Tũrkish Pulse

by Martin Aslan Anwar R. was declared guilty of torture by the Higher Regional Court in Koblenz. This decision means a lot for the victims and their relatives but also for Syria, Germany and for justice worldwide. I have done research on this issue and talked to Syrians to understand the background. In this article, I would like to present this matter so that it becomes clear even for those who are not specialist of Syria. Why were people tortured in Syria? Bashar al-Assad's father, Hafez al-Assad, had already used torture against the opposition. He had established an organized torture system in 1982 after the bloody suppression of a Muslim Brotherhood uprising. The system had two goals: To gather information about the opposition and to intimidate people so that the uprising would not reoccur. As the Arab Spring spread through Syria, Bashar al-Assad used his father's strategy again. In the city of Dara'a, teenagers had made graffiti critical of the government and were arres...

  by Martin Aslan Introduction Children’s rights represent a critical challenge in all kinds of crises. In international law, children hold a special position, and their interests are regarded as superior to other considerations. Indeed, they are among the most affected by warfare: famine, child soldiers, forced displacement, stalled future prospects, lack of access to education, and all forms of psychological and physical suffering must be addressed with urgency. The 2018 Lebanese drama movie Capernaum effectively illustrates how children experience war. The refugee child actor begins with a surrealistic scene in a courtroom, where he prosecutes his own parents for bringing him into the world. Much has been written and said about the suffering of children under ISIS, the teenagers tortured by the Syrian state, and the plight of migrant children in Turkey. Turkish media have reported on child soldiers fighting within Kurdish forces, which constitutes a blatant violation of internat...

by Martin Aslan Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, there have been numerous reports of civilian casualties. Russian media often describe these incidents as collateral damage. Indeed, it is possible for mistakes to occur during military operations, resulting in civilian deaths. However, evidence suggests that harm to civilians occurs on a regular basis, with destruction focused on infrastructure that holds strategic value. Additionally, infrastructure with significant psychological importance is frequently targeted. This indicates that the Russian forces are deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure. What Kind of Infrastructure Is Being Targeted? All essential infrastructure has sustained damage from Russian forces in recent months. This includes water, electricity, gas, and food supplies. For example: May 24 : Missile strikes and artillery shelling were carried out in the Zaporizhia Oblast, destroying electricity pylons that 22,000 people relied on. Russian forces also dam...

by Martin Aslan In a country suffering from war, all exports are restricted in order to cover the needs of the population. In Ukraine, shortages of wheat and gas have been identified. Therefore, it is crucial to control the flows of such goods in order to protect the population.  It seems that the authorities are not able to completely restrict exports. On May 24 reports from the Luhasnk Oblast indicated that people in the town of Stanytsia Luhanska have complained about the lack of fuel at gas stations and about Russian substandard food. It appears that Russia is taking advantage of the situation by organizing the export of the goods urgently needed by civilians. This could be regarded as starvation as a method of warfare. Using starvation of civilians as a method of combat is prohibited by the Geneva Convention (1977 additional protocols) as well as by the Russian Federation’s Military Manual. Grain is first moved to the ports of Crimea (Kerch, Sevastopol, Feodosia), occupied by ...

by Martin Aslan Turkiye conducted an airstrike against Kurds in Iraq and northern Syria in February. According to the Minister of Defense, the goal was to protect the Turkish people from extremists and terrorists. One can wonder whether this was the only reason or if there is more behind it. Do Kurds Represent a Danger for Turkiye? In part, but Turkiye likely instrumentalizes the confrontation with Kurds abroad to pursue other objectives. The Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) is banned in Turkiye and is also recognized as a terrorist group by the US and the EU. Still, the Turkish state and the PKK have clashed repeatedly since 1984 – and it would be incorrect to reduce this confrontation to terrorism. In Syria and Iraq, there are also Kurds who seek independence or autonomy. In Syria, the Kurds are represented by the YPG militia, which protects their territory. In Iraq, the autonomous region of Kurdistan has its own branch of the army: the Peshmerga. The official position of the YPG, as wel...