·              Barzani’s way of Democracy: How to mislead the international community? - 18 December 2007
Apparently become clear later in the day that; the Kurdish parties, particularly KDP and Peshmerga militants plan to impose the Kerkuk inhabitants to stay at home to give the impression that the people in Kerkuk are protesting against adjournment of the article 140. At 8.30 in the morning, the Kurdish Asayish, Peshmergas and Kurdish policemen closed the cities entrances in Kerkuk province; they prevented citizens from leaving the cities, even those whom had patients. Despite the director’s instructions, large numbers of staffs attended work. But the Kurdish directors prevented them entering there offices...

·    SOITM Presentation in the conference “Kerkuk Problem and the article 140: Defining alternatives The views of Kerkuk’s Turkmen and Arabs” - 1 June 2008
Today, we are going to discuss the Kerkuk issue, which is considered as one of the major and long standing problems of Iraq. It is now about to worsen the already deteriorated condition of Iraq. Kerkuk region is famous for its huge oil reserves,1 natural gas and sulfur, the shallowest oil wells, the best oil qualities, and the vast fertile lands. In Kerkuk there are grounds which burn with scratch. Kerkuk city is the city of the eternal fire burning day and night; it streams continually as...

·         "Kerkuk Conference in the European Parliament: Kerkuk Problem and Article 140: Defining Alternatives, The views of Kerkuk’s Turkmen and Arabs" - 23 June 2008
-       Post-conference Press Release
-       Pre-conference Press Release
-       Concept note
-       Program
-       Flyer

·       SOITM presentation in the Lecture under the title “The north of Iraq Possible Turkish Invasion: Is it threatening to the stability in Iraq?” Organized by Association for the Study of the Middle East and Islam (MOI) in Utrecht University - 15 December 2007
I would like to thank the Association for the study of the Middle East and Islam for organizing such an important conference. The north of Iraq can be divided into two regions, the eastern region which is under Kurdish administration and the western region which is under the control of Iraqi government. The two regions have almost the same area and both regions have a mixed population. In the west the Sunni Arabs are the majority, the Kurds are in the east...

·       The Report of the Iraqi Turkmen Conference in the European Parliament - 26 – 27 March 2007
Introduction................................................................................. 1
Background Documents
The Turkmen of Iraq................................................................... 3
Human Rights Violations............................................................ 5
Kerkuk – A Brewing Crisis.......................................................... 6
Key Iraqi Legal Documents........................................................ 8
Extracts and Overviews of Contributions
Marino Busdachin .................................................................... 10
Sheth Jerjis............................................................................... 12
Jan Marinus Wiersma MEP...................................................... 15
Muzaffer Arslan ........................................................................ 16
Burhan Jaf................................................................................ 18
Suphi Saatçi ............................................................................. 19
Ersat Hürmüzlü ........................................................................ 21
Hassan Aydinli ......................................................................... 23
Ali Mehdi................................................................................... 25
Mary Younan............................................................................ 27
Nermin al-Mufti......................................................................... 31
Mohammad Koja ...................................................................... 32
Merry Fitzgerald ....................................................................... 34
Abdulahad Astepho.................................................................. 36
Ahmad Hakky Jalal Mohammad .............................................. 38
Mofak Salman .......................................................................... 39
Ayoub Bazzaz .......................................................................... 40
Organisers and Partners
Acknowledgements .................................................................. 41
The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization .......... 42
the Iraqi Turkmen Human Rights Research Foundation ......... 44

·      The fate of a city (PDF) (Original) - 24 July 2007

It is beyond doubt that the ongoing conflict in Iraq is in large part one of competing economic interests. Iraq is home to the world's second largest proven reserves of oil, and new exploration will likely raise Iraq's reserves to more than 200 billion barrels of high-grade crude, which is cheap to produce. Kerkuk is a region with 10 billion barrels of these oil reserves. As a result of the invasion and occupation of Iraq, we now have a country on the verge of destruction, with about one million dead, millions displaced, and an administration that has all but collapsed, unable to provide even basic services for its people. Sheth Jerjis is Chairman of the Iraqi Turkmen Human Rights Research Foundation based in the Netherlands.Kurdish political actors are almost the only supporters of occupation in the region. US officials have therefore been quite obliging in cooperating...

·   Kerkuk Past, Present and Future, A Turkmen view presented by SOITM in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, conference organized by Life - Lines / KSVN - 7 June 2007

I would like to thank the organizers of this panel for arranging this discussion for one of the most important issues in Iraq - the Kerkuk Crisis. The current situation in Kerkuk is considered one of the main factors influencing the security and unity of Iraq. Kerkuk is a region with 2.2% of the planet’s petroleum deposit, amounting to over 10 billion barrels of the oil reserves. Kerkuk accounted for 70% of the state’s total oil output in the 1970s and 40% before occupation. The oil of Kerkuk is well known for its good quality, and for the shallowness of its wells. Beneath the city are also substantial amounts ...

      Kirkuk Vergangenheit, Gegenwart und Zukunft, Eine turkmenische Stellungnahme, vorgetragen von SOITM in Amsterdam, Niederlande, Konferenz organisiert von Life - Lines / KSVN - 7 Juni 2007

ich möchte den Organisatoren dieses Gremiums danken, dass sie diese Diskussion über eines der wichtigsten Themen im Irak – die Kirkuk-Krise – organisiert haben. Die derzeitige Situation in Kirkuk gilt als einer der wichtigsten Einflussfaktoren auf die Sicherheit und Einheit des Iraks. In der Region Kirkuk lagern 2,2% der Erdölvorkommen der Erde, insgesamt über 10 Milliarden Barrel Öl. Aus Kirkuk stammten in den 1970er-Jahren 70% und vor der Besatzung 40% der gesamten Ölfördermenge des Landes. Das Öl von Kirkuk ist bekannt für seine gute Qualität und dafür, dass die Quellen dicht unter der Erdoberfläche liegen. Unter der Stadt gibt es außerdem beträchtliche Erdgas- und Schwefelvorkommen...

·       Crisis in Kerkuk en artikel 140 (PDF) - 21 juli 2007
Er is geen twijfel mogelijk dat het huidige voortdurende conflict in Irak er één is van tegenstrijdige belangen. Irak herbergt de op één na grootste oliereserves ter wereld, nieuw onderzoek zal waarschijnlijk de reserves van Irak verhogen tot ruim 200 miljard hoogwaardige kwaliteit olievaten, die overigens zeer goedkoop te produceren zijn. Kerkuk is het gebied met ongeveer 10 miljard van deze oliereserves...

·       One-sided Kerkuk Conference in the Brussels Parliament - 10 July 2007
A conference on the Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution related to the Kerkuk Crisis was hold in the Brussels regional parliament on 2 July sponsored by the Social Progressive Alternative group and chaired by Jan BEGHIN, the first deputy of the Brussels parliament. It seems that the organizers from the Brussels government lack correct information about what is occurring in the north of Iraq and what the historical importance and...

·            Tahsin Kahya resigns from commission of Article 140 (Kerkuk Commission) - 20 April 2007
Mr. Tahsin Kahya is one of the Turkmen members of the Kerkuk city council from the Islamic Union of the Iraqi Turkmen. He was appointed by the Iraqi Prime Minister in the commission of the article 140 of the Iraqi constitution which states the following three stages for Kerkuk region: Normalization, Census and Referendum...

·         Peace perception of the President Bush: a tragic outcome of the sectarian hate created by the occupation - 12 April 2007
Telafer, historically is well known to be an entirely Turkmen populated city. It is the only district which separates the Kurdish region of Northern Iraq from the Syria where some Kurdish concentrations live that is called “Syrian Kurdistan” by the Kurdish media. The frontier gate which Turkey is intending to establish would pass through Telafer bypassing the Kurdish region. As a consequence, Telafer region turn up to be, geopolitically...

·            U.S. supported Kurdish militias continue to terrorize Turkmen cities - 16 March 2007
The U.S. authorities are giving their full support to the Kurds who are seeking to control Iraq’s oil wealth at any cost in order to establish their so-called ‘great Kurdistan’. To realize their goal, the Kurdish militias continuously terrorize the other Iraqi communities in the north of Iraq. The Turkmens who are Iraq’s third largest community are facing increasing threats in their region, Turkmeneli. Because they...

·            Attacks on Turkmen cities in Kerkuk and Mosul - 9 February 2007
Under the severely Kurdified civil administration, police, security and military systems, the defenceless Turkmen are continuously exposed to the rage of the Kurdish Pashmargas and Occupation Troops. Kidnapping, assassinations and arrests force them to leave their regions...

·         The letter of the Iraqi Turkmen Human Rights Research Foundation to the members of the European parliament on Mr. Barzani’s speech which he made during the debate in the European Parliament’s Foreign affairs Committee on 8th May 2007 at 3.00pm. - 11 May 2007
Like any other Kurdish politicians, Mr. Barzani alleged the presence of relatively peaceful situation in Northern Iraq and invited the European Parliament to participate in building of the so-called Iraqi Kurdistan. He linked this claim to a so called institutional democracy. This intention of Mr. Barzani aims to strengthen the new trend in the European policy to support Iraq through the Kurdish region, which leads to negligence of the main Iraqi regions...

·        Summary of the real story of Telafer disaster: How the Sectarian Hatred was introduced in to the city and the role of Kurdish militants - 13 April 2007
Before discussing the Telafer issue, it is essential to mention the important characteristics of the region and its population, and the reasons why the ruling powers in Iraq fight for the region and complicate the solution of the Telafer problem. Tel Afer is in an important location in the north-west of Iraq, it is located about 60 km from Mosul, 85 km from Turkey and 70 km from Syria. Tel Afer is in-between the so-called...

             Sammanfattning av den verkliga historien om Telafer katastrofen: Hur det sekteristiska Hatet infördes till staden och betydelsen av kurdiska miliser
Innan vi diskuterar Telafer frågan är det viktigt att nämna de viktiga egenskaperna för regionen och dess befolkning, och varför den styrande makten i Irak kämpar för regionen och försvårar lösningen av Telafer problemet. Telafer är belägen i ett viktigt läge i nordvästra Irak. Den ligger ca 60 km från Mosul, 85 km från Turkiet och 70 km från Syrien. Telafer ligger mellan den så kallade irakiska Kurdistan "och den så kallade syriska Kurdistan" och Sinjar, som åberopas av kurderna som en del av deras region. Telafer anses av kurderna som ett hinder...

          موجز القصة الحقيقية لماسات تلعفر: كيف أُدخل الكراهية الطائفية الى المدينة ودور المليشيات الكردية - ٢٧ كانون الاول
قبل الدخول في ازمة تلعفر لابد من التطرق الى بعض الحقائق التي تتمتع بها تلعفر وتركيبتها مما جعلتها تتمتع بالاهمية التي تحظى بها من قبل القوى السياسية المتنازعة والتي ادت الى تعقيد ازمة تلعفر وصعوبة حلها. تقع مدينة تلعفر في شمال غرب العراق وتبعد عن الحدود التركية مسافة ۸ ٥ كم فقط وعن الحدود السورية ۷۰ كم فقط. وهي تفصل بين كردستان العراق ومنطقة سنجار التي يدعي الاكراد بانها جزء منها وكذلك عن كردستان سوريا فهي

·           Iraqi Turkmen Panel in the European Parliament - 26 – 27 March 2007
-      Post-conference Press Release
-      Pre-conference Press Release
-      Concept note
-      Program
-      Flyer

·           Violation of the human rights of the Iraqi Turkmen since the Establishment of the Iraqi State - 27 January 2007
Population - Turkmen population size fixed to 2% of total population by English mandate during the discussions of Mosul problem after WWI. This figure continuously repeated in official Iraqi statistics. Arabic writers approximate the population size of the Iraqi Turkmen to 7%.2 The same estimation was made during the opposition conferences before the occupation. Patrick Clawson, Deputy Director for research of the Washington Institute...

  Sammanfattning Brott mot de mänskliga rättigheterna begågna mot irakiska turkmenska samhället sedan inrättandet av den irakiska staten
Befolkning Turkmenska befolkningens storlek fastställs till 2 % av den totala befolkningen av engelska mandat under diskussionerna i Mosul problem efter första världskriget (1). Denna siffra ständigt upprepas i den officiella irakiska statistiken. Arabiska författare uppskattar ungefärliga populationsstorleken av de irakiska turkmännen till 7 % (2). Samma beräkning gjordes under...

·        An Unfair Aspect of the Western Approach to the Kurdish Case in Iraq - 23 October 2006
On 4.9.2006 and 5.9.2006, the two top international media Agency France Press and Reuters published 2 items of news about Kurdish mass graves in Kerkuk villages, Turkalan and Top Zawa. Under the title ‘Grave found of 18 Kurds 'buried alive' during Saddam rule’, Agency France Press stated that 18 remains of Kurdish were found in Turkalan village (25 km) of Kerkuk.1 Reuters announced in their news, an item titled ‘Mass...

·     Statements of SOITM delegation to the 24th Session of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations and 12th Session of the Working Group on Minorities, United Nations - Geneva - 30 July 2006

•       Indigenous Peoples and Current Human Rights Situation in Iraq
I am honoured today to have been granted this opportunity to present the situation of the Turkmen community in Iraq to this 24th session of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations. It is not necessary to reiterate the catastrophe...

•       Indigenous peoples and conflict prevention and resolution
The Iraqi community is well known for its multi-religious and multinational characteristics, and all sections of the community suffered from the despotism of the Ba’ath regime. After the occupation, the nature of the...

•       Violation of Human Rights of Turkmen in Erbil
Erbil is one of the important Turkmen cities, which has been heavily subjected to Kurdification. Since the Ba’ath regime offered this Turkmen city to the Kurds, as the capital of the Kurdish autonomous region, the city has been exposed...

•       The current situation of the Indigenous Turkmen of Iraq
Honorable delegates, ladies and gentlemen, my name is Mofak Salman, I am honoured today to have been granted this opportunity to partake in the twenty-fourth session, Protection of Human Rights and Working Group...

•       Utilization of indigenous peoples’ lands by non-indigenous authorities, groups or individuals for military purposes
Honourable delegates, ladies and gentlemen, my name is Mofak SALMAN, I am honoured today to have been granted this opportunity to partake in the twenty-fourth session, Indigenous peoples and conflict prevention and resolution...

•       The Indigenous peoples and conflict prevention and resolution
Honourable delegates, ladies and gentlemen, my name is Mofak SALMAN, I am honoured today to have been granted this opportunity to partake in the twenty-fourth session, Indigenous peoples and conflict prevention and resolution...

•       Violation of Human Rights of the Turkmen of Iraq
On behalf of the third largest Iraqi ethnic group, the Turkmen, I would like to thank you for this opportunity to introduce our cause to this United Nations session, under Item 3 (a): Reviewing the promotion and practical realization...

•       Undermined Turkmen economy and its consequences
Since the establishment of the new Iraqi state in 1921, the Turkmen role, and their representation in Iraqi administration have been deliberately diminished, and caused considerable prejudices against them, even as the third largest...

·             Kerkuk Issue on the agenda of the first session of Human Rights Council, United Nations - 13 Mart 2006
The Iraqi Turkmen currently constitute one of the main ethnic groups in Iraq, in addition to the Arabs and the Kurds. Since the beginning of the last century Iraqi Turkmen have been exposed to forced emigration, cultural erosion and intensive assimilation policies; reaching its peak during the Ba’ath regime. Consequently, Arabification was augmented in the region and Turkmen exposed to persecution, execution and deportation. In the census of 1977...

·         Turkmen participant deprived by the Canadian Authorities of attending the International Human Rights Training Program in Canada - 15 June 2006
No doubt, that sustained marginalization and violation of Turkmen Human Rights, is one of the prominent ...

·      Ethnic Allocation of Kerkuk Population at the time of Sulayman the Magnificent - 16 June 2006
The vast oil deposit under the ground of Mosul province of Ottomans was the main reason, which made ...

·      A Reason of the Terror in the Occupied Iraq - 13 March 2006
It is well known to the international community when the Bush administration occupied Iraq in 2003 had ...

•      The extent of Kurdification of Kerkuk region - 11 January 2006
Kerkuk is a region of 2.2% of the planet petroleum deposit,1 which amounts over 10 billion barrels of the ...

·      Mainly, the Turkmen are losing in the inevitable Iraqi elections - 21 December 2005
Despite the lack of the simplest requirements of voting processes in Iraq, the election remains almost the ...

·      The question of legality concerning the Referendum on the Constitution and the upcoming Iraqi General Election and the validity of the results - 25 September 2005
In his latest report1 SOITM presented one more aspect of manipulation in the preceding Iraqi general ...

·      Undemocratic Aspects of the Draft of the New Iraqi Constitution - 16 Augustus 2005
In a country like Iraq, which is constituted of different ethnic and religious groups and after a dictatorial ...

·      Another aspect of manipulation in the preceding Iraqi General Election - 3 August 2005
In the report of SOITM entitled “Disregard of the Turkmen may distort the reality in the upcoming census” ...

·      The Documents which were presented by SOITM to the 23rd Session, Working Group on Indigenous People (16-22 July, 2005), United Nations / Geneva - 10 July 2005

•     The present situation of the Turkmen of Iraq
Turkmen were exposed to torture, imprisonment, displacement and deportation ...

•     The Turkmen of Iraq
The Turkmen represent the third most important ethnic group in Iraq after the Arabs and Kurds ...

·      Establishment of the Iraqi Turkmen Human Rights Organizations Assembly in Europe - 15 June 2005
Several Iraqi Turkmen Human Rights Organizations and Iraqi Turkmen intellectuals attended ...

·      The Documents which were presented by SOITM to the 11th Session, Working Group on Minorities (30 May - 3 June, 2005), United Nations - Geneva - 27 May 2005

•     The Iraqi Turkmen and their demands
According to the most reliable references, the Turkmen can trace their ethnic origin to Turkic tribes ...

•     The Turkmen of Iraq: Underestimated, Marginalized and exposed to assimilation
The term Turkmen, which first appeared in the 9th century, is used to describe the people of ...

•     Issues Concerning the Turkmen of Iraq
The Turkmen demand to be a part of the whole Iraq, not to be a part of any ...

·      Two major biased points in the US-supported Iraqi Election - 3 March 2005
It happened on two occasions, first in March 1991 and later in April 2003, when the Kurdish militias raided ...

·      SOITM Comment on the article entitled “The Kurdish Way” by Hicks, posted on November 6, 2004, in News Website This Is Rumor Control News and Analysis - 11 January 2005
This reality is well documented, see references below (1 - 25). The arrival of the Kurds ...

·      “US-made” Kerkuk City Council decides once again in favor of the Kurds - 28 December 2004
In a previous report from SOITM entitled “Violation of the Iraqi Turkmen Human Rights Continues” ...

·      Signs of Imminent Danger in Kerkuk City - 4 November 2004
Immediately after the occupation of Iraq by the US troops, the Kurds took control of Kerkuk and initiated their ...

·      Influx of Kurds into Turkmen Regions, Particularly Kerkuk City - 12 October 2004
The growth of nationalism in the absence of a democratic environment and lack of regional stability results ...

·      Attempts to change the demographic structure of Kirkuk city by the American supported Kurds - 17 September 2004
After the war and occupation of Iraq by the Anglo-American forces in April 2003, the Kurdish political ...

·      Western intellectuals fall collectively into error - 1 September 2004
It became a habit of Western intellectuals, writers and journalists towards the end of the Ottoman ...

·      Power Abuses by Kurdish Politicians in Iraq Continue to Marginalize the Turkmen and to Deny their Rights - 12 August 2004
High-ranking Kurdish officials appointed in the new Iraqi administration continue and intensify their efforts ...

·      Disregard of the Turkmen may Distort the Reality in the Upcoming Iraqi Census
- 30 July 2004
We often read and hear in the Western media that the Turkmen in Iraq are a small minority and only...

-     le dénigrement systématique des droits des Turkmènes, s’il continue faussera les résultats des prochains recensement et élections en Irak
Depuis un certain temps on entend et on lit souvent dans les médias occidentaux...

·      Unjust Approach to the Turkmen Case in Iraq - 22 May 2004
We often read and hear in the Western media that the Turkmen in Iraq are a small minority and only ...

-   التعامل الغير العادل مع القضية التركمانية - ۲۲ مايس ٢٠٠٤
     مما لاشك فيه أن العراقيين عموما يشكرون الأدارة الأمريكية في أزاحة الحكومة الدكتاتورية الصدّامية ...

·      Another Step to Marginalize the Turkmen - 5 September 2003
After the development of a ‘Safe Haven’ in the north of Iraq by the Coalition Forces, the relatively ...

·      Violation of the Iraqi Turkmen Human Rights Continues - 11 August 2003
The Turkmen of Iraq have faced huge challenges since the establishment of the Iraqi ...

·      The Summary of Violation of the human Rights of the Iraqi Turkmen and Attempts to assimilate them during the Dictatorial Baath Period - 13 December 2003
Social engineering projects have been designed by the Iraqi regime to modify the ethnic ...