A conference entitled “DESTRUCTION, UPROOTING and HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS in the KURDISH REGION of TURKEY” was held at the European Parliament in Brussels this Tuesday September 6th.
The conference, co-moderated and hosted by the MEP Costas Mavrides (Cyprus), from the S&D Group, and Eyyup Doru, representative of the People’s Democratic Party in Europe, was introduced with a Screening of a short documentary: “Cizre Anlatiyor” (Cizre is Telling), depicting the violation of human rights that takes place in this area.
Eyyup Doru introduced the discussion by offering a global overview of the current situation and linked it to the decisions taken and treaties adopted at the beginning of last century (Sèvres, Lausanne), stressing attitudes adopted against kurdish people have never fondamentally changed and pointed especially the Turkish state, which has according to him never abandonned his genocidal mindset through the years.
He also underlined Kurds were among the most ancient populations of the region but still didn’t get the right to obtain their self-determination.
He concluded denouncing the unconditional passive stance of Europe toward the crimes against humanity daily commited in the kurdish region of Turkey, despite all the reports provided by the HDP to them concerning those Human rights violation.
“Ministers of external affairs, High Representative Federica Mogherini, EP president Martin Schultz, EU Council President Donald Tusk witnessed the situation via those reports. EU colleagues and MEPs had the opportunity to visit the area. Therefore, we are waiting for more concrete condamnations and actions on these alarming events ”.
The President of the Human Rights Association of Turkey Öztürk Türkdoğan referred to the attempts of 2013 to solve the Kurdish issue, attempts that had the support of some 60-70% of the local population.
“The report was ready at 2013 and to solve the issue via democratic means. But developments in the region as other political movements as HDP gained power, resulted in the problem being left apart. The AKP was willing to retrieve his lost parliamentary majority and his power. So, Erdogan decided to end the process.”
Türkdoğan also draw attention to the alarming number of people convicted for only asking their identity’s right. He said most of the young people in north Kurdistan have at least one case opened against them and denounced the state for giving systematicaly a 4 years long imprisonment sentence to any young protesting for his right. He said 6600 kids were convicted by specialised courts in Turkey, and many innocent citizens suffered from extrajudicial killings. He said Turkish state keeps up with those operations without impunity.
“This year, 355,000 people have been displaced, while
500,000 have no houses left and most of them have taken refuge in neighbours and family. Houses have been taken down by bulldozers and hundreds of civilians have been killed so far”.
Speaking on the rights violations during curfews in Kurdish towns, he said
“No rules of law were heeded, there hasn’t been a single effective investigation and impunity runs rampant. Crimes against humanity were committed very commonly but no mechanism in the international area worked against it. The ECHR disappointed us during these curfews. They didn’t issue any injunctions for the basements. My faith in justice is damaged. We are in a land of war with at least 20 people dying every day. We must discuss how to stop this war. Fot that European governments must stop remaining silent”.
“With the last update dated 18 August,after the Turkish coup attempt, 40,000 have been taken under custody, 2,346 academics lost their jobs, 3,288 judges and prosecutors, more than 1/3 of the total, have been dismissed”.
The HDP deputy for the city of Şırnak Faysal Sarıyıldız has given his personal experience of the massacre of Cizre, where a basement bombing with hundreds of civilians trapped inside left them all burnt alive.
Sarıyıldız compared the sinister strategies of the Turkish state with the beginning of the Nazi era, before saying:
“ Great crimes against humanity were committed in Cizre. Great sins were committed. Nobody will find peace on those lands unless theses crimes and sins are faced”.
He said kurdish people found themselve in hell after June 7 elections, but also stressed the fact that officers of the turkish army who perpetrated those massacres against kurdish civilians and who are currently under custody for being part of the Gulenist movement, were those receiving awards from the president himself just a few month ago.
He concluded saying “Our people are sincerely in anger and will never forget all the atrocities they had to endure”.
Conference at the EP: “Destruction, uprooting and Human Rights violations in the Kurdish region of Turkey"
