Kirkuk Citadel - 1

Here in Hawler has been sand sand storm for some days and the internet has not been working well. I try to write more as soon as I have time.

Here is a picture of me taken in the Citadel of Kirkuk the 28th April 2008 with some Kurdish students of the KOMAK journalism school. The school is located in the Kurdish part of Kirkuk. I tell more about it later, but it might be only when I am in Finland as I am busy here.

Spring in Hewler

Readers of Sahmaran have maybe wondered that I have become lazy as I have not written much blogs during this spring.... but I have written other things.

Now I promise to use more time on blogging. I am now in Hewler (Erbil), I came here yesterday. I tried to put here pictures but it seems to be very difficult with the computer which I use now. I will do it later.

How is Hewler?

I would have so much to say after just one day, but I will do it later. To put it short: everything is different than in Turkey. Only police men whom I have seen today are traffic police. After seing the normal Kurdish life here one understands better the depth of opression of the Kurds in Turkey.

Final Call for the Kurdish Mayors

One of the mayors is Ayhan Erkmen from Dagpinar/Kars.
This picture is taken in autumn 2005 in Ani . In the background there is both Turkey (on left) and Armenia and in between river Arpacay.
Ayhan Erkmen is member of the board of the Turkish PEN.
Photo: Kristiina Koivunen


This week’s freedom of expression case:

Suspects : 56 Mayors of Democratic Society Party(DTP).

Court and Date of hearing : Diyarbakir High Criminal Court Num.5, 15 April 2008, at 10:40 am.

Explanation : The case is about a letter sent by 56 mayors of DTP to Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen. Mayors asked Rasmussen that Roj TV not to be shut down.

Joost Lagendijk, study the court decision!

Joost Lagendijk, MEP and Chairman of Delegation to the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee. Photo: Kristiina Koivunen

The decision of the Court of Justice of the European Communities on 3 April 2008 is a crisis for European Union.

The court decision states that the 2002 decision of the European Council to put the PKK on its terrorism list because of an “error of procedure.” The court said that when the European Council created the list and applied sanctions to the organisation and its members, it did not announce its justification in time.

In Turkey courts are the places where the legacy of political decisions are being surveyed. It is a well known fact that Turkish politicians are not able to follow even the Turkish law. What this tells about the level of decision making?

Is the same happening now in the EU? Cooperation between EU and Turkey and Turkey’s EU membership negotiations should increase Turkey’s democratic development, not the opposite. Also move EU towards Turkish type of political life. But PKK’s inclusion to EU list of terrorist organisations proves that this has happened already.

The inevitable conclusion to be drawn from the court decision on 3 April 2008 is that how many other EU’s decisions are illegal?