There is no better example than Iran. The Iranian government is not a victim of this, they deserve any revealing coverage that comes their way. It’s a country that thrives on its own people’s blood and by executing people at such a fast rate that it’s difficult to be shocked or even shaken by such news anymore. People hear about it so often that it’s numbing. They hear about it mostly because it’s accessible. U.S and Israeli media report it every day as a strategy to empower itself. It’s a brutal psychological war that uses real lives and real personal stories, real people, to give itself more power. The more it happens, the more they celebrate it. It shows from their energetic coverage of such news. For their convenience, such news helps to divert your attention away from their own crimes and their own dirty games that play a big role in today’s political and human rights crisis across our countries. Protesters shot and killed in Saudi Arabia or Bahrain? Move along people, nothing to see here.

Many of my activist friends in Iran share this same feeling. These governments (also oppressive) taking advantage of these activists who risk their own freedoms to expose these stories and who, as a consequence, have to witness these stories being used against them. We all know that the U.S and Israel, and their allies, have no interest in human rights and in us as human beings. They have an interest in their political and economic status, and to maintain Israel’s role as a superpower in the region, one that also thrives on blood and murder. But the U.S regards that as “necessary crimes” for Israel’s “survival,” though Iran and Syria can claim the same thing. They kill for the survival of their current government and current structure and to protect the current people in power. You can justify anything if you try to and sometimes it would even make sense, it just would never be right. Especially if it means you end up putting even more people in danger than they already were, which is what both the U.S and Israel are doing with its narrow coverage.

Some people ask why others are so focused on Israel when there are crimes happening in their own countries or other neighboring ones. The answer is that coverage of these issues gets in the wrong hands all too often. These are powerful hands who call the shots (literally.) In one instance you still want the entire world to know what crimes your government is committing and in another you don’t want to empower occupying and imperialist forces to use that as justice for their interference. A lot of people feel that the latter is an important struggle because the human rights movements feels incomplete without it.

Unfortunately for us, this will happen regardless of our fight against it. That doesn’t mean we can sit back and watch it happen, but we should expose it and discourage it and even refrain from speaking with certain journalists at certain papers and state our reasons why so that they understand that we’re not going to help their agendas that are in direct competition with ours. And our agenda is the simplest demand that is the hardest to fight for: to be free. Free from tyrannical regimes and free from occupying foreign forces.

Unrest in Syria, domestic and foreign conflicts, unstable economics, and ever increasing sanctions are some of many factors challenging Iranian’s regime. The question arises, whether the current circumstances can be taken advantage of by the working class, students, and generally the opposition and the green movement?

A national state requires its different components to be in accordance in order to function properly. After its allegedly rigged presidential elections, over two years ago, the Iranian government was faced a political crisis. While the opposition was heavily oppressed, the new government also had to cope with the burdens of the Islamic republic, ranging from economical deficits to foreign struggles. Removing subventions and establishing diplomatic relations with Latin American countries were just a few of newly introduced policies. However these efforts could not sufficiently stabilize the compromised integrity and legitimacy of the government. On the contrary the opposition is making an effort to reorganize, domestic conflicts are getting radicalized and the economy is on its downturn. Moreover the controversial nuclear program and the sanctions added on the pressure.

From a strategic point of view, the opposition can make best of the current regime’s dilemma to reach its own goals. At the moment the opposition has the opportunity to dispute the aforementioned matters and their consequences on the society. If the opposition succeeds to take a stand on these issues it may be able to reunite different groups and mobilize masses. The western interest on one hand and the conflicts inside the regime on the other hand made a momentum to be used by the opposition.

When an entire people are systematically oppressed and marginalized, small actions to make their story heard can have dramatic consequences. Similarly, small actions to silence their voice can have dramatic and tragic consequences.

RojTV is one of the only international Kurdish language channels available to Kurds. It broadcasted everything from children’s programmes to Kurdish music and film. But most importantly, it filled the large gap of Kurdish news and politics, information that is ignored or censored from mainstream media. For over a year, RojTV had been embroiled in a long legal battle after being accused of violating Danish anti-terrorism laws. Perhaps you’ve read an article related to the case over the last year, or had been following it avidly. Or maybe the first time you ever heard of RojTV and its legal battle was when the case was closed. Kurds celebrated when RojTV kept its license, despite being found guilty of “terrorism” and charged a hefty fine.

Kurdish celebration was short lived, however. On January 19, Eutelsat Communications decided to stop broadcasting RojTV, effectively shutting down one of the biggest sources of Kurdish news in the world.

With the closing of RojTV, Kurds lose a powerful voice, one that frequently was the only one on their side. With the closing of RojTV, Turkey will no longer be held accountable for the arrest of hundreds of journalists, activists, academics, and even children. Iran can continue to hide the murder of Kurdish migrant workers on the Iranian border, and the arbitrary detention and execution of Kurdish activists. Images of Turkish massacres, like the most recent in Roboski, will no longer flicker across the screens of thousands of people, who can then mobilize to demand justice for their dead.

To you, perhaps, the only emotion you felt was “good riddance”. RojTV was provocative, some say. Or worse, an incitement to terrorism. Its messages had no place in anyone’s living room, you claim.

Dear reader, we’re here to tell you your claims are wrong.

Differences in political opinions should flourish. We’re not telling you to think exactly like us. But the dangers in silencing any political opinion are always more dangerous than any political opinion itself. The censorship of RojTV by the Danish courts, Eutelsat Communications, and by the pressures of Turkey itself extend far beyond the closure of this one Kurdish station. With the closing of RojTV, the voice of the Kurds has been silenced, and because Kurds are humans, who proudly claim their basic human rights, a voice of humanity has been silenced.

For you see, the Kurdish struggle isn’t just the Kurdish struggle, just like the Palestinian struggle isn’t just the Palestinian struggle, and the Egyptian struggle and Bahraini and Syrian. Wherever people sacrifice their time, and their lives, for greater freedom for their people, all of us who are invested in human rights and social justice gain. We, the authors of this letter, aren’t Kurds. One of us is Bahraini, the other Syrian. We’re from two countries run by dictatorships. Our people understand very sharply how valuable freedom is. It is only because we value freedom in our own countries that we feel a duty to stand with the Kurds. We cannot advocate for our own voices while we accept the silencing of others.

This is what motivates us. This is our cause. We are not terrorists, nor advocates of terrorists. Odds are, the word doesn’t mean what you think it means anyway. But either way, there is no political agenda behind our efforts. We merely speak up against violations of human rights, something the Kurds suffer far too often.

And because we speak up, we, as Arabs, are the target of some of the same attacks that Kurds face themselves. We receive hate mail and threatening comments, usually in the name of extremist Turkish nationalists. Our site has faced numerous hacking attempts. All because we stand up for Kurds. If we, as non-Kurds, face this abuse, then what do our Kurdish brothers and sisters have to put up with, simply for claiming their right to their rich historical and cultural background? For asking to live with dignity?

We realize we are reaching out to an unfamiliar audience. You may have never met a Kurd, or have your own opinions regarding the Kurdish struggle. Regardless of anything else, everyone has a basic human right to a voice, and a voice that is heard. Despite centuries of abuse, despite their very language being banned, the Kurdish voice has never been louder. At the very least, you have an obligation to hear them out. Banning TV stations and imprisoning journalists won’t silence the Kurds, but it will lay the foundations for a dangerous world where we all surrender our basic human rights to the people in power, where surveillance and censorship are valued more highly than dignity and liberty.

The Kurds are facing a painful battle for their freedom, one they’ve paid for with their lives. With your support, crimes against the Kurdish people will no longer weigh on humanity’s conscience. Speak up for a world where everyone can be heard regardless of ethnicity or faith. Freedom is non-negotiable. If these crimes are allowed to go unnoticed and unpunished, you could be next.

In solidarity,
S. Boulad
E. Al Shafei
The Alliance for Kurdish Rights

I have set up an e-petition urging the British Government to recognize the Genocide inflicted upon the Kurdish population by the former regime of Saddam Hussein.

If we get 100,000 signatures than they will debate this cause in the British Parliament, thus please sign and pass on your petition.

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/25526

I would like to thank you all for the support and for being a friend to Kurdistan.

Laween Atroshi

As its obvious there are strong ties between Iran and Iraq’s ruling, Shiites, especially with the Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki which remained in power by a secret deal between Iran and United States. However, Al-Maliki is highly connected with the leaders in Iran regarding whatever he could do on Syrian case, as we have seen a delegation from Iraqi government arrived in Damascus to show Iraq’s support to Al-Asad’s Syria, even though Iraqi government announced they are trying to mediate that’s in one hand. On the other hand, Iraqi Sunnis have a strong tie with Turkey; Tariq Al-Hashimi, in particular, has a special relation with the leaders of Turkey’s AKP government, only this year he met with Turkish authorities many times. The recent tension between Iran and Turkey on Syria and NATO missile defense has certainly affected on the Iraqi leaders, especially Iran wants to move the center of attention from Syria to other friendly countries like Iraq.

The declaration of the Sunni cities of Salahadeen, Anbar, and later Dyala to become regions by the Saudi-Turkish support is another reason, as Shiites accuse such a step as a sectarian one that tries to divide the country. That led Muqtada Al-Sadr’s Mahdi militia to intervene in Dyala that around 20% of the province’s population is Shiites. Moreover, according to some sources, another possible scenario is linking part of the Sunni region withJordan, specifically both cities of Anbar and Dyala. Whereas, Jordan’s King Abdullah arrived in London recently to discuss this possible scenario with the British officials, including British prime minister. According to the source,Britainis the spearhead of the scenario of linking part of the Iraq’s Sunni region with Jordan. While Mosul province which is dominated by the Iraqi parliament speaker’s Sunni leader, Asel Nujifi will become a federal region under Turkish supervision. Furthermore, Arabs will go out from Kirkuk, only Kurds and Turkmen will remain there, and both Kurdistan and Turkey will share the oil revenues with giving Mosul province some of the revenue, as well.

Nouri Al-Maliki’s autocratic approaches also part of the tension. Paul Bremer defined Al-Maliki as the Saddam of Shiites. In the recent years, after his partial success in limiting violence Al-Maliki strengthened its hand over the government and security forces. Only one day-afterUnited States’ official withdrawal fromIraq, Al-Maliki accused Tariq Al-Hashimi for being behind terrorist attacks in Iraq. In addition, today Nouri Al-Maliki officially dismissed Salih Mutlaq from his position as deputy prime minister because Mutlaq described Al-Maliki as a new dictator while described Saddam as a good dictator, in an interview with CNN. A close source from Tariq Al-Hashimi told me, Al-Hashimi also has strong evidence that proves Al-Maliki’s engagement in terrorist attacks, but he will keep it for now. Most of the politicians in Iraq, including Shiites believe that Al-Maliki is trying to erase his rivals, including his Shiite allies one day. Nevertheless, Al-Maliki denies this; he says the diverseIraqwith a wide range of parties in parliament won’t become dictatorship again. The days will, at the end, show how Al-Maliki’s desire for power will end the state called Iraq.

Kurds who try to show themselves as neutrals aren’t, in reality. Historically, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani’s Patriotic Union of Kurdistan has strong ties withIran, which that clearly reflects in the many visits of Talabani to Iran. After the accusation of Al-Hashimi, he tried to meet with Talabani, but he refused. Paradoxically, the other Kurdish leader, Masoud Barzani the president of Kurdistan region met with Al-Hashimi, and refused to surrender him to the Iraqi authorities in Baghdad. Barzani has strong ties withTurkey, last year Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan paid a historic visit to Barzani’s stronghold, Kurdistan region’s capital, Arbil. Erdogan is the first Turkish high official ever has visited Kurdistan. The regional game even divides the Kurdish leaders in Iraq. The formula is obvious.

A radical political dilemma is looming in Iraq, the recent standoff is only the fore. However, this political game will lead either to a bloody internal war that the consequences unknown, or to a demise of a country called Iraq. Let’s see!

Blog: abdullahawez.com

Twitter: @abdullahawez

Mass Arrests of Kurdish Intellectuals in Istanbul:

My father-in-law was one of fifty people arrested on Friday morning, and while the police were civil at his house—calling him beyefendi (sir) and taking care not to break anything—in other parts of Turkey they kicked in doors and turned homes inside out. Read more.

Low-Level Torture—A Letter From An Istanbul Prison:

My father in law has been transferred to Kandıra prison in Izmit. They’ve split all the prisoners, sending them willy nilly to different high security prisons around the country. We had hoped for a visit this holiday, but were told that there would be no visits at all this week. Read more.

BDP threatens to boycott Parliament:

Turkey’s main Kurdish political party has threatened to withdraw from parliament due to arbitrary arrests of its MP’s in the past months. Read more.

Offices of Kurdish lawyers raided:

The offices of Asrin Hukuk Burosu in Istanbul were raided by Turkish police, and elsewhere in Turkey 70 people were taken into custody, 48 of them were lawyers. Among them is BDP’s former executive lawyer Huseyin Calisci. Read more.

Busting Moves for the Revolution: Kurdish Songs Against Assad:

As the Syrian revolution runs into its ninth month, protesters on the ground in Syria have yet to run out of ideas to creatively express their discontent with the regime and their demand for freedom. Read more.

Kurdish girl arrested in Iran:

A Kurdish Med student has been arrested in Iran. Rojin Mohemedi was arrested upon her return to Iran. She studied at Manila Medical School of Philippines and has been transferred to Evin prison.

The charges against her include incitement of propaganda against the regime. She is a Human rights activist, and has been vocal about the Iranian regimes horrendous human rights record. Read more.

Kurdish workers attacked by Nationalists in Turkey:

Kurdish workers were attacked in Tokat city, Turkish nationalists chanted “We don’t want Kurds here” as they continued their verbal abuse of Kurdish workers. Read more.

Turkey sanctions Syria for Human Rights Abuses:

Turkey wants to create the illusion that it upholds Human Rights, lets take a look at Turkey’s treatment of Kurds. Read more.

European Lawyers federation urge Turkey to release Kurdish lawyers:

European lawyers federation AED and ELDH have urged the Turkish government to release Kurdish lawyers imprisoned in the KCK investigation. Read more.

76 Kurds put on trial for attending politics classes in Turkey:

Legal action has been taken against 76 Kurdish politicians, including 30 detainees who were taken into custody for taking part in political classes. The detainees are charged with “spreading propaganda for an illegal organisation”. The classes were organised by BDP, which is a legal Pro-Kurdish political party, with 36 seats in parliament. Read more.

More Kurdish politicians arrested in Turkey:

Police raided the houses of many Kurdish politicians in Diyarbakir and Bitlis today. According to ANF, 21 people have been taken to custody. In the past 6 months alone, hundreds of Kurdish politicians, activists and journalists have been detained by Turkish police. Today’s arrests is a reminder of Turkey’s brutal and systematic discrimination against Kurdish people. Read more.

21-year old Kurdish student killed by Turkish police:

Thousands of people turned up to a meeting in Amed, with BDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş, BDP deputies and Sur Mayor Abdullah Demirbaş, as well as civil society organisations. Security forces in Amed used tear-gas and live ammunition to disperse an open-air meeting between Kurdish activists. Murat Elibol was shot in the back, and died later in hospital. Read more.

121 Kurdish activists arrested this week — new arrests!

In a new wave of arrests, 24 people have been taken to custody today. Among them five BDP executives, association chair Evrim Konak and executives Murat Kur, Deniz Kırbağ and Hıdır Yıldız.

Earlier this week, 21 people were taken into custody, and 76 were arrested for attending politics classes — a total of 121 have been arrested this week alone in Turkey. Read more.

Kurdish Politician Mahmut Alınak arrested:

Kurdish politician Mahmut Alınak has been arrested on suspicion of being associated or having links with KCK. Last month, he was arrested in Istanbul and later released because it could not be established that he had secret ties with KCK. Read more.

Children jailed for being part of KCK in Turkey:

Dicle News Agency reports that 7 people have been detained, among them 2 children with alleged links with KCK. Earlier this month, 121 Kurdish activists were detained on similar grounds, including a prominent Kurdish politician and former MP Mahmut Alınak. Read more.

Kurdish prisoners forced to say Turkish national anthem:

New report released by IHD Adana branch highlights the Human rights violations of Kurdish activists in prison. The report concludes the following; Children prisoners forced to say Turkish national anthem. Expired or rotten food were given to both children, and women. Read more.

Rojin is a student at Manila School of Philippines, and the charges against her include incitement of propaganda against the regime, and human rights activism against the regime. The actual account of her charges are unclear, and given Iran’s terrible record of Human rights, the life of Rojin could be in danger.

Iran has executed hundreds of Kurdish political activists, and many activists from minority backgrounds are detained on bogus charges, with little information available to the outside world.

Statistics shown that the use of nuclear power raised by some countries while other countries faced difficulties to begin their nuclear programs. The most powerful countries monopolized this power for their own interests, and they allow their close allies from less developed countries to benefit from this power while other countries that have independent or semi-independent policies are facing difficulties to use this power even for peaceful needs. While most countries in the third world are moaning due to lack of electricity, in 2009, 15% of the developed world’s electricity came from nuclear power. In the Middle East especially the need of nuclear power for making electricity is inevitable because of lack of water and countries like Turkey and Jordan doesn’t have oil or other energy resources to get benefit from it, so they need nuclear power to make electricity for their citizens.

Israelis the only Middle Eastern country that has nuclear power for both peaceful and military needs. Very recently, while all countries over the world signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, Israelis the only country all over the world that hasn’t signed it. A lot of observers believe that since fifties Israel has gained nuclear power, but until now neither the major powers nor United Nations even discussed Israel’s nuclear program just to make sure if the suspects are right or wrong. In 1974, Israeli President Ephraim Katzir said that “it has always been our intention to develop a nuclear potential. We now have that potential”. That’s despite a lot of other evidences that published in British newspapers which strengthen suspects over Israel’s nuclear power. Based on an article that Mordechai Vanunu a former Israeli nuclear technician published on The Sunday Times, Israel’s channel 10 made 3D video which clearly shows the nuclear plants in Israel(1).  I think Vanunu gave us adequate evidences to make us believe thatIsrael has nuclear weapons for a long time.

Iranwhich is same as Israel situated in the Middle East began its nuclear program in Shah’s era before Islamic revolution in 1979. It has stated its uranium enrichment program solely for peaceful purposes and since February 1992 has permitted the IAEA to inspect its nuclear facilities. United Nations which is superintended by the five superpowers unfairly wants to assail Iran, and they are going to jostle Iran to quit its nuclear program by announcing new sanctions against it. Those moves are happening while The IAEA couldn’t find any evidences to show that Iran is using its program for not tranquil needs.  As incoming Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Yukiya Amano said he had not seen any evidence in IAEA official documents that Iran was seeking the ability to develop nuclear weapons(2).

I think if we even talk about both Israeli and Iranian nuclear programs based on suspects not on manifests, there are more evidences that indicate Israelhas nuclear weapons. According to excerpt from 160-page secret DIA report in 1999 Israel has had 60-80 nuclear weapons inventories while, Iran has had none(3). Western powers are arguing that if Irangets the nuclear bomb it may use it against other nations, but they are neglecting what Israelalready used it against Arabs during Arab-Israeli war in the October 1973. According to a detailed account contained in Time magazine, Israelassembled about a dozen bombs and readied them in this war. Now not because we love Iran, but we have the right to ask the United Nations why you are very harassed by Iran’s nuclear program while, Israel which same as Iran allocated in Middle East has more than 100 nuclear weapons with the components and the ability to build atomic, neutron and hydrogen bombs according to The Risk Report (4(5). Israel’s nuclear program began and still operates under tight secrecy, but Iran’s nuclear program operates under the eyes of IAEA‎ in semi-open place. Not just that in early 1968, the CIA issued a report concluding thatIsrael had successfully started production of nuclear weapons (6).  Here we can see the gap difference on how major powers are acting with nations in this region while, they are talking about justice and equality. I think becauseIran is independent in its policy theUnited States wants impedeIran’s nuclear program by claiming thatIran tries to get nuclear weapons. According to evidences that we exposed aboveIsrael has got nuclear weapon since 70s or even earlier, but becauseIsrael is west’s pampered baby no one can investigate with it.

As I explicated above, we can easily see the differences of the way that major powers acting with the countries in this region. United States the most powerful country in the world is making discrepancy in the way of acting with countries in this region, so that make tyrannized countries to loathe United States and turn their powers against it. Therefore, to end conflicts in this region United Nations should create an equal atmosphere for all nations to use nuclear power for peaceful means, or United Nations and IAEA should halt all of them to use it.

References:

(1) Israel’s Dimona Nuclear Weapons Factory In 3D [Videocassette]. (2004). N.p.: Israeli Weapons Ltd.

(2) Iran and weapons of mass destruction (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved  June 19, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction

(3) Rumsfeld’s War (Regnery, 2004), pp. 194-223.

(4) Israel: Plutonium Production The Risk Report Volume 2 Number 4 (July-August 1996).

(5) Israel: Uranium Processing and Enrichment The Risk Report Volume 2 Number 4 (July-August 1996).

(6) The Samson Option. Israel’s Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy Seymour M Hersh, [New York: Random House, 1991].

Also I have benefitted from:

• Center for Documents of The Imposed War, Tehran. (مرکز مطالعات و تحقیقات جنگ)
• Israel The Nuclear Potential of Individual Countries Treaty on Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons Problems of Extension Appendix 2 Russian Federation Foreign Intelligence Service 6 April 1995.

Some websites that I have benefitted from:

• http://www.israeli-weapons.com/
• www.aljazeera.net/english
• www.middle-east-online.com

The two men have spent years in Iranian prisons, fearful for their lives and repeatedly tortured. Zaniar Moradi was arrested in August, 2009, and Loghman Moradi was arrested in October, 2009. They were held for nine months and shuffled from detention center to detention center until they were accused by the Iranian regime of murdering the son of a senior cleric in Marivan, in North Eastern Iran, spying for Britain, and general “enmity against God” and “corruption on Earth”.

Iranian security guards tied these men to beds, lashed their bodies, and threatened them with rape in order to get them to “confess” to their crimes. Now that their death sentences have been upheld by the Iranian Supreme Court, Zaniar and Loghman Moradi are at risk of their sentence being carried out at any time. Prison officials allegedly told Zaniar’s family members that Zaniar “won’t need warm winter clothes, as he will soon be executed”.

According to Amnesty International, “At least 13 other Kurdish men and one Kurdish woman are believed to be on death row in connection with their alleged membership of and activities for proscribed Kurdish organizations. Some have had initial prison sentences increased to death sentences. At least 10 Kurds have reportedly been executed for political offences in recent years.”

Iran routinely uses executions as a means of suppressing political dissent and eliminating groups of people, including Kurds, that it deems a threat to its existence. In 2011, Iran has executed an estimated two people every day.

Let Iran know that the world is watching, and that these two Kurdish brothers shouldn’t be killed at all, much less based on confessions extracted under torture. Amnesty International has listed the information of key Iranian leaders. In addition, human rights group United4Iran has a pre-written letter prepared, waiting to be sent by you and and anyone you pass it along to.

Originally published on kurdishrights.org.