IHH (Turkish NGO)

İnsan Hak ve Hürriyetleri İnsani Yardım Vakfı – İHH
Founded1995
TypeNGO
Location
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Fehmi Bülent Yıldırım
Revenue
150.7 million TRL (2011)[1]
Websiteihh.org.tr

IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation[2] (Turkish: İHH İnsani Yardım Vakfı; full: İnsan Hak ve Hürriyetleri ve İnsani Yardım Vakfı,[3] in English: The Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief) or İHH is a conservative Turkish GONGO, active in more than 120 countries.[4]

Established in 1992 and officially registered in Istanbul in 1995, İHH provides humanitarian relief in areas of war, earthquake, hunger, and conflict.[5] The İHH holds Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council since 2004.[6][7] Current president of the İHH is Fehmi Bülent Yıldırım. In 2015 IHH notably campaigned to turn the Hagia Sophia into a mosque. İHH is also active in SAR (Search and Rescue) operations. Hosting around 850 volunteer search and rescue trained personnel, İHH has multiple SAR teams stationed in different cities of Turkey, ready for action at all times.[8]

The İHH was owner and operator of three flotilla ships involved in the convoy intended to breach the blockade of Gaza in 2010. These ships included the MV Mavi Marmara, a passenger vessel that served as the flagship of the convoy.[9][10] Nine passengers aboard the Mavi Marmara, many of them members of the İHH,[11] were killed by the Israeli military during the Gaza flotilla raid.[12][13][14][15]

The IHH through its collaboration with Turkish intelligence, sometimes acts as an intermediary between the National Intelligence Organisation and the Syrian rebels.[16] A sister organization, IHH Germany has been banned in Germany.[17] The IHH is said to be connected to directly involved in weapons trafficking in Libya, India and to Al Qaeda affiliated organisations such Nusra Front in Syria. The IHH has been accused by the chief of French counterterrorism unit of having ties to Islamist organizations such as Al Qaeda.[18] IHH was accused in a bipartisan bill by Congress of being a member of the Union of Good.[19] The IHH has close links to the Turkish government and specifically the ruling Turkish political party AKP under Turkish president Erdogan.[20][21][22] The New York Times reported that IHH assisted Erdogan in 2010 elections.[23][24] IHH receives funding from the Qatari Eid charity.

  1. ^ "Gelir-Gider". Archived from the original on 5 August 2010. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
  2. ^ "IHH Statement Regarding The Israeli Report". Archived from the original on 20 August 2010. IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation continues to insist on its request for an international probe to independently investigate the Israeli attack on Mavi Marmara.
  3. ^ 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. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  4. ^ "Profile: Free Gaza Movement". BBC News. 1 June 2010. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
  5. ^ Richard Spencer (31 May 2010). "Gaza flotilla: the Free Gaza Movement and the İHH". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
  6. ^ "Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief, The". NGO Branch, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
  7. ^ "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 8 June 2010.
  8. ^ "İHH İnsani Yardım Vakfı".
  9. ^ Slackman, Michael (3 June 2010). "In Bid to Quell Anger Over Raid, Israel Frees Detainees". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 June 2010.
  10. ^ Reynolds, Paul (2 June 2010). "Israeli convoy raid: What went wrong?". BBC News. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
  11. ^ Champion, Marc (4 June 2010). "Turkish Charity Group Sounds Defiant Note". The Wall Street Journal.
  12. ^ Edmund Sanders (1 June 2010). "Israel criticized over raid on Gaza flotilla". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 31 May 2010. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
  13. ^ Al Jazeera staff and agencies (30 May 2010). "Israel attacks Gaza aid fleet". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
  14. ^ "Israeli assault on Gaza-bound flotilla leaves at least 9 dead". CNN. 30 May 2010. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
  15. ^ Al Jazeera staff and agencies (5 June 2010). "Flotilla activists 'shot 30 times'". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  16. ^ "Turkey Experts Worry Erdogan Might Use Al Qaeda Against Kurds". Algemeiner.com. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  17. ^ "Germany bans charity over Hamas claims". www.ft.com. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  18. ^ "Turkish aid group had terror ties". NBC News. 2 June 2010. Archived from the original on 16 June 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  19. ^ Gewirtz, Jason (25 October 2023). "Where Hamas gets its money and why it's so hard to stop, even as the U.S. steps up efforts". CNBC. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  20. ^ "Turkish NGO With a Murky Past Acquires a Fleet for Gaza Aid Deliveries". The Maritime Executive. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  21. ^ FONTANA, Lorenzo. "Parliamentary question | Relations between the Turkish Government and the IHH organisation | E-4551/2010 | European Parliament". www.europarl.europa.eu. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  22. ^ Turhan, Yunus (3 April 2023). "Turkey's Public Diplomacy: The Role of Turkish Non-Governmental Organisations". Diplomacy & Statecraft. 34 (2): 325–342. doi:10.1080/09592296.2023.2213078. ISSN 0959-2296.
  23. ^ OBERMAYR, Franz. "Parlamentná otázka | Controversial aims of the IHH organisation | E-010094/2010 | Európsky parlament". www.europarl.europa.eu (in Slovak). Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  24. ^ Bilefsky, Dan; Arsu, Sebnem (16 July 2010). "Sponsor of Flotilla Tied to Elite of Turkey". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 25 April 2024.