Basel Canton Parliament calls for action for Afrin

Switzerland’s Basel Canton Parliament pointed out that the Turkish state kills civilians in Afrin and called for Switzerland and international forces to take action.

Reactions against the Turkish state and their allied gangs invading Afrin continue to grow. Switzerland’s Basel Canton Parliament has taken the invasion of Afrin on the agenda, and a group of MPs from various political parties have submitted an inquiry to the Canton Parliament demanding the Switzerland Federal Council and international powers take action on the matter.

The inquiry has been approved in a session with 88 MPs, with 72 Yes votes, 11 No votes and 5 undecided.

“INTERNATIONAL LAW IGNORED”

With to the approved inquiry, the Canton Parliament demands the Switzerland Federal Council to take action against the Turkish state’s invasion of Afrin and launch initiatives in the international arena.

The inquiry points out that Switzerland, as a party to the Geneva Convention, should not remain silent in the face of the events in Afrin and stated that the Turkish state has ignored international law and invaded territory of another country.

“TURKISH STATE KILLED CIVILIANS”

The inquiry states that the MPs have great concerns about the Turkish state attacks and invasion atttempts in the Kurdish regions in Syria and continues: “The Turkish state has invaded Afrin following the ground and air strikes they launched on January 20 along with jihadist groups. Not only has the Turkish state invaded Afrin, but they have also stated intent to take over and control the entirety of the Kurdish region in Syria. Hundreds of civilians lost their lives as a result of the bombings to date, and thousands have had to flee the war zone. Human rights organizations have announced in March that close to 300 civilians including children lost their lives in the Turkish state attacks, while over 250.000 people have had to migrate.”

“ERDOĞAN BOMBS KURDS THAT THE WORLD SALUTES”

The inquiry points out the Kurds’ fight against ISIS: “Kurds in Syria have fought an important fight and defeated ISIS in both their own region and in others. The victory the Kurds achieved against ISIS has been saluted throughout the world, but Erdoğan now bombs the Kurds that the world salutes. We can’t remain silent in the face of this. A democratic system important for the future of te region is being built in Northern Syria under the lead of the Kurds. The democratic system being built in the region creates hope for the future. In a sense, Erdoğan wants to destroy this very system.”

“SWITZERLAND AND INTERNATIONAL POWERS SHOULD TAKE ACTION”

“The international community and Switzerland can’t turn a blind eye to the events and abandon the peoples of Northern Syria to face their fate,” says the inquiry and continues:

“The Turkish state has ignored international law in Afrin and Northern Syria in general and committed severe rights violations. Switzerland, the home of the Geneva Convention, must not remain silent in the face of this. The European Union and the United Nations also should not watch silently the invasion and military attacks by the Turkish state. We demand that both Switzerland and international powers and institutions take urgent action against the Turkish state attacks against civilians, and deliver humanitarian aid to the displaced peoples.”