Title: “The Forgotten Victims in the Middle East: Plight of Iraqi Turkmens”
Speaker: Ms. Sundus Abbas, The Representative of the Iraqi Turkmen Front in the UK
Chair: David Alton, Member of the House of Lords, and Professor of Citizenship, Liverpool John Moores University
Date: Monday, 2 March 2015
Time: 7:00pm – 8:30pm
Venue: Brunei Gallery, Room B104, SOAS, University of London, WC1H 0XG
Click here for free tickets and registration.
We are pleased to announce Centre for Policy and Research on Turkey (Research Turkey)’s public conference entitled “The Forgotten Victims in the Middle East: Plight of Iraqi Turkmens” in which Ms. Sundus Abbas, The Representative of the Iraqi Turkmen Front in the UK will give a talk. This event will take place on Monday, 2 March 2015 between 7:00p.m. and 8:30p.m. at Brunei Gallery, Room B104, SOAS, University of London, WC1H 0XG. David Alton, Member of the House of Lords, and Professor of Citizenship, Liverpool John Moores University will kindly chair the event. The event is co-sponsored by SOAS Development Studies, Neoliberalism, Globalisation and States Research Cluster.
You may find the abstract of the talk and short biographies of Ms. Sundus Abbas and the chair David Alton below.
This event is free and open to public but it is a ticketed event that requires pre-registration. A ticket does not guarantee a seat. Please click here for free registration and tickets.
Abstract of the Talk
The Iraqi Turkmen have been victims of decades of persecution and victimisation as a distinct community in Iraq. Hopes that the overthrow of Saddam Hussein would improve their situation and offer redress for past injustices suffered have yet to be fulfilled as they continue to suffer from various forms of discrimination and assimilation and migration pressures. After ISIL’s attack, ISIL started to attack Turkmen town and villages starting from Telafer, Basheer , Taza, Birowchli, Amirli and others, driving more than 300 thousands Turkmens from their homelands, killing hundreds and kidnapping others including women and children. ISIL fighters are currently en route to Kirkuk, which is another city inhabited by Turkmens. Kirkuk has been exposed to a Kurdization process since the 2003 American invasion after the long years of Saddam’s suppressive Arabization policies. This event will highlight some of the most pressing issues currently facing Turkmen in Iraq and offer an opportunity to discuss ways forward to improve their situation.
Short Biography of Ms. Sundus Abbas
Sundus Abbas is Representative of the Iraqi Turkmen Front in the UK. She was born in Kirkuk, Iraq. She graduated as a civil engineer from Al Salahuddin University in 1986 and then graduated from Greenwich University with a higher diploma in computer science in 1999. She moved to Britain after the Second Gulf War, when the old regime targeted Kirkuk and surrounding areas, and has been working as a political activist since 1991 to define the Iraqi Turkmen cause in Britain and Europe. Since 2009, she has been appointed as the representative of the Iraqi Turkmen Front. Represented Iraqi Turkmens in many conferences held in Britain, the United Nations and Europe.
Short Biography of David Alton
David Alton (The Rt. Hon Prof. the Lord Alton of Liverpool) is Professor of Citizenship at Liverpool John Moores University and is a Visiting Fellow at the University of St.Andrews. Having been elected as the UK’s youngest City Councillor while still a student in 1972, David became Deputy Leader and Housing Chairman of Liverpool Council. He also worked as a teacher for seven years before becoming a Member of Parliament. After 8 years as a City Councillor, he served as a member of the British House of Commons for 18 years, where he was Liberal Chief Whip. In 1997, he was appointed to the House of Lords, and for the past 18 years, he has been a Member of the House of Lords, where he has sat as an Independent Crossbench Peer. David Alton is one of Britain’s longest serving and most senior parliamentarians. In Parliament, he is Chairman of the All Party Group (APG) on North Korea and Chairman of the Human Dignity APG; Vice Chairman – Foreign Affairs APG; Tibet APG; Religious Freedom APG; Armenia APG; and an officer of the Sudan APG and Cafod APG. Outside of Parliament, with Danny Smith, he launched the human rights group, Jubilee Campaign, which led to campaigns, visits and reports on the plight of Jewish and Christian dissidents in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Throughout the 1990s, and subsequently, he has continued his campaigns for human rights and the sanctity of human life. He is a trustee, patron or president of a number of charities and voluntary organisations, is a Foundation Governor of the Liverpool Bluecoat School and is a Governor of Stonyhurst College. Among the international awards he has received are the Michael Bell Memorial Award for Initiatives for Life, The Mystery of Life Award, and the Advocates International Award for human rights work. His eleven books include “Citizen Virtues” and “Pilgrim Ways”.
