Episodes
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Turkey’s political drama continues with the arrest of the Mayor of Esenyurt and his replacement by a government trustee - the first time these tactics have been used against the mainstream opposition CHP. The rationale for recent government actions is still unclear, but the movement for a solution to the Kurdish Question has taken on a certain momentum of its own; and the CHP’s response has been generally encouraging. Meanwhile Turkish bombardment has ravaged North and East Syria, Zionists are trying to woo Kurds on social media, and Erdoğan’s hypocrisy over Palestine has been further exposed.
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After a momentous and rollercoaster week, today’s review sets out the key events – talks about a possible new peace process; the PKK attack on an Ankara arms producer; Turkish bombardment of North and East Syria; and the long-desired visit to Abdullah Öcalan after his 43 months of total isolation. It looks at comments by some of the key players, including the PKK, and includes background observations that can help make sense of it all.
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Episodes manquant?
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While all eyes have been on Gaza and Beirut, tensions in Syria have become increasingly violent, as well as complicated by the variety of different countries all jostling for position and ready to take advantage of any opening that they can use to increase their own power and influence. This week’s review also looks at the run-up to tomorrow’s important election in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, hopes for peace amidst continued oppression in Turkey, and news from Iran’s prisons.
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Rumours of peace appear to be belied by Turkey’s continued aggression towards the Kurds both inside and outside their borders. Meanwhile, actions have been carried out across the world calling Öcalan’s freedom; and an acrimonious election campaign may be the first step towards a new uncertain chapter for the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
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Fréderike Geerdink discusses the recent rescue of a young Yazidi woman from ISIS captivity in Gaza and reflects on the divisive reactions to the story within the Kurdish community. She warns against blaming Palestinians collectively for the girl's ordeal and urges Kurds not to fall into the trap of divisions that serve the interests of oppressive states such as Israel and Turkey.
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In their principled support of Julian Assange, the Council of Europe have acted according to their founding purpose. At the same time, they have proved incapable of meeting the challenges of the spreading war, or even of disciplining Council members who flout their own rules. The week’s review looks at the situation of Kurdish politics in a fast-changing Middle East, through the prism of the Council.
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Kurdish activist Elif Genç discusses the shared history of Kurdish and Palestinian solidarity, and how state leaders like Erdoğan and Netanyahu have pitted the two communities against each other.
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Fréderike Geerdink’s article examines the Kurdish political reactions to the assassination of Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah and the broader geopolitical implications. She highlights the PKK's unique analysis, suggesting the murder could fuel regional conflicts and advance Turkey’s strategic ambitions.
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As the world lurches towards further destruction, no one should dispute the validity of Erdoğan’s UN criticism of Western hypocrisy, but he can match the West with a hypocrisy of his own. This week’s Turkish authoritarianism focussed on the suppression of Kurdish culture – while a letter from a political prisoner described the reality of solitary confinement in Turkey’s prisons.
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Musa Anter summed it up brilliantly when he said: “When my mother tongue is shaking the foundations of your state, it probably means that you built your state on my land.” He shook the foundations of the state by thinking this radically different. He shook the foundations so profoundly, that he was not only murdered but also denied a proper burial.
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Eric Hobsbawm’s “Age of Empire” covers the four decades that led up to the first world war. There are frightening parallels between that period and the imperial rivalry of the world today. This politics has no time for minority peoples unless they can be used as pawns in the bigger game, and Kurds find themselves again caught up in other people’s wars. Kurds are also facing a new hostility in Europe, where racism and deference to Turkey distort asylum decisions.
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While experts debate the significance of Iraq’s recent memorandum with Turkey, Iran’s newly elected president has visited Baghdad, where he has signed 15 co-operation agreements with Iraq. Such agreements are rarely good news for Kurds, who suffer at the hands of both Turkey and Iran. Although Turkey would also like an agreement with Syria, Assad has again made it clear that this is not on the horizon so long as Turkey occupies parts of Syria. Meanwhile the Turkish news is dominated by the murder of 8-year-old Narin Güran and its possible political implications, and Iran prepares for the second anniversary of the death of Jina Amini.
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As human rights lawyers in Turkey proclaim, “There is no justice here”, this week’s review focuses on Turkish authoritarianism. It looks especially at its impact on political prisoners, but also at other abuses in the politicised justice system, and at the oppression of trade unionists and environmental activists
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Kurds face attacks on all fronts, including targetd assassinations in Iraq and Syria, but the world seems indifferent. In Turkey, journalists and political prisoners face oppression as the government attempts to distract citizens from dire economic circumstances. In Syria, Russian and Turkish joint patrols have resumed, to be confronted by resistance from local residents. In Iraq, people debate the significance of the shooting down of a Turkish drone, to a background of corruption and arms smuggling.
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Fréderike Geerdink criticises the media's lack of coverage on Turkey's expanding occupations in Kurdish regions of Iraq and Syria, where Turkification and forced demographic changes are occurring. She argues that this neglect enables political inaction and shields Turkey from accountability, urging a new journalistic approach to better highlight the struggles of oppressed peoples.
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Forty years after the PKK took up the right of resistance, the Kurdish Freedom Movement has established an autonomous administration in northern Syria, and the PKK’s philosophy is inspiring people across the world; but the Turkish state continues their anti-Kurdish oppression, denying the Kurds a peaceful route to freedom.
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On the 40th anniversary of 15 August 1984, journalist Fréderike Geerdink reflects on the PKK's shift from seeking a Kurdish state to combating patriarchal nation-states, emphasising ideological evolution and guerrilla tactics to counter Turkey's advanced warfare while advocating for community and diversity.
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This week’s review from Sarah Glynn focuses on two places where civilians are fleeing for their lives: the IDP camps in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, where Yazidi genocide survivors are fearful of a new attack by their Sunni Muslim neighbours; and Deir ez-Zor in North and East Syria, where Syrian government forces and Iranian-backed militias are carrying out attacks, and where eleven civilians were killed by a Syrian Army bombardment on Thursday night.
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After a brief look at the new threats facing the Kurds following Israel’s assassinations in Beirut and Tehran, this week’s news review focuses on Turkey’s attempt to grind away Kurdish culture and identity and wear down Kurdish resistance – and at the even stronger determination to resist that this fosters. It also examines the report of the United Nations Committee Against Torture, which emphasises concerns about the treatment of Abdullah Ocalan and the other prisoners in İmralı.
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