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Turkey (Bakur or North of Kurdistan)
- Dozens of people who remained trapped in the basement of a largely demolished building in Cizre for 10 days were found killed by Turkish security forces. HDP Shirnak deputy Faysal Sarıyildiz who is in the town of Cizre has confirmed that state forces killed dozens of people trapped in a building last night.
- In its report on the Turkish state’s genocidal attacks in Northern Kurdistan, Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV) stated that 224 civilians have been massacred since August 16, 2015. Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV) prepared a report on the human rights violations that have taken place in Northern Kurdistan. In its report, TİHV stated that at least 1 million and 377 thousand people were affected by the curfews, and state forces massacred a total of 224 civilians including 42 children, 31 women, and 30 elderly.
- Erdogan’s Guard Broke Nose of Ecuadorean Lawmaker Diego Vintimilla. The incident occurred during a Kurdish solidarity protest against Turkey’s president as he visited Ecuador. Supporters of the Kurdish struggle took to the streets Thursday in Ecuador’s capital Quito to protest Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is in Ecuador on an official two-day visit. The protesters gathered in opposition to Ankara’s military operation in the Kurdish southeast areas of Turkey which has killed hundreds of civilians since August.
- HDP and BDP delegation held a press release in Mardin on their efforts regarding the situation in Cizre. The press release was held in Mardin Metropolitan Municipality and HDP Co-President Selahattin Demirtaş, DBP Co-President Kamuran Yüksek, HDP parliamentarians Burcu Çelik Özkan and Ali Atalan, Mardin Metropolitan Municipality co-mayors Ahmet Türk and Februniye Akyol Akay, and Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality co-mayor Gültan Kışanak attended the meeting. At the press release, HDP Co-President Selahattin Demirtaş said that he was ready to go to Cizre with a team of medics and retrieve the wounded people there to a hospital, and called upon the government to open a human corridor. He noted that HDP concentrated all of its efforts on ending the curfews, human rights violations and tragedies, but the government continued to fail fulfilling its legal and moral responsibilities
Syria (Rojava or West of Kurdistan)
- 221 Arab youths have joined the YPG in Kobane Canton over the last three months. After the YPG’s and YPJ’s back-to-back victories against the ISIS terrorists in Kobane Canton, and particularly protecting all ethnic and religious groups, hundreds of Arab men and women have come to the conclusion that the only force capable and willing to defend them are the YPG and the YPJ. The significant role both the YPG and YPJ play in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is composed of all ethnic and religious groups in the region, is another reason why non-Kurds are increasingly joining these two groups.
- Delegates and representatives of women’s organizations in Rojava and other parts of Syria came to the city of Dêrik in Cezîre Canton to attend the first Syrian Women’s Conference. Today a number of delegates and representatives arrived Azar Meeting Center in Dêrik where the conference will be held. The slogan of the conference is “Free women are the guarantor of a democratic Syria” and according to the program of the conference, executive body (diwan) of the conference will be elected first.
Iraq (Bashur or South of Kurdistan)
- Protests intensified in Iraq’s Kurdistan region on Tuesday after the government unveiled new austerity measures to avert an economic collapse that officials warn could undermine the war effort against Islamic State. Some Kurdish peshmerga fighters blocked the main road outside their base in the city of Sulaimaniyah on a third day of strikes and demonstrations by police and other government employees demanding their salaries. Hit hard by the global slump in oil prices, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) last week said it would pay only part of state workers’ salaries until its fiscal health improved.
- The European Parliament has unanimously passed a resolution recognizing an ISIS genocide against Christians, Êzîdîs and other religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq and Syria. The resolution passed on Thursday at a European Parliament plenary session in the French city of Strasbourg demanded that those who intentionally commit atrocities for ethnic or religious reasons be brought to justice for violations against international law, crimes against humanity and genocide. MEPs called upon the United Nations Security Council to take necessary actions to recognize the ISIS barbaric crimes as a genocide, and to support an appeal to the International Criminal Court for an investigation into the crimes committed by ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
- After ISIS militants seized a strategic village in the vicinity of Makhmur, Kurdish Peshmerga forces recaptured the village after fierce clashes. ISIS militants gathered reinforcements and launched attack on Iraqi army and national mobilization and seized part of Gurdila (Koudellah) village SW of Makhmur”. Few hours later Peshmerga forces with Iraqi army, national mobilization and backed by coalition fighter jets drove the terrorists out of the strategic village. Gurdila was constantly used by ISIS terrorists as a military base from which they have repeatedly attacked the Peshmerga forces.
- Turkish warplanes bombed villages of Qandil last night for 4 hours. The bombardment did not kill any civilians, but destroyed several houses and killed many livestock. Turkish warplanes once again bombed civilian settlements in Qandil and luckily, no civilians were killed during the bombardment. However, many houses were destroyed, tens of livestock were killed, and gardens were burnt.
Iran (Rojhelat or East of Kurdistan)
- The Star Union Organization (SUO) of Afrin Canton has launched the third round of the campaign for release of Zeynab Jalaliyan. The SUO is currently collecting signatures in the Bulbul area of Afrin. The campaign in Afrin Canton will last for a month. Resident of Qamishlo have also joined the SUO-initiated campaign for release of Zeynab Jalaliyan. The House of People in the Gherbi Neighborhood is where teachers, students, businesspersons, housewives and people from all walks of life are the petition calling for the unconditional release of Zeynab by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
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