Rt. Hon. Dominic Raab MP

Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

King Charles Street

Whitehall

London SW1A 2AH

 

Copy to

Rt Hon Lisa Nandy MP

Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

 

REF: ON THE TURKISH BOMBING OF THE MAKHMOUR REFUGEE CAMP AND SINJAR

Dear Foreign Secretary

 

We are writing to you to express our deep concern that on 15 June 2020 Turkey launched its largest air offensive, since 2007, against the Kurds, with multiple strikes targeting a hospital and refugee camps in Shingal, the Yezidi homeland, and in Makhmur in the Kurdistan Region.

The Makhmur refugee camp is home now to about 15, 000 people including many survivors of the genocide and sexual slavery at the hands of ISIS.

The numbers of dead remain unclear, but at least three women, who endured six years of sexual slavery before escaping from ISIS, have been killed and many others, including children, wounded.

For detailed information on the events we urge you to watch the conversation by Dr Jeff Miley from Cambridge University with Meral Cicek, of the Kurdish Women’s Relations Office on the bombing of Makhmur refugee camp and Sinjar.

 

These genocidal attacks must be stopped and we implore the UK Government to condemn Turkey for these war crimes, to cease regarding the Erdogan regime as an ally and friend, and cancel all arms sales.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Margaret Owen OBE

On behalf of the patrons of Peace in Kurdistan

 

Letter to Patrons: John Austin, Baroness Blower of Starch Green, former GS NUT, Prof Bill Bowring, Julie Christie, Noam Chomsky, Jeremy Corbyn MP,  Prof Mary Davis, Lord Dholakia, Simon Dubbins, UNITE International Director,  Jill Evans, former MEP, Desmond Fernandes, Lindsey German, Convenor STWC, Melanie Gingell, Christopher Gingell, Prof Dr. Michael Gunter, Secretary-General, EU Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC), Rahila Gupta, Nick Hildyard, Dafydd Iwan, Former President Plaid Cymru, James Kelman, Bruce Kent, Jean Lambert, former MEP, Elfyn Llwyd, Aonghas MacNeacail, Scottish Gaelic poet, Mike Mansfield QC, David Morgan, Doug Nicholls, General Secretary, GFTU, Dr. Jessica Ayesha Northey, Sinn Fein MLA Conor Murphy, Dr Thomas Jeffrey Miley, Kate Osamor MP, Margaret Owen OBE, Ali Gul Ozbek, Former Councillor and Mayor of Haringey; Gareth Peirce, Dr Felix Padel, Maxine Peake, actor, Trevor Rayne, writer, Lord Rea, Joe Ryan, Tony Simpson, Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation, Stephen Smellie, PIK Trade Union Liaison Officer, Jonathan Steele, Steve Sweeney, Gianni Tognoni, General Secretary Permanent People’s Tribunal, Dr Tove Skutnabb-Kangas, Dr Tom Wakeford, Dr Derek Wall, Julie Ward, former MEP, Kariane Westrheim, Chair, EU Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC); Hywel Williams MP.

 

Peace in Kurdistan

Campaign for a political solution of the Kurdish Question

Email: estella24@tiscali.co.uk

www.peaceinkurdistancampaign.com

Contacts Estella Schmid 020 7586 5892 & Melanie Gingell – Tel: 020 7272 7890