Political prisoners

PR: First Mandela. Now Öcalan. Why is Amnesty afraid to campaign for those fighting for the liberation of their people?

To the Press and Public,

First Mandela. Now Öcalan. Why is Amnesty afraid to campaign for those fighting for the liberation of their people?

As the Hunger Strikers protesting inside Amnesty International Headquarters in London we would like to inform the public of Amnesty’s human rights abuses by denying water, fresh air and use of the toilet during protest over their failure to stand up for basic human rights.

Amnesty international is deliberately ignoring the demands of millions of Kurds in their continued refusal to stand up for human rights and international law over the continued isolation of Abdullah Ocalan. Continue reading “PR: First Mandela. Now Öcalan. Why is Amnesty afraid to campaign for those fighting for the liberation of their people?” →

Conflict resolution

YPG responds to controversial Amnesty report

YPG_AmnestyThe YPG has released a response to a controversial Amnesty International report published last week which accused the Kurdish forces of forcibly displacing Arab civilians from villages. The report was apparently the result of a ‘fact-finding mission’ to Rojava, but its findings have been heavily disputed by solidarity activists, Kurdish political organisations and now the YPG itself, which says: “The report contains fallacies since the testimonies of the individuals interviewed by Amnesty International were incorrect and contradictory to the facts and evidence, widely available and easily accessible to everyone. In this official statement, we will mention some of these flagrant fallacies that put the credibility of the report and Amnesty International at stake.”

The introduction to the report is here. To read the full report, which unpicks the evidence, or lack thereof, of war crimes committed by Kurdish forces, here.

Continue reading “YPG responds to controversial Amnesty report” →

Conflict resolution, Freedom of expression, Kurdish language rights, Kurdish Women

Amnesty International releases Human Rights Reports 2013

Amnesty International has released its report for 2013. The global update is available to read on their website, and their report on the state of human rights in Turkey can be found here.

The introduction to this years report reads:

“I NEVER IMAGINED THAT…TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING COULD MEAN WALKING THE LINE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH… MANY TIMES I’VE FELT AS THOUGH FEAR HAS SOAKED THROUGH TO MY BONES, BUT THE FEELING OF RESPONSIBILITY IS STRONGER”

Continue reading “Amnesty International releases Human Rights Reports 2013” →

Political prisoners, War crimes

Human rights reports published

This week, two reports on human rights have been published that you may find of interest.

The first is an annual country report on human rights practices in Turkey from the U.S State Department, which can be read online.

The second is Amnesty International’s annual report on the state of human rights across the world, which heavily criticises the UN Security Council for not living up to its role as guardian of global peace due to it’s ‘failure to intervene’ in countries like Sri Lanka and Syria. One has to wonder how an international organisation that campaigns to protect ‘justice, fairness, freedom and truth’ can openly advocate intervention (read ‘war’) in independent sovereign countries.