A solidarity initiative against the execution of the Kurds Mazlum Dağ and Abdurahman Er, who were sentenced to death in South Kurdistan, has been launched in Bern.

The initiative has been launched in Switzerland to support the two Kurds Mazlum Dağ and Abdurahman Er, who were sentenced to death in southern Kurdistan after the attack in Erbil resulting in the death of a top MIT representative.

The launch of the initiative was announced in Bern on Wednesday by relatives of the two Kurds, as well as exile politicians and activists Demir Çelik, Fırat Anlı, Yurdusev Özsökmenler, Abdullah Demirbaş, Nejdet Atalay, Mine Çetinkaya, Ali Matur, Gernas Koçer and Lami Özgen.

As the spokesman for the newly founded initiative, Fırat Anlı, former co-mayor of Amed declared that the execution of the death penalty must be fought. Then Gernas Koçer read the founding declaration of the initiative.

The statement recalled the background to the events: Mazlum Dağ and Abdurahman Er were sentenced to death on 11 February by a criminal court in Hewlêr (Erbil). The two young men are accused of shooting the Turkish Vice Consul and secret service officer Osman Köse and two other people in a luxury restaurant in Hewlêr on 17 July 2019. Four other defendants received prison terms of up to two years. On 22 September, the sentences were upheld by the Court of Cassation. According to the legislation in the South Kurdish Autonomous Region, the execution order must be signed by the president.

"At the moment, Abdurrahman Er and Mazlum Dağ are in prison in Hewlêr awaiting the decision of the President of the Kurdistan Region," said the statement, which further adds that the death penalty is enshrined in legislation in Iraq and southern Kurdistan and many executions have already taken place there. That is also likely in the case of the two young Kurds.

The initiative's declaration goes on to say: “The relatives and loved ones of the two men are justifiably concerned and are waiting for the decision. That the process only took so short adds to concern. Most democratic countries have abolished death penalty. Lawyers, human rights defenders and humanitarian agencies have campaigned around the world against death penalty. The topic is still on the agenda of international human rights organizations.

We too are against executions and against death penalty. We believe that death penalty is not a solution. States should not execute people and death penalty must be abolished.

In this context, we work with the relatives of Abdurrahman Er and Mazlum Dağ to ensure that the death penalty imposed on them is not carried out. As a first step, we founded the initiative 'Solidarity with Abdurrahman Er and Mazlum Dağ against the death penalty'.”

The statement added: “We are launching a campaign against death penalty. We call on all human rights, legal, democratic and humanitarian organizations to show solidarity.

In this context, we appeal to the President of the Kurdistan Region, Mr Nerchivan Barzani: Don't sign the death sentence, prevent these executions!"