IWA Condemns Massacre of Civilians, Including Children, in Sirnak, Turkey
The International Women’s Alliance condemns the massacre of 35 civilians, most of whom were children and minors, by the military in the Sirnak province of Turkey on December 28 and the shameless cover up being done by the military’s chief of staff.
We urge all our members, as well as all human rights advocates, to express their condemnation by issuing statements and/or conducting actions and to support the call of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP-Baris ve Demokrasi Partisi) for the:
1. European Union, Council of Europe and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the other European institutions to put the issue on their agenda and react; 2. United Nations (UN) and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNCHR) in Geneva to investigate this massacre; 3. All the International Human Rights Organizations to provide investigator delegations in order to find out the accountants of the massacre. 4. International Public opinion to act in solidarity with the Kurdish People and react against the massacre.
The following is the Statement of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP-Baris ve Demokrasi Partisi) on the Massacre of 35 Civilians:
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.
This is evidently a civilian massacre. It is similar to the massacre carried out by General Mustafa Muglali in the Ozalp town of Van in 1933 when 33 villagers were executed by shooting. Unfortunately history has repeated itself once more after 68 years and this mentality of massacre has revealed its face in Sirnak, Uludere. 35 youths and children, the oldest of whom is 20 years old have been killed in cold blood.
Now the perpetrators are trying to find excuses for this massacre. The statement released by the Chief of Staff is wholly aimed at covering up this atrocious event.
However they will not succeed in achieving this, they will not be able to cover up this massacre. Even if they silence the media, censor it, oppress and threaten journalists the world has now seen this slaughter. The government and state will not be able to cover up this crime against humanity. The Uludere massacre has now taken its place in the black pages of history.
The events in Uludere are a clear indication of the point Turkey is now at.
The policies of the government and state to resolve the Kurdish question using violence, political and military operations and massacres were aimed at silencing the Kurdish people and breaking its will, the point it has arrived at is the massacre of civilians.
“A very efficient intelligence network has been formed. Operations will continue day and night,” and other such statements by government officials have ended in the savage murder of civilian villagers.
Public opinion is anxiously awaiting a statement regarding this issue from a government that has called on the Esad regime in Syria to end the massacre of civilians.
Our people and international public opinion should know that the AKP’s mentality for solving the Kurdish question with air strikes and political genocide operations has been revealed once again and beyond any doubt. We condemn this massacre vehemently. We will convey our democratic response and be with our people on the streets to not let the perpetrators of this massacre go free. We will expose and damn this mentality of massacre wherever we go.
We wish mercy on those who have lost their lives and send our condolences to their families and all our people.
Now it is time to stand up, unite and be in solidarity with each other.
We also call on our people, democratic public opionion and everybody who is in support of democracy, peace and the fraternity of peoples to organise a democratic reaction against this heinous crime.
Signed,
Selahattin DEMİRTAŞ, BDP Co-President
Gültan KIŞANAK, BDP Co-President
BDP-Baris ve Demokrasi Partisi
Barış Manço Cad. 1388. Sok. no: 37 Balgat/Ankara
Tel: 0 312 220 19 50
Fax 0 312 220 19 77