Peace Delegation to South Kurdistan: A Success

„International initiative: DEFEND KURDISTAN – against the Turkish occupation!“

Kalle Schönfeld, member of the delegation

The dangerous developments since the escalation of the Turkish attacks on April 23, 2021 necessitated a quick response from the international forces in solidarity. The rulers in the Turkish state and their allies wanted to use the distraction of the world public by the Corona crisis and the travel restrictions connected with it to force a quick decision in the war of aggression in South Kurdistan (North Iraq). In contrast, many organizations and individuals worldwide saw and still see it as their duty to stand side by side with the Kurdish people against the planned occupation of South Kurdistan and to prevent an intra-Kurdish war fueled by Turkey. The plan was to carry out this active and practical solidarity in contact with the society in South Kurdistan in order to contribute to the dialogue between the political actors, to create international publicity for their concerns and to put pressure on the KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party) party apparatus, which is dominated by the Barzanî clan, to abandon its collaboration with Turkey. Turkey’s allies in NATO were also supposed to realize that their geostrategic power games in the region would not go unchallenged by the international civilian public. The violations of international law, genocides and wars of aggression by the state powers should and must be countered by a response from international civil society.

To achieve this goal, the „International Initiative: DEFEND KURDISTAN – against the Turkish occupation!“ was launched. 150 politicians, academics, human rights activists, trade unionists, journalists, feminists and environmental activists from eleven European countries wanted to travel to Hewlêr (Erbil) in South Kurdistan to inform themselves about the situation, to meet parliamentary representatives of all parties and NGO representatives and to contribute to a dialogue between different political actors. A visit to the villages destroyed by the Turkish military operations and conversations with the direct victims of the war were planned. Of great symbolic importance is that the delegation was to take place at the same time as the NATO summit in Brussels on June 14, at which, as it later turned out, the price for which Erdoğan was willing to remain „loyal“ to the Western power bloc was being negotiated.

The goals of the initiative are described in a statement by the German delegation participants as follows: „Like many of Turkey’s military provocations as well as years of occupation outside the borders of Turkish territory, the war that has been going on since April 23 does not receive any public attention. Breaking this silence of the international media, civil society organizations, parties and governments in order to pave the way for peace is our main intention.“

Repression

Although organizers and participants tried to be discreet in the run-up to the delegation, it quickly became clear that the state powers had gotten wind of this initiative and were obviously so alarmed by it that they risked unmasking their security apparatuses to the point of breaking the constitution in order to prevent the delegation.

Smaller groups had already been arrested and deported upon their arrival in Hewlêr between June 7 and 10. Of particular concern is the arrest of three representatives of the self-government in Nort and East Syria, Cîhad Hesen, Mistefa Osman Xelîl and Mistefa Ezîz Mistê, who were arrested in Erbil without the protection of European passports by KDP forces known to operate torture prisons. Until now, nothing is known about their whereabouts.

The international scale of the repression became clear when a European delegation was already denied passage to Hewlêr via Doha airport on the territory of Turkey’s ally Qatar. Another close ally of Turkey went one step further on the path of state arbitrariness when it refused its own citizens to leave to join the delegation.

Apparently at Turkey’s request and presumably with the help of Turkish intelligence, the German Federal Police detained a large part of the German delegation on June 12 and imposed a travel ban on the majority of them on the explicit grounds that „participation by German citizens […] would further negatively impact relations with Turkey.“ The persons who ordered the action also accepted a breach of the constitution, since delegation member Cansu Özdemir, as a member of the Hamburg parliament, was hindered in her work as a parliamentarian.

At the same time, repression by the KDP continued in Hewlêr. Here, it was persons in civilian clothes who pulled the travelers out of the waiting lines or from the airport parking lot and detained them without giving any reason. Since they refused to give any information about who they were or what organization they belonged to and since they were apparently superior to the uniformed police, it can be assumed that they belonged to a secret service, such as the `Parastin û Zanyarî`. Completed entry formalities and valid visa stamps were worth only a shrug of the shoulders in this coercive measure. The deportation area of the airport was soon so crowded with people from Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands that a delegation group from Sweden had to wander around the airport hall for twelve hours, guarded by secret service agents. A group from Slovenia was held in the deportation area for three days.

A total of 50 people were detained and deported in Hewlêr, including former mayor Demir Çelik and left-wing politician and Alevi municipal representative Ecevit Emre. Berlin city councilor Hakan Taş had to hold out for 12 hours at the airport before he could enter the country.

The Delegation

Despite this internationally coordinated wave of repression, about 80 of the 150 delegates were able to reach the meeting place in Hewlêr and begin their work despite further repression. Through intimidation and repression, the Barzanî KDP prevented the delegation from contacting most of the organizations and individuals with whom it had sought to hold talks. However, a trip to the head of the Ezidis, Baba Șêx, and a visit to the Șarya refugee camp were successful. Overall, the delegates‘ freedom of movement remained severely restricted, as security forces prevented them from leaving the hotel in Hewlêr for long periods of time. On the other hand, representatives of the Kurdish parties came to the meeting place for talks with the delegation. The talks with representatives of the PUK (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan), the Talabanî family, the Gorran movement, the `Tevgera Nifşe Nû` (New Generation Movement) and the Communist Party resulted in surprisingly high levels of agreement. The unanimous opinion was that the conflict in South Kurdistan could only be resolved through dialogue.

A meeting with the KDP, which was scheduled as part of a visit to the parliament, was first refused by the KDP itself. A discussion did take place when, on the evening of June 11, the head of the Kurdish Regional Government’s foreign affairs department, Safeen Dizayee, met with the delegation in the hotel, repeatedly emphasizing that he did not wish to be perceived as representing party interests, but rather as a government representative.

As a highlight of the delegation’s trip and as a counterpoint to the NATO summit taking place at the same time, a press conference was scheduled for June 14. This could not take place as planned in front of the UN headquarters in Erbil because armed Peshmerga forces prevented the members from leaving the hotel. The delegates therefore read out their statements from the hotel lobby to the numerous Kurdish media representatives present. In doing so, they declared: „On the occasion of the NATO summit in Brussels, the Delegation for Peace and Freedom in Kurdistan, which has been in Hewlêr for several days, announces the initiative ‚Defend Kurdistan – Against the Turkish Occupation!‘ For six weeks, Turkey has been conducting a military offensive in areas of South Kurdistan/North Iraq. This operation on foreign territory is illegal under international law. In addition, there have been multiple reports of the use of poison gas by the Turkish military. The delegation is on the ground to draw attention to the effects of the war and to stand up for peace.“

Breaking the Silence

Some delegates questioned in particular the dubious role of European states in the conflict, according to Pierre Laurent, vice president of the French Senate and a member of parliament for the Parti Communiste Français: „Both NATO and the EU are aware of the illegality of these attacks under international law. Now is the time for them to live up to the values they espouse and stop supporting Ankara. Anything else would be hypocrisy and would seal another massacre of the Kurdish people.“

A joint march to the UN office was prevented by KDP militias using physical force. The delegation members responded with a sit-in.

At a press conference two days later in Silêmanî, which is part of the PUK’s sphere of influence, the opposite situation arose for the delegation: because the hotel operator feared reprisals, he simply moved the conference to the street. On this occasion, participant Maja Hess condemned the persecution by the KDP: „We strongly condemn these illegal actions and all the repressions to which the KDP has subjected us. We came here hoping to be welcomed as guests, but instead we were treated like criminals.“

Birthe Witthöft, activist of the feminist organization „Fighting Together! For Self-Determination and Democratic Autonomy“ emphasized the non-partisanship of the delegation: „We do not represent any single group or organization here, and we do not want to oppose any single Kurdish group. Our first declaration from the day before yesterday was signed by 251 organizations. We are very diverse and we are committed to dialogue and peace here in Kurdistan. As peaceful people, we were disappointed that we were treated this way.We are democratic people who want to exchange with other democratic parties and structures.“

A group then visited the relatives of victims of Turkish air strikes. As this report went to press, the delegation’s work was still ongoing.

So far, it can be said that the concept of using the peace delegation as a counterpoint to the NATO summit of state violence has been an outstanding success. On the one hand, social networking and organizing here has broken the silence that surrounded the war of state powers in South Kurdistan worldwide and created publicity for an intra-Kurdish dialogue. On the other hand, the states have torn off their masks by their coordinated repression against a peace initiative. Their overreaction has shown that they see their war plans endangered by peace, their secret agreements by transparency and openness and their power by solidarity. This overreaction has caused a stir, especially in Germany, where an open breach of law and constitution was committed in order not to disturb the harmony of the NATO alliance, which was staged for the sake of power politics. The media echo on this issue reached a large part of the established mainstream media and will also lead to further legal steps. This is where we need to pick up in the following weeks.

Solidarity with the movement, which stands for democracy, ecology, women’s liberation and a liberated society, is a point of connection for many alliance partners. We hope that the call „DEFEND KURDISTAN – against the Turkish occupation!“ will win many more supporters.

This article was first published in the July/August 2021 edition of the Kurdistan Report.