Rojava News

Entdinglichung wrote:

also quite funny because for long time, the PKK was comparatively weak among the non-Sunni and non-Kurmandji-speaking inhabitants of North-West Kurdistan and was in areas like Dersim perceived as a Sunni & Kurmandji org

It still is perceived in that way by many people. A personal friend from Dersim, who I was talking to recently typifies this. He said he was even voting for HDP because "you have to", but he still felt that the PKK was funds mentally an anti-Alevi organisation.

Now personally I think it's true that the Kurdish national movement has changed on this question, but you can't blame people who feel uncomfortable with it basically for having memories.

Devrim

... on the same level, there is also the perception, that TKP/ML, MLKP, EMEP/DIDF etc. are organisations which are mainly representing Zaza-speaking Alevis with roots in Dersim and Elazig and that the "T" in the acronym doesn't mean Turkey but Tunceli

No, the "T" doesn't mean Tunceli. All of these groups reject the term "Tunceli", a name invented by Kemalists for Dersim, more than they reject the term "Turkey". In fact, no one rejects the latter anymore. In almost every Peoples' Democratic Party rally there were people who waved Turkish national flags.

EMEP also has at least one deputy from the People's Democratic Party lists and they are strong in Dersim but more importantly, this party is known for being strong and effective in the trade-union bureaucracy and the working class. It basically behaves like a traditional tankie Communist Party despite its Hoxhaist roots.

5) -At least for me-, what Devrim first stated seems to be getting proven this all ethnic cleansing thing is a propaganda that is created for Turkish state's interests.

"The International Commission of Inquiry, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, documented in a report in March, 2014, several crimes committed by the Islamic Movement of Ahrar al-Sham including ethnic cleansing of the Kurdish community in the Kurdish city of Tel Abyad (Gire Sipi) in Raqqa province, northeastern Syria on July 21, 2013, in participation with other Islamic factions, including the organization of the Islamic State (IS/ISIS), an al-Qaeda offshoot."

Well my mistake than Devrim of misquoting you. sorry for that.

Anyway I am now getting more inclined to think that as Turkey lost its connection with IS might engage more actively with Syria. As there are leaked documents (I shared them in a comment above) proving Turkey provided guns to IS. Also there are real rumors that IS elements travel freely in Turkey. As also Flint noted Turkey supports war efforts of IS also in indirect ways (electricity, see above) This ethnic cleansing thing might be part of this. As there is a governmental crisis in turkey mainly thanks to HDP (kurdish party) it is not obvious which party will rule over Turkey. This is freaking Turkish authorities out as they clearly supported IS war efforts and they can be judged by internal or external courts for that.

People fleeing a potential conflict area BEFORE an army shows up isn't ethnic cleansing. It would be ethnic cleansing if the arriving/occupying army actively pushed people out of their homes OR refused to allow refugees who fled the fighting to return. It is important to provide evidence of such.

Turkey on Thursday closed its border post of Akcakale on the Syrian frontier, preventing Syrian refugees who had fled fighting in the town of Tal Abyad from returning home, an AFP correspondent reported.

Turkish security forces said they were not allowing refugees across because Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia has closed the gate on the other side of the border. But the YPG denied this was the case...

Hundreds of Syrians had returned home on Wednesday as calm returned to the town. But on Thursday the Turkish authorities were not allowing through some 200 waiting refugees.

They said they had been told that the border would not open until Monday, meaning they will miss celebrating the start of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at home...

The YPG, who now control Tal Abyad, denied that they were responsible for the border closure.

"From our point of view, the border is open... It's the Turks who closed the border from their side," YPG spokesman Redur Khali told AFP in Beirut, adding that people were continuing to return through unofficial crossing points.

Human Rights Association (İHD), stated that at least 50 ISIS gang members crossed over from Girê Spî (Tel Abyad) to Turkey, and that the Turkish state did not follow upon the arrival of any of these gangs. In its report, IHD said that thousands of refugees kept at the border for 3 days were not able to satisfy their basic needs such as nutrition.

'CIVILIANS KEPT AT THE BORDER WERE UNABLE TO SATISFY THEIR BASIC NEEDS'

Representatives from Human Rights Association (IHD) Headquarters went to Akçakale Border Gate in order to examine the conditions of predominantly-Arab refugees who have been fleeing from Girê Spî (Tel Abyad) due to the clashes between ISIS gangs and the forces of PYD and Burkan El Fırat throughout June, 2015. The IHD committee released its report on its observations and stated that approximately 23,250 crossed over to Turkey between June 3 and 13, 2015. IHD reported that the Turkish state banned border crossings between June 13 and 16, and finally changed its policy on June 16. IHD added that thousands of people including women, children, and disabled individuals were kept at the border for 3 days, during which these civilians were unable to satisfy their basic needs such as nutrition.

'ISIS VIOLENCE CAUSES CIVILIANS TO SEEK REFUGE'

IHD emphasized that ISIS violence was the main cause for civilians’ escape and added that people began to return to Girê Spî after PYD and Burkan El Fırat forces liberated the town from ISIS gangs. IHD stated that 90 percent of the civilians were Arab and got directed to refugee camps in the Derik district of Mardin, and 10 percent of the civilians were Turkmen and got directed to refugee camps in Osmaniye. IHD also emphasized the arrest of journalists who asked questions to Urfa governor, and added that Turkish civilians carried out verbal attacks on the arrested journalists.

'ISIS GANGS CROSSED OVER INTO TURKEY'

IHD Committee stated that ISIS gangs directed fleeing civilians to an area full of landmines in order to use Akçakale Border Gate for crossing over into Turkey themselves on June 5, 2015. IHD reported that at least 50 ISIS gang members entered Turkey as a result of this manipulation. IHD said that a significant portion of the refugees was composed of women, children, old men and disabled individuals. Many refugees were denied access to camps and could not satisfy their basic needs such as nutrition. In its report, IHD posed the question of why Akçakale Border Gate was closed to crossings between June 13 and 16, which created a grave security threat and allowed the passage of ISIS gangs into Turkey.

In an interview with the Turkish newspaper Hürriyet, Saleh Muslim, the PYD co-chair, said: “In the coming days, the city and its surroundings will be cleared of mines, in parallel with the formation of defensive lines to counter any IS attacks.” & "“After imposing security, civilians, who have been forced to leave the city, will be asked to return, and then a civil administration will be formed in which all the social components will be fairly represented,” & “All the components of the city will return, except those who participated in killing civilians and supported Daesh (Islamic State), they will be brought to trial.” as written by Ara News who had as source Hurriyet.

Muslim pointed out that the YPG forces along with other allied rebel factions will hand over the city to the Asayish security forces which will be formed by locals.

A civil administration will run the city without any intervention by the security forces.

He also pointed to the possibility of establishing a joint administration for the border crossing with Burkan al-Furat rebels, Liwaa at-Tahrir and the Raqqa’s Rebels Brigade, reassuring Turkish concerns in this regard.

“When Turkey feels comfortable for its border security, we also definitely feel comfortable,” he argued.

About the claims of ethnic cleansing of Arabs and Turkmen by the YPG forces, Muslim explained: “All the components of the city will return, except those who participated in killing civilians and supported Daesh (Islamic State), they will be brought to trial.”

He pointed out that there are also 10-12 thousands of Kurds who were displaced from Tel Abyad on the hand of IS and allied Islamists.

This resulted in bringing back decision making into the hands of communities. This also leads to decentralization and weakening the authority of the state.

Capitalism has not been developed in Rojava yet. There are no big corporations, companies or factories. Therefore, the ugly face of capitalism cannot be seen here. In contrast in Bakur there is some form of undeveloped capitalism. This is as a result of a deliberate racist policy from the regime, to exclude Kurdistan from major developments.

Rojava is an agricultural region and it is very rich in oil, gas and phosphates. […] With all these resources the area can be self-sufficient, without a need from the central government.

In addition the Van Lake is in the heart of Kurdistan. The area with it’s high and snow covered mountains can be a tourist attraction too.

In addition of the agricultural nature of Van; the region has a great potential to become a great tourist attraction. The House of people in Van has future plans to make it more attractive for tourists and have Eco-tourist projects to protect people and the environment.

One of the other problems facing people is the poor production up to 50% less than expected. This is due to the distraction activities of the regime’s forces. There is also the culture of lack of confidence among people […].

it’s already a destination for Westerner academics delegations trying to find there a renewal of their carriers.

Have good reading nevertheless of this text as well as “A mountain river has many bends: an introduction to the Rojava revolution” which is a sheer piece of reformism…

Traditional “private property” was abolished in late 2012, meaning all buildings, land, and infrastructure fell under control of the various city councils. This did not mean people no longer owned their homes or businesses, however. The councils implemented an “ownership by use” sovereign principle, a principle that could not be overturned by any council. Ownership by use means that when a building like a home or a business is being used by a person or persons, the users would in fact own the land and structures but would not be able to sell them on an open market. Öcalan wrote that use ownership is what prevents speculation and capital accumulation which in turn leads to exploitation. Aside from property owned by use, in principle any other property would become commons. This abolishing of private property did not extend to commodities like automobiles, machines, electronics, furniture, etc. but was limited to land, infrastructure, and structures.

The commons encompasses land, infrastructure, and buildings not owned by individuals but held in stewardship by the councils. Councils can turn over these public goods to individuals to be used. Commons are conceived of as a way to provide both a safety net for those without resources and a way to maximize use of the material resources of the community. Commons also include the ecological aspects of the region including water, parks, wildlife and wilderness, and even most livestock. According to Dr. Ahmad Yousef, an economic co-minister, three-quarters of traditional private property is being used as commons and one quarter is still being owned by use of individuals. The economic plan (PEP) posits that the commons are robust enough economically that there is no need for taxes, and since the beginning of the Rojava revolution there have been no taxes of any type.

Worker administration is the third leg of the stool of the economic plan. Workers are to control the means of production in their workplace through worker councils that are responsible to the local councils. According to the Ministry of Economics, worker councils have only been set up for about one third of the enterprises in Rojava so far. Worker councils are coordinated by the various economic ministries and local councils to assure a smooth flow of goods, supplies, and other essentials.