International Appeal

We support the peace efforts initiated towards ending the war in Syria. This war has been going on for almost three years, resulting in the deaths of thousands of people, the displacement of millions more and the destruction of the country. To achieve an end to this conflict, we hope that the Geneva II Conference to be held on 22 January 2014 will result in a peaceful and permanent solution.

The Kurds in Syria have always declared their support for all such international efforts. The Kurdish people are struggling for the right to live freely with their own identity in a democratic Syria. The Kurds in Rojava (Syrian Kurdistan) have neither succumbed to the persecutions and massacres by the regime or by those groups linked to Al-Qaeda. The Kurds want to live autonomously within a democratic, equal and just Syria alongside all its peoples and religious minorities of the country; Syria represents a multi-cultural, multi-faith and multi-ethnic reality.

We, the undersigned academics, politicians, human rights activists and scientists, believe that the Kurdish people should be represented at Geneva II by a delegation from the Kurdish Supreme Council. The Supreme Council was formed last year and is representative of all Kurdish parties and institutions. 

We believe that the Kurdish people should be represented by the Kurdish High Council in an international conference of this significance where the Kurdish people´s future will be directly determined. Only then can Geneva II play its rightful role in securing the desired peace for all.

First Signatories:

Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Nobel Prize Laureates (2009), India; Dario Fo, Nobel Prize Laureates, Italy(1997); Dr. Vandana Shiva, Alternative Nobel Peace Prize India; Ann-Margarethe Livh, Oppositional Vice Mayor of Stockholm City Council, Sweden; Mikael Gustafsson - Member of the European Parliament Left party, Sweden; Lincoln Davis, Member of the US Congress (2003-2011), US;  Shudhakar Reddy, Secretary General, Communist Party (CPI), India ; Sebastian Michel, Deputy Minister of Communication Multinational State of Bolivia;  Lars Ohly -Member Of Parliament The Left Party and Ex-President of left party, Sweden; Ann-Margarethe Livh,Oppositional Vice Mayor of Stockholm City Council; Hans Linde - Member of Parliament Left party and Foreign spokesperson , Sweden; Torbjörn Björlund - Member of Parliament Left party, Sweden; - Igshaan Higgins - South African Academy For Young Leaders, South Africa; Solly Mapaila - Deputy General Secretary of South African Communist; Judge Essa Moosa - Chairperson of KHRAG, South Africa; Faizel Moosa - ANC Dullah Omar Region, South Africa; Shadiye Heydari, Member of Parliament Social Democrats, Sweden; Valter Mutt, Member of Parliament Green party, Sweden; Ebrahim Wise - ANCYL RTT Dullah Omar Region, ANCYL RTT Executive Member Economic Development Portfolio, South Africa; Igshaan Higgins - South African Academy For Young Leaders, South Africa; Kariane Westrheim. EUTCC chair & University of Bergen, Norway; Mark Durkan MP – House of Commons, UK; Conor Murphy MP - House of Commons, UK; Elfyn Llwyd MP – House of Commons; Karen Gabriel, Professor of English, St Stephen's College, Delhi University, India; P K Vijayan, Professor of English, Hindu College, Delhi University; S.Velu, Indian Workers Association, India; Dr. Gisela Penteker, IPPNW, Germany; Kurdo Baksi, Author and candidate for the European Parliament (Green Party); Lord Hylton, House of Lords, UK; Lord Rea, House of Lords, UK; Jean Lambert Member of the European Parliament, UK; Jill Evans Member of the European Parliament, UK; Hywel Williams MP, Houser of Commons, UK; Bruce Kent, Vice-President, International Peace Bureau,UK; Robert Olson, Professor of Middle East History and Islamic History at the University of Kentucky, US; Tony Simpson, Editor, The Spokesman journal,Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation, UK; Nick Hildyard, policy adviser, UK; Felix Padel, Professor in Rural Magament, Indian Institute of Health Management research, Jaipur, India & UK; Tove Skutnabb-Kangas, dr.phil., Denmark/Finland; Rezan Saleh, Secretary General, AIDA, non-profit European association for intercultural artistic development.; Margaret Owen OBE, international human rights lawyer; Melanie Gingell, barrister, UK; Maggie Bowden, General Secretary “Liberation”, UK; Hugo Charlton, barrister, UK; Joost Jongerden, Assistant Professor, Wageningen University, the Netherlands; Professor Sara Chandler,  Chair of the Human Rights Committee of the Law Society, UK; Yuksel Gonul - MA International Relations - Middlesex University, UK; Dr Austin Reid, scientist and academic, Scotland; Khatchatur I. Pilikian, Professor of Music & Art, LSFC Secretery; Sen. Nélida Sifuentes C. The Deputy Senate President, Colombian; Sen. Mary Eva Vacaflor Soruco, Colombian; Sen. Felix Bolivar Ventura, Colombian; Sen. Mirtha Da Costa, Colombian; Sen. Manuel Limachi, Colombian; Sen. Sandra Soriano Bascope, Colombian; Sen. Nelly Fernandez Negrete, Colombian; Sen. Demetrio Garcia C., Colombian; Sen. Mary Medina Zabaleta, Colombian; Sen. Tania Melgar de Ocampo, Colombian ;Sen. Cármen García Mamani, Colombian; Sen. Efraín Condori López, Colombian; Sen. Ricardo Aillón Alvarez, Colombian; Sen. Felix Yapu Encinas, Colombian; Christoph Krämer, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War  (IPPNW), Gemany; Sabino Cuadra, Parlamentarian of the Basque Coalition AMAIUR in the Spanish Congress; Xabier Mikel Errekondo, Parlamentarian of the Basque Coalition AMAIUR in the Spanish Congress.; Urko Aiartza, Senator of the Basque Coalition AMAIUR in the Spanish Senat.; Amalur Mendizabal,Senator of the Basque Coalition AMAIUR in the Spanish Senat;Christian Van Singer; Deputies of Federal Parliament, Green Pary , Switzerland; Francine John Calame, Deputy of Federal Parliament Green Party, Switzerland; Jean-François Steiert, Deputy of Federal parliament, Socialist Party; Switzerland; Luisa Morgantini, former Vice President European Parliament, Italy; Luigi Vinci, former European Parliament, Italy; Pietro Marcenaro, former President of Commission on Human Rights Senate, Italy; Ramon Mantovani, former MP of PRC; Arturo Scotto,MP, Foreign Affairs Committee of SEL, Italy; Massimo Artini, MP, Vice President of Defence Committee, Italy; Paolo Bernini, MP, Secretary of the Defence Committee, Italy; Emanuela Corda, MP, President of the Defence Committee of M5S, Italy; Luca Frusone, Member of the Parliament, Parliamentary Assemble of NATO, Italy; Tatiana Basilio, MP, Defence Committee, Italy; Gianluca Rizzo, MP, Defence Committee, Italy; Angelo Tofalo, Member of the Audit Committee of the Italian secret services.; Maria Edera Spadoni, MP, Foreign Affairs Committee of M5S, Italy; Vincenzo Miliucci, Confederations of COBAS, International Relations. Italy; Manlio di Stefano, MP, Foreign Affairs Committee of M5S, Italy; Alessandro di Battista, MP, Foreign Affairs Committee of M5S, Italy; Maria Edera Spadoni, MP, Foreign Affairs Committee of M5S, Italy; Marta Grande, MP, Foreign Affairs Committee of M5S, Italy; Alessio Tacconi, MP, Foreign Affairs Committee of M5S, Italy; Daniele del Grosso, MP, Foreign Affairs Committee of M5S, Italy; Carlo Sibilia, MP, Foreign Affairs Committee of M5S, Italy; Emanuele Scagliusi, MP, Foreign Affairs Committee of M5S, Italy; Cristina de Pietro, Member of Senate, Foreign Affairs Committee of M5S, Italy; Luis Alberto Orellana, Member of Senate, Foreign Affairs Committee of M5S, Italy; Maria Mussini, Member of Senate, Foreign Affairs Committee of M5S, Italy; Maria Immacolata Macioti, Docent of Sapienza University Rome, Italy; Alessandro Portelli, Docent ofLecture Anglo-American, Sapienza University Rome, Italy; Irene Ranaldi, Docent of Sociology, Sapienza University Rome, Italy; Rita Rosa, Mayor of Alessandria City, Italy; Gianni Novelli, Directory of Cipax-Centro Inter-Confessional for Peace Rome, Italy; Fabio Marcelli, Democratic Lawyers, Italy; Piero Cannizzaro, Rejisor, Italy; Bodil Ceballos, MP, Green Environmental Party, Italy; Dlear Zindrou MD. PhD, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Kurdistan; Quim Arrufat Ibáñez, Deputy of the Parliament of Catalonia;  Abdullah Karabag, Teacher, Singer, Lausanne/Switzerland; Mehmet SIMSEK, Human Rights Activist, Switzerland; Mehmet TURKER, Human Rights Activist, Switzerland; Anthea Harding Power, poet - teacher - community worker; Abdulkadir Musa, Adveicer for Art; Jano Rosebiani, Evini Films, Turkey; Mehmed S. Kaya, Dr. polit., Professor, Department of Social Science Studies, Lillehammer; Dawud Çîçek, Journalist, from Kurdistan; Harald Weinberg,  MdB/Die Linke, Gemany; Jan van Aken MdB, Die Linke, Gemany;   Ulla Jelpke, MdB/Die Linke, Gemany; Dr. Nikolaus Brauns, Journalist and Historian, Berlin, Gemany; Norman Peach, Professor i. R. University Hamburg, Gemany ; Wolfgang Richter, Dortmund (DKP), Gemany; Rainer B. Ahues, Lawyer, Gemany; Prof. Dr. Med. Ulrich Gottstein, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), Gemany; Monty Schädel, Spokesman of the German Peace Society Federated Opponents of Defence Service  (DFG-VK), Gemany; Andreas Buro, Coordinator of Dialogkreises, Gemany;Prof.Dr.Wolfgang,  Gemany; Prof. Dr. med. Gerhard Garweg, Gemany; Martin Glasenapp, medico international, Frankfurt/Main , Gemany; Jürgen Wilk, SOBIMA e. V. (Selbstorganisierte Bildungs- u. Medienarbeit), Gemany; Magdalena Klupp (Stuttgart), Gemany; Mohssen Massarrat, Gemany;  Felice Rosa,  MA Prog. Student at Bologna University; Önder Beyter, Sudent, from Bedlîs, Northern Kurdistan; Ayse Gozden, Professor of Economics, Istanbul, Turkey; Ariadni Antonaki, Physicist,Greece; Sharmin Aziz, Content Creator; Amir Sharifi, California State University, Long Beach, US; A. Celil Kaya, Research Assistant, Ankara University, Faculty of Political Science, Turkey; Chnar Morad, Folkrättsvetare, Swed; Mohammad Salehzadeh,Helsinki – Finland; Luqman Barwari, President, Kurdish National Congress, North America, US; Onur Gunay, PhD candidate, Princeton University Anthropology Department. US; Dr. Murat Issi, Panteion University, Greece; Chris den Hond -  TV producer and journalist, France; Graham Williamson, Chairman Nations, without Statesm UK; Azad Dewani, Doctorate researcher of Peace Studiesm Lawyer & Advocate of human rights, UK; Dr Janroj Keles, Research Fellow, Business School, Middlesex University, UK;  Yashar  Ismailoglu-Cypriot poet/writer, UK; Dr Yussef Anwar - Kurdish Patriotic Movment, UK; Sheila Mosley, Co-Chair, International Support Kurds in Syria Association – SKS, UK; Rodi Hevian, Journalist, Austria; Derwich M. Ferho, Director Kurdish Institute Brussels, Belgium; Yagmur Savran, PhD candidate in Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Bradford, UK;; Alastair Logan, OBE,  LL.B., member of the Human Rights Committee of theLaw Society, UK; Thomas Schmidt, Secretary General, ELDH European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and World Human Rights, Germany; Johan Kamar, Phd.in  French literature Paris, France; Mary Davis, professor of labour history Royal Holloway University of London, UK; Houzan Mahmoud, Political activist-Iraqi Kurdistan, UK; Dr Ahmad Abbdul Karim, post-graduate researcher at the Institute of Science and Industry and the living environment,  AGroParisTech, France; Radha D'Souza, School of Law, University of Westminster; Cynthia Cockburn, professor in women's and gender studies, University of Warwick; Dr Welat Zeydanlioglu, Kurdish Studies journal, managing editor, Sweden; Annika Lillemets, Member of Parliament Green party, Sweden; Prof. Dr. Veli Deniz, Kocaeli University, Turkey; Asst. Prof. Dr. Esra Mungan, Turkey; Prof. Dr. Gencay Gürsoy, Turkey; Ph.D. Osman Cen, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, US.