Weekly Report 17 – 24 August 2015

Kurdistan Diary

• Turkish jets started bombing Qendil in the Guerilla controlled areas, in South Kurdistan on August 20. People’s Defense Forces (HPG) Press Office has reported in a statement that bombardments and the aerial activities of the Turkish military against the guerrilla held areas and Garê area of Medya Defence Zones continue. (August 21)
• Guerrillas of HPG (People’s Defense Forces) and YJA Star (Free Women’s Troops) continue their actions as part of the “Martyr Reşit Serdar Initiative” against the ongoing attacks by the Turkish state and its security forces. (August 22)

• Co-mayors of Amed’s Silvan and Sur district municipalities which are both DBP-run municipalities have been formally arrested by a court on August 22. They had been detained on August 19 in the scope of the political genocide operation launched after the declaration of self-governance in the districts.

• According to Bianet’s report between July 20(Suruç bombing) and August 20, in 18 cities, during Turkish State’s total warfare and continuous attacks against guerilla controlled areas 140 people had lost their lives including 55 civilians, 32 guerillas, 35 soldiers, 16 police offcials and 2 state sponsored village guards.

• İHD (Human Rights Association) has released its report concerning human rights violations in Varto, Muş on August 20. On August 10, during the clashes that took place after HPG guerillas’ taking control of Varto-Muş highway, woman guerilla Ekin Wan(Kader Kevser Eltürk) had been captured injured. Later, on August 15, naked pictures of Ekin Van, tortured, murdered and dumped on road were circulated on social media by the torturer fascists. The delegation of IHD first interviewed the people who suffered harms on August 15-16-17, stating that two civilians and two HPG guerrillas were killed by Turkish forces during the conflict that erupted after the torture to death of YJA Star guerrilla Kevser Eltürk (Ekin Wan) in the district and display of her images after death.

For İHD Varto report in Turkish

• As of the date of August 20, with Hizan district of Bitlis, the number of places that self-governance had been declared, reached up to 16. Since July 24, in Turkish state’s continued attacks directed at these self-governance areas among all other Kurdistan provinces where people resist against state’s total warfare 27 civilians had lost their lives.

Since 24th July 27 civilians have been killed by Turkish police and soldiers (IMC TV) #TwitterKurds #Turkey pic.twitter.com/8Cj5psayGG

— Cahida Dêrsim (@dilkocer) August 21, 2015

• Including Silvan, Lice, Kulp and Dicle districts of Diyarbakır, 20 regions in total had been declared as ‘special security zone’ between August 20 and September 5. On August 18, curfew was declared in Silvan and Turkish security forces launched operations following the decison. During the 2 days long curfew workplaces, houses were bombed, burnt and 4 people including one guerilla lost their lives. After 2 days photos of Silvan showed grade of Turkish state terror against civilians leaving Silvan demolished and ruined.

• Turkish state destroys Kurdistan nature by airstrikes. Most recently, a large forested area has been destroyed by the aerial attacks of the Turkish army carried out on Xinera area of Medya Defence Zones.
• Police shot three year old  İ.D. in the head during random fire directed at anti-war protests in Nusaybin, Mardin on August 21. The child’s medical condition is still critical.
• Funerals of 21 YPG/YPJ guerillas martyred fighting against ISIS have been waited at Kobanê border by Turkish State for 25 days.

Turkish Diary

• Youth camp of Halk Cephesi (Popular Front) in Mersin had been raided by police, 39 people were detained (August 20). Also during operations in İstabul, again targeting Halk Cephesi, one person was detained. Turkish State’s aggresive attacks and political genocide operations targeting Kurdish movement and leftist organizations continue at full steam.

• Özgür Halk (Free People) reporter Cem Poyraz was taken into custody on August 22 in İstanbul. Dicle News Agency(Pro-Kurdish Press) reporter Cihan Başakçıoğlu was threatened by three unknown persons in İzmir after Peace Block Press conference. Pro-Kurdish and leftist media organizations have been raided, closed, censored whilst reporters are being detained, threatened and followed.
• 600 lawyers and 19 law organizaztions established Justice for Suruç Platform and undertook advocacy mission for the families of 33 revolutionary youth that lost their lives in Suruç bombing. Speaking for the platform Özlem Gümüştaş stated that such a bombing attack without MIT’s(Turkish National Secret Service) knowledge was not possible and the confidentiality order was against law hindering them from revealing the truth. Gümüştaş said that they would take confidentiality order to the constitutional court (August 22).

• In Esenler, İstanbul following the fire on patroling police, clashes took place and a 17 year-old youth lost his live. (August 18)
• Police tried to block ‘Woman Initiative For Peace’ platform’s anti-war protest in Taksim, on August 19. Various anti-war protests take place and peace blocks in different cities are being established aross the country.

Polis İstanbul'da BİKG'in "Barış" eylemini "güvenlik" gerekçesiyle engelllemeye çalışıyor… 19.20 pic.twitter.com/gkYUU6DEkv

— sendika.org (@sendika_org) August 19, 2015

• During soldier Recep Beycur’s (20) funeral who lost his live in an explosion in Siirt, people protested Erdoğan shouting: ‘Let Erdoğan be proud of himself. He is making brothers kill each other!’

https://youtu.be/jN9JyoVkXxo

• During soldier Bahadır Aydın’s funeral in Bursa, Minister of Health Mehmet Müezzinoğlu and governor were protested by the crowd. Both of them had to leave upon heavy protests and people throwing plastic bottles on them. While people’s and families of soldiers’ reactions against state’s imperialist total warfare rise day by day, mainstream media label those protesting as terorists.

•  Ahead of hearing of Ethem Sarısülük case who was murdered by police in Gezi Protests in Ankara, Ankara governorship demanded the trial to be removed to another city court showing the murderer police Ahmet Şahbaz’s security as a cause! In Turkey, it is quite usual for the important political trials concerning crimes of security forces to be moved from one city to another in order to dissolve public attention for closing the case in time.

Worker’s Diary

• On August 18, construction worker Seyithan Kapalıgöz had lost his live as a result of workplace murder in Siirt. Construction sector, despite being the so called economical growth motor of Turkey, is one of the most dangerous sectors with poor safety standards and control.

• Worker  Mehmet Kalaycıoğlu lost his live due to the fall from the ship while working in TÜPRAŞ İzmit Refinery on August 18.

• As a result of the collapse of working scaffold in Keçiören Subway construction in Ankara, worker Mehmet Kalaycı crashed to the concrete floor and lost his live (August 18)

• Another workplace murder in construction sector took place in Serkan Construction Firm’s Zeytinburnu site causing worker Mehmet Yıldırım’s live (August 21). Occupational Health and Safety Council stated that 37 workers lost their lives in construction sector only in July.
• It is revealed that workplace murder in March 2012 in MarmaraPark retail center construction where 11 workers were burnt alive was caused of management’s negligence for avoiding to invest only 40.000TL in work place security.

• Third trial of Soma workplace murder hearing took place in 4 sessions through out last week. Shift superintendents of Soma mine stated that they had no training concerning job security and the mine was lacking an effective alarm system.

• In Karasu district of Sakarya, tractor carrying rural workers rolled over leaving 18 women workers injured on August 21. The crash in which the truck carrying rural workers on Manisa road was involved had caused lives of 15 workers among whom 13 were women, on July 6. Seasonal rural workers are carried in unsecured trucks with death risk in case of any traffic accident.

• A group of Kurdish seasonal workers who went to Baş village in Konya’s Ereğli district, were attacked by a fascist mob as they worked in the field on August 22. The fascist group set fire to the tents where Kurdish workers staying. Kurdish workers were removed out of the village due to the risk of any other serious attack.

Eco diary

• On August 19, construction of road project threatening green valleys of Black Sea region was started accompanied with heavy-armed police and gendarme. ‘Fırtına İnsiyatifi’ (platform established to resist against road project) called everyone to resist and protest on the field and in other cities. Security forces threatened people gathered in Samistal valley. Construction continues with bulldozers and armed forces despite popular opposition.

• ÇED (Environmental Impact Evaluation) meeting of Ro-Ro Port project which is planned to be built near by Beylikdüzü Ambarlı Port was precluded by local people on August 20. ÇED process is used as an legitimization tool for huge construction projects threatening local nature and neighbourhoods. Therefore blocking ÇED meetings has become a way of popular resistence against government-led capitalist construction projects.

Prison Diary

• State violence directed at political prisoners has escalated. Cells of political prisoners had been raided in Silivri prison of İstanbul, prisoners were assaulted. 500 political prisoners affiliated with PKK went on a hunger strike on August 14 demanding the release of Abdullah Öcalan and border pass for the funerals of YPG/YPJ fighters that have been waited for 25 days. The number of prisoners going on hunger strike is expected to reach up to 4,000. It is reported that prisoners on hunger strike had been tortured in Malatya prison.

• Extremely sick political prisoner, 80 years old Hasan Aslan is still held in prison despite 23 years of prison and his heavy condition.

Saturday Mothers/People

The Saturday Mothers/People, gathering for the 543^rd time, demanded to know what had happened to Mehmet Ertak who disappeared after he had been taken into custody in 1992, August 18. Total warfare of AKP was protested stating: ‘We won’t assent any of our children to die because of your dirty war. Get your dirty hands off our children!’

isyandan.org