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  • Cameron drops Israel ‘racist’ charity

    Cameron drops Israel ‘racist’ charity

    DavidCameronStop the JNF Campaign: Media Release

    27 May 2011 – Prime Minister David Cameron has quietly terminated his status as an Honorary Patron of the controversial Jewish National Fund (JNF).  His office confirmed he had “stepped down”. For many years leaders of all three main political parties became Honorary Patrons of the JNF by convention.  According to Dick Pitt, a spokesperson for the Stop the JNF Campaign, “Cameron was the only leader of the three major parties remaining as a JNF Patron.  This decline in political support for the JNF at the highest levels of the political tree may be a sign of the increasing awareness in official quarters that a robust defence of the activities of the JNF may not be sustainable.”

    The news of Cameron’s move has reached Palestinians in refugee camps,  people whose land is under the control of the JNF.  Salah Ajarma in Bethlehem’s Aida Refugee Camp was “delighted to hear the news that the British Prime Minister has decided to withdraw his support for this sinister organisation involved in ethnic cleansing. My village, Ajjur, was taken by force from my family and given to the JNF who used money from JNF UK to plant the British Park on its ruins. For the Palestinians who were evicted from their villages and have been prevented from returning, Cameron’s withdrawal is another victory on the road to achieving justice and freedom for the Palestinians”.

    The JNF chairman Samuel Hayek defends the work of the organisation saying, “for over 100 years we have had one mission: to settle and develop the Land of Israel” as pioneers of the “historic Zionist dream”.  The registered charity claims their work, especially in the Negev region of Israel, deals with “the rising demographic challenges faced by Israel”.  In recent months the JNF’s activities in the Negev have received extensive international media coverage, linking them to the demolition of Palestinian Bedouin villages and confiscation of the land of the village.  Campaigners report that “even Israeli courts have criticised the JNF as an organisation that discriminates against non-Jews and there is mounting evidence of the JNF’s involvement in Israel’s programme to change the ethnic composition of areas inside 1948 Israel as well as in Jerusalem and the Occupied Territories.  It is not acceptable that such an organisation is allowed to operate in the UK, much less to enjoy charity status”.

    Michael Kalmanovitz, UK co-ordinator of the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, said “Cameron’s patronage of the JNF lent parliamentary credibility to a criminal organisation backed by a highly-equipped occupying army and masquerading as a ‘humanitarian charity’.  Now parliamentarians who are ‘Friends of Israel’ must consider how much longer they can defend Israeli apartheid and worse.“

    Pressure has been mounting on Cameron and the JNF.  An Early Day Motion in the Westminster Parliament highlighted the Prime Minister’s status as honorary patron and claimed that “there is just cause to consider revocation of the JNF’s charitable status in the UK”.  UK and international JNF fund-raising events increasingly face protests due, campaigners argue, to “a shift in public opinion on Israel generally”.  In 2007, the American JNF application for consultative status on a key UN committee was rejected because delegates were unable to distinguish between the activities of the US Branch and those of the JNF in Israel whose activities the UN’s Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination expressed concerns about.

    The Stop the JNF Campaign has workshops planned in London on 4 June 2011 and protests against JNF fundraising activities will be organised throughout the coming year.

    ENDS


  • Win a luxury trip to Turkey

    Win a luxury trip to Turkey

    The Guardian have partnered with VFB Holidays to offer readers a fantastic seven night holiday to Turkey. Simply Tweet your idea of a perfect trip and enter your details below for a chance to win.

    • guardian.co.uk, Thursday 26 May 2011 16.06 BST
      • museumhotel2

      THIS COMPETITION OPENS ON TUESDAY 31 MAY

      The prize
      You’ll start off with three nights at Istanbul’s beautiful Sultanhan Hotel. This four star gem is tucked away down a picturesque tree-lined street in the heart of Sultanahmet, providing a peaceful base from which to explore this vibrant city.

      VFB Holidays will then take you on to the magical five star Museum Hotel in central Turkey’s stunning Cappadocia region. Combining traditional arch and cave rooms with modern comforts, the hotel also offers views over the gardens or the Cappadocian valley. You can relax at the pool and wellness centre, and enjoy the delicious local cuisine.

      How to enter
      For a chance to win simply sign up to the Guardian Holiday Offer’s monthly email, below, and then click the Twitter button here to Tweet and tell us your ideal trip:

      Prize includes:
      Return flights for two from London to Turkey
      3 nights at the Sutlanahmet Hotel, Istanbul
      4 nights at the Museum Hotel, Cappadocia
      Internal flights from Istanbul to Cappadocia
      Half day city guide of Istanbul
      Airport to hotel transfers in Turkey
      All through VFB Holidays

      Competition closed Sorry, this competition is not yet open.

      Terms and conditions

      1. This prize draw (the “Promotion”) is open to residents of the UK aged 18 and over.
      2. The Promotion is not open to employees or agencies of Guardian News & Media Limited (“GNM”), their group companies, their family members or anyone else connected with the Promotion.
      3. Entry into the Promotion is acceptance of these Terms and Conditions.
      4. To enter the Promotion, please tweet your ideal trip on Twitter by clicking on the link above, entering your ideal trip idea and pressing “Submit”, AND then return to this page and complete your details in boxes shown above and press the “Submit” button. Existing subscribers to Holiday Offers emails are also eligible to enter our prize draw, if this is applicable to you please send an email with ‘Turkey trip’ in the subject line to holidayoffers@guardian.co.uk
      5. Participants should note that the Promotion is connected to GNM’s holiday offers regular email service ). Participants are required to sign up to the email service to enter the Promotion.
      6. Only one entry is permitted per person. If you sign up to receive GNM’s holiday offers emails then you will be entered into the Promotion only once.
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      8. No responsibility is taken for entries that are lost, delayed, misdirected or incomplete or cannot be delivered or entered for any technical or other reason. Proof of delivery of the entry is not proof of receipt.
      9. The closing date and time of the Promotion is 23.59pm on 30 June 2011 following which the draw will be made. Entries received after the closing date will not be processed.
      10. The winner will be selected at random from all the complete entries. GNM’s decision will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.
      11. One winner will receive a pair of standard class return scheduled flights to Turkey from a London airport, together with 7 nights’ bed and breakfast accommodation in two hotels; 3 nights at The Sultanhan Hotel in Istanbul and 4 nights at The Museum Hotel, Cappadocia. The hotel room is 1 twin or double room. Also included are return airport-to-hotel transfers in Turkey (not in UK), a pair of standard class return internal flights between Istanbul and Cappadocia, a half day city guide tour in Istanbul, free time for shopping and sightseeing, Government taxes and local service charges (the “prize”).
      12. The winner must book their prize by 10 July 2011 directly with VFB Holidays (Full contact details will be provided to the winner). The prize must be taken for departure by 30 November 2011.
      13. Flight tickets and trip dates included in the prize are subject to availability. If the date or airport you choose is unavailable we reserve the right to offer you a suitable alternative.
      14. Tickets will be issued directly to the winner by VFB Holidays.
      15. The winner will be notified by e-mail by GNM within 5 days of the closing date for the Promotion referred to above. If the winner does not respond to that e-mail from GNM within seven days of the time of notification, then the winner’s prize will be forfeited and GNM will be entitled to select another winner at random (and that winner will have to respond to the e-mail sent to them by GNM within seven days of that e-mail being sent to them or else they will also forfeit their prize).
      16. The prize is non-exchangeable, non-transferable, and is not redeemable for cash or other prizes and cannot be used in conjunction with any other special offers or discounts. GNM accepts no responsibility for any costs associated with the prize and not specifically included in the prize, including, without limitation, transfers to and from the departure airport, spending money, travel insurance, meals, any additional accommodation, or any travel visas required.
      17. The winner is responsible for obtaining and possessing a valid passport (with a minimum of 6 months validity for entire duration of trip), insurance and any visas that may be required.
      18. GNM retains the right to substitute the prize with another prize of similar value in the event the original prize offered is not available.
      19. Details of the winner can be obtained by sending a stamped addressed envelope to the following address: The Guardian Marketing Department, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9GU.
      20. No purchase necessary.
      21. Nothing in these terms and conditions shall exclude the liability of GNM for death, personal injury, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation as a result of its negligence.
      22. GNM accepts no responsibility for any damage, loss, liabilities, injury or disappointment incurred or suffered by you as a result of entering the Promotion or accepting the prize. GNM further disclaims liability for any injury or damage to you or any other person’s computer relating to or resulting from participation in or downloading any materials in connection with the Promotion.
      23. GNM reserves the right at any time and from time to time to modify or discontinue, temporarily or permanently, this Promotion with or without prior notice due to reasons outside its control (including, without limitation, in the case of anticipated, suspected or actual fraud). The decision of GNM in all matters under its control is final and binding.
      24. GNM shall not be liable for any failure to comply with its obligations where the failure is caused by something outside its reasonable control. Such circumstances shall include, but not be limited to, weather conditions, fire, flood, hurricane, strike, industrial dispute, war, hostilities, political unrest, riots, civil commotion, inevitable accidents, supervening legislation or any other circumstances amounting to force majeure.
      25. The Promotion will be governed by English law.
      26. Promoter: Guardian News and Media Limited, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9GU.

  • Hundreds of flights cancelled in ash cloud alert

    Hundreds of flights cancelled in ash cloud alert

    iceland volcanic ash alert

    Dan Milmo, Amelia Hill and Alok Jha

    Transport secretary Philip Hammond says that, as the plume of ash is decreasing, there will be delays but not cancellations

    The volcanic ash plume causing havoc in airspace over western Europe is unlikely to disturb the plans of holidaymakers hoping to fly away for the bank holiday, according to the transport secretary, Philip Hammond.

    He said that no airports will be closed and no planes grounded as the plume steadily decreases in height and intensity. Any disturbance due to the eruption will be limited to mild delays.

    Hammond rejected claims by Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary that the weather charts showing ash over Scotland were “mythical”.

    Speaking to the press after chairing the government’s Cobra crisis response committee, Hammond said O’Leary had been wrong to claim he had flown safely through airspace condemned as dangerous by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

    “O’Leary’s claims that the charts are wrong and that it is safe to fly are confusing and irresponsible,” said Hammond. “Despite his assertions that he had flown through a red zone … it appears from flight logs that he was travelling at a height and time that the CAA had already redesignated as being safe.”

    Hammond admitted the weather charts were not as precise as he would like. But, he said: “The charts are much more refined than they were last year. Could they be more refined? Of course, but we are in a continuously learning process. Our primary responsibility must always be the safety of passengers.

    Hammond said he was “cautiously optimistic” that south-west winds will clear the remaining ash from British air space over the next couple of days. “In the short term, it is reasonably positive news,” he said.

    The blanket bans imposed by the government last time there was a volcanic eruption were, added Hammond, a thing of the past.

    The new system, requested by the airlines after the chaos of last year, allows individual carriers to apply for permission to fly in different environments depending on their specific capabilities.

    Hammond said this meant proportionally fewer flights had been cancelled and airports closed this time around. “We’re red-lining a much smaller proportion of total ash cloud this year compared to last,” he said.

    British Airways, easyJet and BMI cancelled substantial numbers of Scotland services, and transatlantic flights also suffered delays of up to an hour on Tuesday morning. Airports in Newcastle and Durham Tees suffered cancellations as the ash cloud drifted southwards.

    A Met Office spokesman said the thickest concentrations of ash, which airlines still cannot fly through, will have moved across the north sea by 6am on Wednesday, allowing airlines to resume normal services. “High concentrations of ash will be moving towards Germany, Holland and Denmark.” Eurocontrol warned of “some impact” on flights in Scandinavia, but said new safety procedures for flying through ash would limit cancellations. According to more distant forecasts, if the Grímsvötn eruption continues there is a risk of further disruption across much of the UK on Friday.

    The spokesman said windy and wet weather was helping to disperse the particles, unlike last April when the UK was caught in a dead calm of high pressure that prevented dispersal of a cloud from Iceland‘s Eyjafjallajökull volcano.

    Ultimately, airlines were only able to fly again following a radical redrafting of safety guidelines for flying through ash.

    “The weather is much more dynamic,” said the Met Office spokesman. “There is a succession of high and low pressure areas [creating wind] coming across the Atlantic and there is a lot of rain that tends to wash out the pollutants.”

    The intensity of the eruption is also diminishing. The height of the column of ash coming out of the volcano, which is sensitive to the rate of material coming out, had reduced from 20km on Sunday to around 5km on Tuesday.

    In addition, the land around the volcano no longer seems to be inflated with magma from the Earth’s interior and seismometers have detected a decline in the tremors that are normally associated with an eruption.

    Colin Brown, director of engineering at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, who has previously worked on aircraft engines at Rolls Royce, said the Grímsvötn eruption would “absolutely not” be as impactful on the UK as last year’s volcanic disruption. “The two fundamental differences are that it’s a different volcano and, thankfully, the weather is completely different,” he said.

    The Barcelona football team said it would travel to London on Wednesday night for Saturday’s Champions League final against Manchester United, in case the ash cloud left the team contemplating an epic rail journey.

    The Met Office rejected claims from Ryanair that it had put out “mythical” weather charts that erroneously placed dense ash clouds over Scotland throughout much of Tuesday, citing evidence of ash falls in Glasgow, Kirkwall Airport and citings by airplanes and a research ship travelling between Iceland and Scotland.

    “We have seen lots of evidence from various sources that the ash is present across Scotland and fits in with the computer models that we are running continually. It all points to a presence where we expect to see it.”

    Ryanair claimed that dense ash clouds were non-existent after running a test flight yesterday morning between Glasgow, Inverness and Edinburgh which it said produced no evidence of ash in the Boeing airplane’s engines or on its fuselage.

    However, Europe’s largest short-haul airline has effectively been barred from Scottish airspace after failing to get safety clearance from the Irish Aviation Authority.

    Under the new safety regime on ash, airlines must prove that they can fly through three types of volcanic pollution: low; medium; and high. Major UK airlines have been cleared by the Civil Aviation Authority to fly in medium or low densities, which have also hit the UK .

    Ryanair, which is registered in Dublin, saw its initial submission to the IAA rejected on Monday evening for unspecified reasons. The IAA has said that it is still considering Ryanair’s new submission, forcing the airline to avoid airspace with even medium densities of ash, defined as 4000 microgrammes per cubic metre of air.

    The IAA said it was “currently working with Ryanair on its safety case submission and it is inappropriate to make any comment on this case.”

    Ryanair said: “Following a direction from the Irish Aviation Authority Ryanair regrets that we have been forced to cancel all flights to/from Scottish Airports for the remainder of the day.”

    Aviation sources also pointed to the test flight’s operational height of 41,000 feet, which was higher than the densest ash concentrations over Scotland.

    The International Air Transport Association (IATA), whose members include BA and bmi, accused UK authorities of a slow response and accused the CAA of failing to procure a back-up atmospheric monitoring plane, a claim which the CAA rejected.

    Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s chief executive, added that non-European airlines could be confused by the ash cloud because their regulators will not be fully aware of the latest EU guidelines on flying through volcanic plumes.

    “We need a clear, consistent and appropriate response, which is workable for all airlines globally, not a repeat of the fragmented mess that happened last year.”

    www.guardian.co.uk, 24 May 2011

  • How schoolboy hitman Santre Gayle murdered for £200

    How schoolboy hitman Santre Gayle murdered for £200

    gulistansubasiSantre Gayle Police were said to be shocked at the killer’s tender age

    Two people have been convicted of the murder of a young woman who was shot dead at point blank range and died in her mother’s arms.

    Detectives were shocked to learn her killer was a 15-year-old schoolboy, who was paid only £200.

    When the young mother was shot dead on the eve of her son’s ninth birthday detectives were initially baffled.

    Gulistan Subasi, 26, lived in Turkey but had returned to London to see her son, who was living with relatives of her estranged husband.

    Fortunately a CCTV camera had caught the killing on camera.

    The footage shows Santre Sanchez Gayle ringing the doorbell and waiting calmly and patiently for Ms Subasi to open the door before blasting her from point blank range with a sawn-off shotgun.

    Off camera she collapsed and died in the arms of her mother, Dondu.

    Hooded and hiding his face from the camera, the assassin gave the impression of being an experienced professional hitman.

    Which is why Det Ch Insp Jackie Sebire and her team were so shocked when they discovered he was a schoolboy.

    She said: “When we saw the CCTV we all thought it was a professional hitman. There was no hesitation and he shows no nerves. It did not look like a 15-year-old boy.”

    A minicab driver who unwittingly took the killer to and from the crime scene in Clapton, east London, later testified that Gayle appeared totally normal when he got back into the taxi.

    We absolutely did not have a clue. We were at a dead end”

    Det Insp Andy Chalmers said they were aware Ms Subasi was estranged from the father of her son, Serdar Ozbek.

    Det Insp Chalmers said: “We absolutely did not have a clue. We were at a dead end.”

    The teenager bragged about the killing to friends in Willesden, north-west London, and it was this loose talk which unlocked the case.

    Izak Billy, 21, a member of the Kensal Green Boys (KGB) gang in north-west London, had been threatening to kill a teenager called Ryan Hatunga.

    Mr Hatunga told police that Billy – a drug dealer with the street name Iceman – had threatened to shoot him because he knew about the murder of “a Turkish woman”.

    Mr Hatunga made a statement that the killer had confessed to carrying out the shooting, said they had been taken there by taxi and that a security grille covered the door of the victim’s flat.

    Gulistan Subasi Gulistan Subasi died almost instantly after answering the door of her mother’s flat

    Det Insp Chalmers said: “When I heard about the grille I knew only the killer could have known about that. We had never revealed that.”

    In a second statement Mr Hatunga said the killer had told him his wages for the murder had been just £200.

    But Det Insp Chalmers said: “I think he thought he was going to get more money for it.

    “But my gut feeling is that the money was an element but there must have been a lot of peer pressure, kudos, an attempt to impress older members of the gang.”

    He said of the killer: “He is not a very bright lad. He did not have good schooling or much parental control.

    “He was easily manipulated. In many ways he himself is a victim.”

    Ms Subasi, who was due to get married in Turkey that summer, had mentioned regaining custody of her son. This was said in court to have been the motive.

    Calls from Turkey

    Det Ch Insp Sebire said it took a lot of detective work to fit the pieces together.

    They examined hundreds of mobile phone records, eventually focussing on a flurry of calls in the days running up to the murder.

    Izak Billy was said to have been contacted from Turkey.

    “That call is the contract being put out on Gulistan and within hours Billy has spoken to [the killer] and he is on his way over to do a recce,” says Det Insp Chalmers.

    Billy, understood to have received £2,000 for his part in the contract killing, arranged for the killer to be shown the flat and may have obtained the murder weapon.

    At 2020 GMT on 22 March 2010 there was a knock on the door of the home in Clapton.

    CCTV of killing Gayle was seen on CCTV aiming the gun

    In a witness statement Ms Subasi’s mother later said: “I said, ‘No, daughter, we don’t know who is at the door, I will answer the door’.

    “But she didn’t listen to me.”

    Det Insp Chalmers said he believed Ms Subasi might have opened the door because she hoped it might be someone bringing her son to see her on the eve of his birthday.

    She had bought him a present and was desperate to see him.

    After working out the conspiracy the police eventually rounded up their suspects.

    Now, nearly a year later, they can file it away as “case solved”.

    Ozbek was cleared of murder, as were Paul Nicalaou, 29, of Tottenham and Leigh Bryan, 25, of Hornsey.

    Billy, 22, of Willesden, was found guilty.

    via BBC News – How schoolboy hitman Santre Gayle murdered for £200.

  • Turkish Cyprus PM to travel to Britain on Monday

    Turkish Cyprus PM to travel to Britain on Monday

    Yavru VatanKucuk will travel to British capital of London on Monday to attend events to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the Turkish Cypriot Association.

    Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Irsen Kucuk will travel to British capital of London on Monday to attend events to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the Turkish Cypriot Association.

    Kucuk will leave for London on Monday morning. He is scheduled to deliver a speech at a conference titled “Latest Political Developments in TRNC.”

    TRNC premier will also have talks with representatives of Turkish Cypriot community and NGOs in London. 22 May 2011

    AA

  • UK must send a clear message on domestic violence

    UK must send a clear message on domestic violence

    UK must send a clear message on domestic violence

    A new Council of Europe treaty will make a real difference to abuse sufferers – so why is our government so reluctant to sign?

    Gauri van Gulik

    Sweden's Carl Bildt and Spain's Trinidad Jimenez Garcia-Herrera are among the 47 signatories of the Council of Europe convention - but not the UK. Photograph: Burhan Ozbilici/AP
    Sweden's Carl Bildt and Spain's Trinidad Jimenez Garcia-Herrera are among the 47 signatories of the Council of Europe convention – but not the UK. Photograph: Burhan Ozbilici/AP

    Ministers from countries all across Europe gathered in Istanbul today to sign a new Council of Europe convention on domestic violence at the Istanbul summit of the committee of ministers. Incredibly, the UK wasn’t one of the signatories. The British government so far has not commented on its reasoning, but for a country that prides itself on being a leader on women’s rights, its failure to sign so far is both a mystery and a serious disappointment.

    The UK government has been sending out mixed messages when it comes to domestic violence, as Jon Robins has pointed out before. On the one hand, the home secretary, Theresa May, and the director of public prosecutions stress how serious this violence is and how determined they are to end it. On the other, the government is nibbling away determinedly at those services that are needed to fight violence, such as legal aid and protection for female asylum seekers who suffered domestic violence in their home country. And now it is reluctant to sign a groundbreaking new treaty that will truly make a difference throughout the European region.

    The UK’s leadership and support is important not just at home but for the whole region, as my research about domestic violence in Turkey shows.

    Born in southeastern Turkey, Selvi was 22 years old and pregnant with her fifth child when I met her while conducting research for a report on domestic violence. Her husband started his attacks when she was pregnant with their first child. “That first time, he hit me, he kicked the baby in my belly, and he threw me off the roof,” she said. In 2008, Selvi (her name has been changed for her protection) finally went to the police after her husband had repeatedly raped her and broken her skull and arm. But the police, after questioning her husband at the station, told Selvi: “There’s no problem, we spoke to him, you’re back together.” This happened three more times. “I just cannot go to the police any more,” she said.

    Selvi’s story encapsulates everything that can go horribly wrong when domestic violence is not taken seriously.

    The landmark new Council of Europe convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence offers a comprehensive international legal instrument to address this type of abuse, and includes a monitoring mechanism to ensure its provisions are implemented.

    Implementation is crucial, for Selvi’s case is sadly not isolated. Less than five miles from the site where the convention was being signed, Zelal (not her real name) lives with her three children across the street from her ex-husband’s home. One day, he grabbed her as she walked out of her house. She explained: “He held me, I screamed, ‘Let me go’. He started beating me. There were a lot of people around us, but nobody did anything. He pulled my hair and covered my mouth, and he dragged me to my house. There he kicked me and I fell to the ground … He broke every possession I have in the house, every chair, every picture, everything. Then he took off my clothes and he raped me.”

    Zelal managed to escape, almost naked, and went to two different police stations, where she endured a barrage of questions, from, “Aren’t you ashamed to tell me you were raped by your ex-husband?” to “Why are you bothering us with this?”. She eventually managed to speak with a prosecutor, but he told her to come back after the weekend.

    Zelal’s ordeal is one of many documented in a new Human Rights Watch report on family violence in Turkey. The report documents the awful experiences of women of all ages in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Van, Trabzon, and Diyarbakır as they endured violence and sought help from the state. Women and girls as young as 14 told of being raped, stabbed, kicked in the stomach when pregnant, beaten with hammers, sticks, branches, and hoses to the point of broken bones and fractured skulls, locked up with dogs or other animals, starved, shot with a stun gun, injected with poison, pushed off a rooftop, and subjected to severe psychological violence.

    In Turkey, 42% of all women have experienced such physical or sexual violence committed by a husband or partner, according to a major university study. Turkey has implemented important legislative changes to its penal and civil codes to deal with this crisis, including the establishment of a legal framework for the protection of domestic violence survivors, giving them the option of requesting a protection order.

    However, there are serious shortcomings in the implementation of these reforms. The Turkish government had helped a few women we interviewed, but many others said that police, prosecutors, and judges sent them back to their abusers or acted so slowly on emergency protection orders that their very purpose was defeated. Too few domestic violence shelters offer protection, and some even keep their doors shut for victims lacking proper documentation, or women with disabilities.

    The Turkish government, which largely has good laws on the books, must systematically and actively improve their implementation and guarantee access to protection and justice for women like Selvi or Zelal who desperately need it.

    How to end this pandemic of violence against women and girls that still affects a quarter of all women in Europe?

    The European signatories to the new convention gathered in Istanbul can learn from Turkey’s experience. Strong legislation is necessary to fight domestic violence, but it is not enough. Every woman who survives violence should have access to protection, whatever her ethnic background, legal status, sexual orientation, marital status, economic situation or profession.

    The UK should start by signing the Council of Europe convention, not just for women in the UK, but to send a clear message to all other countries in the region: take the struggle against violence seriously.