Protestors killed in Southern Kurdistan over water

[heval]

An update on that incident...


Talabani: I can not provide electricity from my own pocket
Saturday, 01 October 2005

London (TheKurdistani.com) – In response to a question related to the recent riots in the Kurdish city of Kalar, the Iraqi president, Jalal Talabani, said in regards to the lack of electricity services in the region that “he can not provide electricity from his own pocket.”



In an interview with the Suleimani-based Kurdish newspaper of Aso which was published today, the Iraqi president, Jalal Talabani was asked “previously you have said that you are optimistic about the future of democracy in Kurdistan, but there are now some problems in Kurdistan. How much are you aware of the incidents which happened in Kalar?”
The Iraqi president replied “Yes I am aware. But in your opinion what’s happened there?”




The editor of Aso replied “After the interview I will tell you my personal opinion. But now I am asking as a journalist. In your opinion what are the roots of the Kalar incident? Is the problem based on the lack of services? Lack of democracy, or maltreatment of the issues?

Talabani replied “I am looking at the issue from everyone’s point of view. I think that democracy has flourished in Kurdistan, for example the selection of Massoud Barzani as the president of the [Kurdistan] region has strengthened the ties between the PUK and the KDP. About the [Kalar] incident, I think we have to look at the problem from everyone’s viewpoint. We have to know the hurdles in the [PUK] party there.

Talabani said that the first responsible party for the Kalar incident is his party’s office in the city. “80% of Kalar are PUK supporters. We have to know why the [PUK] party did not interact with the people of Kalar to hear people’s demands and implement them. On another side, the governmental offices in the city did not listen to the people’s demands as they should have been.”
Talabani told Aso that “another reason is that the issues have not been clearly explained to the citizens. For example the electricity problems, there are is no electricity, what can we do, electricity production is not enough, for example a city like Baghdad only has 4 hours.”

“I can not provide electricity from my own pocket”, Talabani told the Aso newspaper.

On 7th of September 2005, the security forces of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) fired on protesters demanding better public services leaving at least 1 person dead and 31 injured.

Jalal Talabani is the president of Iraq and the general secretary of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan

[cheryl]

heval, i know you left a month after i returned, and i don't know how much time you spent in hewlêr, but i am amazed that the hewlêris are not protesting about electricity. it was totally irregular there and you could go for most of the day without it.

i also don't know how much time you spent in bahdinan as compared to your time in silêmanî governorate, but i noticed a difference in the villages between the two. it seemed to me that the bahdinan villages had more people out and about and i saw more people working their fields. it seemed to me that the villages in silêmanî governorate were more deserted. i wonder if this difference is a reflection of availability of infrastructure?

i asked the director of the jhic what he felt was the most pressing issue that needed to be dealt with in liberated kurdistan, and he replied that it was water--all aspects of it from proper sanitation to sewage. as he explained, one can't live without water.

i know also that dohuk and hewlêr governorates are working to expand the electrical grid and to renovate existing power substations. i imagine that silêmanî governorate's electrical system must have the same needs. in the meantime, villages in bahdinan are getting generators to tide them over until the electrical infrastructure can support demand.

(now you can see what kind of boring conversations i force everyone to have when i was there)

i was told that the people in bahdinan go to their local authorities and the local authorities work with them to address their issues. it seems to me that this is how it should be and, given this news of shooting of protestors, PUK is going to have to work with the people too. this shooting is certainly not acceptable.

i'm not even going to get started on another critical issue--landmines. i will rant for days about the noticeable absence of do-gooder organizations that are supposed to go around clearing mines.

[heval]

heval, i know you left a month after i returned, and i don't know how much time you spent in hewlêr, but i am amazed that the hewlêris are not protesting about electricity. it was totally irregular there and you could go for most of the day without it.

i also don't know how much time you spent in bahdinan as compared to your time in silêmanî governorate, but i noticed a difference in the villages between the two. it seemed to me that the bahdinan villages had more people out and about and i saw more people working their fields. it seemed to me that the villages in silêmanî governorate were more deserted. i wonder if this difference is a reflection of availability of infrastructure?

Yes, I did spend a lot of time in Hewlêr and I agree. The lack of electricity there is quite frustrating. What was even more surprising to me, however, was that many were telling us that in Silêmanî, electricity is less of problem. Well, it must have been a bad month for Silêmanî while I was there, because it didn't seem to be any better than Hewlêr from my perspective.

Aside from that, I think one of the problems here is that the smaller towns, such as Kalar, are going for whole days without electricity and water as oppose to in the big cities where it is absent for just some hours out of the day. I could be wrong, but these are the impressions I got from the reports on these matters. Perhaps this is the reason for protests in those areas.

That is a very interesting observation you made regarding the villages. I am not sure, but while I was there, I did take note of the many new villages being built along the roads from Silêmanî to Hewraman. This was particularly the case in Hewraman. I spoke to the people there and they said people are just getting resettled now that Ansar al-Sunna has finally been removed from the area by Peshmerga and American forces.


You are right. The actions the PUK took are certainly unacceptable. There should be no reasons why there are shootings that have resulted in injuries or deaths, whether or not the protests were peaceful or violent. What is concerning is that no soldiers have been arrested or held responsible for what's been done. If the PUK leadership truly condemns the actions taken against the protestors, then they should put their words into action and bring justice.

[cheryl]

That is a very interesting observation you made regarding the villages. I am not sure, but while I was there, I did take note of the many new villages being built along the roads from Silêmanî to Hewraman. This was particularly the case in Hewraman. I spoke to the people there and they said people are just getting resettled now that Ansar al-Sunna has finally been removed from the area by Peshmerga and American forces.

i did not get to the hewraman area, so i'm glad to hear from you that people are going back and into new villages. i hope that they can connect with new infrastructure or at least have generators and water treatment until they are connected to wider systems.

i also hope they are clear of mines.

it sounds to me as if puk needs to seriously work at the local level and address the needs of the people at that level. i think it would be better if such activity were coordinated with an overall plan for their entire area and i think that if the local people were given a sense of responsibility and control for construction, it would be a positive thing.

i don't understand this apparent fear that the puk has for those living in its area.

[cheryl]

Here's another big problem:

Kurdish uprising over lack of fuel, KDP prevents media coverage in Akre

Saturday, 22 October 2005
Tuesday, 18 October 2005

London (TheKurdistani.com) - More than a thousand Kurds protested against the lack of public services in the Kurdish town of Akre, which is under the control of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), resulting in two petrol stations being set alight, reported the Kurdish radio, Radio Nawa.

According to Nawa, angry demonstrators protesting over the lack of fuel in Kurdistan , attacked two petrol stations in Akre and set them alight. Armed security forces of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) arrived in large numbers and fired in the air to disperse protesters. The demonstrators also attacked four Turkish fuel tankers and set them alight.

Nawa reported that the security forces of the KDP prevented media coverage and seized cameras and tapes from journalists and reporters in Akre.

This is the second violence Kurdish uprising against the ruling Kurdish parties of KDP and PUK. On 7th of September 2005, a peaceful protest turned into an uprising which lasted several hours after security forces of PUK fired on peaceful protesters killing at least one and injuring 31.

http://www.thekurdistani.com/news/index ... iew&id=981

and an update:

PUK member arrested for participating in Akre protest

Wednesday, 02 November 2005

London (TheKurdistani.com) – The police forces of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) arrested a member of the rival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in the town of Akre for allegedly participating in the recent “fuel protest” in Akre, reported the PUK news journal, PUKmedia.


According to PUKmedia, Sardar Hassan was arrested by armed KDP forces and was accused of participating in a protest against the KDP-Kurdistan regional government in Akre over lack of fuel in the city. According to PUKmedia, Sardar Hassan was in the town of Suleimani on the day in which the protest occurred.

The Kurdistan Democratic Party is headed by the Kurdistani president, Massoud Barzani.

PUKmedia reported that Sardar Hassan has been transferred to a prison in Duhok and has been told that he will be freed if he joins Barzani’s party.

The arrest of the PUK member comes as an Austrian legal expert of Kurdish origin was abducted by KDP’s security forces in Hewler for criticizing Massoud Barzani. His whereabouts is not known yet.

The Kurdistan Referendum Movement said in a press statement yesterday that during the past few days random arrests, detention and torture of over 50 citizens were carried out by KDP in Akre. The detainees allegedly had participated in the Akre “fuel protest”.


http://www.thekurdistani.com/news/index ... 2&Itemid=2


Add to this news the news of Talabanî fighting with Ja'afari over palaces and the Korek/AsiaCell controversy, and it looks like, to me, it's time for the people to rise up and throw the bums out.

[heval]

Here is another piece of news to add to the burning fire, Cheryl. I am really shocked as well as disappointed to read news like this... do not really know what more to say...

What may validate this news as most likely being true is the fact that the Kurdistan Referendum Movement recently made a press release condemning the KRG for the arrest of Dr. Kamal...


Barzani’s KDP tortures Kurdish Austrian writer – Kurdish website
Tuesday, 08 November 2005
London (TheKurdistani.com) – The Kurdistan News

Agency “Kurdistanan.com” reported today that the Kurdish writer , Dr. Kamal Said Qadir, has been facing physical and mental torture by the Kurdistan Democratic Party in Hewler (Erbil).

According to KNA, Dr. Kamal Said Qadir’s legs and arms have been broken as a result of the torture and maltreatment by the Kurdistan Democratic Party.


“Dr, Kamal Said Qadir has been subjected to beating by electric cables, beating of feet, hanging, and psychological techniques such as death threats by facing a gun on his head”, reported KNA.


Dr Kemal Said Qadir published a few articles on Kurdish online journals criticizing the Kurdistani president, Massuod Barzani.
Dr Kamal Said Qadir, an international legal expert, writer and human rights activist, who holds the Austrian passport, was arrested by Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (Parastin) intelligence apparatus in Erbil (Hewler) on 27 October 2005.

The son of the Kurdistani president, Masroor Barzani, is in charge of KDP’s secrete services, Parastin.

Massoud Barzani, is the president of the Kurdistan region of Iraq and the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party.

[heval]

Barzani’s KDP tortures Kurdish Austrian writer – Kurdish website .

Can anyone confirm whether or not these allegations are true? I just read something following an interview of Taha Berwari (KRG rep in Europe) and he said Dr. Kamal is being held on counts of slander and personal harassment.

He also said "the Kurdish webpage which is responsible for this infected debate should be held accountable for its activities," and "Terms such as, "pimp", "spy" and "traitor" are used in serious criminal accusations against individuals whose names are published, thus subjecting them to persecution and defamation".

(beyan.net)


If this is what it sounds like... sounds pretty ridiculous to me. So now they want to monitor every Kurdish website that has criticized the KRG?

[cheryl]

i have seen this news, heval! it is a scandal.

the only other thing i have seen was that AI has picked up the case:

Amnesty International takes up the case of Dr Kamal Said Qadir

KRM-- 03/11/2005


Kurdistan Referendum Movement

Press Release

London: 1620 hours

Amnesty International takes up the case of Dr Kamal Said Qadir

Following the arrest of Kurdish lawyer and international human rights advocate Dr Kamal Said Qadir by Kurdistan Democratic Party’s notorious Parastin secret service in Arbil on 26 October 2005, Kurdistan Referendum Movement- International Committee- has taken urgent action to inform international bodies and human rights organisations about this serious violation of human rights and international law. KRM has been in contact with the Amnesty International in London who responded with great concern and understanding. KRM has been informed that today the Amnesty International has formally written to KDP leader Mr Masud Barzani and KDP authorities in Arbil raising with them a number of urgent concerns about the human and legal rights of Dr Kamal Qadir including his access to independent legal representatives.

KRM will continue to campaign for the freedom and full human and civil rights of Dr Kamal Qadir and for civil society and freedom in Kurdistan.


Kurdistan Referendum Movement
International Committee
London 3 November 2005.

http://www.kurdistanreferendum.org/view ... nts.ID=304

you know what, what if everyone started emailing kdp's website making a big stink about this? if we appealed to the kdp's better nature, how horrible this makes kurdistan look abroad, especially since the kdc has just released its advertisements in the american media this last week, how it is going to do so starting 14 november in the uk. . .

how will it look to see these advertisements, on the one hand, and reports from AI on the other about arrests that violate free speech. use of torture, and complete lack of due process of law by a region that claims to be working toward democracy?

i suggest we all start emailing and posting comments on kdp's website. . . perhaps even put pressure on kdc, asking them how to reconcile democracy with dr. qadir's arrest?