KCK sends a letter exposing Turkey's use of chemical weapons to international institutions

The KCK Foreign Relations Committee sent a letter to the representatives of Western countries in Hewlêr, the UN Secretary General, the Arab League and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) about Turkey's use of chemical weapons.

On behalf of the KCK Foreign Relations Committee, Roni Serdem, sent a letter to the representatives of many countries, including the US, Germany, France, Canada, England, the Netherlands and Russia, and to the EU representative office in Hewlêr, to the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, the Arab League, the political parties in the region and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) about Turkey's use of chemical weapons.

The letter exposes war crimes and the crimes against humanity committed by the Turkish state, and criticises the silence of the relevant forces.

The letter says: "With this letter we would like to draw your attention to an urgent issue: the use of chemical weapons by Turkey. The use of these weapons, which are banned by your institution, is clearly in violation of OPCW standards, norms and agreements. We know that many states, including Turkey, have signed treaties such as the Chemical Weapons Convention, thus committing themselves to not using any kinds of chemical or other banned weapons. In the past, we have seen how your organization, many governments and the international public reacted swiftly and strongly when Middle Eastern countries such as Syria or Iraq made us of chemical weapons. Unfortunately, we have not seen the same attitude when these banned weapons are being used systematically by the Turkish state in Syria, Iraq and Turkey."

The letter draws attention to "Turkey`s use of white phosphor during its occupation attack on the North Syrian city of Serekaniye in October 2019. As a result, many civilians were injured, including the young boy Mohammed Hamid Mohammed who suffered severe burns around his body. Despite a global outcry and huge attention by the international public, Turkey has not been condemned and punished for this crime by your organization. As a result of this silence of the international community and the OPCW, Turkey has been encouraged to use chemical weapons against the Kurdish resistance forces HPG (People`s Defense Forces) and civilians in South Kurdistan since April 23, 2021. Since the beginning of the Turkish invasion into South Kurdistan, that has been going on for the last five months in the vicinity of the guerrilla`s resistance tunnels and dozens of villages close to these areas, the Turkish army has been using chemical weapons systematically to annihilate the guerrilla forces and force the civilian population out of their homes. Despite this reality, not a single state or responsible international organization has taken action so far."

The letter criticizes the silence of international institutions "due to Turkey being their partner. For this reason, the many crimes committed by Turkey have so far been ignored and no action has been taken against the country. Although the AKP-MHP-government has committed an endless number of crimes against humanity and war crimes, such as the use of chemical weapons, it is still considered as a normal democratic country and a legitimate interlocutor." 

The KCK called in a recent report "for immediate action against Turkish war crimes. We share the concerns and demands listed in this report. Since the many crimes committed by Turkey have been comprehensively documented, it is now time to openly condemn the country and put the responsible Turkish state officials on trial."