Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris

REVUE DE PRESSE-PRESS REVIEW-BERHEVOKA ÇAPÊ-RWISTA STAMPA-DENTRO DE LA PRENSA-BASIN ÖZETi
turkish daily news, January 7, 1994
'Dissident Iranian
Kurdish leader
killed in Turkey
Assassination is third killing since August
Iranian refugees fear more murders, accuse.
UNHCR and Turkey of not protecting them
liation and, finally, execUtion." On Dec. 2, Turkey and
Iran ended security talks in Ankara by concludin~ a me.
morandum of understanding, laying down the gUideline! .
for "cooperation against terrorism by both countries."
Official sources said then that the memorandum wa!
specifically aimed at curbing the activities of the outla.
wed KurdIstan Workers' Party (PKK) on the Iranian si.
de and the activities of the Democratic Kurdistan Party
of Iran on the Turkish side.
A highlight of the accord was an agreement by both
sides to send observers to follow each others' "search
and destroy" operations against terrorist bases.
In the past, Iranian diplomats and agents have been
accused of the abduction of Iranian dissidents and in al
least one publicized case, are known to have been ca.
.ught while attempting to smuggle out a kidnapped op.
panent in the trunk of their car. Iranian refugees claim
that since the signing of the accord between Deputy
Undersecretary for the Ministry of the Interior Rila Ak-
By Ismet G.lmset Kirmench, killed in Çorum, was demir and Iranian Director General for Security Affairs
Turkish Daily News identified as a leader of the r.0roup. Golam Huseyin Bolandiyan, they have become a target
ANKARA- Leading dissident, Ira- According to the Counci , Ghadiri för new security operations.
nian-Kurdish activist Taha Kirmench was killed in the city of Klr~ehir, Last week, there was a massive crackdown on iIle~al
\\'as shotand killed on Tuesday, alle- while Azersen was killed in Ankara. . immigrants in the Ismetpasa district of Ankara. un
gedly by agents ofTehran's secret in- Police, who confirmed the serial kil- . Wednesday, a day after the killing of Kirmench"police
lelligence agency SA VAMA, mem- lings, refused to elaborate. The Irani- raided 25 houses in the DikIl1en, Sokollu and Oveçler
hers of the Iranian Rt'fu"ee Council an dissident community in Ankara districts of the Turkish capital where they caught 50 Irareported
on Thursday. 'The report claims, however, that Klrmench's as- nians residing as illegal aliens.
was later confirmed by UNHCR offi- sassin has been caught in çorum. . Officials said all of them were deported since their
cials in Ankara. Ghadiri was first abducted from Turkish resident permit visas had explfed. There was no
The killing this week is thought to his hOllse on Aug. 25, 1993, by his . information on what happened to them after they were
be the latest in a series of murders of assassins who wore police uniforms given over to Iranian authorities.
prominent Iranian-Kurdish activists and carried police identification, the "We are afraid of both sides," Ardeshir says. "We are
m Turkey. Turkish officials are pla- Iranians claim. afraid of Iran and Turkey. Since the killings started, we
ying down the developments which Two days after the kidnapping, have been ordered to go to the security center every day
have claimed the lives of three im- Azersen was killed in Ankara. On to sign in and inform them of our whereabouts."
migrants so far and have led to wi- Aug. 30, Ghadiri's tortured remains were found on the Azersen, who was killed in Ankara last August, was
despread fear among Turkey's large Klr~ehir-Ankara hiohway.. . . still waiting for refu~ee status nine months after his app-
Iranian refugee population. Iranian Accordino to Bahar, Klrmench knew two months 10 lication to the UNHeR, giving his killers ample time to
dissidents continue to blame the SA- advance that he would be assassinated and had applied catch up with him. Some refugees claim they have to
VAMA for the assassInations. to the UNHCR in December, asking for protectIOn te wait for up to 30 months before they receive visas from
Kirmench was shot dead in the save his life. "He received no help and continued to live a third country and that even when they get these, Turcentral
Anatolian city of Corum whe- in çorum," Bahar said. Ardeshir, anoiher Iranian refu. kish authoriiies refuse to grant them exit visas.
re he was residing under compulsory gee whose recognit~on is pending, said. Turki~h pol!ce Nadir, another Iranian-Kurdish refugee and an activist
residenceorders. An official for the had raided the Iraman Refugee CouncIl s mam office for the Commission, claims there has oeen a sudden inc-
Unite.d Nations High Commission last October and closed it down. "It is becoming more rease in house raids since Turkey and Iran decided to
for Refugees (UNHCR) in Ankara ;lnd more difficult to defend the rights of refugees in' cooperate against terrorism. .
said Kirmeneh was a recognized re- Turkey," he explained. Allegedly, police tea11,1s last we. But, says Ardeshir, a majority of the Iranians in Tur-
, fugee registered with them. ekend detained refugees gathenng to apply In front 01, key are not terrorists. "We are people persecuted only
A spokesperson for the Iranian Re- the UNHCR office in Ankara. ' for our views." Ardeshir is an Iraman writer who was
fugees Council, still not legally re- . "The Iranians they detained were "ater rel~ase~, bu1 . imprisoned by the regime for eight months on charges
cognized by Turkey. said Kirmench the Iraqis were deported back to Iraq, Ardeshir saId. of publishing two banned books preaching democracy.
was the third immigrant TO HAVE UNHCR sources noted, meanwliile, that four othel He is now awaiting refugee status for himself, his wife
BEEN shot dead si;lCe the end of Au- foreigners had recently been deported from Turkey bU1 . and child, all of whom are in Ankara. Technically, Iragust.
UNHCR (',fficials acknowled- 'none of them were recognized refugees. nian dissidents in Turkey receive official identification
ged that of the two other victims, On Dec. 20, a day before Iranian Deputy President papers, which are valid for only three months and must
Mohammed Ghadiri was also a re- Hasan Habibi arrived in Turkey on an official visit, Tur. be extended every three mont~s thereafter. Refugees
cognized refugee, ivhereas Bahrem key deported four Iranian dissidents to that co~ntry. The. complain, though, that at times this extension is refused
Azersen's r~i,;ogni("" was pending. dissidents, who have not been heard from smce then, and.many are aeported back to their country where they
Coune:, C:~'_!':" " J ,~Jhar, herself were identified as Hasan Zanjani, Farhad Chaigani, Ha. are Impnsoned.
an Iranian J\.ûrd,'sa.lo on Thursday san Mehreban and his wife. All of them were seeking. They allege that even those given UNHCR recognitithat
all three victims were members .. refugee status in Turkey..
on can be deported if their Turkish authorization expiof
the Revolutionary Leadership '''We know that once we are recognized as refu~ees, res. The Iraman community in Turkey fears. both the
(Rahbariya Inkilabl) faction of the Iranian agents can kill us," Ardeshir explained. 'Bul secret activities of the SAVAMA and a change in Tur-
Democratic Kurdistan Party of Iran while we wait here for refu&ee status, the Turks send UE . key's attitude following the accord reached between An-
(KDP-I). . , back and then we face impnsonment, torture and hllmi. kara and Tehran. " .
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