Just before the seventh anniversary of the invasion of Afrin, on 5 and 6 February, the Permanent People's Tribunal will hold a session on Rojava vs. Turkey in Brussels. 

The Tribunal will focus on the Turkish state’s attacks on Rojava between 2018 and 2024, and will present them for scrutiny in a broad and documented format. Already, the reports / documents / data made by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, prestigious human rights institutions, and many civil society organizations shed some light on the picture.

The Permanent People's Tribunal on the "Alleged violations of international law and international humanitarian law by the Turkish Republic and its officials in their relations with the Kurdish people and their organizations" was taking place in Paris on 15 and16 March 2018, at the same time in which Afrin was being occupied by the Turkish state and its proxies. 

The Tribunal in 2018 delivered its verdict finding Turkey "responsible for the denial of the Kurdish people’s right to self-determination, the imposition of Turkish identity, the exclusion of the Kurdish people’s identity and presence, and the repression of its participation in the political, economic and cultural life of the country, interpreted as a threat to the Turkish State’s authority."

In this session, the Tribunal will examine crimes such as:

-Intentional Killing of Civilians: Including targeted assassinations against non- combatants, such as journalists.

-Destruction of Civilian Objects and Infrastructure: Deliberate attacks on schools, hospitals, and water systems, notably the Alouk water station, depriving over a million people of clean water.

-Use of Prohibited Weapons: Deployment of white phosphorus against civilian populations.

-Torture and Inhumane Treatment: Arbitrary detention and mistreatment aimed at erasing cultural identity and resistance.

-Persecution of the Kurdish Population: Systematic marginalization and oppression. Forced Displacement: Mass uprooting of civilians from Afrin, Ras al-Ayn, and other areas.
-Femicide and Gender-Based Violence: Targeting women leaders and advocates for social change.

-Cultural and Religious Erasure: Destruction of Yazidi sanctuaries and heritage sites to eliminate cultural identity.

The programme of the two-day session is as follows: 

Day 1: 5 February 2025

09:00 – 09:30: Arrival and Registration 09:30 – 10:30 Preliminary Session

09:30 – 09:45: Presentation of the Court’s Members

09:45 – 10:15: Opening Statement of the Prosecution

10:15 – 12:30: Case Hearings: Session 1

12:30 – 13:30: Lunch Break

13:30 – 15:00: Case Hearings: Session 2

15:00 – 15:15: Break

15:15 – 17:50: Case Hearings: Sessions 3

17:50 – 18:00: Announcements

Day 2: 6 February 2025

09:00 – 09:30: Arrival and Preparations

09:30 – 10:30: Case Hearings: Sessions 4

10:30 – 10:50: Break

10:50 – 12:30: Case Hearings: Sessions 5

12:30 – 13:30: Lunch Break

13:30 – 15:00: Case Hearings: Sessions 6

15:00 – 15:30: Closing Statement of the Prosecution

15:30 – 16:00: Legal Analysis: Accountability Under Turkish Legal Frameworks

16:00 – 17:30: Tribunal Deliberations (Private)

Break

17:30 – 18:00: Preliminary Findings