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

https://twitter.com/RojavaIC

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

 

NEWS

  1. Imrali Peace Delegation publishes full report
  2. Women celebrate International Women’s Day worldwide
  3. Call for investigation into use of chemical gas in Turkish operation in Gare
  4. Ten newspapers in the UK publish “The Time has Come, Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan” call
  5. Americans, Russians compete for Kurdish support in northeast Syrian border area
  6. Drought threatens way of life for Iran’s Kurdish nomads
  7. Erdoğan vows to expand fight against PKK after deaths of 13 hostages
  8. Artists for Kurdish Freedom
  9. PKK: Rise up against the conspiracy and invasion!
  10. International organisations urged to condemn new Turkish invasion of Iraqi Kurdistan
  11. Syrians in Kurdish-administered regions struggle with price of bread
  12. Syrian oil fields no longer priority for US forces, says Pentagon

 

OPINION

  1. Sanitising imperialism — The problem with “The Daughters of Kobani”
  2. YJA Star: It’s time for freedom
  3. Turkey: Erdogan’s human rights initiative raises eyebrows of beleaguered activists
  4. Art in exile: A prison cell as an exhibition venue
  5. When we tried to visit Ocalan
  6. What the mythical figure of Şahmeran in Turkey represents and why activists use it
  7. Iran and Turkey appear to be on collision course in Iraq – analysis
  8. The case for a Syrian democratic republic
  9. Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party under pressure as calls increase for its closure
  10. Mother language in Iran another excuse for injustice against minorities
  11. Yazidis’ region is in Turkey and Iran’s crosshairs after genocide
  12. Bogazici resistance is about more than liberal notions of academic freedom, it is a fight against the whole system of oppression
  13. Turkey Targets Osman Kavala’s Arts Organization in Unprecedented Lawsuit
  14. International solidarity vital in Freedom for Ocalan campaign
  15. Analysis: Turkey’s new S-400 proposal offers olive branch to US
  16. The day the water had turned red
  17. Meet the victims of Britain’s bombs
  18. Erdogan’s dirty drone wars

 

MULTIMEDIA

  1. Self-determination: Kurdistan, Scotland and Beyond – An Interview with James Kelman
  2. ‘Global arms trade operates above the law’ – Andrew Feinstein
  3. Who are the Syrian Kurdish women fighters who took down the Islamic State? Gayle Tzemach Lemmon tells the inside story
  4. Artists’ declaration for Ocalan’s freedom

 

————-

NEWS

  1. Imrali Peace Delegation publishes full report

09 Mar 2021 | ANF English

The Imrali Peace Delegation consisted of ten members, including prominent politicians, trade unionists, academics, lawyers, and social movement activists, hailing from a diverse array of countries, including Iceland, India, Italy, the US, and the UK.

https://anfenglish.com/features/imrali-peace-delegation-publishes-full-report-50510

 

  1. Women celebrate International Women’s Day worldwide

09 Mar 2021 | ANF English

Since 1911, women around the world have celebrated International Women’s Day on March 8 to draw attention to women’s rights and gender equality. However, after more than 100 years, it is still evident that inequality persists.

https://anfenglish.com/women/women-celebrate-international-women-s-day-worldwide-50507

 

  1. Call for investigation into use of chemical gas in Turkish operation in Gare

27 Feb 2021 | ANF English

Despite the confession of the Turkish Minister of Defence and the accounts of PKK commander Murat Karayılan, the silence of international organizations including the OPCW (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) catches the attention.

https://anfenglish.com/kurdistan/call-for-investigation-into-use-of-chemical-gas-in-turkish-operation-in-gare-50304

 

  1. Ten newspapers in the UK publish “The Time has Come, Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan” call

23 Feb 2021 | ANF English

Ten newspapers in the UK, the Hucknall Dispatch, The Gazette, The Guardian, Advertiser, Rasen Mail, Sunderland Echo, Sleaford Standard, Visitor, The News Courier and The Bucks Herald, published the call “The Time has Come, Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan”.

https://anfenglish.com/news/x-50204

 

  1. Americans, Russians compete for Kurdish support in northeast Syrian border area

21 Feb 2021 | Wladimir van Wilgenburg, Kurdistan24

An area currently under the control of US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the northeasternmost parts of Syria has become a point of serious contention between Russian and American troops.

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/23976-Americans,-Russians-compete-for-Kurdish-support-in-northeast-Syrian-border-area

 

  1. Drought threatens way of life for Iran’s Kurdish nomads

20 Feb 2021 | Rudaw

Drought is threatening the way of life for nomads in Iran’s Kurdish province of Kermanshah.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iran/200220211

 

  1. Erdoğan vows to expand fight against PKK after deaths of 13 hostages

16 Feb 2021 | The Guardian

The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has vowed to expand operations against the Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK) as fallout from the deaths of 13 Turkish soldiers and police officers abducted by the militant group continued to reverberate at home and abroad.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/16/erdogan-vows-to-expand-fight-against-pkk-after-deaths-of-13-hostages

 

  1. Artists for Kurdish Freedom

15 Feb 2021 | Bella Caledonia

Today, on the 22nd anniversary of the capture and imprisonment of Kurdish leader and radical thinker, Abdullah Ocalan, Peace in Kurdistan has released a declaration signed by over a hundred international artists.

https://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2021/02/15/artists-for-kurdish-freedom/

 

  1. PKK: Rise up against the conspiracy and invasion!

12 Feb 2021 | ANF

On the 22nd anniversary of the abduction of the Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan, the PKK Executive Committee published a statement in which it sharply criticized the imperialist states for their support of AKP/MHP fascism.

https://anfenglish.com/kurdistan/pkk-rise-up-against-the-conspiracy-and-invasion-49966

 

  1. International organisations urged to condemn new Turkish invasion of Iraqi Kurdistan

10 Feb 2021 | Steve Sweeney, Morning Star

Kurdish organisations called for an urgent international response to condemn Turkey’s bombing and invasion of Iraqi Kurdistan today as Ankara announced the start of a major new military offensive.

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/international-organisations-urged-condemn-new-turkish-invasion-iraqi-kurdistan

 

  1. Syrians in Kurdish-administered regions struggle with price of bread

10 Feb 2021 | Al-Monitor

Should Syria’s economy and currency continue to deteriorate, it is likely that the cost of wheat will also rise, further straining the Kurdish-led autonomous administration in its efforts to maintain bread subsidies and keep basic goods affordable in northeast Syria.

https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2021/02/syria-northeast-kurdish-administration-bakeries-bread-price.html

 

  1. Syrian oil fields no longer priority for US forces, says Pentagon

09 Feb 2021 | Middle East Eye

US forces in Syria are not guarding oil fields as previously ordered by former President Donald Trump, and are instead focused on fighting the remnants of the Islamic State (IS) group, a Pentagon spokesman said.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/syria-oil-fields-no-longer-priority-us-pentagon

 

OPINION, COMMENTARY, ANALYSIS

  1. Sanitising imperialism — The problem with “The Daughters of Kobani”

10 Mar 2020 | Marcel Cartier, Green Left

Even before it was released and became a New York Times bestseller, Gayle Tzemach Lemmon’s book The Daughters of Kobani made headlines.

https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/sanitising-imperialism-problem-daughters-kobani

 

  1. YJA Star: It’s time for freedom

07 Mar 2021 | ANF English

“Women’s struggles are making a crucial contribution all over the world,” said women guerrillas in YJA-Star saluting all women fighting on 8 March.

https://anfenglish.com/women/yja-star-it-s-time-for-freedom-50465

 

  1. Turkey: Erdogan’s human rights initiative raises eyebrows of beleaguered activists

06 Mar 2021 | Middle East Eye

Despite Ankara announcing the new initiative, the co-chair of Turkey’s Human Rights Association says the situation is worse than ever.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-human-rights-initiative-government-groups-reaction

 

  1. Art in exile: A prison cell as an exhibition venue

03 Mar 2021 | Deutsche Welle

What form does artistic freedom take in prison? A show by exiled Turkish journalist Can Dündar explores the topic.

https://www.dw.com/en/art-in-exile-a-prison-cell-as-an-exhibition-venue/a-56749410

 

  1. When we tried to visit Ocalan

03 Mar 2021 | Roza Salih, Bella Caledonia

The Imrali Island prison, where Kurdish leader, Abdullah Ocalan, has been held in isolation for twenty-two years, accepts no visitors and the annual delegations never actually reach this island fortress. But the delegation’s visit to Turkey provides an opportunity for an international group to draw attention to the conditions faced by a political prisoner that many have called the Kurdish Mandela and find out about the state of human rights in Turkey more generally.

https://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2021/03/03/when-we-tried-to-visit-ocalan/

 

  1. What the mythical figure of Şahmeran in Turkey represents and why activists use it

01 Mar 2021 | The Conversation

At the center of recent protests over civil liberties and religious sensibilities in Turkey looms a half-woman, half-snake figure known as Şahmeran.

https://theconversation.com/what-the-mythical-figure-of-sahmeran-in-turkey-represents-and-why-activists-use-it-155606

 

  1. Iran and Turkey appear to be on collision course in Iraq – analysis

01 Mar 2021 | Jerusalem Post

It appears that Iran, having helped the Iraqi government grab Sinjar from the Kurdistan region, doesn’t want Turkey entering Sinjar now.

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/are-iran-and-turkey-really-on-a-collision-course-in-iraq-660559

 

  1. The case for a Syrian democratic republic

27 Feb 2021 | Jerusalem Post

President Bashar Assad remains ruler of a shattered nation. Assad’s party – the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party (ASBP) – continues to assert dominance over 60% of the country.

https://www.jpost.com/opinion/the-case-for-a-syrian-democratic-republic-comment-660432

 

  1. Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party under pressure as calls increase for its closure

23 Feb 2021 | Al-Monitor

The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party faces renewed pressure in Turkey amid rising calls for its closure and recent court decisions that could see one of its lawmakers removed from parliament.

https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2021/02/turkey-pro-kurdish-party-pressure-calls-closure.html

 

  1. Mother language in Iran another excuse for injustice against minorities

20 Feb 2021 | Iran Human Rights Monitor

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1999 declared February 21, as the International Mother Language Day. In the same year, at the 30th session of UNESCO, the Iranian regime voted in favor of naming the day. Apart from Persian, people in different parts of Iran speak Azeri, Kurdish, Arabic, Turkmen, Gilaki, Mazandarani, Taleshi, Lori, Baluchi, Laki and Tati.

https://iran-hrm.com/index.php/2021/02/20/mother-language-in-iran-another-excuse-for-injustice-against-minorities/

 

  1. Yazidis’ region is in Turkey and Iran’s crosshairs after genocide

20 Feb 2021 | Jerusalem Post

Warmongering from Ankara appears to be in line with its need to keep attacking Iraq and Syria using “fighting terrorism” as an excuse.

https://www.jpost.com/international/after-genocide-yazidis-region-is-in-turkey-and-irans-crosshairs-659596

 

  1. Bogazici resistance is about more than liberal notions of academic freedom, it is a fight against the whole system of oppression

17 Feb 2021 | Steve Sweeney, Morning Star

Turkey’s revolutionary forces said today that protests centred on Bogazici University must remain a fight against fascism and oppression — not for “liberal ideas of academic freedom.”

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/bogazici-resistance-about-more-liberal-notions-academic-freedom-it-fight-against

 

  1. Turkey Targets Osman Kavala’s Arts Organization in Unprecedented Lawsuit

16 Feb 2021 | Hyperallergic

While art philanthropist Osman Kavala has been jailed in Turkey for more than three years without conviction, the country has now filed an unprecedented lawsuit in an attempt to dismantle his Istanbul-based arts organization Anadolu Kültür.

https://hyperallergic.com/622473/turkey-targets-osman-kavalas-arts-organization-in-unprecedented-lawsuit/

 

  1. International solidarity vital in Freedom for Ocalan campaign

14 Feb 2021 | Steve Sweeney, Morning Star

Once we exited the residency door I knew something was wrong,” interpreter Melsa Deniz said. “The last I saw of him was when his jeep turned into a building marked ‘police station.’ I counted five white men. I knew it was over.”

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/f/international-solidarity-vital-freedom-ocalan-campaign

 

  1. Analysis: Turkey’s new S-400 proposal offers olive branch to US

10 Feb 2021 | Al Jazeera

Ankara indicates it may be willing to compromise on the Russian air defence system that strained ties with the US.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/2/10/turkey-proposes-model-to-resolve-s-400-dispute-with-us

 

  1. The day the water had turned red

06 Feb 2021 | Steve Sweeney, Morning Star

One minute children were happily splashing about in the water, the next it was a bloodbath. The tranquillity and laughter turned into chaos and screams.

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/f/the-day-the-water-had-turned-red

 

  1. Meet the victims of Britain’s bombs

05 Feb 2021 | Steve Sweeney, Morning Star

Families in Iraqi Kurdistan have been blown to pieces by the Turkish war machine – and Britain may be responsible.

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/f/meet-victims-britains-bombs-part-2

 

  1. Erdogan’s dirty drone wars

04 Feb 2021 | Steve Sweeney, Morning Star

Turkey is the only country that routinely uses drones on its own citizens – with Britain supplying most of the component parts.

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/erdogans-dirty-drone-wars

 

MULTIMEDIA

  1. Self-determination: Kurdistan, Scotland and Beyond – An Interview with James Kelman

09 Mar 2021 | Peace in Kurdistan

Connor Hayes speaks with writer James Kelman about a wide variety of topics, including self-determination, British history, literature, the tradition of Scottish common sense philosophy, and the Kurdish freedom movement.

https://www.peaceinkurdistancampaign.com/video-self-determination-kurdistan-scotland-and-beyond-an-interview-with-james-kelman/

 

  1. ‘Global arms trade operates above the law’ – Andrew Feinstein

01 Mar 2021 | Peace in Kurdistan

Director of Shadow World Investigations and author Andrew Feinstein interviewed by journalist Erem Kansoy.

https://vimeo.com/518336074

 

  1. Who are the Syrian Kurdish women fighters who took down the Islamic State? Gayle Tzemach Lemmon tells the inside story

17 Feb 2021 | Al-Monitor

Bestselling author and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations Gayle Tzemach Lemmon speaks to Al-Monitor about her new book, The Daughters of Kobani, which tells the story of the women who fought on the front lines of the war against the Islamic State in Syria.

https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/podcasts/2021/02/who-are-the-syrian-kurdish-women-fighters-who-took-down-the-isla.html

Read more: https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/podcasts/2021/02/who-are-the-syrian-kurdish-women-fighters-who-took-down-the-isla.html#ixzz6olR7gdMg

 

  1. Artists’ declaration for Ocalan’s freedom

15 Feb 2021 | Peace in Kurdistan

We are pleased to release this declaration signed by over a hundred international artists which is an initiative designed to highlight the contribution of Abdullah Ocalan to the revival of Kurdish cultural expression as part of the modern Kurdish political movement.

https://www.peaceinkurdistancampaign.com/video-pdf-artists-declaration-for-ocalans-freedom/

 

 

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.