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IHH (Turkish NGO)

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This article is about the Turkish NGO. For Indian Hedgehog Homolog, see IHH (Protein).
İnsan Hak ve Hürriyetleri İnsani Yardım Vakfı - İHH
Founded1995
TypeCharity
Location
Area served
Worldwide
Revenue
36 million TRL (2008)[1]
Websitehttp://www.ihh.org.tr/anasayfa/en

İHH İnsani Yardım Vakfı (full Turkish name: İnsan Hak ve Hürriyetleri ve İnsani Yardım Vakfı,[2] in English: The Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief) or IHH is a Turkish NGO active in more than 100 countries.[3] Established in 1992 and officially registered in Istanbul in 1995, IHH provides humanitarian relief in areas of war, earthquake, hunger, and conflict.[4] The IHH holds Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council since 2004.[5][6]

The IHH came to international attention in the aftermath of the Gaza flotilla raid of 31 May 2010. The IHH was owner and operator of three of the six flotilla ships involved in the incident, including the MV Mavi Marmara, which served as the flagship of the convoy.[7][8] Nine passengers, all of them members or volunteers for the IHH,[9] aboard the Mavi Marmara were killed by Israeli forces in a raid that began when commandos boarded the vessel during its attempt to breach a blockade.[10][11][12][13]

The Turkish-German humanitarian aid association Internationale Humanitäre Hilfsorganisation e.V. ("International Humanitarian Aid Organization – registered association"), with branches in Belgium, Danmark, The Netherlands, and Austria, uses the initialism "IHH e.V.", bearing a close resemblance to the initialism "IHH" often used for the Turkish foundation. The German IHH has issued a press release clarifying that this similarity, in spite of the different full names, often leads to the two organizations being confused with each other.[14]

Former French counter-terrorism magistrate Jean-Louis Bruguière and international terrorism consultant Evan Kohlmann, as well as the Israeli government, have alleged that IHH has affiliations with Hamas and other groups some governments have designated as terrorist organizations. The IHH denies these allegations.

Background

The Istanbul-based Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH) is an Islamic charity group that was formed to provide aid to Bosnian Muslims in the mid-1990s. It has been involved in aid missions in Pakistan, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Indonesia, Iraq, Palestinian territories, Sudan, Ghana, Mongolia, China, Brazil, Argentina and other places.[15] It is banned in Israel because of its alleged support of Hamas.

Although generally described as being Islamic, the charity's act of establishment contains no reference to religion, and targets "all people" in need of humanitarian relief. The organization has been active in Turkey, the Middle East, Europe, South America, Central Asia, South Asia, and the Caucasus.[16] IHH has held Special Consultative status as an NGO (non-governmental organization) in the United Nations Economic and Social Council since 2004.[5][6] IHH is organizer of Africa Cataract Project which aims to fight against blindness in Africa.

Humanitarian activities

The IHH engages in social and cultural activities, in addition to health services in more than 100 countries[17]. The foundation runs the Africa Cataract Project, begun in 2007, in ten African countries. Other activities include providing health care and water wells in Africa. IHH sent two cargo planes to Haiti with 33 tons of humanitarian aid supplies after the 2010 Haiti earthquake.[16]

In December 2007, Today's Zaman wrote that "various civil society organizations such as Kimse Yok Mu? (Is Anybody There?), Deniz Feneri (Lighthouse), the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (İHH) and Can Suyu assisted thousands of charitable donors in reaching out to poverty-stricken residents of the Kurdish-dominated eastern and southeastern regions of Turkey."[18]

World Bulletin wrote in August 2009 that hundreds of water wells were dug and fountains were built in an aid effort under the leadership of Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH) across African countries.[19] Several Turkish nongovernmental organizations, such as Kimse Yok Mu? (Is anybody there?), the Humanitarian Aid Foundation (İHH) and Deniz Feneri (lighthouse), also provided aid to storm survivors in Bangladesh.[20]

IHH previously sent packages containing flour, legumes, oil and sugar to 350 families residing in Zewaya Dugda, one of the poorest regions in the Ethiopia. The UN announced that around 6 million children in Ethiopia faced risk of acute under-nutrition and urged countries to send aid.[21]

After the earthquake in Indonesia, Doctors Worldwide and The Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH) sent volunteers and aid to Indonesia.[22] IHH opened mosques, dug waterwells, distributed Qur'ans, organized iftars, aiding orphans and refugees in Darfur.[23]

In Gaza, the IHH is renovating the port, funding a Turkish-Palestinian school and plans to build a hospital and apartments for Gazans made homeless during the Gaza War.[24]

Gaza flotilla

Main article: Gaza flotilla raid

In January 2010, the Free Gaza Movement and IHH announced a joint venture to send ten boats to the Gaza strip in the spring of 2010, a flotilla to be further joined by organizations from Greece, Ireland and Sweden.[25] On May 30, 2010, a flotilla of six ships carrying 663 activists from 37 nations rendezvoused near Cyprus and set sail for Gaza.[26][27] The stated intention of the Gaza flotilla, like for earlier flotillas organized by the Free Gaza Movement, was to break through the Israeli blockade of the Gaza strip to deliver humanitarian supplies.[28][29] The IHH spent more than $2 million on the ships.[30] IHH activists were set apart from other activists involved in the mission by a willingness to fight Israeli forces.[9]

On May 31, 2010, Israeli forces boarded and seized the ships in international waters. On the MV Mavi Marmara, one of the ships owned and operated by the IHH, nine passengers were shot and killed, and dozens of people injured, including seven Israeli commandos. Subsequently, Israel towed the six ships to the Israeli port of Ashdod, where the cargo was unloaded, inspected, and some of it delivered to Gaza. Hamas refused to accept delivery of the goods until it was delivered in full and all the arrested activists were released. The incident prompted international reaction and resulted in Egypt lifting its blockade of Gaza and opening its Rafah Border Crossing with the Gaza Strip.[31]

On June 18, 2010, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs released video footage of a rally on board the Mavi Marmara the day before the raid in which the IHH President Bülent Yıldırım declares to dozens of activists: "And we say: 'If you [Israel] send the commandos, we will throw you down from here and you will be humiliated in front of the whole world'", as participating passengers chant "millions of martyrs marching to Gaza!"[32]

IHH is in the process of assembling another flotilla of ships to send to Gaza.[32]

Banning by Germany

In July 2010, Germany has outlawed the IHH, saying it has used donations to support projects in Gaza that are related to Hamas, which is considered by the European Union to be a terrorist organization[33], while presenting their activities to donors as humanitarian help. German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said, "Donations to so-called social welfare groups belonging to Hamas, such as the millions given by IHH, actually support the terror organization Hamas as a whole." [34]

Allegations of affiliations with terrorist organizations

While the group has been described as a "humanitarian"[35][36][37] group and as a "charity",[38][39] the group has also been questioned for alleged affiliations with organizations such as Hamas[40][41] and al-Qaida.[24] In 2008, Israel became the only country to ban the organization,[42] and on June 16, 2010, Israel added IHH to its terror watch list.[43] U.S. officials have expressed doubts about the Israeli claims and said there are no plans to add IHH to any U.S. list.[44]

Allegations preceding the Gaza flotilla raid

In the 2001 trial of Ahmed Ressam in Los Angeles, the would-be Millennium bomber, French counterterrorism ex-magistrate Jean-Louis Bruguière gave testimony that the IHH had played an "important role" in the operation of the Montreal cell to which Ressam belonged, and mentioned "a rather close relation" between the Montreal cell and the Turkish group. The judge, John Coughenour, ruled Bruguière's testimony inadmissible; in his words, much of the witness's testimony would "necessarily be based upon hearsay".[45] Bruguière, who investigated the group in the 1990s, said in June 2010 that he found links to terrorism networks, including al-Qaida.[24] In a 2010 interview with the Associated Press, Bruguière said: "The IHH is an NGO, but it was also a type of cover-up . . . in order to obtain forged documents and to obtain different forms of infiltration for Mujahideen in combat. And also to go and gather [recruit] these Mujahideens." Bruguière said he did not know whether IHH was still in the terror business, but he added that "they were basically helping al Qaeda when [Osama] bin Laden started to want to target U.S. soil."[41][verification needed] The U.S. has said it "cannot validate" a connection between al-Qaida and IHH.[46] IHH has denied having had contact with al-Qaida.[47] According to analysts in Turkey it is unlikely that authorities would permit an organization linked to al-Qaida to operate in Istanbul.[48]

In a 2006 Working paper published by the Danish Institute for International Studies, with respect to IHH largely based on Bruguière's findings,[49] terrorism analyst Evan Kohlmann, citing as source the closing argument for the prosecution in a French criminal court case co-authored by Bruguière, described by Kohlmann as "a French intelligence report", alleges that Turkey had known of the IHH links to terrorism for at least ten years, and that Turkish authorities began their own domestic criminal investigation of IHH as early as December 1997, when sources revealed that leaders of IHH were purchasing automatic weapons from regional Islamic militant groups. According to the source cited by Kohlmann, IHH's bureau in Istanbul was thoroughly searched, and its local officers were arrested; security forces uncovered "an array of disturbing items, including firearms, explosives, bomb-making instructions and a “jihad flag”"; and, after analyzing seized IHH documents, Turkish authorities concluded that "detained members of IHH were going to fight in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Chechnya". IHH said in 2010 the raid was politically motivated at a time when Turkish security officials were cracking down on Islamist groups. Ali Adakoğlu, a board member of IHH, said there had been a raid on the house of a member in 1997, the year of a Turkish military crackdown on Islamist groups, but denied that weapons had been found.[50] Asked about the incident, Bülent Yıldırım, the head of IHH, told reporters, "Turkey had a different political context in the 1990s, and a different political power ruled, which played a game with us. I was acquitted by a court anyway."[51]

In July 2008 it was announced that Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak had signed an order declaring IHH and 35 other funds banned associations in Israel, alleging that they are members of an organization run by Hamas known as the Union of Good and part of Hamas' fundraising network, and support and assist it.[40] Israel outlawed the Union of Good in February 2002, and the United States Treasury designated it as "providing support to a terrorist organization" (namely Hamas) in November 2008; however, in the press release IHH was not listed as a financier, nor was it mentioned otherwise.[52]

The Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC)—an Israel-based think tank with close ties to the country’s defense ministry[24]—acknowledged the IHH’s philanthropic activities, but it also says the group is an overt supporter of Hamas. The day after IHH's Mavi Marmara arrived from Istanbul in Antalya, waiting for the majority of the passengers to embark, ITIC issued a bulletin in which it stated that it has "reliable information indicating that in the past IHH had links with global jihad and Islamic terrorist elements in the Middle East", citing and quoting from Kohlmann's report in support (see above).[53]

In 2008, Israel became the only country to ban the organization due to IHH's alleged sympathies to Hamas.[42]

Following the flotilla raid

Following the events of May 31, 2010, the earlier allegations were widely reported on and repeated in the media.[4][24][41][54][51][55][56] For example, Richard Spencer, writing in Britain's Daily Telegraph, characterized IHH as "a radical Islamist group masquerading as a humanitarian agency", citing claims by Israeli authorities, but noted that the claims "remain controversial".[57]

In response to the Israeli accusations, IHH declared, “as if the terrorist attack Israel carried towards civilians and unarmed human rights activists and humanitarian aid workers is not enough, now it is slandering these people. This is cheap black propaganda, based on lies and defamation.”[58] Serkan Nergis, a spokesman for IHH, told Reuters: "We don't have anything against Israel. Our only aim was to carry aid to the people of Gaza. But for Israel, regardless of your religion or your nationality, if you help the people of Gaza you will be declared a terrorist."[15] IHH activists further claim they are strictly involved in humanitarian efforts, and must deal with Hamas because it rules Gaza. IHH Gaza representative Mehmet Kaya, who is seen as an unofficial Turkish ambassador, said that support for the Gazan people gets through "when it goes through the Hamas government". The website of the IHH shows its founder warmly embracing Hamas' exiled leader, Khaled Mashaal, in Syria.[24]

U.S. counter-terrorism officials who wanted to remain anonymous in view of the sensitivity of the information, told a Newsweek reporter that there was evidence that IHH or some of its personnel had interactions in the past with radical groups beyond Hamas—possibly including al-Qaida—but that the available intelligence did not substantiate a significant connection between IHH and al-Qaida. According to the officials the Obama administration asked the Turkish government late last year for information about possible IHH links to terrorist groups, and the fact that IHH still wasn’t on the list was a sign that Turkey’s response did not show a substantial connection between IHH and active terrorists, while there were also no plans to add IHH to the list. “IHH is sympathetic to Hamas,” said one of the officials. “[But] that by itself does not make them terrorists.”[44]

Although the Turkish government did not officially support the flotilla, it backed the IHH mission.[59]

The Free Gaza Movement, a partner in organizing the aid flotilla, released a statement saying that they are "proud and honored to work and be associated with the IHH and its honorable track record of humanitarian missions worldwide".[60]

Board and Trustees

Board members include:[61]

  • Ali Yandır (Administrator)
  • Muhammet Hanefi Kutluoğlu (Educator)
  • Yusuf Şahin (Educator)

Trustees include:[62]

  • Fehmi Bülent Yıldırım - President/Lawyer
  • Hüseyin Oruç - Deputy President/Administrator
  • Mahmut Savaş - Charter member/Lawyer

Awards

IHH has received the following awards:[63]

  • Awarded by the Turkish General Directorate of Foundations as the foundation that uses its resources in the most efficient way – 2005
  • Awarded by the Turkish General Directorate of Foundations for the best projects (Projects: Ashiyana Orphanage – Pakistan, Women Education Institute – Somali, Mobile Hospital – Iraq – 2006
  • Awarded by the Turkish Parliament with the Parliament Award of Honor – 2007

References

  1. ^ "Gelir-Gider". IHH. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
  2. ^ The organization regularly gives its name as İnsan Hak ve Hürriyetleri İnsani Yardım Vakfı, but the full version in which the Turkish word ve ("and") appears twice is the foundation's name as given in Article 1 of its act of establishment: "Vakıf Kuruluş Senedi" (in Turkish). ihh.org.tr.
  3. ^ "Profile: Free Gaza Movement". BBC News. BBC. 2010-06-01. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
  4. ^ a b Richard Spencer (2010-05-31). "Gaza flotilla: the Free Gaza Movement and the IHH". Telegraph.co.uk. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
  5. ^ a b "Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief, The". NGO Branch, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  6. ^ a b "List of non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council as of 1 September 2009" (PDF). United Nations Economic and Social Council. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
  7. ^ Slackman, Michael (2010-06-03). "In Bid to Quell Anger Over Raid, Israel Frees Detainees". The New York Times. Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr. Retrieved 2010-06-03.
  8. ^ Reynolds, Paul (2010-06-02). "Israeli convoy raid: What went wrong?". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  9. ^ a b Turkish Charity Group Sounds Defiant Note
  10. ^ Edmund Sanders (2010-06-01). "Israel criticized over raid on Gaza flotilla". Los Angeles Times. Eddy Hartenstein. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  11. ^ Al Jazeera staff and agencies (2010-05-30). "Israel attacks Gaza aid fleet". Al-Jazeera. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  12. ^ CNN Wire Staff (2010-05-30). "Israeli assault on Gaza-bound flotilla leaves at least 9 dead". CNN. Retrieved 2010-06-02. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  13. ^ Al Jazeera staff and agencies (2010-06-05). "Flotilla activists 'shot 30 times'". Al-Jazeera. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
  14. ^ "Klarstellung" (Press release) (in German). Internationale Humanitäre Hilfsorganisation e.V. May 31, 2006. Retrieved June 17, 2010. {{cite press release}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  15. ^ a b Villelabeitia, Ibon (2010-05-31). "Factbox: Turkish charity group behind Gaza-bound convoy". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. Retrieved 2010-06-07.
  16. ^ a b "(website in Turkish)". Insani Yardim Vakfi. Insani Yardim Vakfi. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
  17. ^ Where We Work
  18. ^ Eid helps boost unity in Turkey
  19. ^ Turkey's IHH completes water well projects across Africa before Ramadan
  20. ^ Turkish NGOs lend helping hand to Bangladesh
  21. ^ Turkish Charity Foundation Sends Aid To Ethiopian Families Against Famine
  22. ^ Turkish charity foundations to help Indonesia
  23. ^ Turkey's IHH conducts series of Ramadan aids in Sudan's Darfur
  24. ^ a b c d e f Diaa Hadid (June 3, 2010). "Turkish group behind flotilla is Gaza's new hero". The Associated Press. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
  25. ^ "Our Last Port Is Freedom: Sending a Flotilla in the Spring to Break the Siege of Gaza" (Press release). Free Gaza Movement. January 28, 2010.
  26. ^ Tia Goldenberg (May 31, 2010). "Pro-Palestinian aid flotilla sets sail for Gaza". San Diego Union-Tribune. Associated Press. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
  27. ^ Kosharek, Noah; Kyzer, Liel; Ravid, Barak. "Israel transfers hundreds of Gaza flotilla activists to airport for deportation". Haaretz. Schocken Family.
  28. ^ Black, Ian; Siddique, Haroon. "Q&A: The Gaza Freedom flotilla". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group.
  29. ^ "Israel's flotilla raid revives questions of international law". The Washington Post. Katharine Weymouth.
  30. ^ "Turkey to Challenge Israel, Support Hamas - Defense/Middle East - Israel News". Israel National News.
  31. ^ Macdonald, Alastair. "Egypt opens Gaza border after Israel ship clash". Reuters. Thomson Reuters.
  32. ^ a b "VIDEO / IHH leader tells Gaza flotilla activists to 'throw IDF soldiers into the sea'". Haaretz. 18 June 2010.
  33. ^ Germany bans group accused of Hamas links, Ynet 07.12.10, [1]
  34. ^ Germany outlaws IHH over claimed Hamas links, Haaretz 12.07.10 [2]
  35. ^ NPR: Turkish Aid Group Says It's Not Tied To Terrorists
  36. ^ Cihan: Turkish Premier Says Hamas not a Terrorist Organization
  37. ^ Guardian: Israeli commandos storm aid flotilla; 9 killed
  38. ^ Reuters: Factbox: Turkish charity group behind Gaza-bound convoy
  39. ^ Hurriyet: Seeking peace, planting hatred
  40. ^ a b "Defense Minister signs order banning Hamas-affiliated charitable organizations". Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. July 7, 2008. Retrieved 2010-06-07.
  41. ^ a b c "Turkey's Radical Drift". The Wall Street Journal, June 3, 2010.
  42. ^ a b Targeted by Israeli raid: Who is the IHH?
  43. ^ "Israel adds IHH to terror watch list". Haaretz. June 17, 2010. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
  44. ^ a b "Was the Gaza Flotilla Linked to Terrorists?". Newsweek. June 4, 2010.
  45. ^ "United States of America v. Ahmed Ressam, CR 99-666-JCC, Reporter's Transcript of Proceedings, April 2, 2001" (PDF).
  46. ^ "US Department of State Daily Press Briefing June 2, 2010". 2010-06-02. Retrieved 2010-06-07.
  47. ^ Peter Kenyon (June 7, 2010). "Turkish Aid Group Says It's Not Tied To Terrorists" (audio and transcript). NPR. Retrieved June 19, 2010. In an interview at the IHH offices in Gaza, Kaya rejected the allegation that his group supports terrorism. Although he answered most questions in Turkish, he responded in English when he was asked about a European report of past IHH links to al-Qaida. Mr. MOHAMMED KAYA (IHH): It's not true. We have no any contact with al-Qaida. If we go to Afghanistan, we help too Afghanese people. After that they are saying you have contact with al-Qaida.
  48. ^ Mary Beth Sheridan (June 10, 2010). "Islamic charity at center of flotilla clash known for relief work and confrontation". Washington Post. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
  49. ^ Evan F. Kohlmann (2006). "The Role of Islamic Charities in International Terrorist Recruitment and Financing" (PDF). DIIS Working Paper no 2006/7. Danish Institute for International Studies. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
  50. ^ Sabrina Tavernise and Michael Slackman (June 1, 2010). "Turkish Funds Helped Group Test Blockade". The New York Times.
  51. ^ a b Reuters: Q&A - Turkish Gaza aid group under the spotlight
  52. ^ "HP-1267: Treasury Designates the Union of Good" (Press release). United States Treasury. November 12, 2008. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
  53. ^ "IHH – a Turkish humanitarian relief fund with a radical Islamic anti-Western orientation". Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. May 26, 2010. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
  54. ^ Ashley Hall (June 3, 2010). "Israel labels aid group terrorists". Australian Broadcasting Corporation News. Retrieved June 15, 2010. The Israeli government and its supporters are trying to turn negative attention onto the groups behind the pro-Palestinian aid convoy that was caught in a deadly raid earlier this week.
  55. ^ "Turkey's Erdogan bears responsibility in flotilla fiasco". The Washington Post, June 5, 2010.
  56. ^ Emre Uslu. "Israel is losing its PR battle". Today's Zaman, June 15, 2010.
  57. ^ Richard Spencer (31 May 2010). "Gaza flotilla: the Free Gaza Movement and the IHH". The Daily Telegraph.
  58. ^ "IHH’s Response to Israel: Israel is running a cheap black propaganda campaign". IHH, June 7, 2010.
  59. ^ Jonathan Head (June 1, 2010). "Has Israel lost lone regional Muslim ally Turkey?". BBC News. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
  60. ^ Bianca Shaana and Niamh Moloughney. "Our deepest sympathies". Free Gaza Movement, June 7, 2010.
  61. ^ IHH: Board
  62. ^ IHH: Trustees
  63. ^ IHH: Awards
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