Kurds in Turkey under threat of massacre

PRESS RELEASE

Kurds in Turkey under threat of massacre

August 18, 2015

Turkish army besieges and attacks several Kurdish provinces and villages

With Erdogan’s ending of the Kurdish-Turkish peace process on the 24th of July a new total war against the Kurds is under way. Since this date Kurdish mountains, villages and geography have been under daily attack and bombardment. For almost a week the Turkish Special Forces, supported by the army, has declared a state of emergency in Kurdish towns and are undertaking extrajudicial killings in the region.

Most recently in districts like Varto, Semdinli, Farqin, Yuksekova, Nusaybin and Lice a state of emergency has been declared, civilians have been targeted, workplaces have been bombed and houses have been set alight. They are not allowing for those that have been killed as a result of these attacks to be buried and those that have been injured to receive treatment. All entries and exits from these towns and provinces have been banned, while the security forces are terrorizing the people in the regions that have been cut off from the rest of the country. Main power supplies and water supplies to these towns are being purposefully cut.

The people living in these places are very worried and say that they are facing the threat of massacre. Until now several civilians have been reported killed, however, according to local sources the death toll is much higher than what is being reported on by the state. The Turkish army has also besieged the rural regions surrounding these districts and is conducting heavy bombardments in the villages; these bombardments are still continuing.

The main reason behind these attacks and the extrajudicial killings of civilians is down to Turkish President Erdogan giving unlimited powers to the security forces. This is yet another sign of the animosity of the AKP towards the Kurdish people. By attacking the Kurdish people, the Turkish government and President Erdogan are morally and practically supporting ISIS.

•             We call upon the international public to stand against this war effort led by the Turkish President Erdogan.

•             We call upon the EU and the member states, the USA and the UN to break their silence over the threat of massacre against the Kurds in Turkey.

•             We call upon the international media to take an interest in the issue that has a significant bearing on the fight against ISIS in the region