The Co-Presidency of the KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) Executive Council released a statement calling for support for the rightful stance of the patriotic people of Maxmur which the Iraqi army has been trying to isolate by surrounding the refugee camp with barbed wire and towers.

The KCK statement reads as follows:

“The Iraqi state has recently taken an attitude leading to the besieging of the Maxmur refugee camp. This situation has led to tensions in the camp. The tensions between the people of the camp and the forces of the Iraqi state apparently still continue and two patriots from the camp were wounded in the brawl that broke out. First of all, we would like to wish a speedy recovery for the two wounded patriots. The Iraqi state must end the siege against the Maxmur refugee camp and put an end to these tensions. The Iraqi state should focus on solving the existing problems through dialog, not through military force, siege and pressure. The people living in the Maxmur refugee camp do not have any problems with the Iraqi state. And the Iraqi state has no problem that it cannot solve with the refugees living in the camp.

The people living in Maxmur camp have the status of political refugees and should be treated accordingly. The allegations that the Turkish state has been making about the Maxmur refugee camp are completely baseless. Maxmur camp is a civilian camp. The people living there had to leave their lands due to the persecution of the Turkish state and consequently settled in Iraq. Until today, they have faced thousands of difficulties, but based on great will and solidarity, they have struggled against the difficulties and tried to hold on to life. For decades, the Maxmur refugee camp has had an official status under the UN laws concerning refugees. Therefore, Maxmur refugee camp is legally under the protection of the UN. This position and status of Maxmur camp continues to this day. Therefore, it is within the scope of the UN laws on refugees. As a requirement of these laws, the Iraqi state also has responsibilities towards the Maxmur refugee camp. Because the Iraqi state is a member of the UN and is responsible for implementing UN law. The responsibility of the Iraqi state is to ensure the security of life and property of the refugees in accordance with UN law and to support the refugees on basic humanitarian issues. The Iraqi state has acted according to this responsibility, albeit at a minimum level, and there have been no problems between the Iraqi state and the Maxmur refugee camp until today.

However, in recent years, as a result of the increasing pressure from the Turkish state, both the UN and the Iraqi state have failed to uphold their responsibilities. Although the Maxmur refugee camp is under the protection of the UN, the Iraqi UN representation does not recognize its responsibility and does not take any stance against the attacks of the Turkish state on the camp. Tens of people from the camp have been killed and wounded as a result of the attacks of the Turkish state. However, by not taking a stance against this, the Iraqi UN representation both fails to do its duty and legitimizes the attacks of the Turkish state. The Iraqi state, on the other hand, has supported the Turkish state’s plan to destroy the Maxmur refugee camp with its recent attitude. The Iraqi state should change this negative attitude and act according to its responsibility, not according to the pressure of the Turkish state. The claim that the Maxmur refugee camp is a military camp and that military activities are being carried out there is a fabrication of the Turkish state and has no truth to it. The Turkish state is trying to justify and legitimize the attacks against the Maxmur camp with such baseless allegations.

The Iraqi state should not act according to these baseless allegations. It should focus on solving the problems through dialog, talks and discussions with the people of the camp. We believe that the existing problems will be solved through dialog. We hope that an approach within this framework will be taken as a basis and that the problems will thus be solved. On the other hand, we call on the international organizations, especially the UN, to act responsibly and to uphold their responsibilities against the impositions of the Turkish state. The Iraqi state and the UN must act responsibly in order to resolve the problems related to the Maxmur refugee camp without causing tensions and conflict. International official institutions and democratic NGOs should also be sensitive and make efforts to resolve the problems related to the Maxmur camp, which has refugee status according to UN law, through dialogue.

The people and democratic forces of Kurdistan must support the rightful stance of the patriotic people of Maxmur, who have not given way to any provocations, and must not leave the people of the camp alone. The solidarity of the patriotic people of Kurdistan and sensitive democratic groups with the Maxmur camp is very important.”