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Kurdish Unity in a Divided Region: The Prospects for Peace and Autonomy in Northern and Rojava Kurdistan”

Interview: Necat Ayaz The governing style, political outlook, social bases and economic system of the PYD (and PKK) and the KDP are just too different.  The two have sought to undermine each other’s credibility and legitimacy for so long that it seems difficult to overcome such differences.  They also compete …

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Turkey’s 2024 crackdown on Kurdish language and culture exposed

A 2024 report by the Kurdish Language Rights Monitoring and Reporting Platform reveals Turkey’s systematic suppression of Kurdish identity, documenting 109 violations across multiple domains. A 2024 report by the Kurdish Language Rights Monitoring and Reporting Platform reveals Turkey’s systematic suppression of Kurdish identity, documenting 109 violations across multiple domains. …

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Syria’s HTS Leader Holds First Talks with Kurdish-led SDF

The meeting between Ahmed al-Sharaa and the SDF is a cautious but meaningful step toward addressing Syria’s enduring divisions. While significant hurdles lie ahead, continued dialogue could play a critical role in shaping the country’s future amidst ongoing conflict and foreign interference. Syria’s HTS leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, held his first …

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Kurdish winter solstice celebration: Gaxan symbolises cultural resilience

Gaxan, a Kurdish festival held between 13-29 December, celebrates the return of the sun, and is a symbol of cultural defiance. In historically oppressed regions like Dersim, it represents the survival of Kurdish identity against decades of repression by the Turkish state. Gaxan, the Kurdish solstice festival held from 13-29 …

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Amnesty International calls for an end to Turkey’s ‘crackdown on peaceful dissent’

There has been a wave of protest in Turkey since Kurdish journalists Nazım Daştan and Cîhan Bilgin were killed in a Turkish drone strike in northeast Syria. The Turkish state has been cracking down hard on those who voice their anger. Amnesty International has issued a statement calling out Turkey …

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Turkey’s role with Islamist groups in Syria praised by Trump

Donald Trump highlighted Turkey’s historic and strategic role in Syria, praising President Erdoğan’s leadership. “They’ve wanted it for thousands of years, and now they got it,” Trump said, emphasising Turkey’s control over key Syrian territories. US President-elect Donald Trump, on Monday in Florida, has hailed Turkey’s “historic ties to Syria” …

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Turkish police raid Kurdish institutions in Diyarbakır amid rising tensions

In the early hours of this morning, police raided the Mesopotamian Language and Culture Research Association (MED-DER) and the Payîz Pirtûk bookshop in Diyarbakır (Amed), resulting in the arrest of several staff members. The operation raises concerns over the repression of Kurdish cultural rights in Turkey. Turkish police raided the Mesopotamian …

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UN: At least 345 prisoners, 15 women executed in Iran in 2024

  The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has expressed his concern about Iran’s ongoing executions, which disproportionately target minorities, and has called on the Iranian regime to abolish the death penalty. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk issued a press briefing on Friday expressing deep concern over …

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Iran executes 29 prisoners in single day, human rights activists say

Despite widespread opposition to the increasing number of executions in Iran, human rights activists report that at least 30 prisoners were executed in the country’s prisons between 3 and 7 August According to reports published, on the morning of 7 August, the death sentences of 29 prisoners, including two Afghan and one …

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Kurdish protester Reza Rasayi executed in Iran’s Kermanshah prison

Kurdish protester Reza Rasayi was secretly executed in Kermanshah Central Prison of Iran, with human rights groups condemning it as an extrajudicial murder based on forced confessions. Kurdish protester Reza Rasayi was secretly executed in Kermanshah Central Prison, Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) reported on Tuesday. Human rights organisations have condemned the execution …

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15 bar associations: Erasing writings in Kurdish harms the culture of coexistence and social peace

15 bar associations reacted against the hostile policies towards the Kurdish language and emphasised that attacks against Kurdish are an indication of intolerance towards the existence and culture of Kurds. 15 bar associations made a joint written statement on the removal of the traffic warning signs “Hêdî (Slowly)” and “Pêşî …

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Ecocide in Kurdish regions of Turkey as green landscapes give way to concrete military outposts

In Kurdish-majority Şırnak (Şirnex), Turkey, widespread deforestation for military construction is devastating Kurdish forests, transforming green landscapes into concrete and militarised zones. Extensive deforastaion is paving the way for the construction of military outposts, resulting in an ecological disaster in the Kurdish-majority Şirnak (Şirnex), Turkey. The Gabar, Cûdî and Besta …

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