which is actually great. Despite the fact that most of the content of the debates is hostile, aggressive and divisive. Still, this is how it works in Turkish politics. If it can even be debated, than we are on the right track:)
a roundup:
from Bianet :: English
The pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Congress organized a workshop with Turkish journalists, academics, politicians and rights defenders to discuss their suggestion of a “Democratic Autonomy”. Two days of discussion shed light on many aspects of the model.
by FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK
The bilingual debate which was recently sparked by pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) Chairman Selahattin Demirtaş seems like it will remain on the country’s agenda for a long while.
by ERGUN BABAHAN
Turkey is now facing a set of problems that have accumulated over many years. The problems, suppressed or ignored in the past, are now screaming for attention.
by MEHMET KAMIŞ
The Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) is choosing to use a provocative tone once again like they do during every democratization process.
by MÜMTAZER TÜRKÖNE
The democratic autonomy draft, adopted by the Democratic Society Congress (DTK) that convened last weekend, signals a new phase in the Kurdish issue. This is something that can easily be misunderstood by anyone who is not into the intricacies of Kurdish politics.
by DOĞU ERGİL
I paid a very educational visit to Israel last week as part of a group of European scholars. My intention was to write a series of articles this week on the Israeli spirit, the perceived nature of the Palestinian issue and the Mavi Marmara flotilla affair.
by İHSAN YILMAZ
Following terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan, Kurdist politicians have recently been demanding something they call “democratic autonomy.” Even though some details of their demand are becoming gradually clear, it is also obvious that neither their nor the public’s minds are clear.
by AYŞE KARABAT
For years every time I return from mostly Kurdish-populated areas of Turkey, my friends, my neighbors and the people around me ask the same question: What do Kurds want? There are perceptions and many more questions behind this simple question.
On the symbolically charged date of Sept. 12, 2010, Turkey held a heavily contested referendum on a number of constitutional changes. The current Constitution was introduced in 1982, when the military ruled the country.
from Bianet :: English
Six journalists are in jail because of their writings. The number of people tried under the Anti-Terror Law is on the rise. Turkey was sentenced by the European Court of Human Rights. 190 people, including 67 journalists, are prosecuted for their thoughts and writings.
from Bianet :: English
After the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Congress on “Democratic Autonomy”, Parliament President Şahin emphasized, “We do not recognize any other congress or assembly. [...] The parliament is to be addressed in Turkish by law”.
by FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK
Turkey’s General Staff, which has a habit of intervening in politics, has drawn the ire of many by intruding in the debate about the use of Kurdish in public places.
by BERİL DEDEOĞLU
The Turkish political system’s essential problem is the political parties’ unwillingness to introduce new thoughts to replace their traditional and well-memorized positions.
by JOOST LAGENDIJK
It is a cliché to say that in Turkey huge differences exist between big cities in the west of the country and small villages in the east. Or to observe that in all parts of the country, the gap between the rich and the poor is enormous.
FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK
The bilingual debate which was recently sparked by pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) Chairman Selahattin Demirtaş seems like it will remain on the country’s agenda for a long while.
by NAZLI ILICAK – SABAH
The democratic autonomy proposal brought up by the Democratic Society Congress (DTK) is just a draft proposal. It is a proposal that has been debated for a long while.
by Mustafa Ünal – ZAMAN
It is very evident that talking about issues such as autonomy, a flag and a defense force for Kurds will not make any contribution to the solution of the Kurdish problem. I think those who spark a debate on these know this well.
from Hurriyet Dailynews by ANKARA – Anatolia News Agency
The leader of the recently founded People’s Voice Party, or HSP, has said that Kurdish can be an elective course in schools ‘as long as the main education language remains Turkish.’
from Hurriyet Dailynews by ANKARA – Anatolia News Agency
Turkish State Minister and chief European Union negotiator Egemen Bağış has said that Kurds in Turkey had no expressed demand or expectation for autonomy.
from Hurriyet Dailynews by HDN
It is the public’s right to know if those who raise the usual objections to the suggestion of Kurdish self-governance have any peaceful alternatives.
from Hurriyet Dailynews by HDN
This country needs organizations like the Peace and Democracy Party and the Democratic Society Congress.
by FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK
The bilingual debate kicked off by the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) suggesting the use of Kurdish along with Turkish in public places has grown further with a proposal for “democratic autonomy” by Kurds from the Democratic Society Congress (DTK), which gathered in Diyarbakır over the weekend.
by İHSAN DAĞI
The fact that today we discuss “democratic autonomy” and bilingual services in the Kurdish populated areas is not worrisome but promising. This means that politics is back to the Kurdish debate.
by YAVUZ BAYDAR
“Democratic autonomy offers draconian, Marxist-style rule for Kurds” was the title of a lengthy, excellent feature-analysis published in this paper yesterday.
Tagged in: BDP, bilingualism, democratic autonomy, kurdish, pkk