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The Amargi
@theamargi.bsky.social
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News, Analysis, Opinions on the Middle East
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The Amargi @theamargi.bsky.social · 1d
Archaeologist David Wengrow joins The Amargi Mosaic to discuss how discoveries in Kurdistan reveal human alternatives to state power, in conversation with Elif Sarican.
Watch the full interview: youtu.be/Gojvi9miyec
Prof. David Wengrow | The Amargi Mosaic
In this episode of The Amargi Mosaic, host Elif Sarican speaks with Professor David Wengrow about how archaeology in Kurdistan has shaped understanding of alternatives to state power. They explore…
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The Amargi @theamargi.bsky.social · 2d
Dr. Arzu Yilmaz joins The Amargi Mosaic with @elifxeyal to discuss the legacy of Kurdish refugee camps, Rojava’s democratic experiment under strain, and how regional power shifts are redefining Kurdish politics. Watch the full conversation on YouTube: youtu.be/fdQAyJx9mq4
Dr Arzu Yilmaz l The Amargi Mosaic
In this episode of The Amargi Mosaic, host Elif Sarican speaks with Dr Arzu Yilmaz about the enduring significance of Kurdish refugee camps like Maxmur, where displacement has shaped political…
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The Amargi @theamargi.bsky.social · 2d
Turkey’s new mining law opens forests, olive groves, and villages to extraction. In The Amargi, Dilek Akdağ of the Wan Ecology Association calls it “a law of ecocide”, merging environmental destruction with displacement in Kurdistan. By Serap Güneş. www.theamargi.com/posts/a-law-...
“A Law of Ecocide”: Interview with Wan Ecology Association’s Dilek Akdağ on Turkey’s New Mining Law
Picture Credit: Dîlek Akdag The Turkish parliament recently passed a controversial new mining law that expands the scope of extractive industries nationwide. The law opens previously protected…
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The Amargi @theamargi.bsky.social · 2d
110 years after his execution during the Armenian Genocide, Archbishop Ignatius Maloyan has been declared a saint by the Vatican. As Serap Güneş reports, the move comes weeks before the Pope’s visit to Turkey, reviving old wounds and political tension.
www.theamargi.com/posts/armeni...
Armenian Archbishop, victim of genocide, canonized by the Vatican
The Vatican has officially canonized Ignatius Shukrallah Maloyan, the Armenian Archbishop who was killed during the Armenian Genocide. The decision, announced just a month before Pope Leo XIV’s…
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The Amargi @theamargi.bsky.social · 3d
Over 25 years, population growth in the Middle East has diverged. Gulf states expanded through migration, while Turkey and Iran slowed as birth rates fell. Egypt, Iraq and Jordan grew steadily. How will these demographic shifts shape the region’s future?
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The Amargi @theamargi.bsky.social · 3d
A Turkish “intelligence success” built on torture and forgery. In her investigation for The Amargi, Rengin Azizoğlu reveals how one man abducted from Lebanon became the victim of a fabricated case and what it says about Turkey’s cross-border repression. www.theamargi.com/posts/abduct...
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The Amargi @theamargi.bsky.social · 5d
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The Amargi @theamargi.bsky.social · 5d
www.theamargi.com/posts/voters...
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The Amargi @theamargi.bsky.social · 5d
Kirkuk in numbers: Arabs up +15 pts since 1957, Kurds down −5, Turkmen −3. Elections mirror demographics, a census disguised as a ballot. Tap the link in comments to read Renwar Najm’s piece on what these numbers reveal.
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The Amargi @theamargi.bsky.social · 5d
In Kirkuk, elections still follow the map of ethnicity, not policy.
Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmen vote apart in a city meant to stand for coexistence.
Renwar Najm reports on Iraq’s most divided ballot.
www.theamargi.com/posts/voters...
Voters in Kirkuk face another election shaped by ethnicity not policy
When campaign banners went up across Kirkuk this autumn, they told a familiar story. The Kurds spoke to the Kurds, the Arabs to the Arabs, and the Turkmen to the Turkmen. Each community ran its own…
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The Amargi @theamargi.bsky.social · 5d
Drug use has multiplied in Kurdish regions of Turkey, especially under state trusteeships.
SAMER’s Yüksel Genç tells The Amargi's Serap Güneş how addiction became a tool of control, not just a social crisis. www.theamargi.com/posts/interv...
Interview: Drug Use Multiplied During The Trusteeship Period In Kurdish Regions Of Turkey
Yüksel Genç, Director of the Socio-Political Field Research Center (SAMER), spoke to The Amargi about the background of their research on drug and stimulant use and addiction in Turkey’s Kurdish…
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The Amargi @theamargi.bsky.social · 6d
Half of the past decade, Kurdistan has had no functioning parliament. Opposition leaders are jailed, parties co-opted, protests crushed. Dr Dara Salam reports on how the KDP and PUK turned democracy into control. Read the full piece here 👇
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The KRG’s Crushing Opposition Parties
Picture Credits: KRG Website Democracy in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) has been suffering from multiple defects for years. Moreover, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has not shied away…
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The Amargi @theamargi.bsky.social · 6d
Ten days of bloodshed in Suwayda left nearly 2,000 dead. Behind claims of “intercommunal clashes” lies a coordinated campaign by state and tribal forces to crush Druze defense. Cédric Domenjoud reports. www.theamargi.com/posts/syria-...
Syria: The Two-Phase Bloodbath of Suwayda
The image depicts, according to a compilation of sources, the map of the Bedouin-Syrian invasion of the Suwayda district as of July 18, 2025 | Picture Credits: Wikimedia Commons From July 13 to 23,…
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The Amargi @theamargi.bsky.social · 6d
“Our struggle has not ended, only its strategy has changed,” says KCK/PKK spokesperson Zagros Hiwa in The Amargi’s exclusive interview from the Qandil Mountains with Kamal Chomani.

🎥 Watch the full interview in high quality on our YouTube channel:
The PKK’s Shift to Politics: Zagros Hiwa on Peace, Power, and the Kurdish Question
In this exclusive interview filmed in the Qandil Mountains, The Amargi’s Kamal Chomani speaks with Zagros Hiwa, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), about the latest phase of the…
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The Amargi @theamargi.bsky.social · 7d
Photos captured by The Amargi show members of the PKK attending Sunday’s ceremony in the Qandil Mountains, where the group officially announced its withdrawal from Turkey as part of the ongoing peace process with Ankara.
📸 The Amargi
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The Amargi @theamargi.bsky.social · 8d
October 26, 2025 – Third Withdrawal
Today’s announcement confirms the withdrawal of PKK forces to the Medya Defence Zones in the Qandil Mountains of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, marking a new phase in the group’s history.
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The Amargi @theamargi.bsky.social · 8d
July 2025
On July 11, 30 PKK members led by KCK Co-Chair Besê Hozat publicly burned their weapons, symbolizing their commitment to end the armed struggle.
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The Amargi @theamargi.bsky.social · 8d
2025 – The 12th Congress
Following Öcalan’s February 27, 2025 call, the PKK held its 12th Congress in May and announced an end to its armed strategy, describing it as a shift toward “peaceful and democratic means.”
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The Amargi @theamargi.bsky.social · 8d
2013 – Second Withdrawal
During Newroz 2013, Öcalan called to “bid farewell to arms.” The PKK declared a ceasefire and began withdrawing forces beyond Turkey’s borders, halting fighting for nearly two years.
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The Amargi @theamargi.bsky.social · 8d
2004–2009
The PKK ended its ceasefire on June 1, 2004, resuming clashes. In 2009, Turkey launched its “Kurdish Opening,” prompting another short ceasefire.
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The Amargi @theamargi.bsky.social · 8d
2000
At the 7th Congress, the PKK adopted Öcalan’s concept of a democratic republic. The ARGK was dissolved and replaced with a new doctrine of “self-defense.”
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The Amargi @theamargi.bsky.social · 8d
1999 – First Withdrawal
After Öcalan’s capture in February 1999, the PKK halted operations and withdrew its forces to Southern Kurdistan (Iraqi Kurdistan Region). It remained inactive until 2004.
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The Amargi @theamargi.bsky.social · 8d
1988–1993
Abdullah Öcalan first raised the idea of a ceasefire, saying, “We are ready for a ceasefire.”
On 20 March 1993, the PKK declared its first unilateral truce, followed by others in 1995 and 1998, though none led to progress.
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The Amargi @theamargi.bsky.social · 8d
1986
At its 3rd Congress in Lebanon, the PKK formed the People’s Liberation Army of Kurdistan (ARGK), formalizing its military wing.
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The Amargi @theamargi.bsky.social · 8d
1984
On 15 August 1984, PKK fighters launched attacks in Eruh and Şemdinli, marking the official start of its armed campaign.
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