Kurdistan
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Iraq's Anfal campaignThe survivor who brought her torturer to justice
After decades in hiding, the head of a notorious prison during the 1988 campaign against Iraq's Kurds has been sentenced to death. For survivor Fazila Mohammad, who helped identify him, the verdict is a milestone, but not the end.
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Femicide in TurkeyWhere is Gülistan Doku?
Years after a young Kurdish woman's femicide, new probes have led to arrests. The suspects are sons of civil servants. The case ignited a Turkish debate on state failure and alleged cover-up. Yet the wider issue of anti-Kurdish violence remains sidelined.
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Deported from GermanyYazidi survivors confront the harsh reality of return
Thousands of Yazidis fled IS genocide and found refuge in Germany. Now, many have been ordered to return to Iraq, where they face dire living conditions, shattered infrastructure and the threat of further violence.
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Öcalan and the PKKFrom terrorist to peacemaker
On Saturday, the PKK declared a ceasefire in response to jailed leader Abdullah Öcalan's call to disarm. The collapse of the last Turkey-PKK ceasefire in 2015 triggered an eruption of violence. Will Öcalan succeed in ending the 47-year-old conflict this time?
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Kurdish singer Hani MojtahediMyths re-imagined
Kurdish singer Hani Mojtahedi and German electro legend Andi Toma of Mouse On Mars have collaborated on an album that also pays homage to Mojtahedi’s grandfather, a Sufi master
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Iraq's autonomous KurdistanKurds drifting away from democracy
In Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan, regional elections are being repeatedly postponed, institutions weakened and structures are becoming more autocratic
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German immigration policyYazidis relive the horror as deportation looms
Recently Germany's "culture of welcome" has given way to a much tougher asylum and immigration policy. Now Yazidi survivors of IS genocide face an uncertain, potentially re-traumatising future
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Kurdistan + 100Stories from a future republic
"Kurdistan + 100" is the third anthology in Comma Press's "future past" series, and a fourth – Egypt + 100 – is set to be published next year. Writers are asked to imagine a moment in the future connected to an event in their shared past
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The deserted villages of the soulYavuz Ekinci's new novel
Armenian genocide denial is a great and enduring lie by the Turkish state, characterised by ongoing violence and racism. Yavuz Ekinci takes up the subject in an unsparing and powerful novel: "Das ferne Dorf meiner Kindheit" – 'the distant village of my childhood'. Gerrit Wustmann read the book
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Morgenland Festival OsnabruckCountering patriarchal cliches
Focusing on music from the Levant to Central Asia, Osnabruck's Morgenland Festival occupies a special place in the German festival landscape. Prior to the 18th festival, which begins on 21 June, Stefan Franzen spoke to festival manager Michael Dreyer about the musical concept, the political dimension, and whether the term 'Morgenland' [engl. 'the East', 'Orient'] is still in keeping with the times
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Yazidis in Sinjar, IraqThe deep scars left by IS terror
For centuries, the Yazidis lived in the northern Iraqi region of Sinjar. In 2014, the region was overrun by the so-called "Islamic State", which committed genocide against the Yazidi population. This brutal chapter in Yazidi history has left deep and lasting scars. To this day, the community in Sinjar is still picking up the pieces. By Birgit Svensson
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Nowruz: New Year, Spring Festival and National Holiday
In Persian and Central Asian cultures, Nowruz has theIn Persian and Central Asian cultures, Nowruz has the same significance as Christmas in Europe, Thanksgiving in the USA or the New Year in China. The celebration is preceded by days of preparation.
