· "LEYLA  ZANA: A PEOPLE 'S HOPE " TO BE SCREENED AT  FORUM DES
IMAGES, PARIS.  On 6 June, the Parliament of the tiny
Republic of San Marino passed a resolution calling on Turkey to release
Leyla Zana, former  Member of the Turkish Parliament for the Party for
Democracy (DEP ­ banned) sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. "A candidate
for membership of the European Union should take into account international
recognised standards, freedoms and demands" stressed the Parliament, that
represents 26,000 souls.

Moreover, the Foundation France-Libertés  and CILDEKT invite you to a
showing of the documentary by Kudret Gunes, recounting the life of Leyla
Zana entitled "Leyla Zana : A people's hope". Its screening will be
followed by a discussion at the Forum des Images (Porte  Saint-Eustache,
Forum des Halles, 75001 Paris) on Wednesday 26 June 2002 at 20.00 hrs
(8.00pm).  Mrs. Danielle Mitterrand and Kendal Nezan, President of the
Kurdish Institute will be present.
 

·  EUROCOURT  FINDS TURKEY VIOLATES FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION.
Turkey was again found guilty by the European Human Rights Court on 4 June of "violation
of freedom of expression " of a Turkish citizen accused by the Turkish authorities of
having made a speech in support of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Esber Yagmurdereli, a lawyer by training, a writer and Doctor of
Philosophy, had been sentenced to life imprisonment in 1985 for "attempting
to overthrow the Constitutional order".  Released on bail in 1991, he was
again sentenced for "separatist propaganda"  after making a speech in which
he had used the (tabooed) word "Kurdistan" and mentioning the PKK's
"struggle for democracy and freedom". He was finally released in 2001.  The
European Court considered that "the petitioner's remarks took the form of a
political speech made on the occasion of a public debate regarding a new
law on terrorism, that they were in the nature of matters of general
interest". The judges, considering that the remarks were not an "incitement
to arouse hatred or violence between citizens" rejected the Turkish
argument regarding the necessity of protecting national security and
territorial integrity.

Turkey was thus found guilty of violating article 10 (Freedom of
expression) and also of violating Article 6.1 (Right to a fair and
equitable trial) since an Army judge was on the bench that condemned him.
 

· MUSIC PRODUCTION COMPANY BANNED FOR KURDISH  PROPAGANDA. 
On 5 June, the Turkish Ministery of Culture decided to ban Kalan Muzik, a music
publishing house famed, amongst other things, for having produced the
cassette of poems by the Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit. The Ministry charged
Kalan Muzik with having produced, in 1993, an album of which one of the
songs, written some 82 years ago, contained the tabooed word "Kurdistan".
"It is the task of the Ministry of Culture, in Turkey, to check every album
in the Kurdish, Laz or Armenian language, except for those made in English,
French, German or even in other African languages (sic). They must be
translated into Turkish and sent to the Ministry of Culture   Not knowing
Kurdish, it was the performing group that was responsible for the
translation. I didn't take any notice" stated Hasan Saltik, to the daily
paper Hurriyet on 6 July under the headline "Closure of the Ecevit's
publishers for Kurdish propaganda" accompanied by a photo of Bülent Ecevit,
accompanied by Hasan Saltik, (copyright Husmettin Ozkan) (Editor's Note :
Minister of State and Bülent Ecevit's right hand man). "When we take
office, all these bans will cease" H. Ozkan at the time the picture was
taken of the publisher who is described as the "archaeologist of music" by
the Turkish press.
 

·  DIYARBEKIR CULTURAL FESTIVAL:  SINGERS ARRESTED AND
CHARGED WITH SINGING IN KURDISH AND WEARING KURDISH DRESS.
The Diyarbekir cultural festival, organised for the week 25 May to 2 June by the Kurdish
local council, was closed in disorder after the Turkish police's strong-arm
intervention to arrest Koma Asmin, an amateur group of 11 young girls from
Istanbul's Mesopotamia Cultural Centre, whose only crime was to have sung,
in Kurdish, a very popular old Kurdish folk song.

The Diyarbekir State Security Court (DGM), who released the members of the
group on bail on 3 June, charged Koma Asmin with having not only sung in
Kurdish but also of having provoked the authorities by wearing Kurdish
traditional dress. For his part, the Mayor of Diyarbekir, Feridun Çelik, is
going to lodge an official complaint against the Police Director.
 

· NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL GIVES GREEN LIGHT FOR LIFTING
STATE  OF EMERGENCY IN TWO KURDISH PROVINCES.  On 30
May, the State Security Council (MGK) decided to recommend that Parliament
to lift the State of Emergency (in force for the last 14 years) in the two
Kurdish provinces of Hakkari and Tunceli (Dersim) on 30 July.

The Army dominated MGK, which  brings together the highest ranking civilian
and military officials every month to draw up the main lines for running
the country, decided, in addition to extend the State of Emergency, on July
30, "for the last time" in the other two provinces in which it remains in
force, namely in Sirnak and Diyarbekir stressed the communiqué issued at
the end of the May meeting.

The lifting of the State of Emergency in the Kurdish provinces is amongst
the "medium term" measures demanded by the European Union of Turkey before
opening negotiations for its membership. The Turkish government had
committed itself to lifting it , but without setting any date, in its
"national programme" ­ a vast catalogue of measures adopted in 2001, that
should put Turkey in conformity with European political and economic standards.

The MGK meeting, which Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit (who is now 77 years
old and at the moment convalescing) did not attend, also called for an
acceleration of the reforms needed for opening negotiations for E.U.
membership. The MGK also called on the Fifteen to set a date before the end
of the year for these negotiations, which are being insistently demanded by Ankara.

Mr. Ecevit's three party government is divided on these reforms, which
include the complete abolition of capital punishment, the creation of a
Kurdish language TV channel and education system. Its neo-fascist coalition
partner, Devlet Bahceli's MHP is openly holding them back.

The European Commission welcomed the MGK's recommendations on 31 May. A
Brussels spokesman also welcomed the fact that an Army dominated body had
recommended the ending of capital punishment as well as "education and
audiovisual broadcasting in languages other than Turkish". "These are
positive signs in the right direction" the spokesperson said. "We now urge
Turkey to translate these recommendations into concrete actions as rapidly
as possible, for the benefit of all Turkish citizens" he continued. "A
concrete application" he warned "is all the more urgent and important in
that it will determine the content and tone of the regular report" that the
European Commission will publish in October on the thirteen countries who
have applied for membership. The spokesman finally called on Ankara to
pursue its reforms in such a way that it could meet "all the political
criteria" for membership. "More progress has still to be achieved in the
areas of the right to free expression, of association and of freedom of the
press" he concluded.
 

· TURKISH  GOVERNMENT  IN EXTENDED CONVALESCENCE.
On 1 June, the Turkish Prime Minister rejected the increasing calls for his resignation,
declaring that he was in good health and would remain at the head of the
government. Bülent Ecevit, who was twice taken to hospital for treatment
during the month of May, missed last month's meeting of the National
Security Council with the Army.  Immediately the press, and even certain
members of his own governing coalition called for his resignation. But, in
a written statement, the 77 year old Premier declared : "I am well, I am
not in pain. I am continuing to rest as the doctors advise me to do, but I
still work as my role demands. I remain at my post".

Since Turkey is going through a severe economic recession, certain
observers, as well as the financial  markets, fear that Ecevit's
resignation might unleash a crisis within the three-party government
coalition and make fresh elections necessary. They fear that a period of
political instability would aggravate the economic crisis. Moreover, Ankara
is at a critical stage in its efforts to join the European Union. Ankara
wants a date set for opening negotiations for membership as from this year,
fearing that a political crisis would abort the reforms needed to meet the
criteria for membership.

Bülent Ecevit had intestinal troubles during the month of May, and one rib
broken as the result of a fall as well as a vein infection. According to
the press he may also be suffering from Parkinsons disease and a serious
form of myasthenia, whose symptoms are considerable muscular weakness and
fatigue.
 

· MHP'S BAHÇELI LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN AGAINST EU REFORMS.
The neo-fascist Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey, Devlet Bahçeli,
reaffirmed, on 4 June, the opposition of his National Action Party (MHP) to
certain of the reforms needed to open negotiations for membership of the
European Union (EU). Speaking to his party's Parliamentary group, Mr.
Bahçeli considered that Turkey should not join the EU and criticised, in
this regard, the attitude of his government partner, Mesut Yilmaz's
Motherland Party (ANAP).

He considered that the case of Abdullah Ocalan, sentenced to death in 1999
in Turkey for "treason and separatism" should be referred to Parliament for
a decision on whether or not to execute him, once the European Human Rights
Court, to which the case has already been referred hands down its ruling ­
and that whatever the ruling may be. Mr. Bahçeli also demanded that there
should be an end to the "special treatment" given to Ocalan, held on the
island prison of Imrali, of which he is the only tenant.

Mr. Bahçeli is also opposed to any Kurdish language teaching or television
or the basic cultural rights for the Kurds specified by the EU in the
context of the Copenhagen criteria on Human Rights. "Turkey must think
three about this matter" he stressed. He defended himself from the
criticisms aimed at his organisation, accused of acting as a brake, within
the coalition government, on the reforms needed for EU membership,
stressing that a "realistic and national policy cannot be described as
opposition to the EU". He stated that Turkey was observing its commitments
to the Fifteen and had made "concrete and major steps" in this area, but
accused the EU of not having done the same.
 
Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit's tripartite coalition government is thus
divided on the reforms demanded by the EU.  Faced with this deadlock,
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer has intervened to convene a summit of the
leaders of all the parties represented in Parliament, on 7 June, so as to
accelerate the carrying through of the reforms.

Devlet Bahçeli has thus already launched his election campaign on his
favourite issues ­ the death sentence for Abdullah Ocalan,
anti-Europeanism, Turkish nationalism. The European Human Rights Court will
hand down its ruling regarding the Kurdish chief Abdullah Ocalan after the
summer recess, it has been learnt from sources at the Strasbourg Court.