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Former Belgian minister takes Turkish regime to the International Court

The complaint speaks of 200,000 victims of torture, disappearances, incarceration and convictions without due process. The alleged crimes took place in Turkey, a country that doesn’t recognise the ICC, but also in 45 other countries including Belgium. Former Belgian minister takes Turkish regime to the International Court Former Belgian cabinet …

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66 journalists killed in 2022 amid decline in press safety

2022 witnessed a devastating decline in journalists’ safety, as 66 journalists and media workers worldwide were killed in connection with their profession, according to International Press Institute (IPI) data. This figure marks a steep increase from the total of 45 journalists killed in 2021. Spiraling attacks against journalists in Mexico …

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AANES report death toll at 25 in Turkey’s Syria air strikes

The death toll in Turkey’s air strikes on north and east Syria now totals 25, including 11 civilians and 14 fighters from the Syrian regime forces, according a report released by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) reported that …

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Journalists killed in defence of the truth in Rojava

23 male and female journalists were martyred in NE Syria in order to reveal the truth. ANHA agency’s correspondent Issam Abdullah was killed during the bombing of Derik on the 20th of November, while he was covering the air strikes launched by the Turkish occupation state on NE Syria. Here …

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A Report on Human Rights Violations Committed by the Iranian Regime

During 55 days of peaceful demonstrations, which has been met with brutal violence by the repressive forces of the Iranian regime, at least 56 Kurdish civilians, including 11 teenagers and 5 women have been killed in various cities of eastern Kurdistan The following report contains figures and details of human …

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Relatives of Russian drafted soldiers weep: ‘They were abandoned, like dogs…’

Russian regional media publish a plea from mothers, wives and sisters Wives and mothers from two small cities in the Urals, Serov and Severouralsk, came to the media in hopes of raising public awareness regarding the conditions that recently drafted soldiers are facing on the battlefield in the Russian-occupied territories …

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Bern Parliament votes to have official notifications in Kurdish

The Bern Cantonal Parliament voted on Thursday to have official notifications in the Kurmanji dialect of Kurdish. The Bern Cantonal Parliament voted on Thursday to have official notifications in the Kurmanji dialect of Kurdish. Bern Kurdish Cultural Association, Bern Alevi Cultural Association and KUTUSCH (Kurdish and Turkish-Swiss Solidarity Association) acted …

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Turkish physician leader’s arrest condemned by WMA

The World Medical Association has issued a strong condemnation about the arrest in Turkey of Dr. Şebnem Korur Fincancı, President of the Turkish Medical Association. The World Medical Association has issued a strong condemnation about the arrest in Turkey of Dr. Şebnem Korur Fincancı, President of the Turkish Medical Association. …

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HRW: Türkiye deported hundreds of refugees to Syria in months

”Türkiye is trying to make Northern Syria a refugee dumping ground,” said Nadia Hardman, refugee and migrant rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. Syria remains unsafe for returning refugees, according to HRW. By August, Türkiye had reportedly already built 60,000 houses in the northwestern province of Idlib. The organization said …

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17 Kurdish guerrillas killed by Turkish chemical weapons

During the six-month war between 14 April and 14 October 2022, the Turkish army used banned bombs and chemical weapons 2467 times. The People’s Defense Centre (HSM) Headquarters Command published the names of 17 guerrillas who were killed at different times in Turkish chemical weapons attacks in southern Kurdistan (Northern …

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Ukrainian language, arts, and culture

Ukrainian is a Slavic language written in the Cyrillic script and spoken by around 40 million people. The modern Ukrainian language appears in print in the late 18th century, and has since produced rich literature that is finally getting the attention it deserves outside of Ukraine, thanks to a renewed …

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Hengaw’s report on protests in East Kurdistan

According to the statistics of Hengaw, at least 38 people were injured in these two cities by direct fire and baton charges from the special forces, and 13 people were arrested. The civil protests of the people in Saqqez and Sanandaj turned violent with the intervention of the security forces. …

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Esperanto: Can the language of idealism face reality?

We want to bring the ‘idealistic language’ down to earth Languages are typically an essential means of identity, but also pose an unresolved dilemma: a paradox in which languages provide the opportunity to communicate, but only work within a given location and group of individuals, thus distancing us from one …

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Colombia and Venezuela appoint ambassadors, taking the first step toward restoration of diplomatic relations

Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro seek to gradually restore and strengthen political, military, diplomatic and commercial relations between the two nations On Thursday, August 12, the governments of Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro appointed ambassadors to each other’s countries, as part of …

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Satellite images show extent of deforestation in Şirnex

Thousands of trees have been cut down near Mount Cudi and in the Besta region, and tree felling continues in areas declared “special security zones.” About 1,000 tons of trees are cut down every day, and brought to the city center to be sold. Tree felling has been continuing in …

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Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago celebrate 60 years of independence

‘Independence was not only a historical moment, something that happened and is over, but a continuous and collective act of forging a nation from an unapologetic love for liberty, as its meaning evolves over time.” On August 6, Jamaica celebrated its diamond jubilee of independence from Britain, and Trinidad and …

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EFA and the Kurdish Institute of Brussels call on the international community to break the silence about the use of chemical weapons against Kurdistan

During the EFA-Coppieters-EFAY General Assembly in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria,  the representatives of the organization explained the situation in Kurdistan and warned about Turkey’s operations, the violation of human rights, and the use of chemical weapons in the region. Both organizations recall the importance to respect human rights and …

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Google Translate adds Kurdish Sorani

In 2016, Google announced it had added Kurmanji Kurdish to its translation service, alongside 12 other languages, but not Sorani, which is spoken in Iranian Kurdistan (Rojhilat), in addition to the southern parts of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Google Translate on Wednesday announced it will add 24 new languages, …

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Teacher expelled for speaking Kurdish in Turkey

The use of Kurdish in public was banned in Turkey in the 1990s, and Kurds weren’t allowed to learn their mother tongue. There were restrictions for kindergartens, city theaters, and cultural clubs operating in the Kurdish language. A secondary school teacher at the Mersin Akdeniz District Ulubatlı Hasan Secondary School …

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Why Europe needs to take a hard look at itself

Boaventura de Sousa Santos Europe needs to take a hard look at itself. Because it has proved to be incapable of dealing with the causes of the Ukraine crisis, Europe is now condemned to deal with its consequences. The truth is that NATO should have been dismantled as soon as …

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Belgium, US suggest Turkey can host Afghan refugees, Ankara says it’s ‘unacceptable’

• Hundreds of refugees from Afghanistan have been crossing into Turkey every day over the past month• Withdrawing its forces from Afghanistan, the US suggested Afghans who worked for it and their families apply for asylum in Turkey• Turkey’s Foreign Ministry denounced the US statement and said, “The US may …

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