As part of the 57th Human Rights Sessions of the UN Human Rights Council, which started on 7 September and will continue until 7 October, a conference entitled ‘Human rights in Turkey – Ongoing crimes against the Kurdish people’ was organised by the Movement Against Racism and for Friendship between Peoples (MRAP) and the Geneva Kurdish Human Rights Association.

The conference, in which the historical crimes committed by the Turkish state against the Kurdish people and the absolute isolation conditions of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan were discussed, was attended by Prof. Hans-Lukas Kieser, Historian at the University of Zurich, Cengiz Çandar, DEM Party MP for Diyarbakır and Adem Uzun, Member of the Kurdistan National Congress (KNK).

Prof. Kieser: Crimes against the Kurdish people have historical continuity

The conference was chaired by Gianfranco Fattorini, Permanent Representative of MRAP to the UN. Prof. Hans-Lukas Kieser, who made a presentation on the historical roots of the crimes committed against the Kurdish people, started his speech by saying: “In order to understand the current oppression and crimes committed by the Turkish state against the Kurdish people in Turkey and beyond, it is essential to look at their historical background.” Underlining that the Turkish state has a historical tradition of ignoring minorities, especially Kurds, Prof. Kieser said, “In this sense, the crimes committed against the Kurdish people are not new, these crimes have historical continuity.”

Underlining that the consequences of the Treaty of Lausanne were severe for the Kurds, Prof. Kieser said, “The Kurds, who were ignored in the Treaty of Lausanne, have been subjected to a policy of denial in the 4 parts of Kurdistan since.”

Recalling the massacres suffered by the Kurds, such as Zilan, Halabja and Shengal, Prof. Kieser noted that Kurds still preserve their existence today despite the grave crimes they were subjected to. “Despite the severe genocides and policies, Kurds are today more visible both in their own region and in the international arena with their organised forces,” he stated.

Cengiz Çandar: It is very difficult to talk about the existence of democracy in Turkey

After Prof. Kieser, Cengiz Çandar, DEM Party MP for Diyarbakır, took the floor. Çandar pointed out that it is difficult to talk about the existence of democracy in Turkey at the current stage and said: “Although Turkey was one of the first countries to sign the European Convention on Human Rights, it is very difficult to talk about the existence of democracy in Turkey today.”

Referring to Turkey’s Syria policy, Çandar said that one of the biggest reasons for the deepening of the war in Syria is the presence of the Turkish state: “Turkey maintains its military presence in Syria. Many Kurdish regions are occupied and controlled by Turkey.”

Noting that the Turkish state's Syria policy is based on its hostile policies against the Kurdish people, Çandar stated that despite the economic crisis in the country, Turkey is investing most of its national income in the war.

Çandar also touched upon the human rights violations perpetrated by the Erdoğan regime.

Adem Uzun: The policy of cultural genocide against the Kurdish people continues

KNK Member Adem Uzun made a presentation on the torture conditions experienced by the Kurdish People's Leader, Abdullah Öcalan.

Kurdish politician Adem Uzun remarked that the history of Turkey is known for genocide against minorities living in the country, and these genocide policies continue today. Uzun said, “The policy of not only physical but also political and cultural genocide against the Kurdish people continues today.”

Uzun, who devoted the rest of his presentation to the isolation conditions in which Abdullah Öcalan finds himself, said: “For 42 months, there has been no news from Abdullah Öcalan, who is recognised as a leader by millions of people globally. Öcalan is kept in a state of absolute incommunication as a whole. The Turkish state does not apply any law in İmralı, clearly violating all universal conventions such as the UN, the EU, the Geneva Conventions and the Nelson Mandela Rules.”

Adem Uzun underlined that the insistence on deadlock in the Kurdish question is at the root of many problems in Turkey and noted that the Turkish state has stayed away from solving the problem despite all the efforts made by Abdullah Öcalan.

Adem Uzun stated that the Kurdish question is an international issue and added the following: “Kurdistan is divided between 4 states. It was the European powers, including Britain and France, who created this fragmentation. Today, the Turkish state's war against the Kurds is due to the unconditional support given to Turkey by the US and other NATO members for decades.”

‘Öcalan's proposed solutions and ideas have an international dimension’

Adem Uzun emphasised that Abdullah Öcalan's proposed solutions and ideas have an international dimension: “Abdullah Öcalan's political solution framework to the Kurdish question can end the century-long war and oppression in Turkey and neighbouring countries. Again, with his theories, Mr Öcalan proposes a fundamental solution to the global problems we face today and offers a new alternative.”

Pointing to concerns about the safety and health of Abdullah Öcalan, Uzun continued: “Isolation is recognised internationally as a form of torture. The continuation of this torture for more than 3 years is extremely dangerous. We do not know anything about Öcalan's fate except the allegations that he has recently received ‘disciplinary penalties’ and death threats to prevent talks.”

‘UN Human Rights Council should urgently send a delegation to İmralı’

Adem Uzun emphasised that international authorities, especially the UN, could no longer remain silent in the face of Abdullah Öcalan's conditions and made the following call: “Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan should be allowed to meet with his lawyers and family, appropriate conditions should be created for him to play a role in finding a just and democratic solution to Turkey's decades-old Kurdish question, and he should be freed. The UN Human Rights Council should urgently send a delegation to İmralı and ensure that Öcalan's torture conditions end. If the Turkish state continues this situation, Turkey should be subjected to concrete sanctions.”