http://www.ekurd.net News about Kurds and Kurdistan Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:39:23 GMT ListGarden Program 1.3.1 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2012/2/article122.htm By Gerald A. Honigman. A good friend, Sherkoh Abbas, President of the Kurdistan National Assembly of Syria, is also Secretary General of the Syria Democracy Council. He wrote the Foreword to my own book which gets into the very issues we're seeing unfolding right now in the Middle East…events involving the quest for justice for all peoples in the region. His organizations have been meeting in Washington and elsewhere regarding the recent upheavals. You see, while dubbed the "Arab Spring," the quest for human and political rights goes far beyond those involving just Arabs in the region... Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:49:52 GMT ekurdnet-2012-02-08-10-49-52 http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2012/2/state5868.htm ERBIL, — The best solution for the current crisis in Iraq is to divide the state into three separate states, a Kurdish analyst in North Iraq's Kurdistan Region has expressed on Wednesday. "The best solution for the current crisis suffered by Iraq lies in dividing Iraq into 3 states, a Kurdish, an Arab Shiite and Sunni state," Abdul-Ghani Ali Yahya told Aswat al-Iraq news agency, expecting at the same time the failure of the proposed National Conference, scheduled to convene soon to discuss proposals to settle the current crisis in the country. "The fate of this Conference will be no better than the Erbil... Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:07:22 GMT ekurdnet-2012-02-08-12-07-22 http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2012/2/state5869.htm KIRKUK, — In its latest report on FGM, the German WADI says the circumcised women are facing social challenges to an extent of insult. The report which resulted from a filed investigation on FGM in Kirkuk province, says out of one thousand participants, 600 hundred were circumcised. The report concludes that over 50% of the province’s women are circumcised. One of the phases of the investigation was a fieldwork of distributing 1 thousand 250 forms asking 60 questions only for women above the age of 12. The WADI teams were exposed to several social, religious... Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:39:14 GMT ekurdnet-2012-02-08-18-39-14 http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2012/2/turkey3749.htm LIESTAL, — The Long March for Freedom and Kurdish rights has reached day 8. Despite the Siberian temperatures hundreds of Kurds living in Europe have joined the march organized by KON-KURD (Confederation of Kurdish Associations in Europe). Today, Wednesday, the march will stop in Basel where a meeting is planned. Speaking about the meeting in Basel, march organization committee member İsmet Kem said that “the city of Basel has a remarkable population of patriotic Kurds. We expect Kurdistan’s people and their friends here to join the meeting on February 8 as this welcome... Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:08:56 GMT ekurdnet-2012-02-08-14-08-56 http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2012/2/turkey3748.htm ISTANBUL, — An Istanbul prosecutor will summon Turkey's intelligence chief Hakan Fidan to testify Thursday for his contacts with the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), reported the Anatolia news agency. Two other officials from the National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) have also been called to testify, said Anatolia. Istanbul Deputy Chief Public Prosecutor Fikret Seçen has said National Intelligence Organization (MİT) Undersecretary Hakan Fidan, his predecessor, Emre Taner, and MIT Deputy Undersecretary Afet Güneş were summoned to testify in an ongoing KCK... Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:26:27 GMT ekurdnet-2012-02-08-11-26-27 http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2012/2/state5866.htm AMSTERDAM, — James Clapper, the director of US national intelligence, told the US Senate last week that Iran is facing continuing domestic political problems and is trying to strengthen ties with Kurdistan and Iraq. Clapper said Iran’s leaders are continuously confronting domestic political problems, a stalling economy and an uncertain regional dynamic as the effects of the Arab Spring unfold. “Elite infighting has reached new levels as the rift grows between Supreme Leader Khamenei and President Ahmadinejad. The regime has intensified attacks on prominent... Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:29:42 GMT ekurdnet-2012-02-08-08-29-42 http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2012/2/turkey3747.htm ANKARA, — A parliamentary commission investigating intra-organization killings carried out by the rebels from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) may interrogate jailed PKK Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan if needed, Ayhan Sefer Üstün, the head of Parliament's Human Rights Investigation Commission, told the Bugün daily Tuesday. The Human Rights Investigation Commission's sub-commission on the Violation of Human Rights in Terrorism and Violent Incidents has previously listened to Kurdish politicians, intellectuals and families of PKK militants. The sub-commission wants to complete... Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:29:58 GMT ekurdnet-2012-02-08-09-29-58 http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2012/2/govt1924.htm SULAIMANIYAH, — A spokesman for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) led by Iraqi president Jalal Talabani said his party is not aware if Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi has left Dokan city for an unknown location. On Tuesday the Al-Alam newspaper - citing a PUK official - said that Hashemi has now left his residential building in Dokan resort near Sulaimaniyah city. PUK spokesman Azad Jundiyani said: "I don't have any such news that Hashemi allegedly has left Sulaimaniyah province for some unidentified location." AKnews contacted the VP's secretary several times but he... Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:49:39 GMT ekurdnet-2012-02-07-16-49-39 http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2012/2/turkey3745.htm SIRNAK, — The Uludere sub-commission visited the province of Şırnak on Monday (6 February) to investigate the aerial strike that caused the death of 34 civilian Kurds on 28 December in the Turkey's Kurdistan south-east of Turkey [Northern Kurdistan], BIA news website reported. The sub-commission was established within the Parliamentary Human Rights Commission in order to shed light on the background of the incident. Members of the commission talked to military and civil officials in Şırnak. The previous day, they had talked to villagers, mainly relatives of the victims and... Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:49:21 GMT ekurdnet-2012-02-07-11-49-21 http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2012/2/turkey3746.htm LONDON, — Amnesty International has written to the Turkish authorities expressing grave concern regarding the investigation into the bombing of civilian Kurds by a Turkish warplane in the district of Uludere/Qileban in the south-eastern province of Şırnak. On the night of 28 December 2011 a Turkish warplane carried out a bombing in the district of Uludere/Qileban resulting in the death of 34 civilians, 18 of whom were children. No military target was hit in the attack which the authorities at first claimed to have struck armed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) members... Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:30:40 GMT ekurdnet-2012-02-07-13-30-40 http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2012/2/state5865.htm SULAIMANIYAH, — For nearly seven years, Zheen Center in Sulaimaniyah has been trying to collect historical Kurdish scripts and handwritings that went missing during years of war and conflict. The center is trying to collect and safeguard Kurdish scripts that are scattered around the world. Rafiq Sabir, head of Zheen Center, describes his organization as “a hospital for Kurdish literature.” Zheen Center has so far succeeded in retrieving some old Kurdish handwritings from the Ottoman Empire era and in the Iranian capital, Tehran. “We have also been able to find a lot of documents... Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:31:07 GMT ekurdnet-2012-02-07-08-31-07 http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2012/2/invest805.htm SEOUL,— Incheon Airport has signed a three-year contract worth $9.03 million to project manage the construction of a new Duhok Airport in Kurdistan in Iraq's north. Beginning in June this year, the South Korean company has been appointed by the Duhok Governorate – under the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) – to oversee the entire management project for three years. The contract includes supervising the master plan and the subcontracts, as well as managing the engineering and construction quality, rocesses, costs and test operations for the construction of Duhok Airport... Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:11:55 GMT ekurdnet-2012-02-07-13-11-55 http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2012/2/govt1923.htm SULAIMANIYAH, — The Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashimi has accused the Iraqi authorities of fabricating charges to incite public anger, assuring that he does not have any interest in targeting the Kurds after leaks accused him of assassinating a Kurdish judge. Hashemi said in a statement issued by his interim office that false stories are deliberately leaked to the media from time to time about supposed "crimes" committed in the past. The Iraqi judiciary issued an arrest warrant against Hashemi and a number of his bodyguards on charges of supporting terrorism. He denied the... Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:53:08 GMT ekurdnet-2012-02-07-05-53-08 http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2012/2/kurdsworld579.htm WASHINGTON, — The Third Annual Kurdish Youth Festival kicked off in Washington, D.C. this year, running from Jan. 6-8. The three-day event combined education on the Kurdish cause with various interactive events on Kurdish culture. The hard work organizers put into preparation resonated through the vast number who showed up to the festival and was reflected in how well the entire program turned out. I learned about the Kurdish Youth Festival over Twitter. This is where I met both organizers and attendees long before the event took place in January. There’s no easier way to meet activists... Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:41:22 GMT ekurdnet-2012-02-07-06-41-22 http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2012/2/turkey3744.htm LAUSANNE, — The long march of Kurdish politicians, intellectuals, writers and their friends continues in the seventh day. In the perishing cold at minus 12 degrees, protestors are moving towards Basel where a big meeting will be held on February 8. Speaking about the meeting in Basel, march organization committee member İsmet Kem said that; “Basel city has a remarkable population of patriotic Kurds. We expect Kurdistan’s people and their friends here to join the meeting on February 8 as this welcome and meeting will be the only act to warm our friends up.” Protestors of “Freedom... Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:41:43 GMT ekurdnet-2012-02-07-08-41-43 http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2012/2/turkey3742.htm DIYARBAKIR, — Kurdish satellite channel Stêrk TV which has been on test broadcast since 2009 has started broadcast as of February 6. with the slogan of “in search of the truth.” In a statement by channel authorities, it was said that “Stêrk TV, “on the way to reality” will be broadcasting different programs in reflecting the differences, colors and cultural richnesses in Kurdistan as well as current affairs in Turkey and the world.” The channel will provide broadcast in Kurmanci and Sorani dialects of Kurdish as well as programs in Turkish. Besides “different news events, current events... Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:23:42 GMT ekurdnet-2012-02-06-13-23-42 http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2012/2/turkey3743.htm Fact checkers and truth squads are the media’s latest tool for blurring the line between the editorial page and the new page. The ubiquitous fact checks are editorializing dressed up as verification. While on some occasions there are actual facts to verify, for the most part the fact checks defend a partisan liberal viewpoint on a particular issue. So no sooner did Rick Perry suggest that Turkey had no place in NATO and that some perceive its government to be run by Islamic terrorists than the media rolled out its fact checks. In the spirit of fact checking the fact checkers, let’s have a fact... Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:42:07 GMT ekurdnet-2012-02-06-17-42-07 http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2012/2/state5864.htm BAGHDAD, — The deputy parliamentary speaker Aref Taifour said that the constitution of the Kurdish region is a legal right stipulated by the Iraqi Constitution in article 120, according to a statement issued by his office. Taifour pointed out in the statement, a copy of which landed in Aswat al-Iraq, that the Kurdish Constitution is to determine the skeleton of authorities in the regions and mechanism of the authorities within the decentralized federal system. "The Kurds struggled for years for democracy and the freedom of the Iraqi people and decided, by their will, to be an important part... Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:20:34 GMT ekurdnet-2012-02-06-19-20-34 http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2012/2/turkey3740.htm STRASBOURG, France, — KCK operations targeted organized Kurds and their legal activities and thoughts. Speaking to ANF about the process of KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) case, defense lawyer of KCK suspects, IHD (Human Rights Association) activist lawyer Reyhan Yalçındağ remarked that they had taken the case to the European Court of Human Rights. Remarking that a large number of people were accused of false evidences within the scope of so-called political “KCK” case, Yalçındağ said that KCK operations targeted organized Kurds who perform legal activities and... Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:21:58 GMT ekurdnet-2012-02-06-05-21-58 http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2012/2/syriakurd417.htm ERBIL, — Dr Abdulhakim Bashar, the head of the Kurdish National Council (KNC), said he has obtained international guarantees for the rights of Kurds in Syria after the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime. Bashar told Rudaw that his council has the support of America, Britain and France. His claims were not independently verified. Bashar said the KNC has had talks with the British, French and American foreign ministries last month. “Officials at the British foreign ministry said that they would support the demands of the Kurds in Syria and that they would try to organize the KNC like the SNC.” ... Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:09:00 GMT ekurdnet-2012-02-06-07-09-00