The text in Kurdish.
I have written many columns about the political crisis in Turkey. So my plan was to write this week about Kurdology. But on Tuesday, the 22nd May, I had to change my plans because a bomb exploded in Ankara.
Turkish mass media pointed their fingers towards the Kurds before dust had got down in Ulus. No matter that the PKK announced that it had nothing to do with the bomb and Iraqi Kurds expressed their irritation because Turks had discussed their involvement. Columnists in Turkish newspapers have not asked who else could be responsible for the attack than the PKK. Like Lale Sariibrahimoglu of Today's Zaman they just wondered if the Ulus bombing could push the Turkish government into a cross-border operation. Any way, Mehmet Ali Birand of Turkish Daily News asked whether postponing the elections is the aim.
And who gains if the elections are postponed or cancelled? I do not have to tell the answer. Everybody knows it. Maybe you remember what I wrote last week about the polarization of the political combat in Turkey. I said:
"The army makes provocations to irritate the Kurds in Turkey when it needs a crisis to show its power. What would be irritating Kurds more than an attack to Kandil? ... Sooner or later angry Kurds would storm on the streets. Deep State waits it. It would be a good excuse for the army to claim an emergency rule in Turkey and put Erdogan and Gül out of power."
According to Peyamner News Agency Turkey sent last Thursday two military aeroplanes to South Kurdistan, west of Zakho. When I heard about this and other Turkish reactions I remembered a Finnish tragedy, the Mainila shots. Our neighbourhood country Soviet Union claimed the 26th November 1939 that Finnish gunfire had killed thirteen Soviet soldiers in the boarder village Mainila. Soviet Union made a revenge which led to the Winter War. It lasted three and half months. In the war died 26 600 Finnish soldiers and 126 900 Soviet soldiers. But there was never any gunfire in Mainila. It was only the claim of Soviet Union which gave it an excuse to start the war. Russian President Boris Jeltsin admitted this 1998.
Turkish columnists admit the complexity of the Kurdish question. For example Lale Sariibrahimoglu wrote that it is wrong to believe that the main cause of the problem stems from northern Iraq. But almost no one has compared the Ulus bomb to another mysterious attack in Ankara one year ago: the murder of Mustafa Özbilgin, the jugde of the Council of the State.
Mehmet Kamis of Todays's Zaman mentions that police catched his murderer Alparslan Arslan but security forces never reached the ties behind the attack. Turkish columnists have not compared the present situation to the pre-military coup period 1979-1980.
I am afraid the coming days will be very hectic. But if this week is peaceful I write my next column about Kurdology. I believe that the future of Kurdology is great. In addition to studies about Kurdish culture and language there is need for all kind of research about the Kurds: history, sociology and politics. For example, how the military coup 1980 affected the development of the Kurdish national movement? What the present Turkish provocations mean for the Kurds?
Monday, May 28, 2007
Monday, May 21, 2007
Gulan: Election campaigns in the Turkish way
The article in Kurdish
There is already enough of soldiers in the Turkish side of the boarder but 50 000 more of them were transported last week to Sirnak. Battles between PKK guerrillas and Turkish army continue in Cudi and Gabar mountains and in Bestler-Dereler area. The target of the army is clear: Iraq boarder and Kandil.
Turkish army makes plans. If Turkish Mehmetcis can not go to South Kurdistan at least PKK guerrillas should not come to Turkey. There are wild speculations how to do this. Turkish Daily News wrote two weeks ago about a plan to build similar wall on the Turkey-Iraq boarder than "security fence" which separates Palestinian West Bank from Israel. There are still some financial and topographical problems.
Iraq war has became to the American army a nightmare, their second Vietnam. But it seems that Turks have not heard about their problems. They claim their victory over the PKK in same country where American soldiers die every day.
This spring on average five Turkish soldiers have died every week in the battles. What would happen if Turkish army enters South Kurdistan? The amount of dead Turkish soldiers would rise. There would be more soldier funerals. When shown in TV they would be like election advertisements to the ultra nationalist party MHP.
The army has made its opinion clear about Prime Minister Erdogan's democracy plans. It gave a memo the 27th April and threatened the government with intervention because of the crisis in Parliament over electing president. What was the effect of this? According to polls more people decided to vote Islamist AK Party. The more the army wows against Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the more popular Erdogan becomes. It seems that army can not stop Erdogan to win the July elections and to build the next government.
Erdogan is not giving up. Abdullah Gül failed in May to become the president. AKP made quickly in the Parliament a new law: president will be chosen in direct election by the people. Neither the army is giving up. What will be its next step?
If Turkish soldiers go to South Kurdistan, there will be more soldier funerals. Good for the Deep State, more nationalist fanatics in television and more votes to MHP.
The army makes provocations to irritate the Kurds in Turkey when it needs a crisis to show its power. What would be irritating Kurds more than an attack to Kandil? Added with isolation of Abdullah Öcalan and rumours about his poisoning. Sooner or later angry Kurds would storm on the streets. Deep State waits it. It would be a good excuse for the army to claim an emergency rule in Turkey and put Erdogan and Gül out of power.
This spring has been a spring of hope in the Kurdish cooperation. I wish this continues and President Masoud Barzani does not give up to pressure from Turkish army and let it go to Kandil.
It would finish the period of good development in Kurdish relations. This spring Kurds in Turkey and in South Kurdistan have agreed that Turkey's invasion to Kerkuk would be same as an attack to Diyarbakir. But if Masoud Barzani lets Turkish soldiers to go to Kandil and they would later go also to Kerkuk, how much support Barzani would get from the Turkish Kurds?
Kurds have been controlled by centuries by "divide and rule" policy. Turkey's plan to get Masoud Barzani's permission to go to Kandil is just one link in this strategy. I hope Kurds have learned to resist this method and can finally struggle united for their rights.
There is already enough of soldiers in the Turkish side of the boarder but 50 000 more of them were transported last week to Sirnak. Battles between PKK guerrillas and Turkish army continue in Cudi and Gabar mountains and in Bestler-Dereler area. The target of the army is clear: Iraq boarder and Kandil.
Turkish army makes plans. If Turkish Mehmetcis can not go to South Kurdistan at least PKK guerrillas should not come to Turkey. There are wild speculations how to do this. Turkish Daily News wrote two weeks ago about a plan to build similar wall on the Turkey-Iraq boarder than "security fence" which separates Palestinian West Bank from Israel. There are still some financial and topographical problems.
Iraq war has became to the American army a nightmare, their second Vietnam. But it seems that Turks have not heard about their problems. They claim their victory over the PKK in same country where American soldiers die every day.
This spring on average five Turkish soldiers have died every week in the battles. What would happen if Turkish army enters South Kurdistan? The amount of dead Turkish soldiers would rise. There would be more soldier funerals. When shown in TV they would be like election advertisements to the ultra nationalist party MHP.
The army has made its opinion clear about Prime Minister Erdogan's democracy plans. It gave a memo the 27th April and threatened the government with intervention because of the crisis in Parliament over electing president. What was the effect of this? According to polls more people decided to vote Islamist AK Party. The more the army wows against Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the more popular Erdogan becomes. It seems that army can not stop Erdogan to win the July elections and to build the next government.
Erdogan is not giving up. Abdullah Gül failed in May to become the president. AKP made quickly in the Parliament a new law: president will be chosen in direct election by the people. Neither the army is giving up. What will be its next step?
If Turkish soldiers go to South Kurdistan, there will be more soldier funerals. Good for the Deep State, more nationalist fanatics in television and more votes to MHP.
The army makes provocations to irritate the Kurds in Turkey when it needs a crisis to show its power. What would be irritating Kurds more than an attack to Kandil? Added with isolation of Abdullah Öcalan and rumours about his poisoning. Sooner or later angry Kurds would storm on the streets. Deep State waits it. It would be a good excuse for the army to claim an emergency rule in Turkey and put Erdogan and Gül out of power.
This spring has been a spring of hope in the Kurdish cooperation. I wish this continues and President Masoud Barzani does not give up to pressure from Turkish army and let it go to Kandil.
It would finish the period of good development in Kurdish relations. This spring Kurds in Turkey and in South Kurdistan have agreed that Turkey's invasion to Kerkuk would be same as an attack to Diyarbakir. But if Masoud Barzani lets Turkish soldiers to go to Kandil and they would later go also to Kerkuk, how much support Barzani would get from the Turkish Kurds?
Kurds have been controlled by centuries by "divide and rule" policy. Turkey's plan to get Masoud Barzani's permission to go to Kandil is just one link in this strategy. I hope Kurds have learned to resist this method and can finally struggle united for their rights.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Gulan: Tension in Hewler and Ankara
http://www.gulan-media.com/h634/g50.pdf
Last week the news from Hewler were shocking. On Wednesday a suicide bomb killed at least nineteen people. I hope it is again peaceful there. If it can be after such a painful attack. Who benefits of it? My readers in Kurdistan know the situation better than I do.
Could Turkey be involved in the attack? It transfers more soldiers to the boarder and threatens South Kurdistan by all possible means. Agents of Jitem, the intelligence service of Turkish Gendarmerie, have been seen in South Kurdistan. There are rumours that they have participated in bomb explosions in Kerkuk. But I have never heard that Jitem would have been involved in suicide attacks.
This thinking can sound an exaggeration but I have found similar deliberation in internet. Investigations about the bomb explosion continue. All connections behind the attack must be found.
In Turkey the election campaigns go on with full speed. AKP and Recep Tayyip Erdogan are not giving up to the pressure from the army.
European Union has also commented the power struggle. According to Turkish Daily News EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said the seventh May that democratic secularism is one of the Copenhagen criteria. I looked quickly at Copenhagen criteria but I did not find there any mention about secularism. I must study the criteria more.
The power struggle in Turkey is not between Islam and secularism. It is between democracy and militarism. Democracy and secularism are not the same thing despite the Deep State wants Turkish people to think so.
It is dangerous if EU distributes an image that it accepts only secular Turkey. EU has not supported the democracy process in Turkey. In addition to Kurdish organisations AKP has been the only power which has effectively demanded it in Turkey.
EU ignored the rights of Kurds in the membership negotiating process. What was the effect of this? Kurds became suspicious about EU.
Recent predictions promise Erdogan and AKP a good result in the parliament elections. What other choices Turks have than vote AKP when they want to get army out of power? EU must see this. Otherwise it will loose the support of Turks in addition to the support of Kurds.
There are Turks who are against army. I hope they could make cooperation with Kurds. But I am sceptical that this could happen soon. Mehmet Ali Birand, the columnist of Turkish Daily News, demands often change in his writings. Last Friday he wrote about the Kurdish party DTP taking part in elections. Birand wrote about DTP and PKK that "the PKK is dominant in every office". He thinks that when DTP will be in parliament "it will be inevitable that the relationship between the party and the PKK and Imrali will change...The DTP deputies will become powerful and in time they might oppose Imrali and the PKK."
This is again one form of "divide and rule" mentality. Birand does not understand that Kurds started guerrilla warfare because they could not get their rights by political ways in the post-military coup Turkey. There is no need for guerrilla army if the problems are solved by normal ways.
Birand's thinking is so different than Masoud Barzani's answer to Cem Özdemir's question about PKK last week in Brussels. He said that the PKK is a political question that cannot be solved by military means. Barzani was ready to take part in a political solution to the issue. But Birand wants Kurdish politicians to change.
Last week the news from Hewler were shocking. On Wednesday a suicide bomb killed at least nineteen people. I hope it is again peaceful there. If it can be after such a painful attack. Who benefits of it? My readers in Kurdistan know the situation better than I do.
Could Turkey be involved in the attack? It transfers more soldiers to the boarder and threatens South Kurdistan by all possible means. Agents of Jitem, the intelligence service of Turkish Gendarmerie, have been seen in South Kurdistan. There are rumours that they have participated in bomb explosions in Kerkuk. But I have never heard that Jitem would have been involved in suicide attacks.
This thinking can sound an exaggeration but I have found similar deliberation in internet. Investigations about the bomb explosion continue. All connections behind the attack must be found.
In Turkey the election campaigns go on with full speed. AKP and Recep Tayyip Erdogan are not giving up to the pressure from the army.
European Union has also commented the power struggle. According to Turkish Daily News EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said the seventh May that democratic secularism is one of the Copenhagen criteria. I looked quickly at Copenhagen criteria but I did not find there any mention about secularism. I must study the criteria more.
The power struggle in Turkey is not between Islam and secularism. It is between democracy and militarism. Democracy and secularism are not the same thing despite the Deep State wants Turkish people to think so.
It is dangerous if EU distributes an image that it accepts only secular Turkey. EU has not supported the democracy process in Turkey. In addition to Kurdish organisations AKP has been the only power which has effectively demanded it in Turkey.
EU ignored the rights of Kurds in the membership negotiating process. What was the effect of this? Kurds became suspicious about EU.
Recent predictions promise Erdogan and AKP a good result in the parliament elections. What other choices Turks have than vote AKP when they want to get army out of power? EU must see this. Otherwise it will loose the support of Turks in addition to the support of Kurds.
There are Turks who are against army. I hope they could make cooperation with Kurds. But I am sceptical that this could happen soon. Mehmet Ali Birand, the columnist of Turkish Daily News, demands often change in his writings. Last Friday he wrote about the Kurdish party DTP taking part in elections. Birand wrote about DTP and PKK that "the PKK is dominant in every office". He thinks that when DTP will be in parliament "it will be inevitable that the relationship between the party and the PKK and Imrali will change...The DTP deputies will become powerful and in time they might oppose Imrali and the PKK."
This is again one form of "divide and rule" mentality. Birand does not understand that Kurds started guerrilla warfare because they could not get their rights by political ways in the post-military coup Turkey. There is no need for guerrilla army if the problems are solved by normal ways.
Birand's thinking is so different than Masoud Barzani's answer to Cem Özdemir's question about PKK last week in Brussels. He said that the PKK is a political question that cannot be solved by military means. Barzani was ready to take part in a political solution to the issue. But Birand wants Kurdish politicians to change.
Monday, May 7, 2007
Gulan: The depth of Turkey's crisis
http://gulan-media.com/h633/g32.pdf
Abdullah Gül in Finland, November 2006. Photo: Kristiina Koivunen
That Turkey is not able even to select a president shows how deep the crisis is. The parliament elections will be in July. Both Turkey and European Union wait that after that a miracle will happen and the problems will disappear. But it can turn to the opposite. After the elections the situation can be even more difficult than now.
But the obstacle is that the army does not voluntarily give up its power. What it would do if Erdogan starts to build the next government? Remembering what has happened during recent years it is easy to guess: Jitem, the intelligence service of Gendarmerie, would make again a provocation and get angry Kurds to protest on the streets. That would be a good excuse for the army to declare a state of emergency. I really hope that I am wrong with these pessimistic words! But the recent weeks have shown that army is not giving up. And neither Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Abdullah Gül in Finland, November 2006. Photo: Kristiina KoivunenLast week I wrote in my column that the Turkish army is satisfied that Abdullah Gül will be the next president of Turkey. I sent that column from Brussels to Hewler on Friday the 27th April.
When it was published things had already changed in Turkey. The army had made it clear that it does not like Abdullah Gül to be the new president. One week ago there were mass demonstrations in Istanbul where the message was clear: Turkey's next president should be secular.
When it was published things had already changed in Turkey. The army had made it clear that it does not like Abdullah Gül to be the new president. One week ago there were mass demonstrations in Istanbul where the message was clear: Turkey's next president should be secular.
That Turkey is not able even to select a president shows how deep the crisis is. The parliament elections will be in July. Both Turkey and European Union wait that after that a miracle will happen and the problems will disappear. But it can turn to the opposite. After the elections the situation can be even more difficult than now.
Prime minister Erdogan's Islamic Justice and Development Party AKP has a good change to win again the elections. It is the only party since 1980 which has been a serious power against the army. From the Kurdish perspective Erdogan has been the best prime minister in Turkey after the military coup. It seems that only the Islamists are courageous enough to change Turkey into a Western democracy.
But the obstacle is that the army does not voluntarily give up its power. What it would do if Erdogan starts to build the next government? Remembering what has happened during recent years it is easy to guess: Jitem, the intelligence service of Gendarmerie, would make again a provocation and get angry Kurds to protest on the streets. That would be a good excuse for the army to declare a state of emergency. I really hope that I am wrong with these pessimistic words! But the recent weeks have shown that army is not giving up. And neither Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Now I am back in Finland. I spoke some days ago with a Kurdish friend who lives in Finland. He said that for the Kurds the situation is now better than ever before in their history. Now Kurds make cooperation with each others. I was very happy to hear that DTP chairman Ahmet Türk, Aysel Tugluk and Sirri Sakik visited South Kurdistan one week ago. They met Jalal Talabani in the Kurdish village of Dokan.
European Union has commented that it is good that the elections in Turkey will be held earlier. But I have not heard their statements about the fact that hundreds of Kurdish politicians are in prison. How the elections can be fair under such conditions? And how unfair elections can solve the problems of Turkey? The Kurds in Turkey have more trustworthy friends in South Kurdistan than in European Union.
I send this article by e-mail from Helsinki to Gulan's editorial staff on Saturday the 5th May. I can not predict what happens on Sunday before this article is published. I hope my text does not get old during two days what are needed to translate, do the lay out and print it. But in Turkey everything is possible...
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Journalists in Turkish prisons
Journalists in Turkish prisons:
Source: http://www.info-turk.be
Ibrahim Cicek, Atilim, F-type prison, Tekirdag
Sedat Senoglu, Atilim, F-type prison, Edirne
Füsun Erdoğan, Özgür Radio, special prison, Gebze
Emin Orhan, Atilim, F-type prison N°2, Tekirdag
Hasan Coşar, Atilim, F-type prison, Sincan
Ziya Ulusoy, Atilim, F-type prison, Tekirdag
Bayram Namaz, Atilim, F-type prison N°1, Edirne
Hatice Duman, Atilim, special prison, Gebze
Suat Kolca, Özgür Halk et Genç Bakis, F-type prison, Edirne
Yasar Duman, Özgür Halk et Genç Bakis, F-type prison, Edirne
Selahaddin Sumeli, Özgür Halk et Genç Bakis, F-type prison, Edirne
Mahmut Bozdag, Özgür Halk et Genç Bakis, F-type prison, Edirne
Cem Sahin, Özgür Halk et Genç Bakis, F-type prison, Tekirdag
Sinan Kara, Egenin Sesi, prison of Batman
Kemal Aydeniz, Odak, prison of Bayrampasa, Istanbul
Erol Zavar, Odak, F-type prison, Sincan
Mustafa Gök, Ekmek ve Adalet, F-type prison, Sincan
Baris Acikel, Isci Köylü, F-type prison N°1, Kandira
Halil Dinç, Özgür Radio, F-type prison N°2, Tekirdag
Sinan Gerçek, F-type prison N°2, Tekirdag
Özge Kelekçi, Atilim, special prison, Gebze
Mustafa Naci Toper, Atilim, D-type prison, Diyarbakir
Mehmet Güzel, Atilim, E-type prison, Gaziantep
Serdal Işik, Atilim, D-type prison, Diyarbakir
Behdin Tunç, DIHA News Agency, prison of Sirnak
Faysal Tunç, DIHA News Agency, prison of Sirnak
Sabri Adanır, Gündem, prison of Sirnak
Mehmet Karaaslan, Gündem, prison of Mersin
Ali Buluş, DIHA News Agency, prison of Sirnak
For more information look at the BIA press report from Turkey:
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