Kurdish Human Rights Project
Encyclopedia
The Kurdish Human Rights Project is the only non-partisan human rights
organisation consistently working in the Kurdish regions of Turkey
, Iraq
, Iran
, Syria
and elsewhere. It is a registered charity, founded and based in London
in 1992, and its supporters include Kurds
and non-Kurds.
Its activities include litigation and advocacy, trial observation and fact-finding missions, research and publications and public awareness, education and communication initiatives.
In 2005 it was awarded the Sigrid Rausing
Trust Award for 'Outstanding Leadership in International Human Rights'. It was also short-listed for the 2004 Human Rights Award by the Law Society of England and Wales
, Liberty and Justice.
Its cases have established precedents at the European Court of Human Rights
on issues including the death penalty, detentions without trial, rape by or with the acquiescence of state actors and the use of blindfolds in detention.
It has also played a highly visible role in raising awareness of social and environmental concerns surrounding dam projects including the Ilisu
and Yusufeli dams in south-east Turkey and the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline
.
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
organisation consistently working in the Kurdish regions of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and elsewhere. It is a registered charity, founded and based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1992, and its supporters include Kurds
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
and non-Kurds.
Its activities include litigation and advocacy, trial observation and fact-finding missions, research and publications and public awareness, education and communication initiatives.
In 2005 it was awarded the Sigrid Rausing
Sigrid Rausing
Sigrid Rausing is a Swedish philanthropist, anthropologist and publisher. She is the founder of the Sigrid Rausing Trust, one of the United Kingdom's largest philanthropic foundations, and owner of Granta magazine and its publishing arm, Granta Books.Rausing grew up in Lund, Sweden, and studied...
Trust Award for 'Outstanding Leadership in International Human Rights'. It was also short-listed for the 2004 Human Rights Award by the Law Society of England and Wales
Law Society of England and Wales
The Law Society is the professional association that represents the solicitors' profession in England and Wales. It provides services and support to practising and training solicitors as well as serving as a sounding board for law reform. Members of the Society are often consulted when important...
, Liberty and Justice.
Its cases have established precedents at the European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
on issues including the death penalty, detentions without trial, rape by or with the acquiescence of state actors and the use of blindfolds in detention.
It has also played a highly visible role in raising awareness of social and environmental concerns surrounding dam projects including the Ilisu
Ilisu Dam
The Ilisu Dam is an embankment dam under construction on the Tigris River near the village of Ilisu and along the border of Mardin and Sirnak Provinces in Turkey. It is one of the 22 dams of the Southeastern Anatolia Project and its purpose is hydroelectric power production, flood control and...
and Yusufeli dams in south-east Turkey and the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline
The Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline is a long crude oil pipeline from the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli oil field in the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. It connects Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan; Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia; and Ceyhan, a port on the south-eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey,...
.
External links
- Official KHRP website (EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
) - Official KHRP website (TurkishTurkish languageTurkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
) - Baku Ceyhan Campaign
- Ilisu Dam Campaign