German Foreign Ministry Confirms 
Presence of Iraqi Kurds

The German Foreign Office has confirmed that leading representatives of opposition Iraqi Kurds had been in Germany. A ministry spokesman Andreas Michaelis said in Berlin, "The Foreign Office were informed that these persons would be staying here”. There was no information "on who would be in-volved in any possible talks”.
According to a report from the Arabic newspaper As-Sharq Al-Awsat the leaders of the two most im-portant Kurdish parties are said to have had secret meetings with US military and intelligence service officials on plans for toppling Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. The rival Kurdish leaders agreed at the meeting near Berlin “ to unite their governments and military”. According to the newspaper report, the Kurdish leaders Dschalal Talabani and Massud Barsani want to participate with a common programme in an Iraqi Opposition Conference in 2 months time. Talabani is the head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and Barsani is head of the Democratic Party of Kurdistan.
PUK leader Talabani said that there had been no meeting in Germany between the party leaders and the US military (Sources: IMK e.V., dpa, 22.04.02, )

Human Rights:
UN Refrain from Condemning Iran

For the first time in 19 years, the UN’s Human Rights Commission have refrained from condemning Iran. In a resolution brought by the European Union in Geneva, 19 countries voted for, 20 against, and 14 abstained. Zimbabwe and Russia had previously just escaped being condemned.
The proposed resolution regretted the continued breaches of human rights in Iran including cases of disappearances and the systematic discrimination of women and girls. The commission indicated their concern at the continued brutal public executions such as stoning and punishments such as amputa-tions and whippings. It was also regretted that Iran had not permitted entry of a UN special envoy since 1996.
It was principally Islamic countries and Chinas who rejected the proposal because it had, according to the Chinese delegate, ignored all the positive developments in Iran. Libya’s representative claimed that the Human Rights Commission was just a tool for interfering in internal affairs under the pretext of defending human rights. Pakistan spoke of a politically motivated resolution and offered, on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC), to enter into to dialogue with Iran on human rights is-sues. (Source: Frankfurter Rundschau, 23.04.2002)

Foreign Office Berlin:
Report on Asylum and Deportation Issues 
In Turkey
 (Situation as at February 2002)

5. Human Rights Situation and 
Human Rights Organizations (Extract)

With regard to international agreements and conventions in the area of human rights, there had been no new developments in Turkey during 2001. In the latest constitutional amendment, a proposed arti-cle was dropped at its first reading which intended to give priority to international agreements over internal law.
...The EU Commission state that the human rights situation with regard to specifics must be improved, and that the situation regarding torture since the last progress report (November 200) has not got better and is cause for great concern. 
Despite the implementation of positive constitutional and legislative amendments, there is little im-provement to be seen in practice in the area of human rights. Disappearances of people and unresolved deaths have become more infrequent but Turkish and international human rights organizations report an increase in cases of torture and ill treatment over the past year. This information can not be verified by the Foreign Office. Legal action taken against alleged anti-state comments have increased. Freedom of opinion in Turkey goes only as far as the judiciary and security forces consider the state to be at risk through “Reactionary forces” or “Separatism”.
Human rights in practice suffers mainly from the continued inadequate observance by the security forces of legitimate rights. This problem is underlined in a memorandum (11-point-plan) from Interior Minister Yücelen in June 2001 to governors and the gendarmerie, in which he expressly requests the observance on the prohibition of torture and on the existing regulations regarding arrest and interview procedures.
State officials regularly distance themselves from breaches of the law perpetrated by their subordi-nates. There has been a rise in the number of convictions and legal action being taken against the per-petrators. But such action continues to be rare (see item. III.2.a) despite there being existing legislation to deal with it..
In the 4 state of emergency provinces in the south east basic rights can come under even harsher attack because of the emergency regulations there, in particular the long periods one can be held in police custody - the so-called “incommunicado-detention” (see item III.2.a.).
It is not unusual for Turkish human rights organizations to be hindered by the state (see item. II.1.b.dd.). The most important of these non governmental organizations are:
- The Human Rights Association ("Insan Haklari Dernegi" - IHD), founded in 1986 by 98 founding members in light of the 1980 military putsch and the associated human rights abuses. In their half-yearly report the IHD documents human rights violations and organizes symposiums, discussion rounds and courses on human rights issues as well as campaigns for the abolition of the death penalty , for peace, amnesty and the abolition of the state security courts etc. The IHD cares for victims of hu-man rights abuses and has been very active in seeking solutions to the hunger strikes. This led to a confrontation course with the government. 
- The Turkish Human Rights Foundation ("Türkiye Insan Haklari Vakfi" - TIHV), founded in 1990 by 51 founding members (including the IHD) with the aim of providing medical and psychological care for the victims of torture and to document human rights abuses in Turkey. TIHV’s Documentation Center records human rights breaches in Turkey and publishes them in daily bulletins. (available over the Internet – also in English). They also provide annual statistics. The TIHV support 5 treatment and rehabilitation centers for victims of torture in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Diyarbakir and Adana. Doctors, psychiatrists and social workers work in the centers to provide victims of torture and their families with cost-free medical and psychological treatment, to train health workers on torture and its effects and to carry out studies on the physical and psychological problems of victims of torture. The TIHV can provide alternative medical reports to official ones. These have been used in court cases on torture. 
- The Islamic oriented human rights organization “Mazlum Der", founded in 1991, organizes confer-ences and seminars on human rights abuses, Muslim headscarves, and Kurdish questions. They say their central activity is to help people in need (e.g. aid to Bosnia, aid for victims of earthquakes, etc.) and to document situations concerning human rights, particularly in northern Iraq.
There are also several other foundations and associations who are active in the field of human rights such as the “Foundation of the Turkish Community for Human Rights” (IHK, founded in 1999), the “Foundation for Research into Social Rights” (TOHAV) or the Association of Contemporary Jurists ("Cagdas Hukukcular Dernegi"). There are also philosophical or political science institutions associ-ated with human rights at some universities. Lawyers’ associations, representatives of industry and other organizations are becoming more and more involved with human rights issues.  

Ankara Reacts Skeptically to PKK Name Change

The Turkish government and military have reacted skeptically to the name change by the banned PKK party to “The Freedom Party of the People” (PAG). According to Turkish press reports, Prime Minis-ter Bülent Ecevit said that the PKK just wanted to disguise itself by changing its name. Interior Minis-ter Rüstü Kazim Yücelen said that the PKK, even with its new name, was still a “terrorist organiza-tion”. The deputy head of the Turkish General Staff, Yasar Büyükanit, referred to the PKK as just “playing games”. He also criticized the European Union for still having not placed the PKK and the extreme left wing DHKP-C on their list of terrorist organizations. (Source: AFP, 26.3.2002)

PKK Renounce Armed Campaign for 
Kurdistan’s Liberation

The PKK have renounced any armed campaign for a Kurdish state. The organization recently let this be known in Brussels. The immediate renaming of the party to the “Congress for Kurdistan Freedom and Democracy” (KADEK) was also decided at a party conference. It was also revealed that Abdullah Öcalan, imprisoned and sentenced to death in Turkey, had been voted to the KADEK leadership. (Source: dpa,16..04.02)

Turkey Amends Party Laws–Bans More Difficult in Future

The Turkish Parliament recently voted for a law change that will in future make it more difficult to ban political parties. The reformed party laws now has a system of graded penalties. In future, state finance can be partially or entirely revoked depending on the severity of the offence.
An important factor for banning a party will be whether it has become a “center” for banned activities. In the recent past, mainly Islamic and pro-Kurdish parties have received bans. (Source: dpa, 26.3.2002)
 

Turkey Intends to Make Torturers Pay

Whoever perpetrates torture or abuse in Turkey will now be called on to compensate the victims. This will apply at least to compensation payments imposed on Turkey by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. In future recourse will be taken against “the torturer” in such cases. A corre-sponding change to the police laws was recently voted for in the Turkish parliament. The amendment was part of a package of “compliance legislation” which should smooth Turkey’s way towards the European Union. (Source: dpa 26.3.2002)

Turkish Police Arrest 
100 Kurdish Demonstrators

Turkish police recently arrested around 100 Kurdish protestors in Istanbul who were demonstrating for Kurdish language tuition. A spokesman for the event said that around a thousand demonstrators had marched on a post office to send a symbolic Fax to the Turkish parliament. Police stopped them before the post office and arrested around 100 demonstrators, with many officials from the pro-Kurdish HADEP party amongst them. Ankara have to allow Kurdish language education in order to gain mem-bership to the EU. (Source: AFP, 27.3.2002)

Illustration of Mosque on Cigarette Packet 
Causes Offence

The illustration of a mosque on a cigarette packet from the American tobacco corporation Philip Mor-ris, has called into action the Turkish Authority for Religious Affairs. Although Islam does not ex-pressly forbid smoking, it was not “appropriate” for the silhouette of a mosque to be on the packaging of a product which Islam did not “approve of”. This kind of mild pressurizing from the authority was successful. The Turkish branch of the US concern, Philsa, let it be known that the design would be changed on the “Chesterfield” cigarette packets which have been made in Turkey since 1996. There had been no intention to offend anybody with the illustration. (Source dpa, 28.3.2002)

Turkey Investigates Allegations of Spying Against Adenauer-Foundation

The Turkish judiciary are currently investigating a press report which alleges spying by the German Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation’s office in Ankara. The German weekly publication Der Spiegel re-ported that a preliminary inquiry had already begun. This came about because of comments made by a lecturer at Ankara’s University that German journalists and employees for German foundations were working for the German intelligence service. The German Orient Institute in Istanbul have also mean-while received visits from the police. According to Der Spiegel, the unusually severe approach being taken against the institute is being seen as a warning from anti-Europeans within the Turkish judiciary and military. (Source: AFP, 28.3.2002)

Turkey Admits Responsibility for the Deaths of Two Left-Wing Militants 

Turkey has admitted responsibility for the deaths of two members of a militant communist group who were shot dead during a police operation 11 years ago. According to the European Court of Human Rights, Ankara intends to pay the families of the victims compensation of €76,224. Following this amicable agreement, the families’ complaint was put to the files.(Source: AFP, 28.3.2002)

German Foundation Slandered: 
Turkish Journalist "Warned"

The Turkish Press Council has issued a warning to a journalist from the newspaper Hürriyet because of an article on a report from the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Istanbul. Passages that were claimed to have been from the report, whose subject matter was Islamic organizations in Germany, had been made up. They could not be found neither in the German original nor in the Turkish translation. The Press Council said that the journalist had therefore presented the foundation in a false light.
German foundations located in Turkey consider that they have been subjected for months now to alle-gations that their work undermines the state and supports breakaway tendencies. Turkish organizations who have worked with German foundations have also been subjected to preliminary inquiries from the state prosecution service and state security courts in Ankara. (Source: dpa, 29.3.2002)
 

Turkish Court Lifts Ban on TV Station GÜN-TV 

A Turkish Court has revoked a decision to impose a 1 year broadcasting ban on a TV station. The court in Ankara judged that the Kurdish songs broadcast by the station had no “separatist” content. The local station in Diyarbakir, Gun-TV, had protested against the ban from the Turkish Audiovisual Council for allegedly promoting the banned PKK party. The court were of the opinion, however, that the texts in question had been incorrectly translated into Turkish. (Source: AFP, 29.3.2002)

Armenian Genocide:
Turkey Intends Giving Access to Archive 

Turkey wants to prove that there was no Armenian genocide at the beginning of the 20th century by opening up its archive.
Turkey intends giving international academics access to their archive on the fate of the Armenians during the first World War. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer stated that in this way reports would be disproved which claimed that Turkey, in the last years of the Ottoman empire, carried out genocide of the Armenians. 
Sezer said to delegates at a academics conference on the theme of genocide in Ankara, “I call on all academics to decide for themselves on the facts in the archive”.
The Armenians claim that between 1915 and 1923 up to 1.5 million Armenians were murdered by Turks. Turkey claims that this figure is greatly exaggerated and that most of the dead died during dis-turbances. 
In a letter to the conference, Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit also said that “Historical facts have to be investigated and debated by historians”. He condemned last year’s decision by France and the Euro-pean Parliament to officially describe the events as genocide of the Armenians. (Source: nz, 20.4.2002)

Hussein Daoud Sentenced to Two years 
Imprisonment

On 20.03.2002, the Syrian Kurd Hussein Daoud was sentenced to prison for 2 years. He has been in prison, however, since his deportation from Germany in December 2000. Following his detention he was considered missing. Nobody could obtain any information concerning his whereabouts. The Ger-man government only began to pressurize the Syrian government after protests by Kurds in Germany. On 26.06.2001 German Embassy representatives were able to visit Hussein Daoud. In September his parents were able to visit him. It became apparent at the visits that Hussein Daoud had been severely tortured. Without the protests from Germany Hussein Daoud would probably now be dead.
After nearly one and a half years of unlawful detention, Hussein Daoud was then sentenced to 2 years imprisonment following a dubious court case. The judgment was based on his activities for the Kurd-ish Peoples Union Party in Germany. In Germany, however, the courts considered his involvement with the party as not being relevant to obtaining asylum.
Amnesty International has now classified Hussein Daoud as a political prisoner. (Source: IMK e.V.)
 

Ship with Illegal Immigrants Sent Back to Turkey 

Athens (dpa) – In the eastern Aegean, Greek and Turkish coastguards forced a ship to turn around with 84 illegal immigrants on board. The semi-official Greek news agency ANA claimed that a Greek traf-ficker had been arrested.
According to reports, Greek coastguards from the eastern Aegean island of Chios noticed a ship sail-ing from the west Turkish Aegean port of Cesme. Patrol boats from the Greek coastguard and Turkish speed boats then forced the captain to return to Cesme. 
There is an agreement between Greece and Turkey concerning the return of illegal immigrants. Ac-cording to official sources, in the past 6 months more than 900 illegal immigrants have been returned. The Aegean is one of the routes which international traffickers continually use to get illegal immi-grants into the EU. (Source: dpa, 11.4.2002)

Kurds Sent on Wild Goose Chase 

A Kurdish family has to live apart for 2 years because the authorities won’t help. They are expecting a second child and now the father has unnecessarily been put on a police wanted list. 
Two years ago Nasser Rimmo and his wife Kauzer Al Zein had an Islamic wedding in the Mevlana-Mosque. Their first child Aischa is now 1 year old and the second is expected. However, Nasser Rimmo, Aischa’s official and blood father, can obtain no legal residency in Bremen to be with his wife and child.
“Everybody is against us” said the illiterate Kurd, who like his Lebanese wife, can hardly speak any German. He has been living in Löbau-Zittau in Saxony, where he had been sent following his asylum application. He would still be there today if a gynecologist had not certified that he must be with his wife in Bremen because of problems with her pregnancy. 
Kauzer Al Zein’s written request for her partners “transfer” to Bremen has again recently been rejected – by telephone. Nasser Rimmo said that “a big boss” in the Foreigner’s Department  told him “No chance without a marriage certificate from a German registry office”. He is dejected because this is precisely the next hurdle. For the past 2 years he and his wife have been trying to marry at a registry office. Everything would then be easier for them but to date there are still problems concerning the correct documentation..
The problem: Nasser’s parents apparently did not register his birth, neither in the Lebanon where his mother still lives in Beirut and where his father is buried, nor in Turkey. Therefore, Nasser Rimmo has never had a passport. This is the only reason preventing his deportation - but it is also hampering any registry office marriage. The couple believe that this is the reason for their forced separation.
The Foreigner’s Department had indicated that the husband would be allowed to come to Bremen after having married in a registry office. However, a written request for a “transfer” made in January from the wife to the department remains unanswered. Like a similar request made 2 years ago, it seems also to have been unsuccessful. A spokesperson from the regional interior department has now said to the daily newspaper taz that Herr Rimmo would not be dealt with by themselves and that an application for a reunion would have to be made in Löbau-Zittau. The Bremen Social Services and not the For-eigner’s Department were responsible for such matters. Nobody appears to find it necessary to inform the couple of this let alone give them any sort of support.
In the meantime the couple, who are both recipients of social security, have spent several thousands of German Marks on international telephone calls, translations, the certification of documentation, and on acquiring various other paperwork. Nasser Rimmo owes money to almost all of his in-laws. The prin-ciple problem for the husband is that because he does not appear to have been registered anywhere he cannot obtain any official confirmation that he is not already married. Without this he can only marry in a German registry office under exceptional circumstances. 
The families did make an oath. Rimmo said “My parents and 2 witnesses made an oath that I was sin-gle”. He showed taz this document. However, the registry office then wanted a document proving that he was the son of these people. Rimmo said, "There’s always something else”.
The final bombshell for the couple is notification from the Bremen registry office that a document from Beirut allegedly has a falsified stamp and signature. The document would have made unneces-sary a certificate of single status. There are now allegations of documentary falsification which the state prosecutor must investigate. Masser Rimmo has therefore been placed on a police wanted list.
The reason given for this is that his place of residence is unknown - as if  Nasser Rimmo planned to go into hiding instead of marrying his wife who has lived, with their child, for years in Bremen and who just recently informed the Bremen Foreigners Department of her husband’s address to hasten up the process. 
If the husband was present the wife could even go out to work and therefore would no longer be de-pendent on state aid. She possesses unrestricted working and residency permits. Her partner has now registered with the state prosecutor so as to remove himself from the police wanted list. He will then return to Saxony where the police wish to question him on the falsifications. Nasser Rimmo does not think there will be a registry office wedding before the second child is born in September, “but we would at least like to be able to live together”. (Source: taz Bremen, No. 6717 from 5.4.2002)

 
Dear Readers, 

We apologize for the delay in providing you with this issue of WIS. 
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