NEWS CENTER – In the second session, which took place on the second day of the conference, Turkey, the Kurds and the Middle East were discussed. The moderator of the session was Michael Gunter, Secretary General of the EUTCC, an American academic.
CHEMICAL ATTACKS SHOULD INVESTIGATE
Biologist Jan van Aken, member of the Doctors for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) Scientific Advisory Board regarding the Turkish state’s use of chemical weapons against the guerrilla, attended the conference online. Aken stated that he is a biological weapons inspector for the UN.
Stating that they wanted to go to the field as a small delegation and take samples last year, Aken said, “This happened last September. However, we could not go because of the local Kurdish administration (South Kurdistan). We wanted to go to the mountainous region. But it was said ‘no’ again. In September, allegations regarding chemical weapons came to light (…) we looked at the interview records from third parties. When I started this mission, I was not convinced. But when I come back, I can say that some things arouse suspicion. There was quite a question mark,” he said.
Aken, showing some images of the Turkish state at the entrance of a tunnel in Werxelê and saying that it is very easy to produce chlorine gas from the substances it displays, said, “Let’s start an international investigation by looking at these. Let’s get into the details of what happened.” Showing photos taken at other points, Aken said, “What are they doing at the entrance of a tunnel with the hose?” asked. “Maybe there is a chemical attack operation again,” Aken said.
INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION IS NEEDED
Pointing out that chemical substances are used mostly with improvised methods, “Such chemical substances cannot be used. An independent international investigation is needed. The UN Secretariat and the commission of inquiry in The Hague could step in. But a member state has to make a request. A member state should make this request within the next few months. We do not say that Turkey used these weapons, but we say that it is worth investigating. Don’t be convinced right away, but make sure to investigate”
Noting that the use of tear gas was admitted by the Turkish Ministry of Defense, Aken noted that this is prohibited under war conditions. Aken urged the international community to say “this is a violation”. Aken underlined that it would not be “credible” for the accused Turkish state to conduct its own investigation.
Drone Attacks
The drone attacks of the Turkish state were evaluated under the title of “Turkey’s new war: Drones and agreements”. Giving a speech on this subject, well-known Belgian lawyer Georges Henri Beauthier said that he has been practicing law for 50 years and has been to Kurdistan and northern Syria at least 15 times. Beauthier said, “But we have never been as impressed as his visit to the Yazidi region. We have been subjected to so many drone attacks day and night. They attacked without discrimination against civilians,” he said.
THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE TURKISH STATE IS PERMANENT
Beauthier added: “These armed drones must be condemned. The Turkish state uses it every day. The news takes place in the Turkish press with great pride. All the rules of international law are being violated. Persons labeled as terrorists are executed through extrajudicial executions, without trial, and this execution takes place every day. This is a war crime. It is said that people were killed by drones. The silence of the international community also supports impunity. The use of armed drones must be strictly supervised. The responsibility of the Turkish state remains and has not disappeared in any way. There is an emergency.”
IMPUNITY AGAINST DRONES MUST END
Stating that armed drones must be subject to legal regulations, Beauthier noted that a lawsuit should also be filed in the European Court of Human Rights. Beauthier shared the findings and testimonies they obtained during their visit to Shengal last year. Lawyer Beauthier emphasized that “The Yazidis have never attacked Turkey”.
“An international legal framework is definitely needed regarding the use of drones,” the Belgian lawyer said. The use of drones should be banned or placed within a legal framework with impunity. Tomorrow drones can replace the police, the judiciary, the courts. “If nothing is done, you can send an armed drone and kill people,” he said.
MAHMUD: EUROPEAN COMPANIES HAVE PARTICIPATED IN CRIMINAL
Making a presentation titled “War crimes in Kurdistan: From Halabja to the present”, President of the Kurdistan Genocide Writers Union Salar Mahmud said that the parties to the Lausanne treaty should be ashamed, and emphasized that enormous crimes were committed in Kurdistan.
Reminding the chemical attack in Halabja, Mahmud noted that companies in Europe at that time were responsible for supplying Iraq with raw materials for the production of chemical weapons. “These are companies originating in Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany,” Mahmud said. “The massacres that the Kurdish people are subjected to still continue,” said Mahmud, adding that these crimes continue to be committed in the region.
QUIET TO THE CRIMES OF THE EUROPEAN TURKISH STATE
Reacting to the silence of the international powers, Mahmud said, “Turkey is committing a border violation. It enters the territory of neighboring countries and adds territory to its own country. The Turkish army (in Southern Kurdistan) has at least 60 military bases. You are violating the sovereignty of another country. This is clear in international law,” he said.
Mahmud said, “As we speak here today, Turkey is attacking northern Iraq and northern Syria. It targets mountains, forests and civilians in Kurdistan. In all respects, the people of Kurdistan are under siege. The weapons used are illegal weapons (…) European countries are not making a sound, Turkey is relying on it”.
RESPONSIBLE LIKE SADDAM IN TURKEY
Expressing that the presence of the Turkish army in Southern Kurdistan has no legitimate basis, Mahmud said, “However, Turkey always violates international law (…) Saddam Hussein was convicted for his crimes against humanity. Turkey is also responsible in the same way,” he said.
ÖZGÖKÇE: THE ONLY THING THAT CARES IN TURKEY IS RANT
Bedia Özgökçe, a former deputy of HDP Wan and Co-Mayor of Wan Municipality, said that the understanding that puts people at the center of everything is problematic, regarding the Turkish state’s crimes against humanity “ecoside”, “feminicide” and “genoside”. Pointing out that neither human nor flora nor women and children are considered worthy of protection in Turkey, Özgökçe said, “Indispensable values are interests, the only thing that matters is rent”. Expressing that this was also seen in the earthquake, Özgökçe talked about how the earthquake was turned into a disaster with violations.
Özgökçe stated that human and environmental health is under great threat with the practices after the earthquake, and while talking about the genocides, he emphasized that all massacres committed in Turkey are within a plan. Özgökçe also talked about the unsolved murders, burnt villages and forced evictions in the 90s, and said that the numerous crimes committed during the invasion of Afrin still continue.
KURDS DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE AND BE ELECTED
Özgökçe reacted that although the Turkish state violated all the conventions, there is still no deterrent and preventive stance against him. Reminding the trustees in Turkey, Özgökçe said that “Kurds do not have the right to elect and be elected” and that the rights of the Kurds are not guaranteed at a minimum level.
GENOCIDE MUST BE CONSIDERED LIKE GENOCIDE
Explaining that the ecosystem is also under constant threat, Özgökçe also made evaluations about the increasing murders against women and the state’s protection of the perpetrators. Özgökçe said, “The attack is systematic and multidimensional. It draws its strength and motivation from power. Genocide should be evaluated as genocide and eco-crime,” he said.
MIRANDA: WE ALWAYS CARRY THIS SHIRLE IN AP
Under the title of “Crimes against humanity and the European Union: Approaches and responsibilities”, EP member Ana Miranda from the Greens group first emphasized that she sees herself as Galician, not Spanish. Emphasizing that they see themselves as a nation, Miranda corrected the introduction and said, “We have always been the side that defended the rights of the Kurdish people.”
“We stand against the violation of the rights of the Kurds,” Miranda said. We believe that women especially play a key role in this field. (Posing a Kurdish-patterned shawl) We always carry this shawl, which represents the entire Kurdish movement and HDP, with us in the European Parliament.” she said.
SANCTIONS MUST BE IMPLEMENTED ON THE TURKISH STATE
Noting that despite the PKK-sided ceasefire being declared, the attacks and tragedy still continue, Miranda said: “The European Union still has not condemned Turkey, on the contrary, it has supported the Turkish state in carrying out this war. Even the use of chemical weapons is tolerated. In terms of international relations, the silence in these areas shows that he does not even defend his own law and values. The use of chemical weapons should be directly overseen by an independent commission of inquiry. We are sure that they used chemical weapons, but an international investigation is also needed. In particular, sanctions should be applied for this unlawful behavior of the Turkish state. Turkey is a member of the Council of Europe. Not having the opportunity to meet Abdullah Öcalan’s lawyers and family is one of these violations.”
Miranda concluded, “We support the HDP and the Kurdish movement (…) Long live Kurdistan.”
