Uyghur Refugee In Kazakhstan Faces Extradition To China

April 20, 2011

ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- A Uyghur refugee who fled to Kazakhstan after ethnically charged clashes in China's northwest Xinjiang province is facing extradition to China, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.

Arshiddin Israil, 39, who fled China in 2009 in the wake of the deadly violence between Uyghurs and Han Chinese, is currently in a detention center in Almaty.

Almaty-based lawyer Denis Dzhivaga told RFE/RL that Kazakh authorities arrested Israil at Beijing's request last summer, even though the UN office in Almaty granted him refugee status in 2009 and Swedish officials agreed last year to grant him asylum.

Dzhivaga said that Israil would probably be tortured and jailed, or even sentenced to death, if he were extradited to China.

Qaharman Qozhamberdiev and Alizhan Tilivaldi, both prominent members of the Uyghur diaspora in Kazakhstan, declined to comment on Israil's plight.

Israil's lawyer, Yury Sukhanov, also refused to discuss the case, saying that his client does not want it to be made public.

Zhanna Dosova of the UN Office in Almaty told RFE/RL that for reasons of confidentiality the UN office does not comment on individual cases.

Sweden's charge d'affaires in Kazakhstan, Manne Wangborg, confirmed to RFE/RL that Sweden granted Israil asylum last year. He said he therefore attends all hearings in the case.

China's Xinhua news agency reported in 2009 that 197 people were killed and 1,721 were injured during clashes between Uyghurs and Han Chinese and the subsequent intervention by Chinese security forces.

Uyghur rights organizations abroad claim that the number of Uyghurs killed was much higher.

Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty.
Link: http://www.rferl.org/content/uyghur_refugee_kazakhstan_faces_extradition_to_china/9499649.html.

Sudan bucks nomination of ex-Egyptian official for Arab League SG

April 19, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese government has officially declared objection to the nomination of a former Egyptian official to succeed Amru Musa in the position of secretary-general of the Arab League, citing the candidate’s “hostile” attitude towards Sudan.

In an official letter submitted to the Arab League through Sudan’s ambassador in Egypt, the government said that its reservation over Mustafa El-Fiqy, who was a leading figure of Egypt’s deposed National Democratic Party, is predicated on his “hostile attitude” towards Sudan, as reported by the country’s official news Agency SUNA on Tuesday.

El-Fiqy, who chaired the foreign relations committee at the Egyptian parliament, last December made a surprisingly overt criticism of the current Sudanese government, saying it was the “worst” in the country’s history.

As quoted by the English Language Al-Ahram newspaper, El-Fiqy said it was known to him many years ago that Khartoum was working towards letting South Sudan, which voted earlier this year to secede in July, go away even before the 2005’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed, ending decades of north-south civil war.

El-Fiqy said that he was “extremely sorry that matters have reached the point they have in Sudan, where the very term referendum only appeared during this regime, and its expected result is separation, which will be met with separation in other parts, from Darfur to the east to Kordofan"

“Egypt is the only country that will pay the price of what happens in Sudan from separation threats, the damage to it will be more so than to Northern Sudan," he added.

SUNA cited an anonymous government source as saying that El-Fiqy had been iterating “false accusations” that the Sudanese government had jeopardized the country’s unity and pushed the south to separate by seeking to execute “narrow religious agendas.”

The Sudanese source said that El-Fiqy had refused to apologize or retract his claims which he maintained during the sessions of the Egyptian parliament’s foreign relations committee, as published in December by Al-Masry al-Youm newspaper.

According to the source, Sudan has no negative position towards Egyptian nominees in general but was rather opposing the nomination of El-Fiqy in particular due to his “negative” stance towards Sudan.

Egyptian officials in the past have shyly blamed Bashir’s NCP party for the likely split of Sudan. Last February, Egyptian president reportedly criticized Khartoum for lacking the will to preserve the unity.

Source: Sudan Tribune.
Link: http://www.sudantribune.com/Sudan-bucks-nomination-of-ex,38629.

Turkey: the reinvigorated man of Europe

AMANDA PAUL
20 April 2011, Wednesday

Turkey is no longer the sick man of Europe. As recently described by Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, these days Turkey is the robust man of Europe. As Turkey heads towards the June 12 parliamentary elections, the country is in pretty good shape compared to many other nations, including a number of EU member states.

At the nation’s helm stands Erdoğan. He must be feeling pretty cheery these days. There are not many leaders (other than dictators) who are heading towards a third election knowing they are almost certain to win. To achieve this is quite an accomplishment but to achieve it comfortably is impressive indeed. With election fever sweeping the nation Erdoğan is at his most flamboyant, rolling up his sleeves and performing for the crowds. I still find it incredible that after almost nine years of Justice and Development Party (AK Party) rule Turkey’s opposition parties have failed to evolve themselves into constructive and serious parties. Frankly, they seem to be their own worst enemy almost giving the AKP a third victory on a plate.

Turkey is flourishing with a growing economy and a proactive, dynamic and envied foreign policy. However, not all in the garden is rosy as Ankara’s relationship with the EU continues to deteriorate with strong opposition persisting from key member states France and Germany and the Cyprus problem also blocking the road.

This negative trend was reflected in Prime Minister Erdoğan’s speech at the European Council Parliamentary Assembly in Strasbourg on April 13. Erdoğan took a real swing at the EU, and in particular France, following the ratification by the French Senate of a law to ban women wearing the burqa, a law which Erdoğan considers to be inappropriate and a violation of freedom of religion. France is not the first country to adopt such a law. Belgium was the first EU country to initiate legislation banning Islamic veils that completely cover a woman’s face, although the process has not been fully completed as Belgium is still being without a government. (Though it had elections in June 2010, the country still fails to form a government).

Erdoğan was also prickly on criticism of his government responding to tricky questions by declaring that those asking them (members of the European Parliament) did not have a clear picture of what was happening in Turkey. While I believe this is not the smartest way to answer questions I also sometimes think that some people working in EU institutions often don’t fully appreciate the changes that have taken place in Turkey over the last few years. Turkey has evolved from being a closed and somewhat inward looking country with numerous issues branded as taboo to being far more open and ready to tackle its not inconsiderable historical baggage. The days when it was considered dangerous to discuss the so-called Armenian genocide, the Kurdish issue, etc. are long gone. Yes, there are still many problems. Freedom of religion and minority rights are still far from perfect, yet at the same time the situation has greatly improved. Of course the EU is right to press Turkey on issues that are of concern, including freedom of the media, but at the same time we should also remember that Turkey is not France or Switzerland which have century’s old democracy.

Turkey is going through a process and it will be a process of dips and bends which sometimes seems like the country is going one step forward and two steps back. Time and patience are required. And yes, sometimes Erdoğan’s erratic hot and cold behavior is out of tune with others in the party. His sporadic outbursts mean he will certainly not be voted European leader of the year, as he once was, and he certainly no longer has the same level of credibility he once did. And while the sort of statements Erdoğan made in Strasbourg are not going to win him any new fans in the EU, this is not his purpose. Nowadays he only wants to win more votes in Turkey. Furthermore, Erdoğan has a tendency to contradict himself. In a recent article in Newsweek he said, on the one hand, that Turkey would no longer wait at the EU’s door like a docile supplicant, but yet at the same time he admitted that Turkey needs the EU as much as the EU needs Turkey. He also repeated this phrase during his Strasbourg speech.

Yes, it is true that Turkey is no longer the sick man of Europe. But it is also clear that Turkey did not regain its current state of good health all by itself. Being anchored to the EU process has helped Turkey considerably. I therefore doubt that Ankara is in a hurry to pull up the EU anchor any time soon. As I have said before, politicians change and so do policies and both sides need to take steps to change the current status quo.

Source: Today's Zaman.
Link: http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist-241499-turkey-the-reinvigorated-man-of-europe.html.

12 Kurdish politicians barred from running for Turkish parliament

Apr 18, 2011

Istanbul - Turkey's elections board ruled on Monday that 12 Kurdish politicians who had registered as independent candidates in national elections set for June were ineligible to run for parliament because of their prior terrorism-related convictions, the semi-official Anatolia Agency reported.

Dozens of Kurdish politicians who support the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) had announced that they would run as independent candidates in the upcoming elections in an attempt to get over the 10 percent threshold in Turkey for parties to enter parliament.

Turkey's board of elections ruled that 12 of the candidates were ineligible to run because they had previously been convicted of taking part in or supporting terrorist activities.

The politicians include Leyla Zana, who caused an uproar when she attempted to make a speech in Kurdish after being sworn into the Turkish Parliament in 1991.

Zana was convicted of membership in the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - considered a terrorist group by the European Union and the United States - and spent 10 years in prison.

The European Court of Human Rights later ruled that Turkey had violated Zana's right to freedom of expression and ordered the government to pay her compensation.

Selahattin Demirtas, chairman of the BDP, called the election board's decision 'a political operation; a political purge' that would benefit the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the elections.

'The state has decided to hand over [Turkey's south-eastern] region to the AKP,' Demirtas told broadcaster CNNTurk.

Turkey has long suppressed attempts at autonomy by Kurds in the east of the country, leading to a three-decade long insurgency in which thousands have died.

Source: Monsters and Critics.
Link: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1633749.php/12-Kurdish-politicians-barred-from-running-for-Turkish-parliament.

Erdogan Sees Kurdish Party Sole Southeast Rival, Milliyet Says

By Steve Bryant - Apr 18, 2011

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he sees the Peace and Democracy Party, the country’s main Kurdish party, as his party’s sole rival in parliamentary elections in the southeast, Milliyet reported.

The ruling Justice and Development Party has selected prominent locals as its candidates in the mainly-Kurdish southeast for the June 12 elections, Erdogan told the Istanbul- based newspaper in an interview. There’s "no question of ignoring the southeast" and only two parties stand a chance of election there, he said.

He said Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek had been moved from his Gaziantep constituency to campaign in the city of Batman, closer to the village where he was born.

Source: Bloomberg.
Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-18/erdogan-sees-kurdish-party-sole-southeast-rival-milliyet-says.html.

PM Erdoğan says opposition's candidates represent junta

19 April 2011, Tuesday / KAZIM CANLAN, ANKARA

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has lashed out at three political parties -- the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), the opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) -- for nominating several suspects who are standing trial on charges of terrorism as deputy candidates in the June 12 parliamentary elections, saying the candidates represent the pro-coup junta and not the nation itself.

“Are you representing the will of the nation or the will of Silivri [Prison]? Do you derive your legitimacy from the nation or from gangs, criminal organizations and the junta?” the prime minister asked when hitting back at the three political parties for their decision to nominate terror suspects as candidates for the post of deputy in the elections. Erdoğan's remarks came on Monday during a Justice and Development Party (AK Party) meeting to promote his party's candidates. The CHP included four suspects in the Ergenekon case -- former Ankara Chamber of Commerce (ATO) President Sinan Aygün, former Başkent University Rector Mehmet Haberal, former chief prosecutor İlhan Cihaner and journalist Mustafa Balbay -- in its list of candidates for deputy. The MHP nominated retired Gen. Engin Alan, a suspect in the Sledgehammer coup case, as a candidate while the BDP nominated six suspects in the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) trial as candidates for deputy in the approaching parliamentary elections. Haberal, Balbay and Alan are currently in jail, while Aygün and Cihaner were released from prison in the past after a brief period of arrest pending trial.

The nominations of the suspects kicked off a debate as to whether they are hoping to win seats in Parliament to avoid trial. If elected, the suspects will likely evade trial for the next four years thanks to parliamentary immunity.

Referring to earlier remarks by CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, Erdoğan said: “Some said they would like to become members of Ergenekon. We told them to go to Silivri [Prison] and become members of the [terrorist] organization. They wondered how to become members of Ergenekon and finally decided to become members of the group by nominating suspects in the case. They were unable to find deputy candidates from outside, so they transferred candidates from inside the prison.” Dozens of suspects in the case against Ergenekon, a clandestine criminal network accused of working to topple the government, are under arrest in Silivri Prison in İstanbul. Among them are members of the military, businessmen and journalists.

The nomination of the suspects sparked a debate as to whether they will be eligible for parliamentary immunity. While some are saying they will be eligible, others say the courts hearing these cases may allow for the suspects’ release pending trial, but it is not a legal obligation. They say the suspects cannot enter Parliament without a court decision for their release.

According to Erdoğan, the AK Party’s candidates represent the entire Turkey. “Those we present to you today represent a big picture of Turkey. Among them are all the colors of Turkey. In this picture, there are 550 people who hold deep feelings for Turkey. Our [candidate] list is made up of people who favor peace and love,” he said. He also noted that the AK Party refused to nominate candidates who are accused of cooperating with gangs and criminal organizations.

Some other suspects in the Ergenekon and Sledgehammer cases will also run in the June elections, but as independent candidates. Among these are journalist Tuncay Özkan, former Police Chief Hanefi Avcı, Workers’ Party (İP) leader Doğu Perinçek, retired Gen. Çetin Doğan and retired Col. Atilla Uğur.

In addition, Erdoğan said the governing AK Party is set to launch its election campaign in the Black Sea province of Bayburt on April 22.

PM rules out ethnic nationalism

According to Erdoğan, the AK Party’s candidate list is not made up of people who promote “ethnic nationalism.” “The AK Party has embraced all of Turkey once again with its candidate list. People who claim that the AK Party will lose the race in some regions are mistaken. Those putting forward such claims do not know who our candidates are. They do not know the AK Party’s decisiveness in elections, either,” he stated.

The prime minister also said his party will stand against any plan or policy to promote nationalism based on one’s race. “We say ‘no’ to ethnic nationalism, regional nationalism and religious nationalism. Turkey suffered much due to nationalism in the past. This is why the AK Party introduced a project to strengthen national unity.”

According to Erdoğan, no element of the Turkish Republic should dare dream about the establishment of a second state within the boundaries of Turkey. “We will never think about a second state or a second flag in Turkey. We will never allow such separation. I have never defended the use of a single language in Turkey. But I have defended the use of a single official language. These are two different things,” he said, and stated that the AK Party allows all ethnic groups of Turkey to protect their identities. “We believe that all ethnic elements are worth showing respect to. Any ethnic group may call itself Turk, Kurd, Laz, Georgian, Roma, Albanian or Arab. We respect all of them. All of them are precious to us. We do not discriminate against any ethnic group. We will not allow Turkish nationalism or Kurdish nationalism. But everyone will be free to call themselves a Turk or a Kurd,” he added.

In addition, the prime minister pledged decisiveness in Turkey’s fight against gangs and clandestine groups, implicitly referring to the Ergenekon case. “We will not retreat from our fight against gangs. We will not bow to gangs, and will continue our fight until the very end. Gangs will no longer find a chance to develop,” he noted.

‘I am closely following cheating claims in YGS’

The prime minister also spoke about claims of cheating in the Transition to Higher Education Examination (YGS) in late March. He said he is “closely following the claims.” “I am a follower of all claims related to the YGS as the prime minister of this country. I advise our youth to feel relieved, and continue studying for the second examination. I also advise them to closely know who is abusing their sensitivities and seeking to turn their dismay into an advantage for themselves,” Erdoğan stated.

Claims emerged in early April that coded question booklets were distributed to some test takers in the YGS. According to claims, the answers in those booklets were coded to reveal the correct answer if read in a certain way. The Student Selection and Placement Center (ÖSYM) acknowledged that there indeed was such a booklet, but said the only copy that included the coded answers was the one given out to the press after the examination.

According to the prime minister, the opposition parties are engaged in efforts to derive political gain over YGS claims. “The CHP, the MHP and the BDP are working to abuse our youth over claims about the YGS. They have turned the dreams, hopes and futures of 1.7 million young people into political elements and are working to derive political gain from them. What we are talking about are the dreams of 1.7 million young people. It is immoral to turn the feelings of young people who spend their days and nights studying for many years into a source for political gain. If anything illegal took place during the test, I would be the first person to react,” he said.

An investigation by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office is under way to look into claims of cheating. High school students have been participating in demonstrations held across the country to denounce cheating claims since the YGS. Members of the CHP and the MHP joined the demonstrations in İstanbul over the weekend.

Source: Today's Zaman.
Link: http://www.todayszaman.com/news-241436-pm-erdogan-says-oppositions-candidates-represent-junta.html.

Afghanistan: Iran engineers 'kidnapped in Farah'

18 April 2011

At least nine Iranian engineers have been kidnapped in a remote area of western Afghanistan, officials say.

The men had been working on a road-building project in Farah province when they were taken by gunmen, an official quoted by AFP news agency said.

Provincial spokesman Naqibullah Farahi blamed Taliban militants, although the group has denied involvement.

Afghan criminal gangs and insurgents have previously carried out kidnappings of foreign workers.

Most are released unharmed following negotiations.

Last year, British aid worker Linda Norgrove was kidnapped in northern Kunar province and died during a failed rescue attempt.

French journalists Herve Ghesquiere and Stephane Taponier remain in captivity after being abducted in Kapisa province east of Kabul in 2009 by suspected insurgents.

Farah province borders Iran and has seen significant Taliban activity.

Source: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13119324.