastating circumstances. Right now Leonard Peltier is still trying to get medical care for his mouth. Tom Manning was finally moved to Springfield, MO in order to have his hip replacement surgery (which still hasn't happened). But, Dr. Mutulu Shakur, because of the outside support was able to get his much needed medical help for his eyes. Nuh needs your help now. Write and call the warden at: Superintendant Daniel Senkowski Clinton Correctional Facility Box 2000 Dannemora, NY 12929 Phone: (518) 492 2511 Then, write Nuh to let him know that you care and are concerned at: Albert Nuh Washington 77A1528 Clinton Correctional Facility Box 2001 Dannemora, NY 12929 Together, we can make a difference. The Jericho Movement ***** ARA BAY AREA P.O. Box 3103 Oakland, CA 94609 Tel: (510) 433-9995 E-mail: arabayarea at yahoo.com - Friday, 29 October 1999 - ----- ____________________________________________________________________ NOVEMBER ANTI-RACIST ACTION MEETINGS ____________________________________________________________________ Anti-Racist Action Bay Area has set up 2 regular meetings each month. On the first Tuesday of every month at 7pm to 9pm we meet in San Francisco at Mission Records, 2265 Mission St. between 18th St. and 19th St. (In November, that meeting will be on November 2nd.) We will hear a report from the Continental ARA Conference and we'll talk about setting up shows, our newsletter, actions to help free Mumia Abu-Jamal, and other ways to fight racism, sexism, and homophobia. Our second meeting of the month is on the third Sunday from 3pm-5pm in Berkeley. It is at the Long Haul, 3124 Shattuck Ave. three blocks below Ashby Ave., right near the Ashby BART. (In November, that be on the 21st.) Hope to see you at one or both of these meetings. ***** ANTIFA NETWORK - BELGIUM Postbox 66 B-2620 Hemiksem, Belgium E-mail: webmaster at antifa.net Web: http://www.antifa.net - Saturday, 30 October 1990 - ----- ____________________________________________________________________ WE DID IT! VLAAMS BLOK DENIED PERMIT FOR FASCIST MEETING ON KRISTALLNACHT ____________________________________________________________________ The international e-mail action to the Ghent city council works. The =46lemish ultra-right party Vlaams Blok (Flemish Block) didn't received permission to hold a meeting in the city center at the 9th of November. We thank all of you for joining the action and sending the e-mails but special thanks to Saskia Daru from UNITED (http://www.united.non-profit.nl) for the translating and sending the message. PS: We just received the message that the Flemish Block posted a leaflet for the 9th of November meeting into all +110.000 mailboxes in the area of Ghent... THANKS TO YOU ALL! Groeten / bye, Webmaster at antifa.net Kijk ook eens op / Look also at http://www.antifa.org http://www.antifa.com http://www.serve.com/456852 Antifa Net is sponsored by / wordt gesponsord door: STICHTING ANTI FASCISME AGALEV, De Vlaamse groenen (http://www.agalev.be) AFIB EDITOR'S NOTE: Below is the letter wriiten by the Dutch group UNITED =46OR INTERCULTURAL ACTION, protesting the attempt by the Belgian fascist Vlaams Blok party's attempt to hold a meeting in Ghent on Kristallnacht, November 9. To contact UNITED write: united at united.non-profit.nl UNITED for Intercultural Action European network against nationalism, racism, fascism and in support of migrants and refugees Dear Sirs, We have been told that the Vlaams Blok has requested permission to hold a so-called "Commemoration of `Kristallnacht'" in the centre of Gent. On 9 November 1938 a nation-wide pogrom took place in Nazi-Germany. It was a night of fear for Jews, many were killed, synagogues were burned. Any commemoration activity needs to be held with a view to the suffering of the victims of the nazi regime. They suffered because of xenophobia, intolerance, bigotry and hate. Vlaams Blok has promoted xenophobia, intolerance, bigotry and hate on a regular basis. A commemoration should not become a political statement by such a party. We sincerely hope that you will not grant permission for such a meeting. Gent should remain a welcoming place, a beautiful city in which foreigners and Flemish alike feel comfortable. Yours sincerely, Saskia Daru UNITED ***** GERMANY ALERT `The Free Flow Of Uncensored Facts' E-mail: editor at germanyalert.com Web: http://www.germanyalert.com - Monday, 25 October 1999 - ----- ____________________________________________________________________ SWISS RIGHT-WING WINS ____________________________________________________________________ ZURICH (25 October 1999) -- For the first time in history Switzerland's right-wing conservative People's Party (SVP) has won more votes than any other party. SVP candidates surged in many parts of the country as ballots were counted in the general election. The person responsible for the rightwing's electoral triumph is Christoph Blocher, a billionaire Swiss businessman whose blatant right-wing views know few limits. Blocher heaped cash and charisma into the election campaign, causing a flood of support for his SVP.=20 Last week it was revealed that Blocher even praised a book denying that the Holocaust happened, but that disclosure did nothing to dampen SVP support. Some observers said the comment actually solidified support from rightwing extremists. SVP opponents leaked a two-year-old letter in which Blocher praised On the Decline of Swiss Freedom by Jurgen Graf, who has repeatedly denied that six million Jews died in Nazi concentration camps. Blocher later claimed he had praised the book's title, and that he had not read Graf's text.=20 Blocher utilized familiar rightwing populist tactics, condemning immigration to Switzerland, demanding that the Swiss stay out of the European Union and the United Nations, and calling for lower taxes. Both the social democrats and center-right parties saw fewer votes as a result of the SVP success in pulling 23 percent of the vote. Social democrats won 21 percent, a loss of 0.8 percent since the last general election in 1995; the Radical Party (FDP) had 20 percent, a decrease of 0.2 percent; and the Christian Democrats (CVP) won 15 percent, off 1.8 percent. Although the SVP did best in the large German speaking parts of multilingual Switzerland, the party pulled nine percent of the ballots in =46rench speaking Geneva. Copyright 1999 Germany Alert ***** ____________________________________________________________________ SWISS SWING TO THE RIGHT WELCOMED BY HAIDER ____________________________________________________________________ THE DAILY TELEGRAPH International News Tuesday, 26 October 1999 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ By Christopher Lockwood, Diplomatic Editor AUSTRIA'S far-Right leader has hailed the strong gains in neighbouring Switzerland of the Right-wing Swiss People's Party as confirmation of a swing against socialism across Europe. The Swiss party's gains follow J=F6rg Haider's own success earlier in the month when the Austrian Freedom Party's vote overtook that of the conservative People's Party. As the results of Sunday's general election were finalised, it became clear that the Swiss People's Party, led by Christoph Blocher, had achieved a remarkable success. It has leapt from fourth among Switzerland's parties to second, coming only a whisker behind the leading Social Democrats. Yesterday, Swiss newspapers said it was the most dramatic electoral shift for a generation. Both Mr Blocher and Mr Haider ran on very similar platforms and are rather similar people. They are millionaire businessmen as well as politicians. Both tapped into xenophobic fears, stressing immigration and abuse of asylum laws as major causes for concern. Both have been accused of being neo-Nazis, although Mr Haider finds it harder to shake off the tag: his parents were Nazi party members well before the Anschluss of 1938 and he has having praised the employment policies of the Third Reich. Both men also derive much of their appeal from their steadfast opposition to the European Union. Although Austria is inside the EU and Switzerland is not, both parties have campaigned vigorously against integration, primarily on democratic grounds. Mr Haider now says he accepts the result of the 1994 referendum that took Austria in, but that he wants no further integration. He also wants no further enlargement: Austria has particular fears about expansion of the EU to the east, which would give millions of Hungarians the right to come to work in Austria, driving down Austrian wage levels. Austria and Switzerland are not alone. In Norway, the Progress Party of Carl Hagen, two of whose members recently accused immigrants of destroying Norwegian society, has been attracting ever increasing support and now has more than 15 per cent of the vote. In Belgium, the Vlaams Blok, a Flemish group almost equally hostile to immigrants, the EU and French-speaking Belgians, scored highly in the June general elections. Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 1999. ***** ____________________________________________________________________ AUSTRIAN POLICE REPORT UNCOVERING NEO-NAZI GROUP PLOTTING COUP ____________________________________________________________________ October 30, 1999 Associated Press VIENNA, Austria - A neo-Nazi group seeking to overthrow the Austrian government was uncovered in the province where Adolf Hitler was born, police said Friday. Eight unidentified ringleaders have been arrested and about 60 people have been questioned in connection with the group, police said, according to the Austrian Press Agency. The discovery comes amid growing concern about a right-wing revival in Austria after the recent strong election showing of the anti-foreigner =46reedom Party. The party's leader, Joerg Haider, has denied any links to neo-Nazi groups but has described Waffen SS members as "men of character." =46ollowing an investigation that began in early August, police swooped down in three waves on small groups of neo-Nazis who had formed an underground network in three districts of Upper Austria province, where Hitler spent much of his youth, the news agency said. In searches of about 40 houses, investigators found Nazi propaganda material, including videos, CDs, posters, flags and T-shirts, as well as weapons, ammunition, daggers, wine bottles with Hitler-portrait labels, parts of uniforms and gas masks, the report said. The suspects maintained contacts with convicted neo-Nazis in Austria and like-minded people in Germany, the Czech Republic, Britain and the United States, Herwig Haidinger, a senior police officer, told reporters in Linz. He said the group was planning to set up training camps in the Czech Republic to prepare for a "political coup." Manfred Altendorfer, one of the investigators, said members of the group would meet in steel-capped shoes and camouflage trousers, and some of them sported military-type berets. They face charges of engaging in neo-Nazi activities, a serious offense here. Some of them will also be tried for inflicting bodily harm and material damage, theft and larceny. The report said the neo-Nazis sought to change the Austrian democratic system and establish another "anschluss" of Austria - a repetition of the fateful annexation of Hitler's homeland by Nazi Germany in March 1938. Mr. Haidinger said the neo-Nazis, who proclaimed the "purity of the German race," planned to infiltrate various unspecified groups in Austrian society and purchase more weapons. They also played anti-foreigner and Nazi songs, and staged several attacks on leftists and law enforcement officers. One of the suspects was reported to have trained his small son to give the "Heil Hitler" salute with his right hand stretched upward. The young boy also had to rattle off radical slogans. Mr. Haidinger said members of the group had computer lists of members of leftists in Upper Austria. Copyright 1999 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ***** ____________________________________________________________________ JAILED COLOMBIAN REBELS FIGHT ON BEHIND BARS ____________________________________________________________________ REUTERS Tuesday, 26 October 1999 By Karl Penhaul BOGOTA -- Marxist guerrillas chant a revolutionary anthem in the yard of Colombia's largest prison, standing to attention under a huge banner of rebel icon Ernesto "Che" Guevara proclaiming "Onward to victory! Motherland or death." Every morning just after dawn, scores of rebels, some armed with concealed pistols, hold a military parade and grueling exercises-just like their comrades in secret camps in the jungles and mountains of this war-torn Andean nation. =46or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas, prison is another "trench" in their long-running uprising in which more than 35,000 people have died in just the last 10 years. They refer to themselves as prisoners of war and vow they will never surrender in the fight to topple the state and usher in a socialist regime. "At this moment we consider ourselves prisoners of war. We're members of an army that is fighting outside the rules of the constitution and outside the rules set by the ruling classes," Yesid Arteta, 39, head of the FARC's six-man ruling council in Bogota's notorious La Modelo prison, where some 200 guerrillas are held, told Reuters in an interview. "Jails are new trenches in the struggle. We maintain the classic structure of a revolutionary movement and a people's army in prison," added the former law student, who was a high-ranking commander of the FARC's feared Southern Bloc fighting division at the time of his arrest in 1995. Arteta joined the Communist Party youth wing (JUCO) at 14 before entering the FARC, Latin America's largest surviving 1960s rebel army with an estimated 17,000 combatants. He was sentenced to 10 years in the chronically overcrowded La Modelo, which was designed for 2,700 inmates but now holds some 4,700. No control over jailed rebels The government has rarely permitted press interviews with Arteta or other jailed FARC leaders, in an apparent effort to draw a veil over their demands for special political status. But prison guards concede they take no action against the rebels' politico-military organisation in captivity. "You will hear subversive speeches and see rebel propaganda. There are a lot of things that go on behind these walls that the authorities have no idea of," a senior prison guard said. Huge murals of the FARC's supreme commander, Manuel "Sureshot" Marulanda, and the late Jacobo Arenas, a leading rebel ideologue, adorn the cellblocks. Bulletin boards carry news of rebel units' battlefield successes and details of the slow-moving peace process the government initiated with the FARC in early January with no advance ceasefire deal. To ward off unwanted interference from wardens or the threat of attack by right-wing rivals, the FARC posts round-the-clock rebel guards, armed with pistols smuggled into the penitentiary, in passageways leading to guerrillas' cells. A small library is packed with works of Marx, Mao and Lenin and a list of rules is posted in FARC-dominated cellblocks to remind fighters they must rise at 4:50, take part in morning exercises, avoid drugs and alcohol and continue their education in classes offered by prison authorities or fellow inmates. Beyond La Modelo's bars and razor wire, FARC chieftains are pressing ahead with stop-and-go peace talks but stress they will not compromise on core demands for radical redistribution of wealth and an overhaul of state economic policies. They have repeatedly warned they will try to seize power by force if the talks fail. =46ARC demands prisoner exchange In tandem with those talks, Marulanda has insisted some 450 FARC rebels being held in prisons across the country must be released. To press demands for a prisoner exchange, FARC units have captured more than 350 police and soldiers in dramatic victories over the last two years in Patascoy, Miraflores and Mitu-remote garrisons in the south and east. The security force members are held in secret jungle camps where they run the risk of malnutrition and tropical diseases such as malaria. Last month five police escaped from their captors in Vichada province but were caught several days later and apparently shot at close range, sparking public outrage. So far, the government has balked at exchanging prisoners, arguing the guerrillas have not been jailed just for political crimes such as rebellion and terrorism but also for human rights violations such as murder and kidnapping-the latter used by the FARC to raise funds. Officials say freed prisoners will return to rebel ranks and fuel the insurgency that U.S. military officials warn is threatening the stability of the entire region and could see the FARC take power within five years if it is not checked. In an effort to break the deadlock, Congress is debating a bill to allow President Andres Pastrana to release guerrillas, provided the FARC first free all military captives and civilian kidnap victims-a deal the rebels seem unlikely to accept. "This bill only makes sense within the framework of the peace process," Zulema Jattin, head of the Peace Commission in the lower house of Congress, told Reuters. "Under Colombian legislation these people (jailed guerrillas) are not prisoners of war but people who have broken the law," she added. Hearts and minds campaign Under strict terms of international humanitarian law, prisoner of war status applies only to those captured in an international conflict, not in an internal war. But Arteta is convinced FARC leaders, who have already won wide-ranging concessions in preliminary stages of the peace process, will also succeed in negotiating a prisoner exchange. "We're fighting on a platform based on gaining political power for the immense majority of Colombians," Arteta said. "Manuel Marulanda has proposed to the three branches of power the need for an exchange of prisoners of war. We have every reason to believe that reason will win out." As the merits of the exchange are disputed in the halls of power, jailed =46ARC fighters embark on a hearts-and-minds campaign to win converts to their clandestine political organisation, the "Bolivarian Movement for a New Colombia." A rebel committee hosted a huge celebration this month on the anniversary of the death of Argentine-born Guevara. It sent roast suckling pig for the 4,700 inmates and hundreds of visiting relatives and laid on bands to play north coast accordion tunes, folk songs, 1960s protest music and rap. "One way or another, by fair means or foul, we will pull down these walls. We're not here out of choice but from necessity," Jorge Bernal, alias "Robinson," another of the FARC leaders in La Modelo, shouted from an impromptu stage atop a latrine block. "Some of us are here because we were fighting for ideals. Others were fighting for the daily bread for their wives and children." Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Courtesy of Colombian Labor Monitor. E-mail: clm at prairienet.org Web: http://www.prairienet.org/clm ***** ____________________________________________________________________ NEO-NAZI MOVEMENT BANNED IN RUSSIAN TERRITORY ____________________________________________________________________ By Associated Press, 10/26/99 11:15 VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (AP) A district court on Tuesday banned the Russian National Unity movement a prominent neo-Nazi group from the Far Eastern territory of Primorye. Members of the movement had tried repeatedly to register with authorities, but were refused. In its ruling, the court noted that the movement had been operating illegally, since it was not registered, and that it was aimed at inciting ethnic hatred. Although very small, neo-Nazi groups have steadily grown bolder and more visible in Russia in recent months. They have been accused of beating members of racial minorities, desecrating Jewish cemeteries and bombing synagogues. Russian National Unity, led by Alexander Barkashov, is the most vocal and active of the groups. Its members sport swastika-like symbols and black uniforms, raise their hands in a Nazi-like salute, and assail liberal reforms as a Western plot to destroy Russia. RNE members have held weekend rallies in Vladivostok parks, and spray-painted their logo on the walls of city buildings. Copyright 1999 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ***** ____________________________________________________________________ THE EASIEST ROAD ... DEATH ____________________________________________________________________ By Mumia Abu-Jamal Column Written 10/23/99 Source: Mark Clement, MClement at bruderhof.com =46or you are prisoners of war, in an enemy's country-of a war, too, that is unrivalled for its injustice, cruelty, meanness -- Frederick Douglass (1850) It is increasingly easy to stereotype the men and women on Death row. The State does it every day, as does the press. Those banished to the most exclusive club in America are deemed worthy of damnation, and in truth, all are presumed guilty, for did not a jury say so? Then one meets Fred Thomas, a 53-year-old great-grandfather, who was projected to a jury as homeless, heartless and in the words of the DA, "a predator." In a brief, week-long trial that went poorly defended, a jury convicted =46red of 1st degree murder, and a day later, on February 28, 1995, sent Fre= d to Death Row in Pennsylvania. Why should one care about a "homeless, heartless, predator?" Clearly the jury didn't. What the jury never learned was that an eyewitness, located the day after the killing of a FedEx driver in the so-called "Bad lands" of North Philly, gave a statement to the cops that she witnessed the shooting, named two of the assailants, and described the third, none of which remotely resembled Thomas. Indeed, her statement was corroborated by another witness, who saw the three men running away! I know; I know; the question arises, well how did the prosecutor convict this man? Well, in their first attempt, they didn't, for the jury refused to convict, and a hung jury was declared. In the 2nd trial, the State provided two witnesses, both crack addicts, who claimed they saw Fred fleeing the scene, but even they could not go as far as saying they saw him shoot anyone, or even armed. According to the woman who did see the shooting, however, one of the assailants was related to one of the two witnesses who now placed Fred at the scene. These "witnesses," both of whom had extensive criminal histories, were not asked about their drug-related activities, despite repeated requests of counsel to do so. A homeless man, desperate for a dollar to survive, might rob and kill a truck driver; as would a drug addict. But Fred wasn't a homeless man, nor an addict, but a hard-working man, who worked a variety of jobs to support his growing family. When a group of his former and present employers appeared in court on his behalf, they were told by his counsel that they weren't necessary. They left. The jury never heard from the main witness because she was threatened with the taking of her children. At an extraordinary bench warrant hearing to compel the witness's presence, the State revealed an extraordinary distaste for a person who gave a statement in a murder proceeding: ADA: Well as I stated earlier, anything that the Commonwealth could do to assist, of course, we will. Back in October I brought to the Court's attention that, and we shared the information with defense counsel: One, that this person was on welfare under an assumed name. Defense: Yes, I have that. ADA: Thus, there is a real basis for a charge of welfare fraud. We actively looked for her during the various tours that my officers were working.... [Pre-trial Hearing, Com. V. Thomas 2/13/95]. Again, this is a witness, not a suspect! Contrary to popular opinion, under existing rules, the processing of a death sentence is the easiest in the system. Oh yeah, the cops involved? They are almost all doing time for the corruption scandal around the 39th police district. Guess who "found" the witnesses? Guess who prepped them? And guess who advised others not to show up? The infamous 39th District, which has a certain expertise in using drug addicts and whores when they need "witnesses," are at the root of why Fred Thomas is on death row, and not at home with his loving grandchildren. He is innocent of murder, and as of this writing, has a date to die for November 23rd, 1999. Now, in truth, he may survive past this death warrant, his second. But the question arises, will he survive Death Row? A 53-year old, he recently was diagnosed as diabetic, and is now insulin-dependant. He has one fervent hope: "I hope my health don't give out, so I can live long enough to prove my innocence." Copyright 1999 Mumia Abu-Jamal. All rights reserved. ** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, material appearing in Antifa Info-Bulletin is distributed without charge or profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for research and educational purposes. Submissions are welcome. ** ANTIFA INFO-BULLETIN (AFIB) 750 La Playa # 730 San Francisco, California 94121 To subscribe: afib-subscribe at igc.topica.com To unsubscribe: afib-unsubscribe at igc.topica.com Inquiries: tburghardt at igc.org On PeaceNet visit AFIB on pol.right.antifa Via the Web --> http://burn.ucsd.edu/~aff/afib.html Archive --> http://burn.ucsd.edu/~aff/afib-bulletins.html ANTI-FASCIST FORUM (AFF) Antifa Info-Bulletin is a member of the Anti-Fascist Forum network. AFF is an info-group which collects and disseminates information, research and analysis on fascist activity and anti-fascist resistance. More info: E-mail: aff at burn.ucsd.edu; Web: http://burn.ucsd.edu/~aff Order our journal, ANTIFA FORUM, cutting-edge anti-fascist research and analysis! 4 issues, $20. Write AFF, P.O. Box 6326, Station A, Toronto, Ontario, M5W 1P7 Canada ++++ stop the execution of Mumia Abu-Jamal ++++ ++++ if you agree copy these 3 sentences in your own sig ++++ ++++ see: http://www.xs4all.nl/~tank/spg-l/sigaction.htm ++++ _____________________________________________________________ Got a Favorite Topic to Discuss? Start a List at Topica. http://www.topica.com/t/4