Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş and Istanbul deputy Sırrı Süreyya Önder left Hewler on Monday after they delivered Öcalan's second letter to Kurdish Communities Union (KCK) executives in Kandil on 5 April. Following the delivery of the letter and a meeting with BDP members, KCK executives handed in their reply letter to the BDP delegation on Monday. Making a short statement befo ...

The leadership of the KCK (Kurdish Communities Union) in Kandil has conveyed its response to a letter from the imprisoned leader of the PKK, Abdullah Öcalan, today. Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş and BDP Istanbul deputy Sırrı Süreyya Önder went to Kandil to receive the KCK response to Öcalan’s letter they had delivered a couple of days ago. ANF, Kandil ...

Mayor of Van Bekir Kaya has been reinstated upon the approval of the Governor´s Office of Van. Kaya was arrested in the so-called KCK (Kurdish Communities Union) operation in Van on 7 June 2012 and released following the hearing on 29 March. Kaya, the third Kurdish mayor to have been reinstated in the last one month, will officially take office on Tuesday. Hurşit Alptekin, Mayor of Esendere (Bajirgeh) town ...

The first hearing of the case against 72 executives and members of KESK (Confederation of Public Workers' Unions) and unions affiliated to it will be held on Wednesday. The unionists to be tried, including KESK President Lami Özgen, are accused of being members of the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK). 72 unionists were taken into custody as a result of the "KCK/Democratic Labor Platform" operation which was ...

The fifth annual report of Iran Human Rights (IHR) on the death penalty in Iran is an assessment of how the death penalty was used in 2012. Due to harsh crackdowns on civil society, non-existing freedom of press and lack of transparency of the Iranian judicial system, the report, warns the IHR, by no means covers all death penalty cases in Iran. The report is the result of efforts by human rights defenders, ...

Kani Beko who has been elected as President of the Confederation of Revolutionary Trade Unions (DİSK) at the extraordinary general meeting on 6 April spoke to ANF about the Confederation's approach towards the peace process for a democratic solution to the Kurdish question. Beko pointed out that the thirty-year-old war in Turkey has claimed the life of 50 thousand people, adding that "the people killed in t ...

Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş met the Prime Minister of Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Nechirvan Barzani, on Sunday. After the meeting Demirtaş held a press conference in which he gave more information about the visit to the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK) in Kandil. The BDP co-chair and BDP Istanbul deputy Sırrı Süreyya Önder met with KCK executives to deliver the lette ...

A delegation of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) has returned to Hewler on Saturday after the visit they have paid to Kandil on Friday to deliver the letter Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan has recently written to Kurdish Communities Union (KCK) in the scope of the ongoing talks for a democratic and peaceful solution to the Kurdish question. The delegation, consisting of BDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş an ...

MAZLUMDER (Human Rights and Solidarity for Oppressed Peoples association) has released its report on right violations in 2012. According to the report 138 people died as a result of 131 incidents, including murders by unknown people and suspicious deaths.The report also highlights that 13 people died in prisons. A total of 10.350 people were taken into custody and 656 people were remanded in custody. Speaki ...

There are 230 prisoners suffering from serious illness in Turkish jails, said the Human Rights Association (İHD) adding that there are a total of 411 ill inmates. Of these, 180 need urgent care. According to the report published by the IHD prisoners are not receiving adequate treatment in jail and this lead to their health condition deteriorating quickly. Some of the prisoners are in need of constant and re ...