“With regards to renewed suspicion on the use of chemical weapons by the Turkish army, we demand an immediate clarification of what took place.
It is necessary to seriously take account of the repeated allegations that the Turkish army uses internationally banned weapons. The incidents must be investigated, especially in the knowledge of the background that Turkey in 1997 ratified the chemical weapons convention of the United Nations.

As well the report of member of German Bundestag, Jan van Aken, published after a human rights delegation to Turkey on November 30th 2011, the allegations demand an independent investigation of the incidents. An independent international fact-finding commission and an intervention by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), concerning the disputed cases of the use of chemical weapons by the Turkish army, are urgently necessary.

Since the 24th of October 2011 it is known that 24 corpses are held in the morgue of the state hospital in Malatya. They are combatants of the guerrillas of the PKK, who were killed during a battle in the region of Hakkari/Cukurca. The corpses are mutilated beyond recognition which gives occasion for the assumption that they have been killed by the effects of chemical substances/weapons. Wounds from gun shots and other injuries are not to be found.

Meanwhile, a fact-finding mission, consisting of representatives of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), the Human Rights Association (IHD) and the association (MEYA-DER) has presented a report concerning the incidents in Hakkari/Cukurca. The fact-finding delegation has spoken with eyewitnesses who also reported about the use of chemical weapons, according to their observations.

The fact that the current Chief of Staff Necdet Özel commanded the application of chemical weapons in 1999, further confirms the suspicion of the repeated use of those weapons. A video launched by military circles had proved the culpability of Necdet Özel. The German news magazine DER SPIEGEL reported about another possible application of chemical weapons by the Turkish army in Çukurca in 2009 (SPIEGEL-ONLINE, 8/12/2010).

Recently a complaint on the basis of the German Völkerstrafgesetzbuch against the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the former chiefs of staff of Turkey, was submitted to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office in Karlsruhe. The complaint is based on serious allegations because of their responsibility for war crimes such as for example the use of chemical weapons and extra-judical killings. It was launched by families of victims, parliamentarians, human rights activists and lawyers. Finally, also in view of this complaint, it is essential to act now, to prevent other such crimes.

The aggressive politics of the government of Prime Minister Erdoğan towards the Kurdish issue must come to an end. The clarification of all war crimes in Turkey, an immediate cease-fire on both sides and a peace dialogue between all forces involved is the only way to prevent further bloodshed.”

12th December 2011

 

Hamide Akbayir,  Mitglied des Landtags NRW, Fraktion Die Linke NRW
Ali Atalan, Mitglied des Landtags NRW, Fraktion Die Linke NRW
Bärbel Beuermann,  Mitglied des Landtags NRW, Fraktion Die Linke NRW
Özlem Alev Demirel,  Mitglied des Landtags NRW, Fraktion Die Linke NRW
Heidrun Dittrich, Mitglied des Bundestages, Fraktion Die Linke im Bundestag
Martin Dolzer, Soziologe
Nicole Gohlke,  Mitglied des Bundestags, Fraktion Die Linke im Bundestag
Andrej Hunko, Mitglied des Bundestages,  Fraktion Die Linke im Bundestag
Ulla Jelpke,  Mitglied des Bundestages, Fraktion Die Linke im Bundestag
Herrmann Schaus,  Mitglied des Landtags Hessen, Fraktion Die Linke im Hessischen Landtag
Ingrid Remmers,  Mitglied des Bundestages, Fraktion Die Linke im Bundestag
Cansu Özdemir,  Mitglied der Hamburgischen Bürgerschaft, Fraktion Die Linke in der Hamburgischen Bürgerschaft
Willi van Oyen,  Mitglied des Landtags Hessen, Fraktion Die Linke im Hessischen Landtag
Harald Weinberg,  Mitglied des Bundestages, Fraktion Die Linke im Bundestag

Mitglied des Landtags (Member of state Parliament)
Mitglied des Bundestags (Member of Parliament)
Soziologe (Sociologist)

 

Landtag Nordrhein-Westfalen

Hamide Akbayir MdL
Frauen- und Umweltpolitische Sprecherin
Fraktion DIE LINKE Hamide Akbayir MdL
Postfach 10 11 43 40002 Düsseldorf Deutschland
Wahlkreisbüro Hagen: Södingstr. 3, 58095 Hagen
Tel.: 0049 2331 3566950, Fax: 0049 2331 3566949
www.hamide-akbayir.de