Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Şırnak member of the Parliament, Faysal Sarıyıldız, has written a letter to the United Nations Human Rights Council Commissariat to demand action for dozens of people trapped in a basement in Cizre for two weeks.

Sarıyıldız pointed out that more than 80 people have lost their lives in the so-called “counter-terrorism” operations that have been ceaselessly continuing in Şırnak's Cizre district since December 14th, 2015.

Remarking that hundreds have been wounded during the strict blockade, Sarıyıldız said most of those who have been more slightly wounded had to heal themselves with their own means as they could not go to hospital. Other injured people who could have been saved with simple medical intervention have lost their lives because they couldn't be taken to hospitals under the blockade.

HDP MP underlined that all efforts to agree with the Government of Turkey for the transfer of slain and wounded people who are in the basement of a building since January 23rd, 2016, have remained inconclusive.

“On January 26th, 2016, I personally have called the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to send an emergency medical team for the injured people in the basement of the building in Bostancı Sokak, No. 23, Cudi neighborhood of Cizre”, Sarıyıldız said, noting that there has been no response to this call for the time being.

As of the twelfth day of the incident, the efforts of the Chamber of Medicine of Turkey and the volunteering private health teams to reach the wounded and dead civilians are continuing. On the other hand, relatives of the wounded and slain people in the basement were taken into custody by security forces as they walked and reached up to 150 meters near the basement.

The letter stated that; “Against the unresponsiveness of the Government of Turkey, intellectuals and artists declared that they are ready to risk their lives to get those people out. The aim of this call is to reach the wounded people who need urgent medical attention. This is a case of emergency which needs urgent intervention.”

Sarıyıldız said they demand UN help to obtain an effective, positive response from the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and to provide urgent medical attention to the wounded.