Ban on Kurdish language Continues 
The Turkish coalition government continue to take no positive steps towards acknowledging the right to Kurdish language education or media publication, nor towards the lifting of the death penalty. Because of this they find them-selves in a serious political crisis. Following a verbal attack against Prime Minister Ecevit by MHP member of parlia-ment Mesut Türk, the parliament’s vice president, Murat Sökmenoglu, and member of parliament Cemal Enginyurt (both from the MHP party) have declared that they would withdraw from the government if there was any alliance with non-coalition parties to permit the Kurdish language in the areas of education and media.

Teachers Transferred Because of Kurdish 
Legal proceedings have been brought against leading mem-bers of the teachers’ trade union Egitim-Sen in Bingöl, because banners were raised at the union’s 1st Ordinary Congress proclaiming “Mother Languages Do Not Divide They Unite” and "Mother Languages are a Right Which Can Not Be Denied”. During the proceedings eight leading members were given 1-year promotion bans and six were transferred out of the region. The leader of Bingöl’s Egitim Sen was transferred to Kastamonu, leading members Yavuz Karaaslan and Saliha Aydin were transferred to Rize (Black Sea), Tarkan Demirkis to Istanbul, Mustafa Akgül to Yozgat and Cevdet Caka to Kocaeli.
Penalties such as transfers have been imposed on HADEP and Egitem-Sen members in Van, Diyarbakir and Urfa because of demands concerning the Kurdish language. 
A case against Vargül has been brought before the state security court in Van because he gave a talk on the negative effects on children whose education excludes their mother language. He is accused of making a speech which was consistent with resolutions made at PKK and KADEK conferences. 
M. Nesip Gültekin, teacher and member of Egitim-Sen, was transferred from Amed to Karayazi on orders from the governor of the state of emergency region for writing invi-tation cards to a celebration in Kurdish.

Commission for “Dangerous” Names 
The Turkish Ministry for the Interior has instructed gover-nors to set up Names Commissions to prevent children from receiving Kurdish names. The commissions are to be set up in all regions to determine whether or not names comply with the “indivisibility of the state”. The ministry has also instructed residents’ registry departments to inform on those who apply for Kurdish names for their children. It has become known that some resident’s registry department officers do not process applications with Kurdish names.
(Source: Radikal, Milliyet und BBC-Turkish vom 1. und 2. Juli 2002.) 

3 Years Prison for Chief Editor 
The chief editor of the quarterly cultural publication "Güney" has been sentenced to three years prison by a court in Istanbul for “supporting a banned organization” by using the title "Don’t Be Silent or You’ll Be Next; alternatively he must pay 6.5 Billion. TL [4,200 Euros at current rates]. A 7 day publication ban was also imposed. (Source: Özgür Politika. 09.07.2002)

Compulsory Transfer and Beatings for Teachers 
At a demonstration against the compulsory transfers of Egitem Sen members in Mersin, police took action against the reading of a press statement. Four people were injured during the violent attack and 6 were arrested. 35 teachers have been compulsorily transferred since Newroz with more expected in the near future. Following last year’s transfers of Kurdish doctors and KESK members, now it appears that this year is the turn of the teachers. (Source: Özgür Politika, 10.7.2002)

Mass Grave Discovered 
Near the settlement of Nawala Çarge (Besevler) from the village of Tanze (Heybeli) in Sason (Batman), a grave con-taining 8 skeletons has been found. They allegedly belong to a group of 17 PKK members who were killed with chemical weapons in March 1999. The IHD in Batman has laid charges with Batman’s state prosecutor. (Source: Yedinci Gündem, 05.07.02)

Problems With Kurdish Names 
On 12.06.2002, the state prosecutor in Kurtalan (Siirt) be-gan a case before the civil court in Siirt to force 19 families to change their children’s first names. The children, born between 10.07.97 and 19.02.2002, have names such as Dilan, Sefkan, Helin, Nupelda, Gülsilan, Pelsin, Emine Helen, Bersan, Sutail Can, Nujiyan, Berzan, Berfin, Zilan, Baran, Sipan, Zisar and Dilges.
In Balçova (Izmir), the book seller Gürsel Karabil was not allowed to give his son the name of "Roger”. On 04.07.2002, police from the anti-terror unit arrived at his house and took him to the police headquarters where he was questioned for more than 6 hours on whether he sup-ported the PKK’s politicization. The state prosecutor then allowed him to go. (Source: Yedinci Gündem, 05./06.07.02)

Journalist Found Guilty
On 9.07.2002 the state security court in Istanbul found Abdurrahman Dilipak, who writes for Vakit, guilty of writ-ing an article which appeared in the publication “Cuma”on 23.06.2000 criticizing the closure of Koran schools. The 2 year prison term imposed under § 312/2 of the Turkish Penal Code, was reduced to an 18 month suspended sen-tence under § 59  (Source: Vakit, 10.07.02)

Death at Border 
On 11.07.2002, a group of 25 persons attempted to cross the Iran-Turkish border at Gölbasi at the foot of Ararat. They allegedly shot at security forces when they were requested to stop. The soldiers returned fire and killed 1 person with another being injured. (Source: Yedinci Gündem, 06.07.02)

Murder of Returnees 
Further details have become known on the shooting of returnees to the village of Nureddin in the district of Malazgirt (Mus). Yusuf Ünal (75), his son Abdurrahim Ünal (42) and brother Abdulsamet Ünal (48) were shot dead on 9.07.2002 after they, with 12 others, had returned to their village which they were forced to leave in 1993. They had informed both the district administration and the gendarmerie. Eye witness Dilaver Demir said. “In the morning, a truck arrived to take away hay. A group of 20-25 armed village guards arrived and told Yusuf Ünal that he was not allowed to sell anything. First they beat him and then they attacked us with their weapons. They beat us with their rifle butts and kicked us. We heard shots and ran to the gendarmerie station in Konakkuran (Dügnük). We later learnt that Yusuf, his son and his brother had been shot dead”. At an identification parade survivors identified Mehmet Polat, Yilmaz Polat, Cemil Polat, Kemal Erkoçak, Kemal Koçak, Nizamettin Çelik, Harun Çelik, Filit Koçak and 6 further village guards who are now being held in custody. (Source: Yedinci Gündem, 15.07.2002)

Rehabilitation Center Brought Before Court 
On 16.07.2002 a case began against the lawyer Sezgin Tanrikulu who represented the Human Rights Foundation in Diyarbakir. At Diyarbakir’s 1st Criminal Court, he has to answer to charges of possessing banned literature. Sezgin Tanrikulu says that the search of rooms on September 7th were unlawful and that the publications had been sent to the foundation and had not been kept after having been read. The case was adjourned until November 26th. The file on a case before the 2nd Criminal Court on the “unauthorized opening of a medical institution” should then also be avail-able. (Source: TIHV, 17.07.2002)

Death in F-Type Prison 
On 15.07.2002 Volkan Agirman (25) apparently hung him-self with bedclothes in the F-Type prison in Kandira. He had been transferred there following the police operation from December 2000. He had ended his hunger strike and was abiding by prison regulations. However, he was still being held in a cell for 3 people. His uncle, Ismet Agirman, said that this was punishment for not wanting to inform on his co-prisoners. Following a coroner’s autopsy he was buried on 16.07.2002. (Source: Cumhuriyet, 17.07.2002)

Judgment in Dev-Yol Case
The 6th Criminal Court in Ankara reached a judgment on 16.07.2002 in the case against 23 members of the Revolu-tionary Way (Devrimci Yol = Dev-Yol). The case had be-gun on 18.10.82 against 574 defendants. The number had risen to 723 by the time of a judgment by Ankara’s military court on 17.07.89. Seven defendants were sentenced to death, 39 to life imprisonment, and 346 to prison terms of between 2 and 20 years. In the current judgments, the court of appeal found the sentences of the defendants  to be too mild and argued that they must also be sentenced to death. The court agreed and have now sentenced to death Cahit Akçam, Halil Yasin Ketenoglu, Bünyamin Inan, Murat Parlakay, Turhan Yalçin Bürkev, Erdogan Genç, Nuri Özdemir, Osman Nuri Ramazanoglu, Hidir Adiyaman, Nurettin Aytun, Emin Koçer, Hasan Ertürk, Yasar Kambur, Atalay Dede, Veli Yildirim, Hüseyin Aslan, Mehmet Akin Dirik, Melih Pekdemir, Celal Mut, Hilmi Izmirli, Mehmet Hassoy and Yusuf Yildirim. The sentences against Veli Yildirim and Hüseyin Aslan, who were under 18 at the time of the offences, were reduced to 16 years and 8 months. The sentences of the other defendants were converted to life sentences. In view of sentence reduction under the anti-terror law and the length of time held in custody, the defendants were not sent to prison. Yeter Günes’ case was omitted because he could not be questioned during the trial. (Source: Cumhuriyet, 17.07.2002)

Ban on Coverage Lifted 
The 3rd Chamber of Istanbul’s State Security Courts has lifted the 4th Chamber’s ban on reporting on F-Type pris-ons. According to the court the ban was meaningless be-cause there was no interest in such news and incitement to hatred as well as propaganda for illegal organizations could be prosecuted as separate offences. (Source: Cumhuriyet, 18.07.2002)

Case of Kurdish Names 
On 18.07.2002 Ardahan’s Criminal Court judged as not guilty the head of the residents’ registry department for the central districts of Ardahan, Kadriye Aksu, and the public officer Sengül Gök on allegations of misuse of office. They had issued Tufan Akcan from the village of Bagdesen with identity papers for his daughter with the name ''Berivan'' and for Koçalak Koç from the village of Bayramoglu, iden-tity papers for his children with the names ''Rojhat'' and ''Rujin''. The state security court in Erzurum meanwhile judged that there was no case to answer under § 169 TPC (support of an illegal organization). (Source: Cumhuriyet, 19.07.2002)

Turkey Admits Abuse to Human Rights Court 
Turkey has admitted the abuse by police of a PKK member and a woman from the radical left wing. According to a statement from the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, the government in Ankara regretted the breach to the torture ban. Turkey agreed to an amicable settlement with the defendants. The 37-year-old PKK member is to receive 32,000 Euros compensation and the 29 year old woman 30,500 Euros. (Source: AFP, 16.07.02)

Turkish Publisher Before Court for Book on Kurds 
A prosecution has been brought against a Turkish publisher because he brought out a book with allusions to “Turkish Kurdistan”. The Paris based newspaper "International Her-ald Tribune" reported that Abdullah Keskin would have to reckon with a prison term of up to 3 years and a fine of around 2,500 Euros if found guilty. The book, which Ke-skin had translated from English into Turkish, has already been taken off the market. A decision on the case will be made on 31.07.220 in Istanbul. Keskin had the book trans-lated which was entitled  "After Such Knowledge, What Forgiveness? My Encounters With Kurdistan" by the for-mer "Washington Post" correspondent Jonathan Randal. The author pointed out the persecution of Kurds in Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. (Source: Paris, 22. Juli AFP)

16 Years Human Rights Association (IHD)
On the occasion of the IHD’s 16th anniversary, its current head, Hüsnü Öndül, gave a statement to the newspaper Özgür Politika. Despite all the painful experiences over the past 16 years he looked to the future with hope. The condi-tions which made the IHD necessary still exist. To extend human rights and freedoms and to reduce violations to rights – these were the aims with which the IHD began its work in 1986. In the 16 years, 14 members have lost their lives, branches have been closed down, an assassination attempt was made against its head A. Birdal which he only survived with serious injuries, and 300 prosecutions were made against leading members. There were also the normal things such as arrests. 
On the occasion of its 17th anniversary of being founded, a human rights library was opened in Istanbul. The library has large number of diverse books on the campaign for human rights. (Source: Netzeitung, 16.07.2002)

TIHV: Torture, Abuse and Murders Continue 
The Turkish Human Rights Foundation (TIHV) has con-cluded in its report for the period January 2001 to June 2002, that there has been no change in the situation. Systematic torture, abuse, undignified treatment, disappear-ances and out of court executions during arrest or while in custody, have not gone down compared to previous years. At least 806 people were tortured during the period, 11 people died while under arrest and 26 while held in custody (additional to the hunger strikes). "The existence of torture is a threat to individuals as well as to society, and it continues…....". This was particularly the case in state of emergency regions. Offenders were also protected by officials if prosecuted and only received minimal penalties with the state prosecutor not setting up inquiries. In its report the TIHV posed the question to the Judicial Ministry, what was being done to counter this? The TIHV had been active since its founding against this situation. Nothing had been done by the state against torture or other risks to society. (Source: Özgür Politika, 15.07.2002)

OSCE Report Refers to Kurdish Question 
From 6.07.2002 to 10.07.2002, parliamentarians from the 55 member states of the OSCE met in Berlin in the German Bundestag for their 11th annual assembly. The annual as-sembly discussed the political, economic and humanitarian aspects of the international fight against terrorism and ended it with a concluding statement.
The report from Sevend J. Robinson on behalf of the Com-mission for Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Issues entitled “Terrorism: A Challenge for the 21st cen-tury” was accepted by the annual assembly.
Amongst other things the report stated.: “In Turkey HADEP mayors are continually persecuted. For example, the mayor of Hakkari was prosecuted for issuing a calendar in the Kurdish and English languages – because it was a risk to the state“.
It was further emphasized: “The Kurdish language contin-ues to be banned in education and in the media. The former member of parliament Leyla Zana remains in prison.
“In Van security forces have detained 500 students because of a petition in which they requested the right to Kurdish language tuition“.
As the lawyer Osman Baydemir from the Human Rights Association said in the weeks following September 11th: “the government believes that it can now do what it wants and the West will look away”.
In its concluding recommendations the report suggested: “Participant states should increase their international efforts to stop injustices in the Middle East and to ensure that the rights of the Palestinian and Kurdish minorities are respected. At the same time the right of all states in the region to live in peace and security is to be respected and supported”.  (Source: CILDEKT, 16.07.02)

Kurdish Woman Wins Case Against Turkey 
On 16.07.2002 the European Court of Human Rights up-held a decision in favor of Ülkü Ekinci which made the Turkish state responsible for the 1994 murder of her hus-band, a well known Kurdish lawyer.
The court found the state guilty of breaching Article 2 (Right to Life) and Article 13 (Legal Recourse) of the European Human Rights Convention.
On 25.02.94, road workers found Yusuf Ekinci’s body on the verge of the E-90 TEM-highway in Gölbasi on the out-skirts of Ankara. An inquiry was set up and in an autopsy from 26.02.1994, 11 bullet wounds were found, mainly to the head and chest.
The complainant told the court that her husband’s death was one of the 400 murders “by unknown persons” from 1994 which have been documented by various human rights organizations.
The main victims were prominent Kurdish business people and intellectuals.
When RA Ekinci was murdered, his home town of Lice (southeast Turkey) and its surrounding villages were the focus for the campaign against terrorism. Also, the way in which Yusuf Ekinci was murdered was identical to the murders in 1994 in Turkish towns of intellectuals and busi-ness people of Kurdish origin. The complainant therefore claimed that her husband was murdered with the knowledge and tolerance of the Turkish state and that his death had not been thoroughly investigated.
The court said in its judgment that there were no eye wit-nesses to the murder. The only evidence was the number of bullets found at the scene of the crime, but which had no similarity to those previously investigated. 
The court decided that despite reasonable doubts, the evidence was not adequate to prove that the murder was perpetrated by state forces or with their acceptance. However, because of a deficient investigation, which did not make a connection between the murders of Ekinci and Behcet Cantürk, a former client, although there was a suspicion of such, state powers could have had an influence.
The court could conclude, without any doubt, that Yusuf Ekinci was wealthy, had openly declared himself a Kurdish patriot and was politically active up to 1990. The court also said that a connection between the two murders should have been apparent from the beginning. The court judged that the investigation into Ekinci’s case was neither adequate nor successful.
The Turkish state therefore did not comply with Article 2, to protect life. The court granted the complainant 15,000 pounds sterling in compensation.. (Source: KHRP, 16.07.02)

Wolfowitz Reinforces Rejection to Kurdish State 
The USA are definitely against any Kurdish state in northern Iraq. US defense minister Paul Wolfowitz gave assurances of this to his Turkish partners during a visit to Ankara. With regard to American plans to topple the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, concerns had been expressed in Turkey that the establishment of a Kurdish state in northern Iraq might give way to calls for independence by Kurds in eastern Anatolia. Following talks with prime minister Bülent Ecevit, defense minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu and head of the general staff, Wolfowitz praised Turkey as “the only democracy in the region” as well as the Turkish lead-ership of the protection force ISAF in Afghanistan. Wolfowitz said that he had wanted to become acquainted with the Turkish stance towards various problems, espe-cially towards Iraq. He promised US support in overcoming the current economic crisis in Turkey and in efforts to enter the EU. (Source: dpa, 16. 07.02)

Resurrection of Authoritarian-Totalitarian Ideology 
In a press statement by the pro-Kurdish HAK-PAR party from 23.07.2002, Turkish Prime Minster Ecevit was ac-cused of an authoritarian-totalitarian and insurgent ideology because of his statement on Turkish public television on 20.07.2002.
Grounds for the allegation were Ecevit’s comments in re-gard to US invasion plans of Iraq and the parties AKP and HADEP.
Concerning a US war against the Saddam regime, Ecevit had expressed his fears on the creation of an independent Kurdish state within Iraq and then, in such a case, the risk of an invasion or occupation of southern Kurdistan (north-ern Iraq).
“The same politicians who vehemently campaign for the independence of Turks or Muslims in Cyprus, Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Chechnya consider a possible independent state in northern Iraq as grounds for war and threaten a military offensive”. 
“This threat is not just against all international laws but also a clear aim of not wanting to solve the Kurdish question in Turkey, even though Kurds make up 1/3 of the Turkish population”.
The AKP is an Islamic religious party founded last year by Tayyip Erdogan. HADEP is a pro-Kurdish party accused by the state of being near to the PKK.
In regard to both these parties, Ececvit had in his comments “breached the European Convention on Human Rights as well as many other international conventions”.
“The right to freedoms of opinion, thought and assembly are the cornerstones of a democratic, constitutional state. Ecevit represents an authoritarian-totalitarian and insurgent ideology when, with regard to the possible elections in the autumn, he warns the people against these parties and con-siders their possible participation in parliament as a risk to the state”.
HAK-PAR accuses Ecevit of hindering Turkey’s democra-tization with such an attitude, and of wanting to strengthen authoritarian-totalitarian thinking forces within Turkey. (Quelle: Press Statement from HAK-PAR, 23.07.02)

KRG Call on UN to Purchase Products from Kurdistan 
Both Kurdish administrations in southern Iraq under the PUK and KDP control have, in a joint letter to the FAO, called for the purchase of agricultural produce from Kurdi-stan.
A delegation from Suleymania and Arbil handed over the letter to FAO representatives in Baghdad on 01.07.2002.
Currently, agricultural goods are being brought into south-ern Kurdistan (northern Iraq) through the “Oil for Food” programme. These products compete with local produce and penalize farmers and producers. The Oil-for-Food programme should alleviate poverty but is leading to unem-ployment, with all its associated problems,  in the region, (Source: Kurdish Media, 11.07.02)

PUK Support Turkoman-Front
According to the PUK, the numbers of Turkomen, some armed, in Suleymania have drastically increased recently especially at the headquarters of the Turkomanen Front (ITC).
The newspaper „Kurdistan Niwe“ gave coverage from the head of the PUK’s foreign office, Sadi Ahmad Pire, on the reception of an ITC delegation under the leadership of Siah Kurachi. The PUK foreign office said that the PUK was prepared to increase its support to the ITC.
The ITC representatives thanked the PUK and its regional government in Suleymania for its friendly and realistic attitude.
Representatives from both sides emphasized that both Turkomen and Kurds in Kurdistan had a common fate and could solve existing issues and tasks with mutual tolerance and patriotism.
The Iraqi Turkomen Front (ITC), led by Senan Ahmet Aga, follows a hardline within his organization.
The front is supported by Turkey and is heavily armed. They receive their instructions from Ankara and mainly have the task of destabilizing the liberated region of southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq) and ,above all, of undermining any de-facto any Kurdish state.
Many, including other Turkmanish organizations, believe that the ITC is also supported by the Baath Regime in Baghdad. (Source: Kurdistan Niwe, 11.07.02 und IMK)

Iraqi Exiled Military Promises Democracy Fol-lowing Saddam’s Fall 
A meeting of 70 leading Iraqi exiled military officers in London began with a promise to support a civilian govern-ment and to establish a democratic state following the fall of Saddam Hussein. Many representatives of political groups participated in the “Military Conference” of the “National Coalition of Iraq”, a broad opposition alliance.
Major General Khlaid Shams al-Din, general secretary of the organization of exiled military personnel founded in 1999, said, “There has been enough bloodshed in Iraq. We are now ready to heal the wounds. We call on the Interna-tional Community to support us”. 
Shams al-Din also said: “Extreme aggressive measures are needed to end Saddam’s terror”. Also participating in the London conference, which according to Shams al-Din was financed exclusively by the exiled military themselves and not by the US, was, surprisingly, Prince Hassan from Jor-dan, a brother of the dead King Hussein.
Shams al-Din said that the exiled officers promised “on their honor, to work for transformation and not to obtain power for themselves”. 
“We want Iraq to have a civilian government and that the role of the military becomes restricted to the barracks”, said the former Major-general.
According to Sharif Ali Bin Alhussein, the 3-day conference was about “….filling the vacuum after the fall of Saddam and to prevent chaos…”. Therefore, the military and civilian opposition needed beforehand to agree on the future of Iraq. “I have no doubt that the USA are serious about a fight with Saddam”, said Alhussein, who as a cousin of ex-king Feisal, leads the movement for the resto-ration of the monarchy.
“The military also suffered under Saddam. It will return to barracks. We want a society which has elections and a free parliament and where a civilian government can operate”, said Sharif Mohamed Ali Mohamed on the fringes of the conference.
Ali Mohamed is leader of the Shia minority in Iraq. “We would like to reach an agreement with the officers on coop-eration with the opposition”. 
Amongst the most prominent of participants at the military conference was Major general Tawfiq Yassiri, who organ-ized a putsch attempt against Saddam in 1991, and Major general Najib al-Salhi, who commanded a tank division of the Iraqi National Guard until 1995. According to the “Na-tional Coalition of Iraq” around 1,500 officers of various ranks have fled abroad. Most hope to be able to put on their uniforms again following Saddam’s fall. 
The spokesperson for the US Foreign Ministry, Richard Boucher, meanwhile said in Washington that the USA was very interested in the outcome of the conference and had sent observers there. Meetings such as these were a useful means of helping the Iraqi people towards “a better future post Saddam”. The circumstances under which the military opposition came together was a significant development. It showed the kind of broad band of discontent upon which Saddam stood. He said that the meeting was, however, not financially supported by Washington.. (Source: dpa, 12.07.02)

Vice Police Increase Raids on Parties in Ira-nian Capital 
Teheran’s vice police intend to take closer scrutiny of partying youngsters in the Iranian capital. The police chief said that they were to campaign against loud music and alcohol consumption in their operation “against immoral behavior”. This was recently reported in the newspaper "Entekhab".
Officers had just arrested 17 young men and women. The youths were sentenced to whippings and fines. In Islamic Iran, young couples may only have a relationship if they are engaged or married. 
Teheran police have defended their action: they were react-ing to complaints from citizens. Reformist circles have criticized the raids as unlawful attacks against private life. Vice police also want to step up their action against women who, instead of the regulation wide dresses and veils, wear fashionable dresses and scarves which only partially cover their hair. (Source: dpa, 09.0.02)

52 Complaints Concerning Demonstration in Teheran
Following the banned demonstrations in Teheran at the beginning of the month, an Iranian court has now issued 52 indictments against demonstrators. According to the state newspaper "Iran", they have been accused of violating national security. On 09.07.2002, more than 200 people had been arrested during banned protest actions on the occasion of the anniversary of the 1999 student unrests. Of the 200, 140 were temporarily detained. According to the newspa-per, 90 were then released after giving written confirmation that they would no longer participate in such assemblies again. At the beginning of July 1999, a hundred thousand students assembled on the university campus in Teheran to protest against restrictions on freedom of opinion following the banning of numerous regime-critical newspapers and the imprisonment of leading journalists. The press laws had also been tightened up. At least 6 students died in the clashes and hundreds were arrested as “counter-revolutionaries” and “unbelievers”. (Quelle: dpa, 22.07.02)

Reformist Politician Deeply Concerned on Iran’s Future 
The head of the reformist Iranian Government Party (IIPF) and brother of the Iranian President, Mohammed-Resa Chatami, has expressed deep concern over his country’s future. Chatami said at the annual congress of the Social democratic Party of Collective Cooperation in Teheran that people were saying that if government representatives were being arrested and brought before the courts, what is then going to happen to the ordinary people.
Mohammed-Resa Chatami referred to the arrests of parlia-mentarians, former ministers, members of reformist groups and journalists as well the closure of more than 80 publica-tions on orders from the opposition controlled judiciary. The party head, who is also the parliamentary vice-president, said that terrorists were being pardoned by the courts while former ministers and prominent persons re-mained behind bars. Chatami also criticized recent action by the vice police, who in their campaign against “immoral behavior” have raided birthday parties, arrested youths and have imposed punishments of whippings and fines. He condemned the latest raids as a violation of private life. Iranians living abroad would not be encouraged to return home and invest their money here by such action.
Chatami prophesized that Islamic dogmatism and the “eradication” of liberal dissidents and journalists by the orthodox cleric controlled judiciary, would eventually fail. People in Iran want even more democracy than the reform-ist forces can bring about, said the party head. (Source: dpa, 17.07.02)

Ship Carrying 174 Refugees Arrives in South-ern Italy 
A fishing boat with 174 refugees on board has arrived in the southern Italian port of Crotone. Police said they were mainly Kurds and Pakistanis. It was also said that 31 chil-dren and 25 women were amongst the group who are thought to have begun the journey a week earlier from the Turkish coast.
12 people were arrested under suspicion of being crew members. The Italian coast guard had apprehended the ship on open sea and then towed it to the port on the Calabrian coast. (Source: dpa, 15.07.02)

Over 150 Refugees Arrive in Greece – Rescue Operation 
Over 150 illegal refugees have recently arrived in Greece. In a major operation, Greek coastguards rescued 26 refu-gees and 2 crew of a Ukrainian small cargo ship which had run into trouble a few nautical miles from the island of Euboea. The semi-official Greek news agency ANA said that the ship "Shkval" was at risk of breaking up on rocks after suffering engine failure. Coast guard speed boats were able to reach the ship in time and to tow it away. All refu-gees, mainly Iraqi Kurds, were brought on land. Both Ukrainian crew members were arrested as suspected human traffickers. 
A few hours previously an unknown ship had landed 52 illegal immigrants from various Asian countries, on a se-cluded beach on the island..
Residents of the island of Aegina, located near the port of Piraeus, discovered 80 immigrants of Kurdish origin who had been brought to Greece from Turkey on board a British owned yacht. Police arrested the British captain. (Source: dpa, 21.07.02)

Greek Harbour Police Apprehend 52 Refu-gees on Euboea 
Greek harbour police have apprehended 52 refugees on the island of Euboea on the Aegean. The authorities said that the immigrants, with 14 children amongst them, had been discovered on the island’s northeastern coast. The majority were Kurds from Iraq. A search of the coast was made for the ship which landed them. 
A human smuggler from Turkey, who had been caught bringing 6 illegal Iraqi immigrants to Greece, has been sentenced to three and a half years imprisonment and fined 1,500 Euros by a court on the island of Samos. (Source: AFP, 20.07.02)
 

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