For all of the latest Kurdish news, see these sources:
ANF English: https://anfenglishmobile.com/
Hawar News: https://www.hawarnews.com/en/
Rojava Information Center: https://rojavainformationcenter.com
Women Defend Rojava: http://womendefendrojava.net/en/
Rojhelat: http://rojhelat.info/en/
Rojava Centre for Strategic Studies
Komun Academy:
NEWS
1. “Liberation of all women will be the answer to genocides”
2. The smuggling of ISIS women from Hol camp, new report by WDR
3. KJK calls on women to strengthen resistance
4. Femicide in Turkey: 36 women murdered in July
5. Social media law published on Official Gazette
6. International women “must fight together” to beat misogyny and patriarchy
7. Turkish ‘coalition’ helps ISIS members to escape
8. Turkish main opposition to prepare report on Kurds as dialogue strengthens – columnist
9. Preparations for Sakine Cansiz Women’s Festival underway
10. British parliament passes controversial review of counter-terrorism bill
11. UN “concerned” by the new social media bill in Turkey
12. Peshmerga’s ‘mother of martyrs’ dies of heart attack
13. From the UK to Kurdistan, we must all rise up against femicide
14. Kurdish woman sentenced to jail and lashes for participation in anti-government protests in Iran
15. Turkish air raid kills two civilians in Kurdistan’s Duhok: Source
16. Foza Yûsif: The Rojava Revolution is a milestone for women
OPINION, COMMENTARY, ANALYSIS
1. Open Letter to FCO: 3 August must be recognized as “International Day of Action Against Femicide and Genocide”
2. Challenge accepted: Turkish feminists spell out real meaning of hashtag
3. Turkey bans writing of university dissertations in Kurdish
4. 100 years of hope, struggle and betrayal
5. Persecution of Female Kurdish Activists in Iran
6. Dreaming of Sur
7. Iran’s Kurdish kolbars: Two sons, two deaths, two months
8. U.S. Leaders Must Stand Against Turkey’s Atrocities in Northern Syria
9. British SAS commandos kill 100 ISIS jihadists in silent campaign
10. Turkey’s crackdown on political opposition finds a favored target: Elected Kurdish mayors
11. Iraqi Kurds fear Turkey’s military campaign aims beyond PKK
12. ‘Nothing but a pen’: Kurdish language activists in Iran left reeling by Zara Mohammadi sentencing
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NEWS
1. “Liberation of all women will be the answer to genocides”
2 August 2020| ANF English
“Organisation and liberation of all women will be the answer to the genocides of the occupiers,” says Kongra Star on the sixth anniversary of the ISIS genocide against the Yazidi community.
https://anfenglishmobile.com/women/liberation-of-all-women-will-be-the-answer-to-genocides-45700
2. The smuggling of ISIS women from Hol camp, new report by WDR
2 August 2020| ANF English
Women Support Rojava has published a new dossier called Turkey’s support for ISIS members. The smuggling of ISIS Women from al-Hol Camp. The report gives some examples of the Turkish state’s collaboration with the Islamic state, focusing on recent cases of how Turkey has provided assistance to ISIS women to facilitate their escape from the Al-Hol camp in Hesekê.
https://anfenglishmobile.com/human-rights/the-smuggling-of-isis-women-from-hol-camp-new-report-by-wdr-45685
3. KJK calls on women to strengthen resistance
1 August 2020|ANF English
“We condemn the invasion of Shengal by ISIS and state that our belief and our claim for freedom of the Middle East under the leadership of women can only be achieved through a stronger organized struggle against colonial, invading and rapist mentalities”, KJK in a statement.
https://anfenglishmobile.com/women/kjk-calls-on-women-to-strengthen-resistance-45661
4. Femicide in Turkey: 36 women murdered in July
1 August 2020|ANF English
In July, at least 36 women were victims of femicide in Turkey. 92 percent of the women were murdered by violent husbands, partners, fathers or sons. Eleven more women were found dead in suspicious circumstances.
https://anfenglishmobile.com/women/femicide-in-turkey-36-women-murdered-in-july-45672
5. Social media law published on Official Gazette
31 July 2020|Bianet
Prepared by the ruling Justice and Development Party and Nationalist Movement Party and passed by the General Assembly of the Parliament on July 29, the law introduces a new definition of “social media provider” and aims to set a formal definition of social media providers with the aim of designating a responsible representative for investigations and legal proceedings relating to the offenses committed on social media platforms.
http://bianet.org/english/politics/228339-social-media-law-published-on-official-gazette
6. International women “must fight together” to beat misogyny and patriarchy
30 July 2020|The Canary
July saw fresh crackdowns on the revolutionary Kurdish-led women’s movement in Bakur, the Kurdish region of Turkey. 28 female journalists and political organisers had their houses raided in one night, and their phones, laptops and cameras were seized by the police. The women were locked in police cells for days.
International women “must fight together” to beat misogyny and patriarchy
7. Turkish ‘coalition’ helps ISIS members to escape
30 July 2020|ANF English
Some 68,000 people currently live in Hol Camp, including 30,000 ISIS jihadists with their families. The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria is overwhelmed with securing the camp from the threats posed by interned ISIS jihadists as well as with ensuring humanitarian supply to the camp due to the embargo and the war situation.
https://anfenglishmobile.com/features/turkish-coalition-helps-isis-members-to-escape-45611
8. Turkish main opposition to prepare report on Kurds as dialogue strengthens – columnist
29 July 2020|Ahval
Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has called for a report on the country’s Kurds as the party continues to develop ties with the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), columnist Abdülkadir Selvi said on Wednesday.
https://ahvalnews.com/hdp-chp/turkish-main-opposition-prepare-report-kurds-dialogue-strengthens-columnist
9. Preparations for Sakine Cansiz Women’s Festival underway
29 July 2020|ANF English
“This year, our festival is a sign of struggle, especially against the genocidal attacks targeting women. As successors of Sakine Cansiz, it is our commitment and duty to struggle anytime and anywhere,” says Ozen Aytac from the organising committee.
https://anfenglishmobile.com/women/preparations-for-sakine-cansiz-women-s-festival-underway-45584
10. British parliament passes controversial review of counter-terrorism bill
28 July 2020|Tamil Guardian
Civil society organisations in the UK have criticised the passing of a reviewed counter-terrorism bill, saying it will not enhance public security but instead further criminalise vulnerable communities, with the Tamil community mentioned amongst potential victims.
https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/british-parliament-passes-controversial-review-counter-terrorism-bill
11. UN “concerned” by the new social media bill in Turkey
28 July 2020|ANF English
Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Liz Throssell warned that the law, if adopted, would further undermine the right of people in Turkey to freedom of expression, to obtain information and to participate in public and political life.
https://anfenglishmobile.com/freedom-of-the-press/un-concerned-by-the-new-social-media-bill-in-turkey-45576
12. Peshmerga’s ‘mother of martyrs’ dies of heart attack
27 July 2020|Rudaw
An elderly Kurdish woman, known to many as the “mother of martyrs” following the tragic deaths of three of her sons in a single day in the Peshmerga’s fight against the Islamic State, has died on Monday of a heart attack at the age of 94.
https://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/270720201
13. From the UK to Kurdistan, we must all rise up against femicide
27 July 2020|The Canary
On 21 July, 27-year-old Pınar Gültekin’s body was found in woods in Muğla, south-west Turkey. She had been strangled, and her body was stuffed in a barrel, which was then burned and filled with concrete. Her ex-partner confessed to her murder. Women nationwide took to the streets to protest increasing femicides in Turkey.
From the UK to Kurdistan, we must all rise up against femicide
14. Kurdish woman sentenced to jail and lashes for participation in anti-government protests in Iran
26 July 2020|Morning Star
Kurdish woman Fatemah Davand has been jailed for five years and given 30 lashes for “disturbing public order” in last year’s anti-government protests in Iran.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/kurdish-woman-sentenced-jail-and-lashes-participation-anti-government-protests-iran
15. Turkish air raid kills two civilians in Kurdistan’s Duhok: Source
26 July 2020|Kurdistan 24
A Turkish airstrike in rural parts of the Kurdistan Region’s Duhok province killed at least two civilians, a security source told Kurdistan 24 on Sunday. The raid struck and destroyed two vehicles, killing all occupants, the source said of the incident, which occurred near Hasinpirka village, located in Bamarni subdistrict, Amedi district, Duhok province.
https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/9f11aff3-59ca-4547-8922-c83db3f058a6
16. Foza Yûsif: The Rojava Revolution is a milestone for women
19 July 2020|ANF English
On the occasion of the 8th anniversary of the 19 July Rojava Revolution, PYD Co-Presidency Council member Foza Yûsif talked to ANF.
https://anfenglishmobile.com/features/foza-yusif-the-rojava-revolution-is-a-milestone-for-women-45362
OPINION, COMMENTARY, ANALYSIS
1. Open Letter to FCO: 3 August must be recognized as “International Day of Action Against Femicide and Genocide”
3 August 2020|Peace in Kurdistan
3 August 2020 marks the sixth anniversary of the day in 2014 when ISIS attacked and massacred the Yazidi community in Sinjar, Iraq, systematically targeting women and girls who were killed, raped and enslaved in their thousands. This atrocity amounted to femicide, a femicide which continues to this day as thousands of these women remain held captive across Iraq, Syria and the Arabian Gulf after having been sold into slavery.
2. Challenge accepted: Turkish feminists spell out real meaning of hashtag
31 July 2020|The Guardian
Feminists in Turkey have called on the rest of the world not to forget the original context of Instagram’s #challengeaccepted trend, which was supposed to draw attention to skyrocketing rates of gender-based violence in the country before it was co-opted by western celebrities.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/31/challenge-accepted-turkish-feminists-spell-out-real-meaning-of-hashtag
3. Turkey bans writing of university dissertations in Kurdish
31 July 2020|Arab News
Turkey’s Council of Higher Education has banned students studying Kurdish language and literature at Turkish universities from writing their dissertations in Kurdish.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1712831/middle-east
4. 100 years of hope, struggle and betrayal
31 July 2020|New Internationalist
The Kurdish quest for freedom and independence has been long, dramatic and complicated. Here’s a potted history of the past century.
https://newint.org/features/2020/06/11/100-years-hope-struggle-and-betrayal
5. Persecution of Female Kurdish Activists in Iran
30 July 2020|Iran Focus
Multiple female Kurdish political prisoners in Iran have been prosecuted, detained, and give exceptionally long prison terms in the past month, as part of the regime’s 40-year-long persecution of ethnic minorities, designed to keep the mullahs in power.
https://www.iranfocus.com/en/women-mainmenu-28/34669-persecution-of-female-kurdish-activists-in-iran
6. Dreaming of Sur
28 July 2020|New Internationalist
Nurcan Baysal has a dangerous dream. She wants to create a ‘school of peace’ in Sur, the devasted ancient centre of the city of Diyarbakir, eastern Turkey. The Kurdish writer, journalist and human rights activist grew up in Sur, a World Heritage Site, and was determined that the peace centre should belong to its people and support its mainly working-class community.
https://newint.org/features/2020/06/11/dreaming-sur
7. Iran’s Kurdish kolbars: Two sons, two deaths, two months
28 July 2020|Rudaw
Shamzin Ahmadi’s wedding date was coming up, and he’d worked hard to make sure his plans would be paid for. He woke up soon after dawn to make what he swore would be one last trip carrying heavy loads of goods across the Iran-Turkey border. His mother, Jawahir, was already in mourning for her older son, killed six weeks earlier while making that same hazardous journey.
https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iran/280720201
8. U.S. Leaders Must Stand Against Turkey’s Atrocities in Northern Syria
25 July 2020|Newsweek
As the world passively watches, Turkey is currently amassing troops on its border in preparation of once again invading and adding to its disastrous occupation of northeast Syria. It is imperative that the U.S. and the international community consider the consequences of Turkey’s actions on religious freedom in Syria—particularly on Yazidis, Christians and Kurds—and take action before it is too late.
https://www.newsweek.com/us-leaders-must-stand-against-turkeys-atrocities-northern-syria-opinion-1520418
9. British SAS commandos kill 100 ISIS jihadists in silent campaign
23 July 2020|SOFREP
The British SAS have been conducting several operations in the hilly, remote part of northern Iraq. They have been targeting ISIS leadership in an attempt to stop the terrorist group’s resurgence. ISIS has been largely, but not completely eradicated from Iraq.
https://sofrep.com/news/british-sas-commandos-kill-100-isis-jihadists-in-silent-campaign/
10. Turkey’s crackdown on political opposition finds a favored target: Elected Kurdish mayors
20 July 2020|Washington Post
To serve as a mayor from Turkey’s pro-Kurdish political party these days is to fear arrest at any moment and govern in circumstances that hover between stifling and absurd, said Ayhan Bilgen, one of the few who has kept his office during an unrelenting government purge.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/turkeys-erdogan-seeks-to-neuter-the-opposition-ousting-dozens-of-mayors-is-his-latest-move/2020/07/19/b624f574-bfb9-11ea-8908-68a2b9eae9e0_story.html
11. Iraqi Kurds fear Turkey’s military campaign aims beyond PKK
20 July 2020|Al-Monitor
Iraqi Kurds worry that Turkey’s pursuit of PKK militants inside Iraqi Kurdistan could result in a permanent Turkish military presence and moves to undermine their autonomous region.
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/07/turkey-iraq-kurds-fear-pkk-operations-lead-turkish-presence.html
12. ‘Nothing but a pen’: Kurdish language activists in Iran left reeling by Zara Mohammadi sentencing
19 July 2020|Rudaw
A young, newlywed man clad in Kurdish clothing welcomes me to his home. He is Saiwan Ibrahimi, a Kurdish language teacher for Nojin Cultural Association in western Iran’s Kurdistan Province. His wife, Zara Mohammadi, is Nojin’s director; she was sentenced on Sunday to ten years in prison, charged by Iranian authorities of being a security threat.
https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iran/19072020
Peace in Kurdistan
Campaign for a political solution of the Kurdish Question
Email: estella24@tiscali.co.uk
www.peaceinkurdistancampaign.com
Contacts Estella Schmid 020 7586 5892 & Melanie Gingell – Tel: 020 7272 7890
Fax: 020 7263 0596
Patrons: John Austin, Christine Blower, NUT International Secretary, Prof Bill Bowring, Julie Christie, Noam Chomsky, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Prof Mary Davis, Lord Dholakia, Simon Dubbins, UNITE International Director, Jill Evans MEP, Lindsey German, Convenor STWC, Melanie Gingell, Rahila Gupta, Nick Hildyard, Dafydd Iwan, Former President Plaid Cymru, James Kelman, Bruce Kent, Jean Lambert MEP, Elfyn Llwyd, Aonghas MacNeacail, Scottish Gaelic poet, Mike Mansfield QC, Doug Nicholls, General Secretary, GFTU, Dr. Jessica Ayesha Northey, International Coordinator, Green Party of England and Wales; Sinn Fein MLA Conor Murphy, Dr Thomas Jeffrey Miley, Kate Osamor MP, Margaret Owen OBE, Gareth Peirce, Maxine Peake, Lord Rea, Joe Ryan, Stephen Smellie, Steve Sweeney, Dr Tove Skutnabb-Kangas, Dr Tom Wakeford, Dr Derek Wall, Julie Ward MEP, Hywel Williams MP.