Christian Peace Foundation delegation under the CPT visited Qandil yesterday to inspect the scenes of aerial attacks on Qandil by the Turkish state and listen to the dissent of the Binare Qendil residents.

The delegation comprised of 5 women and 4 men was greeted by the people of Qendil and Binare Qendil Co-mayor Mihemed Hesen.

Binare Qendil Co-mayor Mihemed Hesen spoke first in the meeting. Hesen gave information on the damage the Turkish army caused to the people of the region through aerial attacks and stated that a new chapter was added to the Turkish army’s aerial attacks since 2007.

Hesen said Iran also shot artillery fire into the region until 2012 but these stopped after that date, while the Turkish state still continues to conduct attacks on the region. He stated that more than 20 civilians lost their lives, hundreds were wounded and the material damage was thousands of gardens, vinyards and animals being destroyed, resulting in migration, and added: “Some camps were set up for the affected but the people chose to live under bombardment as the conditions in there were very dire. Unfortunately, civilian institutions and human rights organizations can’t answer the needs of the people either.”

A delegation member named Nancy asked why Qandil was being bombed and Binare Qendil Co-mayor Hesen answered the question as: “Qandil has been the place of resistance against invasion movements imposed on Kurdistan. Like Erdoğan tore down cities and homes and killed hundreds of people in Northern Kurdistan, he employs the same policies here and in Rojava. Erdoğan’s nationalist policies are against the Kurdish people and this enmity knows no bounds.”

Delegation member Nancy said they were sorry for the American support for Erdoğan and that she would be informing the people of California of the pain the residents of Qandil endured. She added that they will also voice the discontent of the Qandil residents in the meeting they are to hold as a delegation in the American consulate in Hewler.

Dutch member of the delegation Dan said they were sorry for the Dutch support for Erdoğan, and added that the people of the Netherlands believed that Erdoğan’s dictatorship should not be aided in any way.

American delegation member Wilden said they held a demonstration in Berlin in protest of the Turkish army’s aerial attacks in Kurdistan and they exposed the aggression of the Turkish army to the whole world. Wilden said there is still so much to do, and that they will include such efforts in their planning.

Suzin from New York said: “I don’t call myself an American for two reasons. I say I’m from New York. First, America provides weapons and ammunition support to these states. And second, political borders should not be obstacles for people’s relationships. There is discrimination in America. I can understand the pain of the Kurdish people better. The United Nations is like a scale model. Through America, those countries have a veto power. For this, hopes can’t be tied to the UN for a permanent peace. States don’t find it in their interests to have peace. For this, the NGOs and the people should take steps for peace. We all must work for it, NGOs should work harder and better. The foundation should be laid by all of us.”

Swedish member of the delegation Elika Sayt said she will relay the concerns of the Qandil residents to the peoples of Sweden for sure, and that she is sorry for the Swedish state’s silence against Erdoğan’s murders.

Mam Şex from Beste village in Binare Qendil said many delegations visited Qandil in the past but nothing came of them and added: “I hope this delegation will make our voice heard in the world.”

Resident of the same village Mam Bapir said, “The Kurdish people are a peaceful people, but they are constantly subjected to violent approaches by the colonialists and states of the region,” and shared with the delegation the damage the Qandil residents suffered due to the bombings in detail. He concluded his speech with, “I hope this delegation can be a solution to the problems of these people.”

After the speeches, the CPT delegation visited the Martyr Gulan and Martyr Simko cemeteries in Qandil, where Mam Şêx recited a poem he wrote for a guerilla who lost his life in the fight for Kurdistan’s freedom. After the cemetery visit, Binare Qendil Co-mayor Mihemed Hesen told the CPT delegation that Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan has been held in İmralı for 18 years, there have been demonstrations in front of the CPT for this, and that the Kurdish People’s Leader spent great efforts for a permanent peace in Kurdistan. Hesen then gifted Öcalan’s book “Kurds in the throes of cultural genocide: The democratic nation solution” to the delegation.

The delegation set out to visit Cizre, one of the cities subjected to the Turkish state’s genocidal attacks in Northern Kurdistan but were met with obstacles by the Turkish state. The delegation attended the 2017 Amed Newroz when one of their members wasn’t allowed into Turkey and was deported because he is Kurdish.

The delegation works on prisons and the prevention of torture on a peace foundation, they also hold inspections in Southern Kurdistan. The delegation will present a report to the CPT on the dissent of the people of Qandil.