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: http://nrlsrojava.com/en/
Komun Academy: https://komun-academy.com
Peoples’ Democratic Party: https://www.hdp.org.tr/en/
KCK-Kurdistan Democratic Communities Union: https://kck-info.com
NEWS
- US Congressmen demand suspension of drone technology exports to Ankara
- Families of Afrin martyrs condemn Turkish government for desecration of graves
- Avashin Martyr Bahoz Rojhat: Revolution is our path
- Bakırhan: Those discriminating the HDP will be held accountable before history
- 2 Turkish Soldiers Killed in North Syria; 2 Others Wounded
- Kurds warn of ‘special war centre’ planning genocidal attacks
- Imprisoned Kurdish opposition leader Demirtas to receive German human rights award
- Syria: Kurdish forces tortured sons to death, claim families
- Detained over racist attack on Kurdish family, 40 people referred to courthouse
- People consider any cooperation with Turkish occupation betrayal of Kurds
- 15 bar associations condemn racist attacks against Kurds in Turkey
- “Abduction of northern Syrian politicians is against international law”
- Turkey shells Syria’s Tel Tamr countryside
- President Macron emphasizes that France will continue to support North and East Syria
- Guerrillas push Turkish troops back in Avaşîn
- Turkey slams Macron meeting with Rojava delegation
- HPG: Turkish army uses poisonous gas in Werxele
- HPG/YJA guerrillas strike Turkish troops with heavy weapons
- Online campaign for status for North and East Syria
- Erdogan seeks to salvage Kurdish support as poll numbers sag
- Turkish airstrikes ignite Assyrian lands, villagers organize firefighting response
OPINION, COMMENTARY, ANALYSIS
- Kurdish refugee sues Australian government for alleged unlawful imprisonment in Melbourne hotels
- US sanctions on Turkey-backed Syria faction offer solace to Kurdish victims
- Iraqi Kurdistan water crisis blamed on climate and Iran
- US targets Turkey-backed extremists in Syria with sanctions – analysis
- U.S. slaps sanctions on Turkey-backed Syrian armed group that killed Kurdish politician Hevrin Khalaf
- US sanctions Turkish-backed Syrian militia for human rights violations against Kurds
- Roshin Qassem: Dialogue Forum is a step towards activating Arab-Kurdish Dialogue
- Syria: ‘the stakes could not have been higher’
- 48 bar associations condemn pro-government newspaper for targeting colleagues protesting hate crimes against Kurds
- What does the US-Iraq strategic dialogue mean for Iraq, especially the Kurdistan Region?
- Turkey accused of cynical motives for restoring churches in north Syria
- Turkish-backed rebels leave trail of abuse and criminality in Syria’s Afrin
- US reaffirms stance on Turkey’s S-400, support for Syria’s Kurds
- The story behind the alleged mass grave Turkey found in Afrin
STATEMENTS
- Racist attacks on Kurds in western Turkey
- HDP: We salute the Rojava Revolution in its 9th year!
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NEWS
- US Congressmen demand suspension of drone technology exports to Ankara
29 July 2021|ANF English
In a bipartisan appeal to the United States Department of State, US Congressmen are calling for the suspension of export licenses to Turkey for war technology. The Ankara drone program would destabilize several regions of the world and threaten the interests of the US and its allies, according to the letter written by David Cicilline (Dem) and Gus Bilirakis (Rep). Foreign Minister Antony Blinken is being asked to reveal information about the effects of the proliferation, use and sale of Turkish drones and whether Turkey is using US technology in the development of its killing machines.
- Families of Afrin martyrs condemn Turkish government for desecration of graves
29 July 2021|ANF English
In the past few days, the remains of martyrs buried in the cemetery near Avrin Hospital in Afrin were removed by the Turkish state. False reports were fabricated by pro-Turkish media saying that that was in fact a mass grave where civilians killed by the YPG-YPJ had been thrown. The families of the YPG-YPJ martyrs buried in the cemetery near the Avrin hospital reacted to the claims and to the desecration of graves carried out by the Turkish state. In the special news on Medya Haber, the families explained how both fighters and civilian martyrs had to be buried in the cemetery.
- Avashin Martyr Bahoz Rojhat: Revolution is our path
29 July 2021|ANF English
Martyr Bahoz Rojhat, known for his actions in Avashin and his efforts for years, became one of the symbols of resistance in the Bazên Zagrosê campaign. Before falling a martyr, Bahoz had said that the path of revolution was the most sacred for him.
https://anfenglish.com/kurdistan/avashin-martyr-bahoz-rojhat-revolution-is-our-path-53782
- Bakırhan: Those discriminating the HDP will be held accountable before history
29 July 2021|ANF English
Speaking in Osmaniye, HDP deputy co-chair, Tuncer Bakırhan, said that they will not forget the discriminatory policies towards the party members of the government and added that those who implement these practices will be held accountable before history.
- 2 Turkish Soldiers Killed in North Syria; 2 Others Wounded
25 July 2021|AP via Military News
Two Turkish soldiers were killed and two others were wounded in an attack in northern Syria, Turkey’s defense ministry said Sunday. The ministry tweeted that a Turkish armored vehicle was attacked. The assault occurred Saturday in the so-called Euphrates Shield area, which consists of a region between the Turkish border and northern Aleppo, including the towns of Jarablus and al-Bab.
- Kurds warn of ‘special war centre’ planning genocidal attacks
23 July 2021|Morning Star
Kurdish forces warned today of a “special war centre” with units in the Turkish intelligence services and the neofascist Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) tasked with carrying out attacks on Kurds. The Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) — an umbrella organisation of Kurdish groups including the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) — called on communities to organise in self defence after a spate of attacks in various cities that have seen at least one person killed. The Kurdish organisation accused President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government of “commissioning” attacks on Kurds as part of a genocidal policy that is also targeting the country’s democratic institutions.
- Imprisoned Kurdish opposition leader Demirtas to receive German human rights award
23 July 2021|Kurdistan 24
Selahattin Demirtas, the imprisoned former co-leader of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish political party, is slated to receive a German human rights award. The city of Weimar’s Human Rights Award is given to people and organizations who work to uphold human rights and is given in recognition of what the city says is its “special historical responsibility” and in commemoration of nameless victims of dictatorships. In its July 21 meeting, the Weimar city council decided to recognize Demirtas, the former co-leader of the People’s Democratic Party (HDP). He was proposed by the Germany-based Society for Threatened Peoples.
- Syria: Kurdish forces tortured sons to death, claim families
23 July 2021|Middle East Monitor
The sons of two families in north-east Syria have reportedly been tortured to death by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). This is not the first time that the militia has been accused of human rights abuses. The body of 34-year-old activist Amin Issa was handed to his family by the SDF on 28 June, over a month after he was arrested at his home in Hasakah by the group’s internal security agency. His family was not informed of his arrest and was forced to search for information regarding his whereabouts.
- Detained over racist attack on Kurdish family, 40 people referred to courthouse
23 July 2021|Bianet
A racist group of around 60 people attacked a family from Diyarbakır living in Meram district in Konya and killed family member Hakim Dal (43) on July 21. Nearly 40 of these people were taken into custody. This attack against the Kurdish family in Konya was the third racist attack targeting Kurds in Turkey in the past two weeks.
- People consider any cooperation with Turkish occupation betrayal of Kurds
23 July 2021|Hawar News Agency
The residents of Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood considered the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s support for the Turkish occupier a “treason against the Kurdish people and their cause,” calling on the Kurdish parties to unite ranks to end the occupation of Kurdistan lands.
- 15 bar associations condemn racist attacks against Kurds in Turkey
22 July 2021|Bianet
In a joint statement, 15 bars have condemned the recent racist attacks targeting the Kurdish identity and demanded an urgent and effective investigation into the attacks as well as an end to the language of violence and discrimination.
- “Abduction of northern Syrian politicians is against international law”
21 July 2021|ANF News
Kurdish politicians and lawyers said that the abduction of the Autonomous Administration and PYD representatives by the KDP violates international laws.
- Turkey shells Syria’s Tel Tamr countryside
21 July 2021|North Press Agency
On Wednesday, the second day of Eid al-Adha, Turkish forces and Turkish-backed armed factions targeted the countryside of Tel Tamr and the outskirts of the M4 Highway, north Hasakah, northeast Syria, with mortar shells. “Early in the morning, Turkish army targeted the village of Tawila, west of Tel Tamr, with mortars,” North Press correspondent cited a source from the Tel Tamr Military Council as saying. “Shells fell down among villagers’ houses, causing material losses to houses and possessions,” the source added.
https://npasyria.com/en/62538/
- President Macron emphasizes that France will continue to support North and East Syria
21 July 2021|ANF News
The Elysée Palace said in a statement that President Macron emphasized that they will continue to support North and East Syria. The statement was issued by the Elysée Palace about a meeting between President Macron and the Syrian Democratic Council delegation in Paris on Monday. Details of the meeting were also shared by the Elysée Palace, which said in a statement that Macron insisted on “the need to continue working in favor of ensuring the political stability of North and East Syria and establishing an inclusive government.”
- Guerrillas push Turkish troops back in Avaşîn
21 July 2021|ANF News
The HPG Press Centre released a statement on the latest attacks by the invading Turkish army and the actions carried out by guerrillas of the People’s Defense Forces (HPG) and Free Women’s Troops (YJA Star) in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq). The guerrillas struck the Turkish troops who sought to position themselves around the battle tunnels in Avaşîn’s Girê Sor area.
https://anfenglishmobile.com/kurdistan/guerrillas-push-turkish-troops-back-in-avasin-53619
- Turkey slams Macron meeting with Rojava delegation
20 July 2021|Rudaw
Turkey condemned French President Emmanuel Macron’s Monday meeting with a high-level delegation from northeast Syria (Rojava), describing their ties as a threat to the country’s security. Labelling the People’s Democratic Union and its YPG militia “an offshoot of PKK terrorist organization in Syria” , spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tanju Bilgic said on Tuesday that the “ongoing relation of France with this separatist bloody-handed terrorist organization and its affiliates undermines Turkey’s national security”.
https://www.rudaw.net/english/world/20072021
- HPG: Turkish army uses poisonous gas in Werxele
20 July 2021|ANF English
The Peoples’ Defense Forces (HPG) Press Center has issued a statement on the latest Turkish attacks in the guerrilla-held Medya Defense Zones in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq).The invading Turkish army attacked the battle tunnels in the Werxelê area of Avaşîn with explosives and toxic gases.
https://anfenglishmobile.com/kurdistan/hpg-turkish-army-uses-poisonous-gas-in-werxele-53594
- HPG/YJA guerrillas strike Turkish troops with heavy weapons
19 July 2021|ANF English
The People’s Defense Forces (HPG) and the Free Women’s Troops (YJA Star) guerrillas carried out actions against the invading Turkish army in Avasin using heavy weapons. “The historic resistance of our forces continues in the battle positions and tunnels in the Werxelê area. On July 18, the invaders attacked with poisonous gases and a large amount of explosives to no avail”, the HDP Center said in a statement.
- Online campaign for status for North and East Syria
19 July 2021|ANF English
The #Status4NorthAndEastSyria campaign, launched on social media for the recognition of the status of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, has attracted intensive global attention. The campaign rose to 5th place in global trend topics. It came in first in Turkey, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Sweden, Belgium, France and Iraq. A total of 181 thousand tweets were shared as part of the campaign. There have also been statements on Facebook accounts.
- Erdogan seeks to salvage Kurdish support as poll numbers sag
16 July 2021|Al-Monitor
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent visit to Diyarbakir, the central city of Turkey’s mainly Kurdish southeast, is largely seen as an effort to salvage his Kurdish vote ahead of potential early elections, as pollsters report a downtick in his popular support, both among Kurds and across the country. Erdogan enjoyed solid popularity among conservative Kurds, drawing mostly on his Islamic credentials, and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) has been the only real rival in the southeast of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), the standard bearer of the Kurdish movement in Turkey. Although Erdogan originally won much credit also for settlement talks with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), he ultimately shifted to a hard-line nationalist agenda, marked by a ferocious crackdown on the PKK and the HDP, and an alignment with the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) to bolster his electoral fortunes.
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/07/erdogan-seeks-salvage-kurdish-support-poll-numbers-sag
- Turkish airstrikes ignite Assyrian lands, villagers organize firefighting response
13 July 2021|Al-Monitor
A Turkish airstrike July 6 ignited agricultural fields of Assyrian villages in the Nahla Valley of the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq. As flames burned for hours at night and well into the next day, authorities never arrived to help extinguish the blaze.
OPINION, COMMENTARY, ANALYSIS
- Kurdish refugee sues Australian government for alleged unlawful imprisonment in Melbourne hotels
29 July 2021|The Guardian
A refugee detained for 14 months in two Melbourne hotels is suing the federal government for damages, arguing its use of hotels for immigration detention is illegal, in a case that could carry implications for hundreds of asylum seekers.
- US sanctions on Turkey-backed Syria faction offer solace to Kurdish victims
29 July 2021|Al-Monitor
On Wednesday, the Biden administration rolled out its first sanctions directed at Syria. They targeted Ahrar al-Sharqiyah and its boss, Ahmed Ihsan Rayyad al-Hayes, better known by his nom de guerre, Abu Hatem Shaqra, who was present during the murder of rising young Kurdish politician named Hevrin Khalaf who was ambushed by Ahrar al-Sharqiyah. The sanctions also targeted eight Syrian prisons, five officials in President Bashar al-Assad’s regime who run them, and a pro-regime militia.
- Iraqi Kurdistan water crisis blamed on climate and Iran
29 July 2021|Al-Monitor
Citizens in the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, Erbil, are now buying water at prices exceeding $50 per tanker, as water has been cut off for more than two weeks in most areas of the Kurdish capital. The private water tankers carry between 3,000 and 4,500 liters (some 800 to 1,200 gallons) of water that is used for drinking and washing; it generally lasts less than a week per family.
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/07/iraqi-kurdistan-water-crisis-blamed-climate-and-iran
- US targets Turkey-backed extremists in Syria with sanctions – analysis
29 July 2021| The Jerusalem Post
This is a major change from the Trump administration, which tended to be silent on abuses of minorities in Syria, and even worked with Turkey to empower some extremist groups.
The US Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned a variety of individuals and organizations in Syria on Wednesday, among them a group backed by Turkey which has carried out widespread human rights abuses. The sanctions involve “eight Syrian prisons run by the Assad regime’s intelligence apparatus, which have been sites of human rights abuses against political prisoners and other detainees.”
- U.S. slaps sanctions on Turkey-backed Syrian armed group that killed Kurdish politician Hevrin Khalaf
29 July 2021|Ekurd Daily
The United States on Wednesday slapped sanctions on a Syrian mercenary armed group that killed a senior Kurdish female politician amid Turkey’s 2019 incursion, vowing to keep pursuing accountability in the war-ravaged country. The government also took action against two men accused of funding extremists in Syria, including one based in Turkey, as well as five prison officials from President Bashar al-Assad’s regime over torture. The Treasury Department said it was blocking any assets and banning any US transactions with Ahrar al-Sharqiya, a once obscure armed group that came under the spotlight as Turkey sent forces into northern Syria in October 2019 following talks with then president Donald Trump.
https://ekurd.net/us-slaps-sanctions-turkey-backed-2021-07-29
- US sanctions Turkish-backed Syrian militia for human rights violations against Kurds
28 July 2021|Kurdistan 24
The US Treasury Department announced on Wednesday that it had imposed sanctions on a Turkish-backed armed group for human rights violations in Syria against ethnic Kurds. In a statement, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said it was sanctioning Ahrar al-Sharqiyah for abuses against civilians as well as two of the group’s leaders, Abu Hatim and his brother Abu Ja’far.
- Roshin Qassem: Dialogue Forum is a step towards activating Arab-Kurdish Dialogue
28 July 2021|Hawar news Agency
Author and journalist Roshin Qassem explained that the dialogue forum organized on Kurdish-Arab relations was a step towards the activation of the Arab-Kurdish dialogue. She stressed that there was a real will to move forward with this project, which would lead to the establishment of genuine Arab-Kurdish relations.
- Syria: ‘the stakes could not have been higher’
28 July 2021|RTE
Earlier this month, Ireland achieved what Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney, described as “our biggest achievement” on the UN Security Council to date. The achievement in question was Ireland’s role in the Council’s unanimous adoption of Resolution 2585. In the Resolution, the Council renews its existing authorisation for UN humanitarian agencies and their implementing partners to deliver aid to Northwest Syria via the Bab al-Hawa crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border.
https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2021/0728/1237689-syria-un-security-council-cross-border-aid/
- 48 bar associations condemn pro-government newspaper for targeting colleagues protesting hate crimes against Kurds
27 July 2021|Stockholm Institute for Peace
Forty-eight Turkish bar associations on Sunday condemned the pro-government Yeni Şafak daily for targeting 15 bar associations that have protested hate crimes against Kurdish citizens in Turkey. The statement said bar associations had the duty to uphold democratic principles and stand against hate speech and crimes. It added that Yeni Şafak had not only targeted the bar associations in question but also used discriminatory and hateful language in its piece.
- What does the US-Iraq strategic dialogue mean for Iraq, especially the Kurdistan Region?
26 July 2021|Washington Kurdish Institute
On July 23, the United States and Iraq held the fourth round of the “strategic dialogue. ” The talks addressd security, economic, humanitarian and political relationships between the two countries but crucially, the future of the United States presence in Iraq and security cooperation. What benefit will the US-Iraq strategic dialogue have in the long-term? Under what mission and how safely can the US stay in Iraq? What are ways to contain these militias? Can the Kurdistan Region remain as safe and stable as before for the US and other western envoys and troops? What are the lessons learned from the US withdrawal from Afghanistan? Does the US have more or less political leverage over Iraq? These and many more questions answered by our distinguished speakers:
- Turkey accused of cynical motives for restoring churches in north Syria
25 July 2021|Al-Monitor
The Turkish Ministry of Defense recently announced that its armed forces carried out maintenance work on the Syriac Orthodox Church of Mar Tuma (St. Thomas) in the center of Ras al-Ain in northern Syria. The ministry added in the July 14 statement that the Turkish armed forces have paid great attention to the restoration and maintenance of religious buildings in the Operation Peace Spring area.
- Turkish-backed rebels leave trail of abuse and criminality in Syria’s Afrin
25 July 2021|Al-Monitor
The serene topography of the Syrian enclave of Afrin belies the power vacuum and violence now afflicting many of the territories under the control of Turkish-backed forces in the war-torn country’s northeast. During 17 days of captivity, Leila Mohammed Ahmed witnessed, helplessly, 10 young women take their own lives after being raped by members of the Sultan Murad Brigade, a Sunni rebel faction which operates under the banner of the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army
- US reaffirms stance on Turkey’s S-400, support for Syria’s Kurds
22 July 2021|Al-Monitor
The Biden administration won’t budge on the previous administration’s demands that NATO ally Turkey get rid of Russia’s S-400 missile defense system. The United States will also continue to support the Syrian Kurdish-led People’s Protection Units (YPG), a top State Department official assured lawmakers July 21. Ankara will be subject to new US sanctions if it purchases additional Russian military hardware, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland told the Senate’s foreign affairs panel July 21.
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/07/us-reaffirms-stance-turkeys-s-400-support-syrias-kurds
- The story behind the alleged mass grave Turkey found in Afrin
20 July 2021|Rudaw
Ankara recently accused Kurdish forces in Syria of killing dozens of civilians after Turkish forces discovered more than 60 bodies in Afrin last week. Kurdish authorities and eyewitnesses, however, say the site is a cemetery for people killed in the conflict.
https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/20072021
STATEMENTS
- Racist attacks on Kurds in western Turkey
23 July 2021|HDP Europe
Information note from the HDP Foreign Affairs Co-spokespersons describe “incessant smear campaigns of the Turkish government, aimed at criminalizing the HDP” resulting in “violent and even fatal physical attacks against Kurds living in the western provinces of Turkey”. “On 17 June 2021, an assailant with a shotgun attacked our office in İzmir and tortured and murdered Deniz Poyraz, the daughter of a party employee. On 14 July 2021, another assailant with a shotgun attacked our office in the Marmaris district of Muğla and fired more than 100 bullets”, the statement said. The week also saw a series of racist attacks against Kurds in western Turkey, with seven people, including two women, injured in a racist attack on Kurdish seasonal agricultural workers in the western province of Afyon on 19 July.
https://hdpeurope.eu/2021/07/racist-attacks-on-kurds-in-western-turkey/
- HDP: We salute the Rojava Revolution in its 9th year!
19 July 2021|HDP Europe
The Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Central Executive Board issued a statement statement on the anniversary of the 19 July 2012 revolution in Rojava. “The revolution that started in Rojava on 19 July 2012 was a major turning point in the history of the Middle East, Syria and Kurdistan, and is still impacting on developments in the region. The Baath regime, which, since the first years of its establishment, has suppressed the equality, freedom, and democratic demands of the peoples of the region – especially of the Kurdish people – with oppression, violence, and massacre, was defeated by the uprising and revolution that emerged in 2012. And the course of history was thus changed.”
https://hdpeurope.eu/2021/07/hdp-we-salute-the-rojava-revolution-in-its-9th-year/
Peace in Kurdistan
Campaign for a political solution of the Kurdish Question
Email: estella@gn.apc.org
https://www.peaceinkurdistancampaign.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peaceinkurdistan1/
Contacts Estella Schmid: 07846 666 804 & Melanie Gingell: 07572 430903
Patrons: John Austin, Baroness Blower of Starch Green, former GS NUT, Prof Bill Bowring, Julie Christie, Noam Chomsky, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Prof Mary Davis, Lord Dholakia, Simon Dubbins, UNITE International Director, Jill Evans, former MEP, Desmond Fernandes, Lindsey German, Convenor STWC, Melanie Gingell, Christopher Gingell, Prof Dr. Michael Gunter, Secretary-General, EU Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC), Rahila Gupta, journalist, Nick Hildyard, policy advisor, Dafydd Iwan, Former President Plaid Cymru, James Kelman, Bruce Kent, Jean Lambert, former MEP, Dr Les Levidow, Open University, Elfyn Llwyd, John McDonnell MP; Aonghas MacNeacail, Scottish Gaelic poet, Mike Mansfield QC, David Morgan, journalist, Doug Nicholls, General Secretary, GFTU, Dr. Jessica Ayesha Northey, Sinn Fein MLA Conor Murphy, Dr Thomas Jeffrey Miley, Kate Osamor MP, Margaret Owen OBE, Ali Gul Ozbek, Former Councillor and Mayor of Haringey; Gareth Peirce, Dr Felix Padel, Maxine Peake, actor, Dr Thomas Phillips, Liverpool John Moores University, Trevor Rayne, writer, Joe Ryan, Tony Simpson, Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation, Stephen Smellie, PIK Trade Union Liaison Officer, Jonathan Steele, journalist, Steve Sweeney, journalist, Gianni Tognoni, General Secretary Permanent People’s Tribunal, Dr Tove Skutnabb-Kangas, Dr Federico Venturini, Associate Researcher, University of Udine, Italy; Dr Tom Wakeford, Dr Derek Wall, Julie Ward, former MEP, Kariane Westrheim, Chair, EU Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC); Hywel Williams MP.