Around 50 civilians, some of them believed to be borders smugglers, were targeted by F-16 warplanes on Wednesday night at around 21.20 local time. Among the dead are young boys.

According to the information received, wounded survivor Servet Encü came to the village and informed villagers after the assault. Encü said the followings; “We were bombed on our way back to the village. A bitter smell spread during the bombardment, people all at once died burning. Around five people escaped from the bombing and hid themselves amidst rocks but the warplanes dropped bombs on them as well.

While no news is received from many villagers, two wounded civilians were taken to Şırnak State Hospital with ambulances arriving at the scene after the assault.

Soon after being informed about the event, BDP Şırnak Provincial Chair Baki Sondak and BDP administrators went to the scene.

Şırnak City Council Deputy Chair Erşet Ediş said the followings from the scene; “The bodies were burnt to a crisp. Vehicles cannot go into the area due to severe snow. People are trying to reach the area by their own means.”

Remarking that soldiers acted as if nothing had happened and didn’t interfere in the event, BDP Şırnak Provincial Chair Baki Sondak said the followings; “Villagers were bombarded after passing the border with the supplies they bought from the border. It is possible that napalm bombs were used in the assault. There are still some bodies between rocks. We can’t reach the bodies and casualties.”

The names of the 19 confirmed dead are as follows; Özcan Uysal, Nevzat Encü, Salih Encü, Ferhat Encü, Şervan Encü, Osman Kaplan, M. Ali Tosun, Nadir Almak, Yüksel Ürek, Salih Ürek, , Adem And, Hamza Encü, Cemal Encü, Sivan Encü, Bedran Encü, Hüseyin Encü, Selam Encü, Aslan Encü, Celal Encü.

On the other hand, Turkish media are reluctantly beginning to give the news of the massacre in Uludere only hours after it happened. (D.F. ANF)

The funeral ceremony took place at the Cemevi (Place oft he Alevits to pray and gather) in Tuzla Aydinli. Many press institutions and individuals joined the ceremony. Also a representative of ATIK, CHD (Contemporary Laywer’s Association), Ozgur Gelecek (the paper she worked for), DDSB (Revolutionary Democrat Trade Union), BDSP, Partizan, IHD (the human rights association), Yeni Demokrat Kadin (New Democrat Woman Organisation), DHF, TGDP, ESP and many other representatives of political parties and democratic mass organisations. Her woman comrades carried her coffin, they were marching next to the masses who were chanting slogans and who carried posters and banners. Banners writing „The Martyr’s oft he Revolution are Immortal- Suzan Zengin is Alive!“ was signed by the Magazine Partizan and another banner said, „Isolation-tretman policies continue to kill“. In front oft he banners there were wreathes from ATIK, Partizan and Ozgur Gelecek.

During the march slogans like “Human Honur will defeat Torture!”, “ The Socialist Press cannot be Silenced!”, “Long Live Revlolutionary Solidarity!”, “Not o Isolation-Isolation Kills!” were chanted besides this, posters of communist leader Ibrahim Kaypakkaya were seen too.

A representative of Partizan said: „comrade Suzan was always shoulder on shoulder with her press identity her photo camera and her pen on the side with the striking and resisting workers and toiling masses. She wrote about their hopes and aspirations, she became the voice of those that struggle and demand a better tomorrow. Of course this situation was also „noticed“ by the state. On August 28th 2009 in the early morning hours the police special team forces raided her house and took her under arrest in front oft her sons eyes. During her imprisonment she was not allowed to get a regular check up from a doctor. After she was released she started to get heart pains, which she didn’t before entering prison. Suzan we will never forget you and will not let you be forgotten, we pledge.” Also it was said that the “real murder of Suzan was the state because he did provide the need health care for her.“

Also the husband of Suzan Bekir Zengin said that Suzan was arrested as a result of conspiracy and he said, „when my wife was imprisoned she had some health problems but not that big as it became during her imprisonment and the state did not allow her to get the needed treatment. Her health conditions got worse. When she came out from prison it was already to late. My wife was besides being a journalist a great human rights activist. What ever there was in live she became concerned with it, she had morality and ideals, we lost her to early“

Musician Pınar Sağ also said that „revolutionaries are the travellers of the very superior tradition oft he idiom ‚don’t’ breath a word about it’ the struggle and resistance given by Suzan will be carried by the next generation under the name of a better tomorrow of a free future“.

After the ceremony she was brought tot he cemetery of Aydinli.

According to the information of news agencies about 4 thousand soldiers participate in this broad counter-guerrilla offensive that uses the most advanced technological equipment’s.

Since last week in the foregoing provinces and areas encounters of guerrilla forces of the PKK and the TKP/ML between the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) occurred. In these encounters more than two soldiers died and three were injured. Regional special educated police and Gendarmeries commandos are part oft he operation too.

During the last weeks the HPG together with the TIKKO guerrillas initiated a couple of actions against the regional police stations and the state army headquarters in where police got injured.

In many districts in Dersim people are protesting and rallying against the state oppression and the measures, which are used by the Turkish state against the people in the region.

Until this hour there is no clear information on the specific results oft he operations.

-Dersim is a region in Turkey-Kurdistan in Turkey it is called South-East Anatolia and Dersim is named in the map as Tunceli.

1- Sefagul Kesgin: code name, Eylem; was born in Erzurum in 1977. She joined the guerilla struggle in 2007. She was the Political . Polit- Luitenant of the Dersim Region

2- Nursen Aslan: code name, Emel; was born in Tokat (Black Sea) in 1981. She joined the guerilla struggle in 1999. She was a forward sympathiser of the TKP/ML. She was a commander in the Dersim Region.

3- Gulizar Ozkan: code name, Ozlem; was born in 1967 in Dersim. She joined the guerilla in 2005. She was a forward sympathiser of the party.  She was a TIKKO commander.

4- Fatma Acar, cod name, Dilek; was born in 1983 in Mersin. She joined the guerilla struggle in 2006. She was a forward sympathiser of the TKP/ML and a commander of TIKKO.

5- Derya Aras; cod name, Sevda: she was born in 1979 in Erzincan and joined the guerilla in 2009. She was a forward sympathiser of the TKP/ML and a TIKKO fighter.

Even if right after the landslide a immidiate interference took place, only the lifeless bodies of the five comrades were burried.

The Dersim Regional Committee further declares that “including comrade Sefagul Kesgin the marytrdom of our five comrades is a big loss for our organization. We know that these losses and death is part our war. In order to bear the price of this heavy loss we will focus on our struggle with all our abilities and strength and we will increase the struggle that has been handed over to us by our martyers in a way that our comrades deserve.”

“Our five comrades have left a note on the page of history;  they have done this with their leading role in our war and in showing the oppressed women the way towards freedom. Their lives, just as their martyrdom, was a rebellion against the oppression of women since thousands of years and this rebellion will illuminate the path of the comrades who will continue the struggle. We can only keep our comrades alive with the weapons we have taken over from them for the struggle of democratic peoples’revolution, socialism and communism.”

As the international office of the TKP/ML we know that the path of proletarian world revolution is a path full of willpower, sacrifieces and determination. The way to final victory can only be reached with the knowledge of proletarian world revolution and the Marxist-Leninist-Maoist ideology. For this we call upon all revolutionary and communist forces to take notice of the martyrdom of our comrades Sefagul Kesgin, Nursen Aslan, Gulizar Ozkan, Fatma Acar, Derya Aras.

Long Live Proletarian Internationalism!

Long Live Peoples War- Long Live Marxism-Leninism-Maoism!

TKP/ML-International Relation Office

Not only that but clearly the blow is to the people also who are not allowed to choose and vote for their preferred candidates. All together the Elections Body excluded 12 independent candidates from the elections.

The reason (clearly an excuse and certainly a questionable reason) given by the Elections Body for the decision to bar the candidates from the elections is that they have previously spent time in prison.

Speaking on NTV Mardin MP Ahmet Türk said that “this is a political decision and we will contrast this”.
Thousands protest against elections ban
Thousands people took to the streets to join spontaneous marches and demonstrations to protest against the Elections Board to bar 12 independent candidates (7 are supported by BDP) to contest the elections on 12 June.

Thousands of people marched to the ruling AKP office in Diyarbakir. Some clashes have been reported there as people chanted slogans against PM Erdogan seen as one of the plotter against Kurdish politicians. Because clearly of a conspiracy we are talking about as the decision to exclude the BDP sponsored candidates is a political one.

As BDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtas pointed out is nothing shorter than a declaration of war. Because it is a decision which prevent people to choose and vote for their preferred candidate.

Demonstrations have been staged in Batman, Mersin and Van. Twitter and social networks were used to spread the word around and call on people to join a protest in Istanbul central Taksim square.
Tuncel: They are trying to draw the country into chaos
Thousands of people joined the protest against exclusion of BDP supported candidates from the elections of 12 June. The police attacked the crowd. Many MP and candidates addressed the crowd. Below are some comments as reported by Bianet website.

Ufuk Uras:

“While saying that there is not a Kurdish question, Prime Minister Erdogan displayed how he resolved the problem with destruction, denial,

election threshold, court and veto. This is a great outrage. Let us see if you can!”

Sebahat Tuncel: They want to drag the country into chaos

“Kurdish and Turkish people are decisive in the peace discourse. Those who wanted a conflict between Kurds and Turks have not succeeded for so many years. Are the Kurds or is the status quo follower AKP undesirous of peace? With the KCK case and the veto decision, they want to drag Turkey into chaos.

The parliament is not the only place to do politics. Whatever it may cost, we will keep our struggle for freedom on streets”.

Tüzel: People must protest

People must together protest against the veto decision. It must be decided by everyone whether to develop the freedom rights of the Turkish and Kurdish peoples or to fall into a war and violence environment. We believe that we are going to protect the equal and dignified life despite all political conspiracies”.

Sırrı Süreyya Onder: We shall not drop the flag of peace

Calling Kurds to do legal politics for years, the state increased its cruelty and violence when Kurds began a legal politics.

If the Kurds are not represented in the parliament, neither the council nor the government nor the law will have any legitimacy. But still, we shall not drop the flag of peace”.

Mustafa Avcı: Provocation against peace process

Making his speech in Kurdish and Turkish, Avcı said; “The judiciary is not independent. The peace process is being provoked. The government shall either speak if it has a peace project or stop speaking”.

(ANF – Translation: Berna Ozgencil | Photo: Nilay Vardar)

Speaking in a press conference he jointly held with Democratic Society Congress (DTK) leader Ahmet Türk, Demirta? said the DTK, an organization established by former members of the now-defunct Democratic Society Party (DTP), the BDP’s predecessor, had decided to stage acts of civil disobedience.

Demirta? said the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government in its eight years in power had missed crucial opportunities to settle the Kurdish question, whereas the DTP and the BDP had made every effort possible to move the issue out of the conflict zone and find a solution through dialogue.

Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) reiterated demands as the right to education in Kurdish, the immediate release of jailed Kurdish politicians, an end to Turkey’s military operations against the separatist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the abolishment of Turkey’s 10 percent election threshold for parliamentary representation.

“These four demands comprise an important key to the solution of the Kurdish question. They will open the door and they will enable us to cover some distance on the road to peace. We will be out there in public squares until a concrete step is taken to address these four demands,” he said.

Demirta? also said acts of civil disobedience the BDP and the DTK plan will be democratic and peaceful. “Don’t send the security forces against us; if you are going to send someone, send government representatives, send the interior minister. Security forces aren’t our counterpart to talk to; our counterparts are the politicians.” He accused the government of being oblivious to what he termed the “limits of the people’s patience.”

The first act of civil disobedience is planned for Friday at noon in Diyarbak?r in the form of a sit-in. He said such demonstrations will continue until they yield results.

World Bulletin / News Desk

March 24, 2011

 
–
Patrick Mac Manus
Copenhagen (Denmark)

Urgent Statement From Peace And Democracy Party

Peace and Democracy Party (Barış ve Demokrasi Partisi or BDP) and Democratic Society Congress (Demokratik Toplum Kongresi or DTK), have called the people to indefinite sit-down strike in Diyarbakir on 24 March 2011. DTK and BDP is also informed the public opinion about reason of the strike. According to the declaration, BDP and DTK announced four basic demands;

1. Stop military and political operations immediately.

2. Education in the mother tongue and providing constitutional guarantees for using the mother tongue in the public sphere.

3. Removing the 10% electoral threshold which hinders the representation of Kurdish People in the Assembly.

4. Releasing all political prisoners.

While BDP starts to preparation for the huge democratic civil disobedience action, AKP started to prevent the Kurds’ legitimate willpower. Police have attacked to people who stay in the Democratic Solution Tents in the middle of the night. In addition to this, tents were removed harshly by the police and the sit down strike is banned by the AKP Governor.

In the morning, when BDP and DTK representatives and thousands of people came to the sit down strike square, their way was blockaded by the police. After the negotiations between the city governor and BDP and DTK representatives, only representatives and mayors are allowed to come in the square. Despite of the state’s preventions and threats, Kurds are continuously coming from all districts of the city. Only co-president, deputies and mayors are sitting down in the demonstration square and police is preventing for contact between the people and representatives. Police is blockading the city, action forces and hundreds of police officers are positioning in front of the square where the sit down strike is taking place. Police vehicles, including panzers, positioned at the entrances and exits of all streets surrounding the sit down strike square. The police also cut the traffic of the city center. To prevent people from participating the sit down strike, police is making ID control and body search. Despite of all these blockades’ of the government, the action is taking place with a great determination.

BDP Co-president Mr. Selahattin Demirtaş and DTK co-president Mr. Ahmet Türk, in their statements called to AKP Government’s PM Erdogan to reply these four democratic demands of the Kurdish People. Co-presidents also called the international public opinion to be sensitive of the Kurdish People and for take in the consideration.

PEACE AND DEMOCRACY PARTY

FOREIGN AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT

24 MARCH 2011

Addres: Barış Manço Cad. 1388. Sok. No:37 Balgat / Ankara Tel: 0090 312 220 1950 Fax: 0090 312 220 1977 Foreign Affairs Department: diplo.bdp@hotmail.com

TURKEY | 09 – 02 – 2011 | The Publishers Association demands the release of journalist Zengin from the Işçi-Köylü newspaper after one year in detention. Suzan Zengin is also a human rights activaist and translator of minority and genocide issues. Her first hearing was on 26 August. Next trial will be in 15 February.  Spokesperson Zarakolu criticized, “As long as the Anti-Terror Law is in force, journalists will be treated arbitrarily”.

Suzan Zengin, İşçi-Köylü (‘Workers-Peasants) newspaper representative of the Kartal office (east of Istanbul) has been detained. The first hearing of her next case is scheduled for 15 February. Ragıp Zarakolu, President of the Freedom of Publishing Committee of the Turkish Publishers Association (TYB), said that Zengin should be released. The Court postponed next trial to 15 February.

The association hold a press conference in August in the Istanbul branch of the Human Rights Association (IHD) to draw attention to the situation of Zengin and also to demand the release of writer Erdoğan Akhanlı and Suzan Zengin. Both are the writers of Belge International Publishing House , which focused on human and minority rights issues.. German citizen Akhanlı returned to Turkey 18 years later. He was arrested at the airport and detained in Metris Prison (Istanbul). After a succesful campaign, Akhanli was reliesed in 8 December. Later he was expelled from Turkay.

Zarakolu criticized that the Anti-Terror Law (TMY) is used to oppress the socialist and the Kurdish press:

“A campaign against the TMY has to be initiated. As long as the TMY is in force as it is, arbitrary applications will be imposed on journalists. Zengin is being detained for more than a year without a reason.”

Suzan Zengin was working lastly for the translation of  Berlin Conference, about “Ethnic Cleansing Anatolian Christians during Frst World” War.(Litt Verlag, 2004). She translated before “An Anthology of Cyprus Greek Literature“; also “An Anthology of Assirian Folk Stories and Songs“; Karl Otten’s “Albania 1912″: “An anthology of Thessaloniki Stories in Greek Literature”Zengin: They wanted Suzan to lose influence

The husband of journalist Suzan Zengin, Bekir Zengin, talked about his wife’s detention:

“Suzan was detained in particular because of her influence in Kartal. They wanted her to lose that influence and to leave the area. She was detained despite a lack of evidence. When they raided our house they told her not to take any personal belongings with her. We understood that she would be in detention for a while”.

Necati Abay from the Solidarity Platform for Detained Journalists (TGDP) “I call Oktay Ekşi, Orhan Erinç and Ercan Ipekçi. They should show Suzan Zengin the same sensitivity as they are showing the two journalists who are detained in Silivri (west of Istanbul) in the scope of the Ergenekon trial”.

Abay later on said that according to his figures, 37 journalists are currently detained in prison.

“Seven people from the Azadiya Welat newspaper are in detention, seven from Atılım [Advance] newspaper, six people from the DİHA news agency, two from Gündem [Agenda] newspaper, two from Işçi-Köylü newspaper, and one person each from Özgür [Free] Radio, Özgür Gençlik [Free Youth] magazine, Gün [Day] TV, Özgür Halk [Free People] Magazine, Radio Dünya [World], Aram Publishing, Emek and Adalet [Labour and Justice], Eylül [September] magazine, Yürüyüş [March] magazine, Devrimci Demokrasi [Revolutionary Democracy] newspaper, Devrimci Hareket [Revolutionary Movement] magazine, Kadının Umundunun Rengi [Colour of Woman's Hope] newspaper and the Odak [Focus] magazine”.

Toğay Okay from the Isçi-Köylü newspaper and Yıldız Uygun from Özgür University reiterated the claim to release Zengin.

Zengin’s first hearing was scheduled for 10.00 am on Thursday morning (26 August) at the Beşiktaş (Istanbul) Next trial will be 15 February 10^th High Criminal Court. Another press statement was released in front of the Court House at 9.30 am. (BT/VK)

TURKEY | 03 – 02 – 2011 | Stop the aggression towards the Union members! Reinstate the fired workers immediately! Implement the protocol!

The latest developments in DESA are the concrete evidences of the anti-union attitude of the DESA employer. For a long time, our Union was criticizing the employer for not obeying to the rules of the Protocol, which was signed on 24.07.2009 as a consequence of the international campaign and that was the acceptance of the Union as a a social partner and declaration of being kind to the freedom of organization of the Union members. However by the latest attacks over the rights of organization of our members, DESA employer teared the Protocol and abolished the agreement.

On 29^th of January, 2011; two members from Duzce factory were fired as a result of a plot. Duzce is situated 2.5 hours away from Istanbul on the way of Ankara and DESA has its second largest factory with over 600 workers in Duzce. Our Union has an organizational power in this factory. As a consequence of the existence of our Union in the factory and our members’ ability to act collectively; employer was disturbed and tried to break this organization for a long time. In October 2010, they had an attempt to fire a member however they had to reinstate our member when our members acted together. However there has been systematic psychological pressure-mobbing over our members in the work place. Insulting, starring, taking photo of our members, standing all day beside our members, checking and reporting our members’ attitudes, measuring the performance very frequently were some of the examples of the mobbing. Our members were protesting these cases commonly and complaining to the Court.

Our Union members were informing us that the employer tries to find reasons to fire our vanguard members. These insults and other kinds of pressure were to provoke our members and cause a fight and this fight would be a “just” reason for the employer to fire our members.  Our members were resisting against these aggressive attitudes and Union was informing national and international public about the aims of the employer.

For a long time, the performances of our members have been measured very frequently. This frequency is only directed to our members and that non-members are measured very rarely. Also after the measurement, administration demands from our members to sign the measurement document however they were not filling all the columns of the document, so that our members protested this for not letting them to fill the rest without the approval of our members, refused to sign and demanded from the administration to fill all the columns and after they would sign.

Later, our 5 members were called to the Board of Discipline and demanded an explanation about their reason for not signing documents of performance measurement. Our 5 members were given admonition because of not having sufficient performance and for calling other workers to riot. Our members gave a response to the Board that there are discriminatory policies in the work place between the members and non-members, it is not just to only measure the performances of the members, the real attempt of the administration is to find a reason to fire member workers, administration should fill all the columns of the document of measurement before signing it, because it is possible to manipulate through the empty spaces and mentioned that these are examples of mobbing. On 28^th of January, the administration answered our members and refused their arguments and told that they measure all workers’ performances which is a clear lie.

The administration also mobilize pro-boss workers to provoke our members. A well-known pro-boss worker, Resul Karduz was constantly insulting to our members and our Union in the work place. One month ago, when he insulted to our member, Hakan LERMI, our member went to the Court and complained about him and the administration. On 28^th of January, Resul Karduz again disturbed and insulted our members and our members once again complained to the administration. However administration refused to solve the problem. Then Resul KARDUZ took a health report for 3 days and claimed that he was beaten by our members and went to the Court for criminal complaint about our 5 members (Hakan Lermi, Reyhan Ustunel, Fatih Ozturk, Serdar Kuru, Davut Kara) Our members refused these claims. The employer, Burak Celet, called our members to his office one by one but our members refused to go alone, demanded to go at least 2 people in order to have a witness.

Then Gendarme came to the factory and our five members were taken under custody. Our members had similar complaints about the administration for many times but in none of them,

gendarme intervened, however gendarme came very rapidly about this plot when employer calls. Under the custody, our members refused these claims and they were left free because of not having any evidence.

After leaving the custody, the administration called our two members, Hakan LERMI and Sedat KURU, and declared that they were fired because of not obeying to the discipline in the work place, not having sufficient performance and attacking over Resul Karduz.

The Employer tries to break the organizational power of the workers in the work place by organizing plots against our members in order to show to the public that Union members do not work sufficiently and they create problems in work place. However our members are very careful in not failing to these provocations and they act collectively. Their collective attitude and their usage of protests and legal complaints were forcing DESA to write plots.

DESA is the biggest brand in Turkish leather industry and has an aim to be world brand in 10 years. DESA works together with many international brands such as Prada, Mulberry, Samsonite, Aerosoles but despite their ambition to be a first class brand, they refuse to implement ILO standards in the work place and is not kind to the freedom of organization of the workers.

This could also be seen in DESA’s Sefakoy factory that 9 workers were fired because of being Union members on 17.01.2011 and 3 relatives of our members were also fired. DESA offered these workers huge amount of money to leave the resistance place and they could be successful in taking advantage of the poverty of many of them. DESA employers can spend ten thousands of euros in one day in order to stop spreading of the Union activities to other factories.

We call for immediate international solidarity for DESA workers. We should act together to force DESA to implement the protocol, obey to the ILO norms and stop discrimination towards the Union members. Our Union will continue its struggle for the well beings of our members.

DERİ-İS International Office