From The National by Thomas Seibert, (Foreign Correspondent):
Turkish Kurdish party threatened
ISTANBUL // As Turkey awaits the outcome of a court case aimed at banning the country’s ruling party, the main pro-Kurdish party has also been fighting for survival before the same court in a case that highlights Turkey’s continued problems to deal with the Kurdish [...]
18 June 08 - Public Statement from Amnesty International:
Turkey: Three children on trial in case over freedom of expression
Tomorrow, 19 June, three boys, aged 15, 15 and 17 at the time that the alleged offence was committed, will go on trial in Diyarbakır in the south east of Turkey accused of violating Article 7/2 of [...]
Human Rights Watch released a report yesterday documenting that the Syrian authorities continue to arrest, try, and harass political and human rights activists. Amidst increasing calls in Western countries to increase diplomatic engagement with Syrian authorities, Human Rights Watch urged that “an improvement in the treatment of these activists be at the heart of any [...]
Human Rights Watch last week called on Iranian authorities to grant three political prisoners access to much-needed proper medical attention.
They are being held in the notorious Evin Prison, a security unit where Human Rights Watch has previously documented abuses. Cleric Ayatollah Kazemi Boroujerdi, journalist and activist Mohammad-Sadiq Kaboudvand, and prominent human rights advocate Emad Baghi [...]
IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
ALERT - TURKEY 6 June 2008
Three members of children’s choir face charges of “making propaganda for a terrorist organisation” after singing Kurdish song in U.S. music festival
(Antenna-TR/IFEX) - Three children, members of the Diyarbakir Yenisehir Council Children’s Choir [Koma Dengê Zarokên Amedê - The Children’s [...]
The Leadership Council for Human Rights is outraged and saddened by the world’s lack of concern for the death in detention of Kurdish political activist Kaveh (Kawa) Azizpour, as information has emerged suggesting that torture by Iranian authorities caused the cerebral stroke that led to his passing.
Mr. Azizpour, 25, was originally arrested two years ago [...]
The authorities continued to suppress dissent. Journalists, writers, scholars, and women’s rights and community activists were subject to arbitrary arrest, travel bans, closure of their NGOs and harassment. Armed opposition, mainly by Kurdish and Baluchi groups, continued, as did state repression of Iran’s minority communities. Discrimination against women remained entrenched in law and practice. Torture [...]
Source: Adnkronos International
Tighter security measures had led to a sharp rise in executions in Iran, according to the international rights group Amnesty International.
In its annual report released in London on Wednesday, Amnesty said at least 335 people were executed in Iran in 2007, seven of them children.
Amnesty said the number of executions had increased since [...]
Source: AFP
Iran has sentenced to death a Kurdish teacher for membership in a “terrorist” group and possession of explosives, the judiciary spokesman confirmed on Tuesday.
“Farzad Kamangar is accused of membership in a terrorist group and possession and carrying explosives. He was found guilty of ‘Moharebeh’ (being an enemy of god) and sentenced to death,” Ali [...]
AKR is deeply concerned about the deteriorating condition of Mohammad Sadigh Kabodwand, jailed founder and chairman of the Kurdish Human Rights Organization. We urge the international community to put pressure on the Iranian government and to responsibly care for him while in custody.
Background
According to our information, Kabodwand, editor of the banned weekly “Payam-e [...]
