EUTCC welcomes Joost Lagendijk’s statement regarding regional autonomy

Recent violence in Turkey regarding the Kurdish issue demonstrates the need for renewed commitment on the part of all involved parties to seek a peaceful solution.

Jon Rud, member of the EUTCC, refused entry into Turkey.

Jon Rud is a Norwegian human rights lawyer, and a member of the EUTCC. He was formerly Chairman of the Norwegian Bar Human Rights Committee and of Amnesty International in Norway. On 7 November this year, he was refused entry into Turkey. He had been invited by the Working Group on Justice of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (of which he is also a member) to a seminar in Istanbul.

60th Anniversary of Human Rights Declaration discussion

A panel discussion at Document 6 : International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival
2pm - Sunday 19th October
(free but ticketed)

On the 60th Anniversary of the Human Rights Declaration, a panel of speakers will give presentations on the human rights issues that are so prevalent in their work and which have directly impacted on their lives. The ensuing discussion will concentrate on the effects the UK government's laws are having on the rights to freedom of expression, life and liberty.
 
CCA (Centre For Contemporary Arts), 350 Sauchiehall St., Glasgow

Leyla Zana calls for dialogue with PKK

The prominent Kurdish politician Leyla Zana has called for dialogue to end the quarter century of conflict that has scarred south-eastern Turkey and killed more than 30,000 people.
From the Guardian.

EUTCC Press Release

Leyla Zana, a well know political spokesperson for the Kurds in Turkey has been sentenced to two years imprisonment by a Turkish Court in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir.

Draft Report on Turkey's 2008 Progress Report

 To read the draft report please click here

Jon Rud awarded "Kurd of the Year - Honorary Award".

Former General Secretary of the EUTCC, Mr Jon Rud, was awarded "Kurd of the Year - Honorary Award" in January 2008. The award was given during the first Kurdish Gala in Oslo, hosted by the KRG Nordic Representation.

DTP Vice President Nurettin Demirtas arrested

The DTP Vice President Nurettin Demirtas was arrested two days ago at the Ankara Airport when returning from Europe.  Demirtas is accused of having forged documents in order to escape military service in Turkey. It is expected that Demirtas will be transferred to a military service base.

EUTCC Press Release

The EUTCC urges the Turkish government to curb judicial attempts to derail the democratic and peaceful exercise of the right to free expression, and calls on it to enter into a dialogue with all parties to come to a peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue and prevent the escalation of ethnic violence in Turkey.

New book from Desmond Fernandes

The Kurdish and Armenian Genocides - from Censorship and Denial to Recognition?

Turkey’s repression of the Kurds has been widely documented - and is acknowledged as a major obstacle to Turkey’s accession to the European Union. But what lies behind such repression? Fernandes confronts the issue head on, forcing the reader to probe a question that many in Turkey and elsewhere would rather avoid: does the systematic repression of the Kurds amount to genocide? Open discussion of this issue is critical if a long-term resolution of the Kurdish issue is to be achieved – Nicholas Hildyard, Policy Analyst.