Amnesty International: States must stop returning Iraqis
On 7 June, Amnesty International called on the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and the UK to stop forcibly returning Iraqis, as a joint return flight was planned for 9 June. “The decision to forcibly return Iraqis is in direct breach of guidelines set out by the UNHCR, which has urged governments not to return individuals to Iraq, until the security situation improves”, Amnesty International says. Amnesty urged States to grant international protection – or temporary humanitarian protection – to Iraqis, considering that “the Iraqi government is clearly unable to protect its own citizens, including those returned to the country from abroad.” UNHCR considers that “serious – including indiscriminate – threats to life, physical integrity or freedom resulting from violence or events seriously disturbing public order are valid reasons for international protection.” UNHCR calls on States to ensure that the situation in Iraq as a whole, including the important level of lawlessness, is factored into their assessments of asylum claims. Sources: – Amnesty International, ‘European states must stop the imminent forcible return of Iraqis’ – UNHCR, ‘UNHCR cautions against European deportations to Iraq’ – BBC News, ‘Iraqi asylum seekers deported amid safety fears’ – The Guardian, ‘David Cameron defends deportation of failed Iraqi asylum seekers’
KHRP Condemns Continued Bombardments in Kurdistan , Iraq
KHRP condemns the recent escalation of Turkish cross-border bombardments in northern Iraq . Sources in the region informed KHRP that at around 9:30pm on Monday 10 May, Howitzer munitions struck the village of Benistan in the ?eladize district of Kurdistan, Iraq , killing Hussein Rekani (27). It is also reported that his wife and two children are among those being treated for their injuries at Amediye State Hospital .
Turkish army strikes Kurdish PKK rebel targets in Iraqi Kurdistan
ANKARA, — The Turkish air force has struck Kurdish rebel hideouts in neighbouring Kurdistan region of Iraq after an attack inside Turkey left two soldiers dead, the military said late Friday.
“After detecting that anti-aircraft fire was opened on (Turkish) helicopters from various positions across the border, the air force fired on those positions” for an hour Friday afternoon, the army said in an online statement.
“It has been observed that those positions were destroyed,” it said. Read more
22nd anniversary of Anfal, the genocide attack against Kurdish nation
The year of 1988 carried with it a brutal, relentless and torturous terror campaign that lasted from 23rd February until 6th September against a defenseless and oppressed society, that of the Kurds of Kurdistan. This premeditated operation was designated the name ‘Al-Anfal’ or ‘the Spoils of War’ as mentioned in the eighth chapter of the Qur’an.
The Anfal Campaign waged against the Kurds was undertaken by Saddam Hussein’s Baathist regime directed by his ruthless cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid or as he became known ‘Chemical Ali’ or ‘The Butcher of Kurdistan’. The campaign consisted of eight phases that attempted to exterminate a vulnerable population. Anfal was characterized by acts of mass executions and disappearance of women, children and at times an entire village. Read more
Response of the Kurdish Human Rights Project to United Kingdom Foreign & Commonwealth Office Annual Report on Human Rights 2009
Last Thursday 18 March 2010, the United Kingdom Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) released its Annual Report on Human Rights 2009.The report provides a round-up of the UK government’s activities and policies to address the principal human rights challenges that it has identified from around the world, including those in KHRP’s project countries, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria and the Caucuses.
KHRP largely welcomes the overview provided, which reiterates a variety of the concerns that KHRP continues to address across the Kurdish regions. In particular, it was pleased to see that KHRP’s concerns about the rights of Syria’s estimated 1.7 million Kurds who suffer ongoing discrimination, (including 300,000 of whom continue to be denied citizenship), lack of political representation, and repression of their identities, was given a detailed appraisal in the Report. KHRP also joins the UK FCO in applauding the Turkish government’s self-termed Democratic Opening, (though it has concerns about how open and transparent this initiative is). KHRP is however uneasy about the degree to which the continued pervasiveness of human rights violations in the Kurdish regions of Turkey and Iran are not fully reflected. Read more
UN includes Newroz – new year – as an Intangible Heritage of Humanity
As the people of the Kurdistan Region and millions of Kurds around the world prepare to celebrate Newroz, the traditional Kurdish new year, the Kurdistan Regional Government welcomes the UN General Assembly’s recognition of this ancient celebration.
Kurds in the Kurdistan Region and other countries have been celebrating Newroz, which means New Day, for at least three thousand years. Newroz falls on the Spring Equinox, the first day of spring, and represents hope, unity and renewal.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) also welcomes the UN’s decision to include the Newroz new year as an Intangible Heritage of Humanity. The decision to include Newroz in the list of humanity’s heritages was made by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Read more
16 March 1988: Thousands die in Halabja gas attack
Thousands of people are reported to have been killed and many others injured in a poison gas attack on a Kurdish city in northern Iraq. Read more
URGENT: seeking forced returnees who were on the UK flight to Baghdad in October 2009
We are urgently trying to trace other returnees who were on the flight who can make witness statements in the lead case about what happened on the flight and on arrival. (They may of course also have claims for unlawful detention/ assault themselves, whether or not they were released after the flight, which may depend on the findings in the lead case.)
The Kurdish issue in Turkey is one of the key issues that must be resolved effectively before Turkey can accede to the Union.
12 January 2010: Debate in Parliament
Mr. Andrew Pelling (Croydon, Central) (Ind): It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr. Hood, and I am grateful for the opportunity for this debate. I am pleased to see the Minister. I admire him greatly for his conscientiousness in his task, and for his care and concern about the issues for which he is responsible.
I am also pleased that other hon. Members can be here to support the debate, and shall be happy to give way liberally to anyone who wants to intervene, and, subject to your consent, Mr. Hood, and the Minister’s, to cede time to hon. Members who want to contribute. The hon. Member for Sheffield, Heeley (Meg Munn) returned from Kurdistan only this weekend, and I am sure that hon. Members will be keen to hear what she has to report to the House. I know that the right hon. Member for Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill (Mr. Clarke), who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on the Kurdistan region in Iraq, will also want to contribute to the debate. Read more
New Kurdish mass grave found in Iraq – 19 December 2009
Iraq,— A mass grave discovered in northeast Iraq contains dozens of bodies, mostly of women and children believed killed during a crackdown against Kurds by former dictator Saddam Hussein, an Iraqi official said on Saturday.
The grave was originally found nearly two years ago west of Kirkuk, though its discovery was only made public this week after forensic pathologists began examining it, said Majid Abdullah Karim, an official with the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights. Read more
