Welcome to the Iraqi Turkmen Human Rights Research Foundation

‘Oil for Soil’ ICG Report: A misinterpretation, a misperception or imposition of the fait accompli?
- English version

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

- Arabic version

   Two Cases of Turkmen Prisoners
    -   A Case of Turkmen Prisoner in Kurdish Prison
    -   A Case of Turkmen Prisoner in US Prison

Kurdish authorities and Iraqi Indigenous populations: the suppression of Iraqi Yazidis
In two recent reports, SOITM have outlined Kurdish attempts to undermine the positions of two other Iraqi indigenous communities.1, 2 This report presents .....

The Turkmen of Erbil: captives in their city
William R. Hay, an English political officer, ruled the Erbil region from 1918 to 1920. He commented on the population of the city as follows:1
“The only two Turkish speaking populations which concern us.....

   The Report of the Kerkuk Conference in the European Parliament
   Introduction........................................................................................................ 1
   Background Documents
   The Turkmen of Iraq.......................................................................................... 3
   Human Rights Violations................................................................................... 5

The attempts of Kurdish authorities to subdue the Iraqi non-ruling communities (minorities) continue
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.....

The Kurds rule their region independently, disproportionally share in the administration of the Iraq and control the Iraqi legislative mechanism in two levels
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:.....

To the international community: The Iraqi people are in severe need of your help
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 .....

The attitude of the military forces in Iraq should be further improved
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, .....

Barzani’s way of Democracy: How to mislead the international community?
On 16 of December 2007, the Kurdish directors of the legislative offices in Kerkuk province, who unfairly represent the majority, informed their staffs that the curfew will be functional ,.....

   SOITM Presentation in the conference “Kerkuk Problem and the article 140: Defining alternatives The views of Kerkuk’s Turkmen and Arabs”
   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,.....

   "Kerkuk Conference in the European Parliament: Kerkuk Problem and Article 140: Defining Alternatives, The views of Kerkuk’s Turkmen and Arabs"
    -   Post-conference Press Release
    -   Pre-conference Press Release
    -   Concept note
    -   Program
    -   Flyer_2

   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 at 12 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 Report of the Iraqi Turkmen Conference in the European Parliament
   Introduction........................................................................................................ 1
   Background Documents
   The Turkmen of Iraq.......................................................................................... 3
   Human Rights Violations................................................................................... 5

fate of a city
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.....

One-sided Kerkuk Conference in the Brussels Parliament
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......

   A Turkmen view presented by SOITM in Amsterdam conference organized by Life - Lines / KSVN under the title Kerkuk - Past, Present and Future
   -   English version
   -   Dutch version
   -   German version

Tahsin Kahya resigns from commission of Article 140 (Kerkuk Commission)
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:......

Peace perception of the President Bush: a tragic outcome of the sectarian hate created by the occupation
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 ......

U.S. supported Kurdish militias continue to terrorize Turkmen cities
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 ......

Attacks on Turkmen cities in Kerkuk and Mosul
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 ......

   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.
   Mr. Jacek SARYUSZ-WOLSKI, Chairman of the Committee of Foreign Affairs,
   Mr. Giorgios Dimitrakopoulos, Iraqi Reporter of the European parliament,
   The members of the Committee of Foreign Affairs at the European Parliament,
   Mr. Chairman,
   The Honourable Members of the European Parliament,

   Summary of the real story of Telafer disaster: How the Sectarian Hatred was introduced in to the city and the role of Kurdish militants
   -   English version
   -   Swedish version
   -   Arabic version

   Iraqi Turkmen Panel in the European Parliament
    -   Post-conference Press Release
    -   Pre-conference Press Release
    -   concept Note
    -   Panel Program
    -   Flyer_2

   Violation of the human rights of the Iraqi Turkmen since the Establishment of the Iraqi State
   -   English version
   -   Swedish version

An Unfair Aspect of the Western Approach to the Kurdish Case in Iraq
On 4.9.2006 and 5.9.2006, the two top international media Agency France Press and Reuters published 2 items of news about.....

  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
    -   Indigenous Peoples and Current Human Rights Situation in Iraq
    -   Conflicts in Iraq and Resolutions
    -   Violation of Human Rights of Turkmen in Erbil
    -   The current situation of the Indigenous Turkmen of Iraq
    -   Utilization of indigenous peoples’ lands by non-indigenous authorities, groups or individuals for military purposes
    -   The Indigenous peoples and conflict prevention and resolution
    -   Violation of Human Rights of the Turkmen of Iraq
    -   Undermined Turkmen economy and its consequences

Kerkuk Issue on the agenda of the first session of Human Rights Council, United Nations
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, .....

Turkmen participant deprived by the Canadian Authorities of attending the International Human Rights Training Program in Canada
No doubt, that sustained marginalization and violation of Turkmen Human Rights, is one of the prominent features of the modern history of Iraq. It will be an interesting field for academics to study the reasons why such a large.....

Ethnic Allocation of Kerkuk Population at the time of Sulayman the Magnificent
The vast oil deposit under the ground of Mosul province of Ottomans was the main reason, which made the British government fight for the region during the World War I. Before this .....

A Reason of the Terror in the Occupied Iraq
It is well known to the international community when the Bush administration occupied Iraq in 2003 had no consideration or any foreseeing plan after the occupation. The USA soldiers behaved after occupation .....

The extent of Kurdification of Kerkuk region
Kerkuk is a region of 2.2% of the planet petroleum deposit,1 which amounts over 10 billion barrels of the oil reserves.2 - 4 According to McDowell the oil revenue at the beginning of 1974 .....

Mainly, the Turkmen are losing in the inevitable Iraqi elections
Despite the lack of the simplest requirements of voting processes in Iraq, the election remains almost the only choice to get out of the Iraqi disastrous dilemma. In the .....

The question of legality concerning the Referendum on the Constitution and the upcoming Iraqi General Election and the validity of the results
In his latest report1 SOITM presented one more aspect of manipulation in the preceding Iraqi general election and asserted that there will be extensive manipulation in the forthcoming voting processes. The facilitating factors were also discussed......

Undemocratic Aspects of the Draft of the New Iraqi Constitution
In a country like Iraq, which is constituted of different ethnic and religious groups and after a dictatorial rule of 35 years, the writing of the constitution should be approached very carefully......

Another aspect of manipulation in the preceding Iraqi General Election
In the report of SOITM entitled “Disregard of the Turkmen may distort the reality in the upcoming census”1 dated 30th July 2004, attention was paid to the possibility of maintenance of underestimation of the Turkmen population size in the upcoming .....

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

Establishment of the Iraqi Turkmen Human Rights Organizations Assembly in Europe
Several Iraqi Turkmen Human Rights Organizations and Iraqi Turkmen intellectuals attended a conference in Nijmegen on 7th and 8th May 2005 which was organized by the Iraqi Turkmen Human Rights Research Foundation......

   The Documents which were presented by SOITM to the 11th Session, Working Group on Minorities (30 May - 3 June, 2005), United Nations - Geneva
   -   Oral Presentation
   -   The Turkmen of Iraq: Underestimated, Marginalized and exposed to assimilation
   -   Issues Concerning the Turkmen of Iraq

   Two major biased points in the US-supported Iraqi Election
   It happened on two occasions, first in March 1991 and later in April 2003, when the Kurdish militias raided the Turkmen Region and particularly Kirkuk city.1-12
   To eradicate the Turkmen nature of Kirkuk, these Kurdish militias’ first targets were.....

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
We would like to comment on your article “The Kurdish Way” of Nov 6th 2004 in which you focus your attention exclusively on the ‘Kurdish version’ of the identity of Kerkuk city. Historically Kerkuk has never been a Kurdish city. Kerkuk has been and still is a Turkmen city......

“US-made” Kerkuk City Council decides once again in favor of the Kurds
In a previous report from SOITM entitled “Violation of the Iraqi Turkmen Human Rights Continues”1, we reported on how the US occupation authorities in Iraq have arbitrarily and unfairly “made up” the Kerkuk City Council......

Signs of Imminent Danger in Kerkuk City
Immediately after the occupation of Iraq by the US troops, the Kurds took control of Kerkuk and initiated their attempts to Kurdicize this originally Turkmen city. The first action of the US forces was to unfairly appoint and impose Kurds in the most important official posts, i.e. the posts of Governor, Mayor.....

Influx of Kurds into Turkmen Regions, Particularly Kerkuk City
The growth of nationalism in the absence of a democratic environment and lack of regional stability results in aggressive disputes. When it appears in an unhealthy cultural climate it can easily be transformed into racism which, in turn, can expose powerless ethnic groups to violation, discrimination and oppression......

Attempts to change the demographic structure of Kirkuk city by the American supported Kurds
After the war and occupation of Iraq by the Anglo-American forces in April 2003, the Kurdish political parties KDP and PUK who had supported it with their armed militias - for their own old political agenda to take control of Kirkuk province and its oil wealth - were rewarded for their.....

Western intellectuals fall collectively into error
It became a habit of Western intellectuals, writers and journalists towards the end of the Ottoman Empire and after World War I, to exaggerate the Kurdish case to promote the benefit-dependent .....

Power Abuses by Kurdish Politicians in Iraq Continue to Marginalize the Turkmen and to Deny their Rights
High-ranking Kurdish officials appointed in the new Iraqi administration continue and intensify their efforts to marginalize the Turkmen in Iraq. Below are two recent examples of such efforts and abuse of power, this time by Mr. Fuad Masum, a Kurdish politician, who was appointed as the head of the committee for the selection.....

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 que les Turkmènes en Irak sont une petite minorité qui ne représente que 2% de la population irakienne. Ces affirmations sont évidemment inexactes puisqu’elles sont toutes basées sur un vieux mensonge et une distorsion volontaire des.....

Disregard of the Turkmen may Distort the Reality in the Upcoming Iraqi Census
We often read and hear in the Western media that the Turkmen in Iraq are a small minority and only represent 2% of the total Iraqi population. This assessment is completely false, it is based on yet another British intelligence distortion of facts and.....

Unjust Approach to the Turkmen Case in Iraq
No doubt, the Iraqi people are so grateful to the American administration for displacement of the dictatorial Saddam regime and for your attempts to establish a democracy in Iraq. However, some of your policies and actions after liberation do not conform to the realities of Iraq......

Arabic Version - Unjust Approach to the Turkmen Case in Iraq

Another Step to Marginalize the Turkmen After the development of a ‘Safe Haven’ in the north of Iraq by the Coalition Forces, the relatively democratic environment allowed the Turkmen people to establish their political institutions. Several political organizations and parties appeared, namely: the Iraqi Turkmen National Party, the Turkmeneli Party, the.....

Violation of the Iraqi Turkmen Human Rights Continues
The Turkmen of Iraq have faced huge challenges since the establishment of the Iraqi state in 1921. Underestimation of their population size during the Lausanne negotiations formed the base for the successive Iraqi governments to expose them to brutal assimilation policies, which reached their peak during the Baath period......

The Summary of Violation of the human Rights of the Iraqi Turkmen and Attempts to assimilate them during the Dictatorial Baath Period
“I personally am not in favor of allowing the Turkmen membership in the party or even the simplest job in the Land Registry office. As this is an extremely secret subject which I would never put it in writing but my oral suggestions are: Don’t worry, we are going to assimilate the new Turkmen generations through the student and youth organizations”. Chemical Ali (1).....

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