Situation Report: November 2, 2015

Turkey’s Kurdistan (Bakur)

• In Sunday’s election, preliminary results suggested HDP managed to maintain the 10 percent it needed to remain in parliament. But the party’s leaders and supporters experienced none of the euphoria of the June election. “Unfortunately, it was a difficult and troubled period of election campaigning. Lives were lost,” said HDP leader Selahattin Demirtas, after he casting his vote on Sunday, according to The Associated Press. “My wish is that a great hope for peace and calm emerges [from the vote].” We will continue our politics of peace against this politics of massacres” he added.

• Turkish Interior Ministry removed a female district mayor from her post in eastern Van province Wednesday on charges of declaring self-governance. Diba Keskin, member of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) and co-mayor in Van’s Ercis district, was arrested after she allegedly made a call for self-governance in the district through a press statement on Oct. 14.

Iraqi Kurdistan (Bashur)

• The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is pleased that the United States district court in Texas has today dismissed the groundless lawsuit filed by the Iraqi Ministry of Oil. There remains no legal obstacle in the United States or elsewhere to the KRG’s exercise of its right under the Iraqi Constitution to market and sell oil around the world.

• Backed by theS.-led coalition, Peshmerga forces in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq stormed the Shingal area in Nineveh province, military sources reported. Shingal area, where thousands of Yezidis used to reside, has been under the control of the radical group of Islamic State (ISIS) since August 3, 2014. Speaking to ARA News in Shingal, Yezidi fighter Aziz Mishko said that the Kurdish Peshmerga forces, backed by the U.S.-led warplanes, have launched a massive military operation on the southern areas of the ISIS-held Shingal in a bid to liberate the region from the terror group.

• German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Erbil Monday evening after several meetings with Iraqi leaders in Baghdad the same day. Minister Leyen held meetings with senior official at the KRG and expressed Germany’s support for Peshmerga in their fight against ISIS.

Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava)

• More than 400 international cities held rallies in support of World Kobane Day on Sunday. Since it was liberated in January 2015, residents of Kobane have started to return and rebuild their former hometown. Notable rallies were held in Stockholm, London, Melbourne, Barcelona and Vienna. Many more rallies were held throughout the world, and support was active on Twitter as well with the hashtag #WorldKobaneDay.

• Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) have been shelled by Turkish military from across the Turkish-Syrian border. YPG units stationed in Tell Aybad, east of Kobane, reported having been hit by heavy weaponry at 1100 hours and 1800 hours on October 27th. The attacks were confirmed by Turkey’s Prime Minister. Since it first launched cross border attacks against the YPG in June, Turkey has indicated its displeasure with Syrian Kurdish movement. Turkey has warned that it will not allow the YPG to take over the border town of Jarablus, west of Kobane, that is currently controlled by Islamic terrorist groups.

• People’s protection units announced on Saturday, 31st October 2015, that the Kurdish fighters in Western Kurdistan launched an operation against the so called Islamic state in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) around Khatunia village related to Holly area between the border of western and southern of Kurdistan.
  Shimar Himo political activist in Western Kurdistan in a statement told PUKmedia Yesterday evening the terrorists group ISIL without any clashes leaves several areas, but around Khatunia village related to Holly area clash broke out between People’s protection units and ISIL, adding that the clashes still going on.

Iranian Kurdistan (Rojhelat)

• Last week saw heavy flooding in Iran’s Kurdish-majority Ilam province. The flood damaged roads, buildings, and killed three civilians, highlighting the Iranian government’s weak infrastructure in the Kurdish-majoirty region. Ilam’s Governor, Mohammed Razza Murwarid, blamed the Iranian government for neglecting its Kurdish citizens. “The flood shows that the province’s construction infrastructure is weak, and that the [central] government has not taken the construction and building sector into consideration.”

• Over forty Members of Parliament from various European countries have signed a letter demanding the release of Kurdish Filmmaker Keywan Karimi. Karimi was sentanced to six years in prison and over 200 lashes for having included a kissing scene in one of his recent movies. The letter, addressed to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, calls for the cancellation of Karimi’s punishment, citing the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which was ratified by Iran in 1976.

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