Saturday 30 July 2011

Friday – the silence kills us – 29 July 2011

Global Syria Day remembering the violation of children in Syria – 30 July 2011

Global Syria Day | Journée mondiale pour la Syrie 

The event is a call to the whole world to light candles for the souls of those children in Syria, and express total condemnation of all inhumane violations to children’s rights in general. We hope, through this call, to put an end to the ongoing crimes against Syrian people and their children in their peaceful uprising for freedom.
The event is held in 27 world capitals simultaneously in local languages and covered by local media agencies.

Syrian uprising songwriter meets gruesome end

CBS: BEIRUT — Ibrahim Qashoush‘s lyrics moved thousands of protesters in Syria who sang his jaunty verses at rallies, telling President Bashar Assad, “Time to leave.” So when his body was dumped in the river flowing through his hometown, his killers added an obvious message: His throat was carved out.

Qashoush’s slaying underlines how brutal Syria’s turmoil has become as authorities try to crush a persistent uprising. His fellow activists are convinced he was killed by security forces and fear it could mark a new campaign to liquidate protest leaders. Read more

Turkey: KCK Trial Resumes 2 August 2011

The trial of more than 150 prominent Kurdish politicians, including six who were elected in the June 2011 general election, resumes in Diyarbakir on 2 August.

The KCK Case, as it is known after the Union of Kurdistan Communities umbrella group, is the largest mass show trial to be held in Turkey in over a decade and has led to huge protests and unrest in the Kurdish region with mass protests held outside the court when hearings took place before the election. Read more

Save Syria’s Disappeared

Dear friends,

Muntaha’s sixteen-year-old son was abducted by Syrian security forces two months ago — one of 3000 Syrian “disappeared”. India, Brazil and South Africa have close ties to Syria and could push for an international human rights delegation to find the missing, but they won’t act without global pressure. Help find Muntaha’s son:

Muntaha’s sixteen year old son was abducted from a peaceful democracy protest by Syrian security forces. She has spent the last eight weeks scouring the country for her child — braving warnings from the Syrian regime that her other son would also be “disappeared” if she continued with her search. Our urgent action now can help her son and the thousands of other disappeared Syrians.

Since March, almost 3000 people have been taken by regime forces and disappeared into secret jails. The international community has spoken out, but done little to stop this attack — but India, Brazil and South Africa have close ties to Syria and could push for an international human rights delegation to find the missing and reunite families with their loved ones.

Our massive global membership can force key leaders to act now, pressuring Syria to allow an international delegation to investigate the thousands of disappeared. Sign the petition — it is being delivered by high profile media outlets around the world including the Times of India, the Guardian, CNN, and Der Spiegel:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/syrias_disappeared/?vl Read more

TORTURE FEARS FOR DETAINED SYRIAN MAN

Amnesty International: ‘Awad Jassim ‘Abbas has been held incommunicado since his arrest on 14 May. Reports suggest he has been tortured or otherwise ill-treated by Syrian security forces.
‘Awad ‘Abbas was arrested at his home in al-Dumayr, north-east of the capital Damascus, during a raid by a reportedly large number of armed members of Syrian Air Force Security. The security forces were searching for his brother Hussein Jassim ‘Abbas, who had gone into hiding due to fears of being arrested because of his peaceful activities during the current protests calling for political reform. ‘Awad ‘Abbas also attended pro-reform protests, and Amnesty International believes his arrest and subsequent detention may be in connection with this. Read more

Thursday 28 July 2011

Syrian Uprising 2011 Information Centre

SUMMARY (28/07/2011): The EU agreed “in principle” to impose sanctions on 5 more people from Assad’s regime and al-Qaida tried in vain to associate itself with the protests in Syria. Meanwhile, the repression continued. The week of detainees has turned into the week of mass arrests with hundreds arrested every day. Tonight, the regime’s forces have launched an attack on Deir Ez Zur. See map for more info. Syria – Thursday 28/07/2011 Read more

Wednesday 27 July 2011

Syrian Uprising 2011 Information Centre
SUMMARY (27/07/2011): 13 Martyers and hundreds of detainees in Kanaker alone today. The regime is in a race against time to stop the protests before Ramadan which will start in few days. Assad’s repression isn’t putting a stop to the the protests; rather it’s causing the opposite, which can be seen on the map. Syria – Wednesday 27/07/2011 Read more

‘Turkey and EU Accession: Key Human Rights Concerns’

26 July 2011: KHRP releases briefing paper ‘Turkey and EU Accession: Key Human Rights Concerns’

KHRP has released a briefing paper on the key human rights concerns relating to Turkey’s progression towards European Union (EU) accession. The paper discusses these concerns in light of the Copenhagen Criteria political requirements on which Turkey’s entry into the EU is predicated, in particular the institutional guarantees relating to democracy, the rule of law, human rights and the protection of minorities.

Serving as an update on the situation following KHRP’s June 2006 briefing paper entitled ‘Implementation Gaps in Turkey’s Domestic Law’, this paper sets out the key areas that Turkey must address if it is to meet the political limb of the Copenhagen Criteria and progress in its EU accession negotiations. In particular, the paper discusses current issues and provides recommendations in relation to: the use of torture; minority rights; democracy, the rule of law and human rights due diligence obligations; freedom of expression; vulnerable groups; developmental issues; and the security situation in the Kurdish region.

KHRP’s Chief Executive, Kerim Yildiz said: “Turkey’s membership of the EU offers a viable and stable option for facilitating a move towards resolution of the ongoing armed conflict in South East Turkey through a widening in democratic participation, as well as towards the enjoyment by all Turkish citizens of their human rights in practice. ” The conclusions and recommendations set out in this briefing paper offer a practical approach to addressing existing gaps in human rights standards and monitoring Turkey’s progress in relation to the Copenhagen Criteria.

The briefing paper can be downloaded by clicking here and along with our other publications can be viewed on our

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Susie Talbot/Rachel Bernu
Kurdish Human Rights Project
11 Guilford Street, London, WC1N 1DH
Tel: 020 7405 3835

khrp@khrp.org

www.khrp.org

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