War crimes

Kurds Sue Turkish Government over Massacre of Their Compatriots

The American Kurdish Information Network and their colleagues have initiated a criminal complaint against the Turkish government and members of the Turkish military forces for inciting, encouraging and directly perpetrating mass murder against Kurdish civilians on the night of 28 December 2011. Below is an extract of the complaint, which can be found in full in both English and Turkish here.
January 27th, 2012

Sait Pektaş, Edip Yüksel, Kani Xulam
Versus
The Turkish Government and the Top Commanders of its Military Forces Continue reading “Kurds Sue Turkish Government over Massacre of Their Compatriots” →

Kurdish community, War crimes

EDM on Roboski killings tabled in UK parliament

A new Early Day Motion has been tabled by Hywel Williams MP, condemning the attack by the Turkish air force on civilians in the border province of Sirnak which killed 35 innocent people.

It is important that members of the British parliament do not ignore the massacre, particularly when the UK government is increasing its cooperation with the Turkish military. We urgently need to get MP’s to sign the motion, to generate support in Parliament for the Kurdish people and their struggle against the repressive actions of the Turkish government. Continue reading “EDM on Roboski killings tabled in UK parliament” →

Conflict resolution, War crimes

Then, the Kurds were alone, and so they still are now…

Article translated from Ceni Info  No 5, 1 January 2012

In a letter to the Turkish journalist Hasan Cemal, which was published on 1.1.2012 in the newspaper “Milliyet”, BDP MP Ayla Akat describes her encounter with, and feelings about, the massacre at Roboski:

“Roboski is one of the villages of Uludere that lies close to the border. A vast crowd of people had amassed. The mountainsides were covered with people. Cries of mourning and indignation! Continue reading “Then, the Kurds were alone, and so they still are now…” →

War crimes

PJAK calls upon Obama to reassess policy toward the Kurds

Originally published in Roj Helat:

In a letter to Barak Obama, the General Assembly of Kurdistan’s Free Life Party (PJAK) calls upon the United States to reassess their policies in the Middle East particularly in relation to the Kurdish people. The letter reads as follow:

Your Excellency the President of the United States of America

Dear Barak Hussein Obama

On 28 December 2011, in Qilaban region of Sirnak province in Northern Kurdistan (Turkey), 35 civilian Kurds were massacred by Turkish aircrafts in a heinous way. Continue reading “PJAK calls upon Obama to reassess policy toward the Kurds” →

Conflict resolution, Peace process

KON-KURD Info File on the attacks at Roboski available for download

Nearly three weeks after the massacre in Roboski village, Uludere, which killed 35 civilians were killed by the Turkish air force, KON-KURD, the European umbrella group of Kurdish organisations, has published this Info File on the attack. The file contains a letter to US representatives written by KON-KURD, as well as as a useful collection of statements and press releases written by a variety of Kurdish political and civil society organisations in response to the massacre, including the BDP, the KNK, and the report by the Turkish Human Rights Association (IHD). It also contains the names and images of the 36 guerrilla fighters who were killed in October 2011.

You can download the Info file here: Dosya KON-KURD 12 (pdf).

Conflict resolution, Peace process, War crimes

IHD publishes report on Roboski massacre

The Human Rights Association (IHD) has published a report on the atrocities in Uludere on 28 December 2011, in which 35 people, 17 of them juveniles, were killed in an air attack by the Turkish Air Force just across the Turkish-Iraqi border. The report is filled with testimony from witnesses and survivors, and calls on the Turkish National Assembly, the UN and the European Council to investigate these extrajudicial killings and bring those responsible to justice.

You can download the full report (pdf) here: IHD_Report_Massacre of Roboski- 03 January 2012

 

Conflict resolution, War crimes

Write to President Obama! Sign the petition!

Since the massacre at Uludere on 28 December 2011 which killed 35 civilians, the US government has said it will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Turkey, and rather than condemning the Turkish government for its actions, the US is promising further supply of technologically advanced missiles.

We can take this matter into our own hands, by writing directly to President Obama and demanding he stands up for the rights and freedoms of the Kurds. Join the KNK letter-writing campaign! Continue reading “Write to President Obama! Sign the petition!” →

Conflict resolution, War crimes

Nasmi Gur BDP MP issues statement on Sirnak massacre

BDP Foreign Affairs Commission chair, Nasmi Gur, issued this statement on the atrocities in Sirnak/Uludere to the international community on 29 December 2011:

Dear Friends,

38 children and youngsters have lost their lives in Sirnak/Uludere following the bombardment of Turkish warplanes in Roboski village. The source of income of the civilians who lost their lives is the border trade on a small scale. They are known by “the security forces” and the local governors. The AKP government and the other state institutions that are responsible for this massacre are in the effort of covering up this crime against humanity. The attitude of the Turkish mass media on the issue is fatal. Continue reading “Nasmi Gur BDP MP issues statement on Sirnak massacre” →

Conflict resolution, War crimes

BDP statement: atrocities in Sirnak province

Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) statement, issued by the European Office of the BDP

29.12.2011

TO THE PRESS & PUBLIC OPINION

Another massacre was added to the massacre history of Turkey last night. F-16 war planes which took flight from Diyarbakir military airbase carried out air attacks in the surrounding area of Sirnak province, Uludere towns’, Ortasu (Roboski) village and killed 35 civilians, most of whom are between the ages of 15-20. Continue reading “BDP statement: atrocities in Sirnak province” →

Conflict resolution, War crimes

KNK Press Release: Massacre by Turkish state continues!

Kurdistan National Congress (KNK) Press Release
29.12.11

Massacre by Turkish state continues!
 
Turkish war planes bomb Kurdish village and massacre 40 children and youth in Sirnak, South East Turkey.

Turkish war planes bombed Roboski village, a Kurdish village in the South East province of Sirnak, Turkey, killing at least 40 civilians, many of them children and youth, late last night. 24 of those killed belonged to the same family. Continue reading “KNK Press Release: Massacre by Turkish state continues!” →