In recent weeks, Turkey has significantly stepped up its military attacks in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). Over 1000 attacks have been registered since the beginning of the year. The inhabitants of 162 villages have already been displaced, and a further 602 villages are threatened with displacement. In today’s bombardments, one civilians lost his live and another was injured. These developments go hand in hand with a massive expansion of the Turkish military presence in the KRI. With Turkey’s 71 military bases, this must be considered as nothing other than the occupation of foreign territory. In addition, the ongoing attacks are causing massive ecological destruction. A few days ago, the journalist Murat Mîrza İbrahim died in a Turkish drone attack in the Yezidi region of Şengal. The attacks on the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) also continue unabated and is met with silence from NATO. Erdoğan’s endeavour to meet his Syrian counterpart Besar al-Esad is nothing other than the admission of a failed Syria policy.
Against the backdrop of increasing wars and crises worldwide, these developments must not go unchallenged. There is an urgent need for intervention by the international community, above all the European Union and its institutions. The universality of international law must also apply when it comes to Turkey.
All possibilities and mechanisms must be used to persuade Turkey to enter a dialogue process with the Kurds. The Kurdish side has repeatedly declared its willingness. An important prerequisite for a forward-looking dialogue is the end of the incommunicado detention of Kurdish political leader Abdullah Öcalan, from whom there has been no sign of life for 40 months.
The EUTCC condemns Turkey’s anti-Kurdish war escalation and calls for
– an end to the invasion policy that violates international law
– an immediate package of measures against Turkey’s expansionist foreign policy
– an immediate visit by the CPT to the prison island of İmralı