·       SOITM report to the public hearing on Human rights situation of Turkmen in Iraq, the Subcommittee on Human Rights, European parliament - 4 December 2011
The Turkmen of Iraq are considered the third largest component of the Iraqi Population. According to the adjusted statistics of the Iraqi census of 1957, the Turkmen constituted 9% of the total Iraqi population, [1, 2] which would now approximate to 3 million out of 32 million – the total Iraqi population. Turkmen live mainly in the north and middle of Iraq: Kerkuk, Mosul, Erbil, Salah al-Din, Diyala, Kut and Baghdad. The largest Turkmen population concentration is found in Kerkuk whose linguistic, cultural and ethnic identity is distinctly colored by their presence....

     Avrupa Parlamentosu, Insan Haklari Alt Komitesinin, Irak Türkmenleri Insan haklari durumu konferansina sunulan SOITM raporu - 4 December 2011
Irak Türkmenleri Irak’ın üçüncü büyük topluluğudur. 1957 nüfus sayımının tashih edilmiş istatistiklerine göre, Türkmenler toplam Irak nüfusunun % 9’unu – bugün 32 milyonluk nüfusun yaklaşık olarak 3 milyonu- oluştururlar. [1, 2] Türkmenler daha çok Irak’ın kuzeyinde ve orta bölgesinde yaşarlar: Buralar; Kerkük, Musul, Erbil, Selahaddin, Diyala, Kut ve Bağdat bölgeleridir. Varlıklarıyla bölgenin dilini, kültürünü ve etnik kimliğini renklendiren en geniş Türkmen nüfusu ise Kerkük’te yoğunlaşmaktadır...

·        Who Owns Kerkuk? Examination of the Basic Dimensions - 11 September 2013
The purpose of the Iraqi Turkmen Human Rights Research Foundation was to begin a discussion, initiated by Open Democracy in 2007, about ethnic issues surrounding the city of Kerkuk. In particular, Open democracy proposed a discussion regarding the differences that have arisen between Turkmen and Kurdish communities. In our first article, entitled “The fate of a city”, 1 We attempted to present aspects of a Turkmen perspective of these issues. ...

          من الذي يملك كركوك؟ دراسة الأبعاد الأساسية - ١٣أيل ٢٠١١
كانت غاية مؤسسة بحث حقوق الانسان لتركمان العراق (سويتم) هي الشروع في مناقشة، التي بدأها الموقع الالكتروني ’الديمقراطية المفتوحة‘ في عام ٢٠٠٧ حول التركيبة الاثنية لمنطقة كركوك. اذ اقترح الموقع المذكور ان يكون التركيز على الاختلافات التي نشأت بين المكون التركماني والكردي. وقدمت مؤسسة (سويتم) الجوانب الاساسية للنظرة التركمانية من هذه القضايا في مقالتها الاولى بعنوان "مصير مدينة ...

·       Assassination of Turkmen Nerosurgeon: Iraqi Turkmen are, in fact, exposed to genocide - 15 September 2011
Being a non-ruling community (minority) is considered to be one of the major reasons of exposure to violation of human rights. When such a community holds strategic and wealthy land in a politically unstable and culturally not-democratic nationalistic country, the sufferings will certainly augment. Given the insecurity of Iraq, it is highly likely that atrocities against communities could be expected. This is the case of the Iraqi non-Kurdish non-Arabic communities, of which the Turkmen is the largest...

·       Türkmen Beyin Cerrahi Ōldürüldü: Irak Türkmenlerine Karsi Soykirim Yapilmaktadir - 15 September 2011
İktidar haricinde topluluk (Azınlık) olmak , insan hakları ihlallerine uğramanın önemli nedenlerinden biri kabul edilmemektedir. Böyle bir topluluk stratejik ve zengin bölgeye sahibiyse , siyasi açıdan istikrarsız ve kültürel bakımdan demokratik olmayan milliyetçi bir ülkede bulunuyorsa, acıları kesinlikle artacaktır . Bunlara Irak’ın güvensizlik ortamı eklendiğinde, soykırımların vuku bulması olasılıktır. İşte, Irakta yaşayan Arap ve Kürtler dışındaki toplulukların durumu budur, özellikle sayıda en büyükleri olan Türkmenlerin...

          اغتيال طبيب تركماني أخصائي لجراحة الجملة العصبية: التركمان في العراق يتعرضون الى ابادة جماعية - ١٣ أيلول ٢٠١١
أن تكون جزء غير حاكما (الأقلية) في مجتمع ما، يعتبر احد الأسباب الرئيسية للتعرض الى انتهاكات حقوق الإنسان، عندما تمتلك مثل هذه المكونات موقع استراتيجي وأراضي غنية بالثروات الطبيعية في مجتمع غير مستقر سياسيا وله نظام غير ديمقراطي وثقافة عنصرية سوف تزداد المعاناة حتما. واذا أضفنا إلى العوامل أعلاه عامل عدم الاستقرار الأمني مثلما هو الحال في العراق ستكون احتمالات تعرض هذه المكونات إلى التطهير العرقي كبيرة. هذه هي حالة المكونات الغير الحاكمة (الاقليات) اليوم في العراق واكبرهم التركمان...

·       UNAMI Reports Turn a Blind Eye to Iraqi Turkmen - 13 August 2011
Believing in the rules of democracy and considering it the only way to establish social justice, the Turkmen of Iraq have always refused to resort to armed struggle as a means of obtaining cultural and human rights. Despite this, they continue to be exposed to harsh policies of marginalization and assimilation.The participation of the United...

·       UNAMI Irak Türkmenlerine karsi yapilan insan haklari Ihlallerine göz yummaktadir - 13 August 2011
Demokrasinin kurallarına güvenen ve sosyal adaleti tesis etmenin tek yolu olduğuna inanan Irak Türkmenleri , kültürel ve siyasi hakları elde etmenin aracı olarak silahlı mücadeleye başvurmayı her zaman reddetmişlerdir. Buna rağmen , her zaman dışlanma ve asimilasyon politikalarına maruz kalmış ve kalmaktadırlar. Baas rejiminin yıkılmasından sonra , Irak’ın yeniden inşa...

          تقارير بعثة الامم المتحدة في العراق تغض النظر عن الانتهاكات بحق تركمان العراق - ١٣ آب ٢٠١١
ايمانا بمنطلق القواعد الديمقراطية باعتبارها السبيل الوحيد لتحقيق العدالة الاجتماعية فان تركمان العراق رفضوا دوما اللجوء الى استخدام العنف المسلح كوسيلة للحصول على حقوقهم الثقافية والسياسية، وبالرغم من هذا الايمان انهم لايزالون يتعرضون لسياسات قاسية من التهميش والاضطهاد. لقيت مشاركة الامم المتحدة في اعادة بناء العراق بعد سقوط نظام البعث ترحيبا من قبل تركمان العراق...

·       Questioning the legitimacy and validity of a census in the today’s Iraq, particularly in the north - 27 July 2010
“Census data has become completely integrated into the decision making process by all sectors of the economy, not just government”1 Census is the sine qua non of monitoring and planning of development at all levels in all types of administration. It provides ...

·       Recommendations to Change the Process for Obtaining a Schengen Visa by Iraqi Politicians - 13 August 2011
In the second half of 2008, the Iraqi Turkmen Human Rights Research Foundation (SOITM) and Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) started to work on a project to organize a conference in the European Parliament discussing the problems in the north of Iraq the situation of the Iraqi non-ruling communities (minorities) and the responses of the new Iraqi Parliament to the disputes...

          هل تملك السلطات البلجيكية الحق في منع فعالية في البرلمان الأوروبي؟ - ١ تموز ٢٠١ ٢٠١١
في النصف الثاني من العام ٢٠٠٨، بدأت مؤسسة بحث حقوق الإنسان لتركمان العراق (سويتم) وبمشاركة منظمة الأمم والشعوب غير الممثلة (أنبو) استعداداتهما المبكرة لاتمام الاجراءات اللازمة لتنظيم مؤتمر في البرلمان الأوروبي خصص لمناقشة بعض المشاكل التي تواجه القوميات في الشمال العراقي، النزاعات والظروف التي تتعرض لها المجتمعات غير الحاكمة (الأقليات)، ودور البرلمان العراقي المنتخب حديثا في حل هذه النزاعات (١) ...

This conferences could not be organized, because the visas of the Iraqi policy makers participating in the conferences were not issued by the Belgian authorities

·        Conferences are organized in the European parliament and in the Hague
I - Reconciliation in Iraq: Finding Solutions to the Disputes in the North - 10 JUNE 2010

•       Flyer of the conference
Struan Stevenson MEP - Chairman of the Delegation for Relations with Iraq...

•       Program of the conference
Organization (UNPO), in partnership with the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists ...

•       Commemorates Bashar Hamid MP
One week has passed since Mr. Bashar Hamid was laid to rest after being fatally shot outside ...

•       Concept note of the conference
Conflicting political interests, inexperience and instabilities which influenced the writing of the ...

•       For Immidiate Release
The north of Iraq continues to face major problems that reflect the country’s troubled history...

•       Save the date: Reconciliation in Iraq Finding Solutions to the Disputes in the North
The various communities of Northern Iraq have differing views for the future of the...

•       Irak’ta Uzlasma Kuzeydeki anlasmazliklara çözüm arayisi
Kuzey Irak'in çesitli topluluklari bölgenin gelecegi için farkli görüslere sahiptir. 2010 Irak...

       II - Conferences in the Hague

•       Reconciliation in Iraq Finding Solutions towards Peace and Democracy
Three major aspects of reconciliation will be at the heart of the two Conferences: Minority issues...

          التعامل الغير العادل مع القضية التركمانية - ۲۲مايس٢٠٠٤
مما لاشك فيه أن العراقيين عموما يشكرون الأدارة الأمريكية في أزاحة الحكومة الدكتاتورية الصدّا مية ويشكرون كذلك أهتمامكم الجد لأقامة الديمقراطية في العراق. غير أن سياستكم بعد أسقاط السلطة البعثية وتحرير العراق تتخللها بعض الأجراءات التي لا تتماشى مع الحقائق العراقية. حيث أنه من الضروري للأدارة ّ الأمريكية التي تدير العراق أن تكون أكثر وعيـا حول الحقوق الثقافية والقومية للمكونات المختلفة من الشعب العراقي وخاصة القومية التركمانية التي تشكل ثالث اكبر قومية من حيث الكثافة السكانية. نحن التركمان كنا ومازلنا ضحية لسياسات الحكومات العراقية السابقة...

·       Letter to Mr. Ad Melkert, the UN special envoy for Iraq, about the report of UNAMI covering violations of human rights during the first six months of 2009 - 22 December 2009
The Human Rights Office of the UNAMI recently issued a report covering violations of human rights during the first six months of 2009. Regrettably, this report does not do justice to the situation facing Turkmen of Iraq, who make up the third largest component of the Iraqi population. The report makes no note of serious violations of Turkmen human rights in Turkmen regions that took place in the period covered by the report. The report presents...

·           Report submitted in accordance with paragraph 15 (c) of the annex to Human Rights council resolusion 5/1 - 10 February 2010
The Iraqi Turkmen Human Rights Research Foundation, known as SOITM, and founded in 2001, is an institute which focuses on human rights and democracy pertaining to the Turkmen of Iraq and other Iraqi non-ruling (minority) communities. It maintains regular contact with Middle Eastern academics, the international press, policy makers and various human rights organizations. SOITM provides information under sections B, C, and D outlined in the Information and Guidelines for...

·            Lecture on “Human Rights Situation in the North of Iraq in the Areas where the Kurdish Authority Exist” given to Dutch University students, who study democratization in Kurdish region, in the department of political Science, the University of Amsterdam - 11 January 2010

·            SOITM Maps of the north of Iraq - 11 January 2010
-       Map of north of Iraq
-       Boundaries of Provinces
-       Ethnic Distribution
-       Three Vertical Zones
-       Boundaries of Kurdish Expansion
-       Boundaries of Kurdish Region According to the Kurdish Regional Government

·       Iraqi general elections in the north: Perfunctory observation legalizes the fraudulent election and harms the non-Kurdish communities - 14 December 2009
The interest-dependent and security-first policy of the involved powers in the Iraqi issues over the past six years has hidden major threats and brutal violations of human rights. Passive approaches to these threats and violations have only served to anchor a sense of injustice in the Iraqi society and failed to lay the stability. Despite fierce debate in the Iraqi parliament, a rigid Kurdish policy combined with pressure from different national and international authorities have forced the Turkmen and Arab Law makers of Kerkuk to accept the grossly flawed voter list for the upcoming Iraqi general elections:...

·      The Kurdish draft constitution is a negative message for the stability of Iraq (Conflicting Items and Articles of the regional Kurdish draft constitution with the Iraqi Federal constitution) - 30 September 2009
It is clear that Iraqi state from the time of its creation following after World War I has not protected the various Kurdish and Turkmen ethnicities and others Iraqi non-ruling communities as it should be. To a great extent, this goes back to a fault in its constitutional makeup and the nature of its political system. The basic law of 1925, which was the constitutional make up of the state of Iraq, up to the last Iraqi constitution of 2005 which was described as Shi'ite Arab- Kurd constitution...

·             The principles of justice in attitudes of the occupation authorities - 16 September 2009
Mr. Raymond Odierno, the current commanding general of the Multi-National Force in Iraq, was commander of coalition forces in northern Iraq when occupation troops entered Kerkuk province on 10 April 2009. He founded the first Kerkuk province council and was a lead organizer in the rebuilding of Northern Iraq’s administration after the fall of the Ba’ath regime. Mr. Odierno allocated six members for each component of Kerkuk city, for the Chaldea-Assyrians too, who constituted less than 5% of the Kerkuk population. Latter on, selected...

·             SOITM submits report to the United Nations’ Universal Periodic Review of Iraq - 15 September 2009

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) was created by the UN General Assembly on 15 March 2006 to provide a regular review of the human rights records of UN member states through a common mechanism. Once a state comes under review, it may prepare its response to a background note and initial questions raised by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). The UNHRC should then engage in a dialogue with the state under review to examine how well it is ...

·             Accuracy of the Associated Press Questioned Over Reporting of Police Deaths - 12 September 2009
On 8 September 2009, the Associated Press has reported news about the targeting of a police team in northern Iraq. The correspondent did not specify who were targeted. In fact, the twelve policemen, including 2 officers that were killed or wounded were from Iraq’s Turkmen community . The Iraqi Turkmen Human Rights Research Foundation condemns the misleading of some international news agencies which reported the serial targeting of Iraqi Turkmen in the vast Turkmen regions. In these areas, the Kurdish Peshmerga militias a...

·             The most difficult time for the non-Kurdish components in the north of Iraq: Is it the disputed areas or seized areas? - 25 August 2009
Unfortunately, Iraqis have lived for years with the suffering of decades of dictatorship, war, economic embargo, and most recently the U.S. occupation. This long period has psychologically and physically exhausted Iraqi people from all its communities. Despite all these disasters that befell Iraq, Iraqis continue to rebuild their country and sympathizers among the global and regional powers have been involved in helping Iraq with moral and material aid to build the bases of the new Iraqi state. The Iraqis are determined to build a democratic Iraq and a culture of human rights. With the support and concern of the world...

               Irak’in kuzeyindeki Kürt olmayan unsurlar için en zor zaman: Tartismali bölgeler mi, yoksa el konulan bölgeler mi? - 25 August 2009
Ne yazik ki, Iraklilar onyillarca süren diktatorlügün, savasin, ekonomik ambargonun ve son olarak...

            De allermoeilijkste periode voor de niet-Koerdische componenten in het Noorden van Irak: Omstreden gebieden of in beslag genomen gebieden? - 25 August 2009
Helaas lijden Irakezen al jaren onder dictatorschap, oorlog, economische embargo en recent onder de bezetting. Deze lange periode heeft er toe geleid dat het Irakese volk psychologisch en lichamelijk is uitgeput. Ondanks de alle rampen die Irak zijn overkomen, gaan Irakezen door met het herbouwen van hun land, helpen de sympathisanten in de wereldwijde en regionale krachten Irak zowel moreel als materieel om de fundamenten van de nieuwe staat Irak te bouwen. De Irakezen zijn ...

               Den svċraste tiden för de icke-kurdiska komponenter i norra Irak: Är det de omtvistade eller beslagtagna omrċdena? - 25 August 2009
Tyv?rr har irakierna levt i ?rtionden av lidande i diktatur, krig, ekonomisk embargo och nu senast den...

        الزمن الأصعب للمكونات الغير الكردية في الشمال العراقي هل هي (المناطق المتنازع عليها) أم أنها (المناطق المتجاوز عليها)؟ - ٢١ حزيران ٢٠٠٩
يعيش العراقيون ولسوء الحظ منذ سنوات معاناة الصدمات القوية التي تعرض لها، منها الدكتاتورية لعقود والحروب في الثمانينيات وبداية التسعينيات والحصار الاقتصادي في النصف الاول من التسعينات واخرها الاحتلال الامريكي في عام ۲ ٠٠ ۳ ومآسيه، لقد أنهكت هذه السنوات من الصراع الإنسان العراقي وبجميع أطيافه نفسيا وجسديا. رغم كل هذه الكوارث التي حلت بالعراق، وبعد عقود من المأسي التي سببتها العقلية الديكتاتورية والنزعات الطائفية والعرقية والاحتلال، يواصل العراقيون في بناء وطنهم وتتعاطف معهم القوى العالمية والإقليمية ويشتركون في مساعدة العراق ويقدمون له المعونات المادية والمعنوية لبناء أسس الدولة العراقية الجديدة، وهم أكثر تصميما لبناء عراق ديمقراطي ونشر ثقافة حقوق الإنسان، فالدعم والاهتمام العالمي ومنها الغربي المكثف إلى العراق يجب أن يكون لنفس الأهداف والغايات، التي ست كون الب داية في بناء الديمقراطية في الشرق الأوسط...

Statements submitted by SOITM to the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: - 4 August 2009

·              Urgent need to address Human Rights Abuses of Indigenous populations in Northern Iraq
Iraq is currently facing a challenging chapter in its history. Establishing and enforcing rule of law, maintaining security and stability and ensuring the fundamental rights of its people, particularly the Indigenous peoples are protected are not easy tasks to achieve. Despite the relative stability established in northern Iraq, there remains a bleak human rights situation in the region that requires the urgent attention of the UN Human Rights Council. Sectarian conflict, extreme nationalism and a lacking...

·              Obstacles preventing the use of mother tongue in Iraqi Turkmen education
Iraq is well-known for its multiethnic multi-religious population; Arabs, Kurds, Turkmen, Chaldea-Assyrians, Yazidis, Shabaks and Mandaeans comprise the rich cultural mosaic that is the Iraqi population. The Turkmen represent the third largest ethnic group in Iraq after the Arabs and Kurds. Unfortunately, they are constantly marginalized and their population size has always been underrepresented for economical and political reasons...

·              Discrepancies in the Kurdish constitution disregard feelings of the Iraqis - 13 July 2009
Since the occupation of Iraq in 2003, Iraqis have been engaged in confronting numerous critical challenges. Meanwhile, the Kurdish authorities have been wholly engaged in collecting interests that in many occasions are at the expense of Iraqis and Iraqi state. Noting worth that the Iraqis were in an awful situation, due to 12 years of economical embargo during which they suffered from hanger and its catastrophic outcomes, fortunately, the Kurdish region averted that disasters. Benefiting...

·             The Hague statement on the constitution of Kurdish Region: It doesn’t augur well for the national and regional stability - 10 July 2009
Unrealistic objectives and aggressive nature of the Kurdish revolts brought decades of instability to the region and exhausted the states where the Kurds live and exposed the Kurds in particular to disasters. The interests of, and the conflicts between regional and international powers negatively influenced the course of these revolts. Since the turn of the 20th century, international and regional disputes were the main factor in determining the extent and nature of assistance given...

·            An aspect of the misfortune to which Kerkuk region is exposed: Satellite Maps of 2002 is compared with maps of 2007 - 05 May 2009
In the early morning of Thursday 15 April 2009, the inhabitants of the oldest Kerkuk neighborhood, Musalla, were awakened by the sound of bulldozers destroying the wall and graves of the Seyyid Kızı part of the large Musalla Turkmen graveyard.[1] The Musalla graveyard is the oldest graveyard in Kerkuk and comprises thousands of graves including those of many celebrated Turkmen. Inhabitants flocked to the area, stopping the demolition before complaining ...

·            Statement on Provincial Elections in Kurdish-administered region: reliability and concerns - 1 May 2009
It is not known why the provincial elections in the Kurdish-administered region were not organized with the Iraqi provincial elections on 31 January 2009, which would certainly have decreased the expenses - saving both time and effort. Furthermore, despite that the so-called Kurdish parliament approved an election law that said the Iraqi Independent High Election Commission (IHEC) should organize the vote, but Barzani rejected it. He refused even supervision by IHEC. All these...

·            Statement on attack on local Turkmeneli TV staffs: An outcome of unilateral domination in Kerkuk region - 13 April 2009
At 12 April 2009, the reporter (Mr. Umit Abdulla) and cameraman (Abbas Mohammed Hasan) of the local Turkmeneli TV (TERT) in Kerkuk city were organizing to report a book exhibition in the faculty of Law, Kerkuk University. They were attacked by a group of students from Kurdish student Union. Both the reporter and the cameraman were severely kicked and insulted and the camera was shattered. The Kurdish policemen and the Kurdish soldiers have only...

·            Statement on KRG expansion plans - 4 April 2009
Recent media reports about the political situation in northern Iraq expose an escalating conflict between the KRG and the Iraqi government. Several Kurdish leaders have expressed themselves in the media, going as far as saying there will be a war between Arabs and Kurds if the government continues to assert its authority in areas bordering the Kurdish dominated region. In their comments Kurdish leaders fail to reflect...

·            To the participants in seeking a solution to the Kerkuk problem: The historical anatomy of Kerkuk region - 29 November 2008
Contents
Introduction....................................................................................................... 3
The Turkmen in Kerkuk ..................................................................................... 4
History of the Turkmen presence in Kerkuk .......................................................4
Turkmen and Kerkuk in different ages ..............................................................4
Kerkuk population by the travelers before the 20th century .............................4
Kerkuk in the first half of the 20th century ........................................................9
Kerkuk by the officers of the British Mandate....................................................9
Kerkuk by some expert authorities................................................................... 11
The Kurds in Kerkuk........................................................................................ 14
The term Kurds............................................................................................... 14
The term Kurdistan ......................................................................................... 15
History of the Kurdish presence in Kerkuk........................................................ 20
References ....................................................................................................... 22

·            Provincial elections in the north of Iraq: The Kurdish parties and the non-governing Iraqi communities (Minorities) - 18 February 2009
An evaluation of the preliminary results of the Iraqi provincial elections of 31 January 2009 yields several important conclusions. Firstly, the absence of violence and a significant decrease in gross election fraud shows the Iraqi people’s support for the democratic process in Iraq. Secondly, the size of turnout at 51% might be considered encouraging for the election held in a country that has only recently got rid of a fierce dictatorship and adopted democracy. Thirdly, the election certainly shows a rejection of sectarianism by...

·            History of a City: Mosul after occupation - 19 January 2009
The forefront of the Kurdish militias, the Peshmergas, backed by the US troops, reached the outskirts of Mosul city on April 19th 2003. On April 21st and after the surrender of the first Iraqi army corps, the city was completely occupied by these Kurdish militias. The Kurdish militias under the vision of the US authorities gathered all the weapons and equipments of the Corps. By the influx of the Kurdish militias into the Eastside of the city, robbing and looting of the governmental offices started, of which many were set afire, which included...

           قصة مدينة: موصل بعد الاحتلال - ١٩ كانون الثاني ٢٠٠٩
٦ ثم تغير الاسم إلى محافظة نينوى. في نفس الفترة الزمنية استحدث محافظة جديدة اسمها دهوك وضمت معظم المناطق الكردية لمحافظة الموصل. تعتبر محافظة نينوى ثاني اكبر محافظة عراقية. بالاستناد إلى إحصائيات وزارة التجارة والتخطيط العراقي لعام ٢۰۰۳ كانت نفوسها تقدر بـ ۲٫٤۷۳٫۷٠٠. تشتهر محافظة نينوى بتواجد جميع شرائح المجتمع العراقي فيها حيث العرب يكونون الأغلبية وثم التركمان والكرد والكلدواشوريين واليزيديين والشبك على التوالي. رغم قرب المحافظة من المناطق الكردية في شمال العراق، ان صغر الوجود الكردي فيها يعتبر من اهم الاسباب التي جعلها لم تتأثر بصورة مباشرة من تمردات الأحزاب الكردية طيلة النصف الثاني من القرن الماضي. دخلت محافظة نينوى بعد الاحتلال إلى فترة محرجة لم تشهدها في تاريخيها التي تقدر بأكثر من ألف سنة...

·      ‘Oil for Soil’ ICG Report: A misinterpretation, a misperception or imposition of the fait accompli? (PDF) - 25 November 2008
There is no doubt but that there are significant differences in the values of different communities and cultures. There are also differences in how people perceive and interpret these values, which are considered from the major motivators of the behaviors of the individuals and masses. People react in different ways when they come across a threat or a challenge to their values. Unfamiliarity with the eastern culture and mentality has surely played an important role in the thousands of mistakes made by occupation...

        هل هو سوء تفسير أم سوء فهم أم فرض الأمر الواقع؟ (PDF) - ٢٥ تشرين الثاني ٢٠٠٨
مما لا شك فيه إن هناك اختلافات كبيرة في القيم عند المجتمعات والثقافات. وهناك أيضا اختلافات في كيفية إدراك الناس وتفسيرهم لهذه القيم التي تعتبر من أهم الدوافع لسلوك الإفراد والكتل الإنسانية. وكما تكون رد فعل الناس مختلفة عندما يكونون تحت طائلة التهديد او يجابهون تحديا لقيمهم. إن عدم الإلمام بالثقافة والعقلية العراقية أو الشرقية قد لعبت بالتأكيد دورا مهما في اقتراف الآلاف من الأخطاء التي ارتكبت من قبل سلطات الاحتلال في العراق والتي اعترفت بها   وزيرة الخارجية الأمريكية السيدة كوندوليزا رايس (١، ٢). وتتضح ظلال هذا الفهم الخاطئ أيضا في المنهجية التي أعتمدها السيد دي ميستورا (ممثل الأمم...

·            Kurdish authorities and Iraqi Indigenous populations: the suppression of Iraqi Yazidis - 27 October 2008
In two recent reports, SOITM have outlined Kurdish attempts to undermine the positions of two other Iraqi indigenous communities.1, 2 This report presents a brief description of some of the Human Rights violations that have been inflicted on the Yazidi community at the hands of Kurdish Peshmerga militants and security services in the so-called ‘disputed region’ – a territory which is controlled and administered after occupation by the Kurdish authorities...

·         Presentations in the conference “Kerkuk Problem and the article 140: Defining alternatives The views of Kerkuk’s Turkmen and Arabs” in the European Parliament - 23 June 2008
-     Sheth Jerjis, Chairman of SOITM
-     Marino Busdachin, UNPO General Secretary
-     Ana Maria Gomes, MEP, Parliament’s Rapporteur on Iraq
-     Muzaffer Arslan, Advisor on Turkmen Affairs to the President of Iraq
-     Mohammed Mahdi Ameen, Member of the Iraqi Parliament
-     Yako Michael Jajjo, Foundation Assyria (English)
-     Yako Michael Jajjo, Foundation Assyria (Arabic)
-     Mohammed Kh. Nasef, Member of Kerkuk City Council and Article 140 Committee
-     Tahsin M. Ali Wali, Member of Kerkuk City Council and Article 140 Committee (1st speech, English)
-     Tahsin M. Ali Wali, Member of Kerkuk City Council and Article 140 Committee (1st speech, Arabic)
-     Tahsin M. Ali Wali, Member of Kerkuk City Council and Article 140 Committee (2nd speech, Arabic)
-     Rakan S. Ali, Member of Kerkuk City Council (English)
-     Rakan S. Ali, Member of Kerkuk City Council (Arabic)
-     Ali M. Sadeq, Member of Kerkuk City Council (1st speech, English)
-     Ali M. Sadeq, Member of Kerkuk City Council (1st speech, Arabic)
-     Ali M. Sadeq, Member of Kerkuk City Council (2nd speech, Arabic)

·            The Turkmen of Erbil: captives in their city - 08 October 2008
William R. Hay: “The only two Turkish speaking populations which concern us closely are Erbil and Altun Kopri”. “One mahalla or quarter of the town (Erbil) is purely Kurdish, and in the rest the lower classes resemble the Kurds in appearance and dress. All can speak Kurdish fluently, but the language of their homes is Turkish. In the upper town which contains 6000 inhabitants, the purest Turkish element is found” “Starting from with the Nebi Yunus on the bank of the Tigris opposite Mosul, and running down through Erbil, Altun Kopri, Kerkuk, Kifri and Kizil Rabat to Mendeli we find a line of towns with Turkmen speaking inhabitants”...

·            The Report of the Kerkuk Conference in the European Parliament - 23 June 2008
Introduction........................................................................................................ 1

Background Documents
The Turkmen of Iraq.......................................................................................... 3
Human Rights Violations................................................................................... 5
Kerkuk – A Brewing Crisis................................................................................. 6
Key Iraqi Legal Documents............................................................................... 9

Extracts and Overviews of Contributions
Sheth Jerjis..................................................................................................... 11
Marino Busdachin ........................................................................................... 13
Ana Maria Gomes MEP .................................................................................. 15
Muzaffer Arslan ............................................................................................... 17
Muhammed Mahdi Ameen.............................................................................. 19
Yako Michael Jajjo .......................................................................................... 21
Mohammed Khalil Nasef ................................................................................. 24
Tahsin Mohammed Ali Wali ............................................................................ 27
Rakan S. Ali..................................................................................................... 30
Ali M. Sadeq.................................................................................................... 32

Discussion and Comments ............................................................................. 34
Photos ............................................................................................................. 35

Organisers and Partners
Acknowledgements ......................................................................................... 37
The Iraqi Turkmen Human Rights Research Foundation .............................. 38
The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization ................................. 40

·            The attempts of Kurdish authorities to subdue the Iraqi non-ruling communities (minorities) continue - 29 July 2008
An examiner of recent history of the north of Iraq will easily learn that in two historically short stages, the Iraqi Kurdish authorities converted from a suppressed community to the suppressors. Unfortunately, the suppressive policies of the Kurdish actors were supported by the majority of the Kurdish community, even the intellectuals. This may be due to the absence of the democratic culture and democratic political system...

·          The Kurds rule their region independently, disproportionally share in the administration of the Iraq and control the Iraqi legislative mechanism in two levels - 26 July 2008
It is a huge mission to introduce the democratic system into a society which has never dealt with the democratic culture. Additionally, there are several other factors complicate the democratization processes and obstruct the functioning of the Iraqi Parliament:
• The inexperienced and newly built total administrative framework of the Iraqi state
• The inevitable Iraqi general elections, which it was structured in a state lacking the simplest...

·             To the international community: The Iraqi people are in severe need of your help - 13 July 2008
The Shabaks (Shah Begs), of northern Iraq, are a minority group with their own religion and language. As with all of the north of Iraq, the Shabak region was a military target of the Kurdish militant Peshmerge. Being a smaller community, the Shabaks have been exposed to the intimidation, assassination and suppression much more than the larger communities of the region: the Arabs, the Turkmen, the Chaldo-Assyrians and Yazidis...

·             The attitude of the military forces in Iraq should be further improved - 07 July 2008
One would expect military forces in Iraq to learn from the numerous massive disasters that have transpired in Iraq since occupation. Hundreds of thousands of the Iraqis have been killed, women have been widowed and children have been orphaned. The infrastructure of the country has been destroyed. The Iraqis have been treated inhumanely and cruelly...