Observations on Provincial Council Elections in Mosul – 1

Observations on Provincial Council Elections in Mosul – 1
Bilgay Duman, ORSAM Middle East Specialist

The provincial council elections, which had been planned to be held in Arbil, Sulaymaniyah and Duhok within Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and in other 14 cities of Iraq in addition to Kirkuk on 20 April 2013, were held only in 12 cities; and the provincial council elections in Mosul and al-Anbar were postponed on the ground that there were security threats and lack of electoral preparations due to anti-government protests. The provincial council elections in Mosul and al-Anbar, announced to be held on 4 July 2013, were designated to be held on 20 June 2013. The Independent High Electoral Commission in Iraq (IHEC) invited 6 electoral watchdog from Turkey to Mosul to serve as international electoral watchdog in Mosul during the elections. In this article, Bilgay Duman from ORSAM shares his observations on provincial council held in Mosul. Since the article was written during the election in Mosul, it contains first observations. The election results and observations regarding the whole electoral process will be written in another article.

Iraq’s Kurdistan Postpones Presidential And Constitutional Vote

Thursday, June 20, 2013

September 2013 was the date set for voting on the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) president and parliament. The balloting was surrounded in controversy as President Massoud Barzani was attempting to find a way to run for a third term, despite Kurdish law saying that he could only serve two times. As part of this effort, Barzani was pushing a referendum on the region’s draft constitution, which would allow him the opportunity to serve up to eight more years. The Kurdish opposition was crying foul, and Barzani’s erstwhile allies the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) were also expressing reservations. The KRG president then conveniently postponed the election for the executive, and agreed to send the constitution back to the regional parliament. This may seem like a setback for Barzani, but it actually shows how easily Kurdistan’s ruling parties can manipulate the political system to stay in power.

America's Gulf War, intermittent bombings in the 1990s, the 2003 war, and aftermath left a toxic legacy.

Children born with two heads reflect it. Some had only one eye. Missing sockets look like the inside of an oyster. They're milky and shapeless. 

Some children had tails like a skinned lamb. One or more had a monkey's face. Girls had their legs grown together. They were half fish, half human.

Miscarriages are frequent. Hundreds of newborns have cleft pallets, elongated heads, overgrown or short limbs, and other malformed body parts. Some are too gruesome to view.

Deformed Iraqi newborns are commonplace. So are virtually every known illness and disease. They're inordinately frequent. They range from severe headaches, muscle pain and debilitating fatigue, to serious infections, cardiovascular disease, brain tumors and numerous type cancers.

They include leukemia, Hodgkin's disease and multiple myeloma. Others affect the bile ducts, bones, brain, breasts, colon, prostate, esophagus, gall bladder, liver, lungs, pancreas, pharynx, ovaries, salivary glands, small intestine, stomach, thyroid, urinary tract, and pelvis.

Irak Türklerinin Acı Durumları, Sadun KÖPRÜLÜ

Irak Türklerinin Acı Durumları

Yazan: Sadun KÖPRÜLÜ

Uzun tarihten bu yana Irak topraklarında ilk millet olan Türkler Irak’ın güneyinde, kuzeyinde batısında, doğusunda yaşayan Irak Türkleri büyük bir millet olarak, eskiden olduğu gibi Saddam döneminde ve 9 Nisan 2003 tarihinde Saddam düştükten sonrada baskılar, acılar, soykırım, katliamlar asimilasyon politikasi günümüzde tüm yönüyle artmak üzeredir.

Irak’ın birçok yerinde özellikle Kerkük, TELAFER, TUZHURMATU tüm Türkmen elinde ölüm ve zulüm acı olaylar sürmektedir, ülkeyi işgal eden sömürgeciler Amerika güçleri her türlü haksızlık yanında Irak Türklerinin milli haklarına karşı durarak,

Kürtlere karşı her türlü destek, yardım etmektedir, önem vermektedirler, Kürtlerin Peşmerge göçlerinin ve ötekilerin milis göçlerine engel olmadan, Irak Türklerini kendilerini savunmak için bir göç kurmalarına Irak’ı işgal ettiği günden karşı durmuştur.

Türkmenelinde olan kanlı olaylara karşı  Irak Türkleri kendilerini savunmak için, bir güce ihtiyacı olarak 14 Temmuz 1959 tarihinde Molla Mustafa tarafından uygulanan Kerkük katliamda büyük liderlerimizi önde gelen Türkler her türlü işkence ile şehit olarak 28 Temmuz 2008 tarihinde peşmergeler dünyanın her yerinde PKK dâhil Kerkük Türk şehrine akın ederek, ellerinde türlü silah araçlar, ipler Türkmen kuruluşlarına saldırı yaparak çok sayıda suçsuz insanları öldürerek, onlarca insanları tutuklayarak hapishaneye atmıştır.

Bu baskılara karşı Amerika güçleri nerdeydi, neden karşılık vermediler bu acı baskılara, asimilasyona karşı Irak Türkleri şehitler vererek, mücadelelerini kanlarıyla, canlarıyla tüm düşmanlara, işgalçilere sürdürmektedirler.

ITF EU representative Dr. Hassan Aydinli met with Brussels Minister Brigitte Grouwels

Brigitte GROUWELS, Brussels Minister and Hassan AYDINLI, ITF EU Representative at the Brussels Parliament

Members of DÜTAP , Dünya Türkleri Avrupa Platformu, (European Platform of Turkish people worldwide) were invited at the Brussels Parliament by Ms Brigitte GROUWELS, Brussels Minister and Brigitte DE PAUW, CD&V-fractievoorzitter Brussel on 16th June 2013.

ITF EU representative Dr Hassan Aydinli (who is also a Member of DÜTAP) met with Minister Brigitte Grouwels. He informed the Minister about the situation of the Turkmens in Iraq and of Kirkuk in particular, explaining that Kirkuk was mainly inhabited by Turkmens before the arabization policy was implemented under the Baath regime several decades ago and before the massive influx of Kurds into the city especially after the occupation of Iraq by the US-UK in April 2003.

He described how this has left the Turkmens vulnerable and how they are constantly being targeted and continue to be marginalized despite the regime change in Iraq, adding that the concept of democracy is taking time to be fully understood and implemented by the Iraqis who have lived under dictatorial regimes since decades.

Dr Hassan Aydinli spoke about the similarities which exist between the city of Brussels (Capital of the European Union) and the city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq as both cities have a mixed population composed of several ethnicities. The city of Brussels has a long experience (20 years) of reaching compromises by democratic means and the city of Kirkuk could greatly benefit from the Brussels example.

Minister Brigitte Grouwels listened attentively and said she is willing to share her expertise on how to reach compromises among different ethnic/cultural components should the officials in Kirkuk city seek her advice on this matter and that she would be happy to meet with them in Brussels.

Kurdish Mob Attacks Assyrian Village in North Iraq -- Attempts Land Grab

6-13-2013


North Iraq (AINA) -- Armed Kurdish men, mostly belonging to the Zebari tribe, attacked the Assyrian village of Rabatki on Thursday at 18:00 local time in Northern Iraq. The motive behind the attack was to forcefully claim parts of the village.

When the villagers realized that the large truck filled with construction material and bricks approaching their village was an attempt by the Kurds to forcefully erect a house on their lands, they quickly formed a road block using their cars, effectively blocking the truck from entering the village. The move angered the Kurds, who then left only to come back less than one hour later, at 18:00 with seven cars full of Kurdish men armed with Kalashnikovs and other weapons.

Speaking of the plight of the Iraqi Turkmens of the village of BASHIR at the United Nations Human Rights Council - Geneva

ITF EU representative Dr Hassan Aydinli attended the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) event : ‘The forgotten Nation: Turkmens in Iraq” in Geneva

J

On this photo: Sheikh Fateh Kashif Al-Ghitaa, Adviser to Prime Minister Al-Maliki; Dr Hassan Aydinli, ITF EU Representative and Commissioner Dr. Sallama H. Al-Khafaji, High Commission for Human Rights Iraq.

The UNPO and Minority Rights Group International organized a side event during the 23rd Session of UNHRC at the Palais des Nations in Geneva on 6th June 2013 to raise awareness about the human rights situation of the Iraqi Turkmens.

At this side event ITF EU representative Dr Hassan Aydinli raised the Unresolved Property Rights Issue of the Iraqi Turkmens who were evicted from their properties and agricultural lands under the Arabization policy of the Baath regime over 30 years ago and who – despite the regime change in Iraq 10 years ago – are still waiting to recuperate their confiscated properties and agricultural lands and receive fair compensation for their loss of income.

Being himself a victim of land grabbing, he cited the case of his village, the Turkmen village of Bashir (Beşir in Turkish), which is situated some 40 km south west of Kerkuk city centre, as it represents a perfect Case Study of the consequences of the former regime’s policies, and also because he has all the official documents and deeds proving that the Turkmen inhabitants of Bashir were the rightful owners of the lands in and around the village. Indeed, his tribe had settled in Bashir many centuries ago, the Turkmen village of Bashir and the number of its households (89) was mentioned for the first time in 1556 in the Land Registry, under Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. These records are kept in Ankara in the archives of the Republic of Turkey.

Dr. Hassan Aydinli spoke extensively on the problem of property and land confiscation from the Turkmens in Iraq. He described the inadmissible conditions imposed on the Turkmens in Iraq since 1921 and the intolerable human rights violations committed against them during decades under the Baath regime.

Taking the subject of land grabbing and property confiscation from the Turkmens as an example of their human rights violations in Iraq, he showed secret official Iraqi documents proving these confiscations and he also showed the deeds of the properties and of the agricultural lands belonging to his family in Beşir which were confiscated by the Baath regime in 1984 and which remain confiscated, despite all his efforts with the new regime since 2003 to recuperate them.

Dr Aydinli underlined the fact that Turkmens did not receive any compensation from the Iraqi government for the loss of their properties during the last three decades up to now, even though the Iraqi government, according to Prime Minister Mr Al-Maliki, has already spent more than one billon USD for the compensation of victims of property and land confiscations under the Baath regime. This shows that the Turkmens continue to be discriminated in Iraq even though they are recognised victims of a well defined agressor: the Baath regime.

Dr. Aydinli also mentioned the fact that the Iraqi central government had decided, on 30th March 2006, to rebuild the village of Beşir which had been razed to the ground by the Baath regime in 1987 and that it had allocated a budget of 43 Billon Iraqi Dinars (equivalent of +/- 36 million USD) for rebuilding Beşir. Unfortunately, the local government in Kirkuk did not cooperate with the central government in Baghdad regarding the realisation of the project in Beşir, on the contrary, it complicated the situation even further with futile bureaucratic decisions which prevented the realization of the project and nothing has been built in Beşir by the Iraqi government since then. This is another example of neglect of Turkmens’ interests by the local authorities in Kirkuk which are dominated by the Kurds since 10th April 2003.

Three delegates from Iraq attended the side event, two members of Iraq’s High Commission for Human Rights, Dr Sallama H. Al-Khazraji and Mr Masrur Aswed and the Adviser to Prime Minister Nuri-Al Maliki Sheikh Fatih Kashif Al-Ghitaa, they were in Geneva to attend the 23rd Session of UNHRC. Dr. Aydinli discussed the Turkmens’ Plight with them in detail and they promised to pass his message to Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki.

Syrian Turkmens: Political Movements and Military Structure

ORSAM REPORT


One of the consequences of single party regime, which has been going on in Syria for more than four decades, is the fact that none of the social or ideological groups in Syria – except for the groups holding the power – could find an opportunity to become organized. The authority gap caused by the events that emerged in Syria on March 2011 made it possible for the aforesaid groups being excluded from the power domain for many years to become organized in a short period of time. The power struggle in Syria started to spread from civilian and political sphere to military sphere some six months after the outset of the uprising. As a result, dispersed military groups, which do not have a hierarchical structure, which act independently from each other and which are in control of only the neighborhood or village where they are, emerged. The struggle between the regime and the opposition started to be maintained through armed groups. And this situation brought along a relationship between external political opposition and internal military opposition in which military structure is more powerful and has more say. The military opposition that became organized in the country felt the need for a means, through which it could communicate with abroad. The political opposition organized abroad, on the other hand, strived to establish its legitimacy through the connection it established with military groups. Thus, military groups, which are close to each external political opposition and influential political figure, emerged.

Please see:


http://www.orsam.org.tr/en/showReport.aspx?ID=2182

http://www.orsam.org.tr/en/enUploads/Article/Files/2013320_150ing.pdf

Stories Of Human Rights Abuses In Iraq From Amnesty International and the State Department’s Annual Reports

posted on Musings on Iraq http://musingsoniraq.blogspot.be/2013/05/stories-of-human-rights-abuses-in-iraq.html

Amnesty International and the U.S. State Department recently released their annual reports on human rights around the world. As usual, Iraq fared badly. Neither organization found any improvements in the situation within the country. The common charges of mass arrests, arbitrary detentions, holding suspects without charges and access to lawyers, torture and abuse of prisoners, holding people that should be released, corruption, intimidation and harassment of the media, and limiting freedom of speech and assembly were all heard. These abuses occurred at the hands of both the central and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). The reason why this situation persists is because there is no due process, and more importantly no accountability within the government to stop and reform any of these practices. Even when parts of the government itself find cases of abuse nothing substantive is done about it. Investigations are always announced for example, but they never lead to anything. Since these types of report have become the norm for Iraq, there is nothing different between this year’s and the last few. What Amnesty and the State Department can provide is specific stories that can humanize the poor state of human rights within the country.

ITF EU Representative Dr Hassan Aydinli met with UN Special Representative Mr Martin Kobler

Martin Kobler UN Special Representative for Iraq at the EU Parliament in Brussels

 Exchange of views with Martin Kobler at the EU Parliament

 ITF EU Representative Dr Hassan Aydinli  speaking with UN Special Representative for Iraq Martin Kobler

 

On 29 May 2013 the Committee on Foreign Affairs at the EU Parliament held an exchange of views with Martin Kobler, UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Iraq. Mr Kobler, expressed serious concerns over the situation in Iraq. After 10 years of a challenging transition to democracy, the country stands at a crossroads and might slide toward escalating sectarian strife if decisive action is not taken. Mr Martin Kobler called for a stronger role of the EU in dealing with the developments in the county.