Mutlu Civiroglu

Academics warn that planned cuts of @UniofExeter put the Centre for Kurdish Studies at risk. One of the few global hubs for Kurdish language, archives, and scholarship could be dismantled and further marginalizing a vulnerable field when rigorous research is needed most.

US conducts strikes against Iran for fourth day in a row, naval blockade resumes stripes.com/theaters/middl…

Trump wants fees for Hormuz just like Iran - is that legal? reuters.com/world/middle-e…

After Hormuz, Iran turns to Red Sea gateway as new pressure point reuters.com/world/middle-e…

US military restores blockade in response to Iran’s attacks on ships on the Strait of Hormuz apnews.com/article/iran-u…

One dead and eight injured as Iran hits two UAE tankers in Strait of Hormuz thenationalnews.com/news/uae/2026/…

“CENCOM forces began launching an additional round of strikes against Iran to continue degrading Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes are taking place as American forces prepare to resume the naval blockade against Iranian ports and coastal areas. The blockade goes into effect at 4 p.m. ET."

US launches airstrikes against Iran, official says abcnews.com/International/…

Assad Is Gone But Syria's Minorities Still Aren't Safe fpif.org/assad-is-gone-…

Iran executes two Kurdish prisoners convicted of 'armed rebellion' rudaw.net/english/catego…

Allemagne. Un couple irakien condamné pour avoir réduit en esclavage deux jeunes filles yézidies en Irak limportant.fr/infos-news/138… @mutludc

Iran Reinforces Border with Iraq Amid Fears of Kurdish Action alhurra.com/en/26904

U.S. military to enforce new Iran blockade starting 4pm Tuesday axios.com/2026/07/13/tru…

CENTCOM: “During the five-hour mission, U.S. forces successfully struck military targets across Iran including Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, and Bandar Abbas to further degrade Iran's ability to attack commercial shipping.”

German court convicts Iraqi couple of enslaving Yazidi girls bbc.com/news/articles/…

Trump: "We're going to hit #Iran very hard tonight and we're going to hit them hard tomorrow, and there's not a damn thing they can do about it."

In 🇩🇪 Bremen state moves to permanently integrate Kurdish-language education into the school system english.anf-news.com/news/bremen-st…

CENTCOM forces will resume blockading maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports on July 14

“The Kurdish Studies Journal, the Kurdish Studies Network, and the Kurdish Gender Studies Network—three leading scholarly institutions and networks in the field of Kurdish studies—are expressing their deep concern about the planned budget cuts in the University of Exeter's Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, including those affecting the Centre for Kurdish Studies (CKS). The CKS is one of only a handful of dedicated, university-based centres worlwide that combine graduate education in Kurdish studies, Kurdish language instruction, and a permanent community of Kurdish studies scholars. We understand that all staff members at the CKS, alongside their colleagues at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies (IAIS), have been placed at risk of redundancy. With a planned reduction of teaching-related staff at a rate of 20-25%, these cuts will have devastating consequences for Kurdish studies, which is already structurally disadvantaged. As a stateless field of study, Kurdish studies lacks the institutional support that many other area studies disciplines enjoy. Kurdish studies scholars routinely contend with epistemic violence, censorship, and political repression, while also facing chronic shortages of funding, academic infrastructure, and institutional recognition. In this context, Exeter's Centre for Kurdish Studies has served as an indispensable institutional anchor for the discipline. Over the years, the CKS has trained dozens of graduate students, while its staff have produced internationally recognized scholarship that has transformed our understanding of Kurdish history, culture, politics, and society. The Centre is also home to one of the world's most important Kurdish studies libraries, including the invaluable private collections of Chris Kutschera and Omar Sheikhmous. Its Kurdish Digital Archive, part of Exeter's Digital Archive of the Middle East, is an exceptional initiative dedicated to preserving and providing open access to Kurdish archival materials that might otherwise be lost or destroyed. We are deeply concerned that the proposed cuts will have profound consequences not only for the University of Exeter but for the wider field of Kurdish studies. They will diminish educational opportunities, reduce research capacity, and threaten the future of Kurdish language teaching. They also jeopardize scholarly initiatives that are essential for documenting and safeguarding Kurdish language, culture, history, and society. In this sense, the proposed cuts constitute a further act of epistemic marginalization against an already vulnerable field, at a time when rigorous scholarship on the Kurds—a people who remain central to the political and geopolitical dynamics of the Middle East—is more important than ever. Over the past two decades, the University of Exeter has made important investments in CKS, acquiring archival collections, building specialized library resources, and launching the Kurdish Digital Archive. The University has stated that it has no plans to close any disciplines or departments as a result of the cuts. We therefore urge the University of Exeter to reaffirm its commitment to preserving the institutional integrity of the Centre for Kurdish Studies and to continue investing in its staff, student body, and material resources.” @MarleneSchafers

Academics warn that planned cuts of @UniofExeter put the Centre for Kurdish Studies at risk. One of the few global hubs for Kurdish language, archives, and scholarship could be dismantled and further marginalizing a vulnerable field when rigorous research is needed most.

Renowned Kurdish intellectual and the leader of the Democtatic Party of the Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) Dr. A. Ghassemlou assassinated in Vienna, Austria 37 years ago today. #Ghassemlou RIP!