Mayor of Diyarbakir places new village signboards in Kurdish

NEWSCENTRE (DİHA) Mayor of Diyarbakir Osman Baydemir said the municipality will erect Kurdish signboards with village names which have been changed and made Turkish.

On one hand the Turkish government was denying the existence of the Kurds and was prohibiting the Kurdish language on the other hand it has changed all the Kurdish geographical names. Armenian, Greek and Laz names have shared the same fate with Kurds.

The Specialised Board of Re-naming was founded in 1957 which was abolished in 1978, when they started to change the names of the historical sites.
Shepherd seriously wounded during helicopter attack
A Kurdish shepherd was seriously wounded in Turkish Military Forces’ (TSK) helicopter assault in Pulumur, a town of Dersim province.

Last night military helicopters bombarded Buyer Baba plains and Kurdish shepherd, Fikri Karakus, was seriously wounded. Karakus was brought to a Hospital in Dersim this morning and was said to be in serious condition. In addition, it was alleged that seriously injured shepherd was tortured by commander of a military station.
Human rights violation tripled
Figures released by Turkish government confirmed increase in rights abuse in Turkey between January 2010 and June 2010 compared to the same period of 2009.
Turkish Prime Ministry’s Office for Human Rights (BIMER) figures show 3,475 human rights violation claims between January 2010 and June 2010. The number of claims for the same period in 2009 was 1,046.

Violation claims from Istanbul, Izmir, Agri, Ankara, Adiyaman and Mugla are on the top of the list.
Prisoner tells of ordeal and abuses in Trabzon E Type Closed prison
A Kurdish prisoner Ebedin Abi kept in Trabzon E Type Closed Prison said the food given to the prisoners is full of insects and they are left to languish in the prison. In his letter to the Human Rights Association in Turkey (IHD) Abi also said due to over-crowd they have to stay six inmates in 3-person cells.

Abi further said all their protest against the prison conditions were confronted with disciplinary punishment by the prison administration. He added: “Due to our objections we were transferred to a ward where the dormitory and the kitchen are in within the other. Because of the humidity the food goes off and even the beds became moldy.”
American reporter Jake Hess is still under custody in Diyarbakır
American journalist Jake Hess, who was arrested in Diyarbakır for allegedly aiding the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has been kept in Diyarbakır Police Department due to ongoing questioning.
Hess was working as a translator in the Human Rights Association’s Diyarbakır Branch. Hess might be deported for security reasons, said locals.

74 thousands signature for Vedat Kurşun’s freedom

Azadiya Welat Kurdish-only daily newspaper had launched a campaign to demand freedom of Vedat Kurşun, who was chief editor of the Kurdish-only daily newspaper and had been sentenced to 166 years in prison three months ago. His colleagues collected 74 thousands signatures to send the authorities despite all barricades of security forces.

Once again, burned bodies of HPG members caused great anger of families

The families of killed members of People’s Defence Forces (HPG) couldn’t identify the bodies since the bodies were totally burned. Angry and heartbroken families cried out when they have seen the battered bodies beyond recognize. Families await for DNA tests. 5 bodies of HPG were brought to the morgue in Batman Hospital yesterday. They have lost their life on Monday during the clashes in Besiri area in Batman province.

(gü)