Kameran Osman, a member of the Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT), spoke to Rojnews about the CPT delegation’s visit to the border regions of South and North Kurdistan (Iraq-Turkey) and the impact of Abdullah Öcalan’s historic call for Peace and a Democratic Society in the region.
Kameran Osman reported that the Turkish army increased its attacks by 145 percent following Öcalan’s call on February 27, stating, “A total of 118 attacks and bombings were recorded in March. 210 attacks were carried out in April; 510 attacks in May; and 550 attacks in June. In the month of July, when the guerrillas burned their weapons in a symbolic ceremony, attacks decreased to 18. In August, 16 attacks were recorded, while in September and October, there were no attacks. Since 2015, we had not seen a single month without Turkish attacks.”
The rate of attacks this year higher than last year
Kameran Osman shared the following information about the Turkish state’s attacks in the region: “The rate of attacks this year was higher than last year, although there was no peace process in the latter. While 1,548 attacks were recorded last year, as many as 1,696 bombings have been carried out this year despite the peace process. Last year, 35 civilians were harmed in Turkey’s attacks. This year the number dropped to six.”
Turkish army is taking advantage of the peace process
Kameran Osman reported that the Turkish state has built 139 military centers and bases in South Kurdistan, saying: “The Turkish army is taking advantage of the peace process to surround all its military bases with concrete walls and build helicopter landing pads inside the bases. Roads and streets leading to these bases are being constructed. To this end, the Turkish state has cut down a number of trees over the past two months. Some days, as many as 90 tractors have transported felled trees in the Zap, Nêrwe, and Rêkaniyan regions to the Turkish border. They are taking these trees to factories in Turkey to use in furniture production. They then sell the products they produce there back to the market in South Kurdistan. In other words, they are selling our trees back to us.”
183 villages completely evacuated
Kameran Osman remarked that the Turkish state is preventing citizens from returning to their villages and lands, stating, “There are 1,190 villages in the Kurdistan Region affected by Turkey’s attacks. Of these, 183 have been completely evacuated. Since the process began, no citizen has been able to return home.”
Mosques, schools, hospitals, and homes destroyed
Kameran Osman went on to say: “The economic infrastructure in these regions must be taken into account because mosques, schools, hospitals, and citizens’ homes have been destroyed. If the peace process is brought to a succesful end, it is very important that the Kurdistan Region be included in the process. All Turkish military centers and bases in South Kurdistan should be closed, and citizens should return to their villages and lands. The Turkish army should pay compensation to citizens. The governments of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region are also responsible for the process of citizens returning to their villages.”
Iraqi and Kurdistan Regional governments failed to fulfill their duty
Kameran Osman added that they have not witnessed any initiative by the Kurdistan Regional Government to participate in the peace process to date, stating, “The regional government has done nothing to hold the Turkish state accountable for paying compensation to citizens for the reconstruction of villages. Instead of preventing the Turkish army’s operations, the regional government committed great injustice by not recording the deaths of civilians killed in Turkish state attacks. The cause of deaths was only listed as an explosion in the documents. The Iraqi and Kurdistan Regional governments failed to fulfill their duty to ensure the safety of civilians.”
Regarding the arrest of citizens who opposed the occupation, Osman stated: “The trials of the Behdinan citizens cannot be considered separately from Turkey’s operations. As the CPT, we were able to attend the trials of 26 of the 81 Behdinan citizens. Most of the charges are for aiding the PKK. They were also tried on other charges. Some of the prisoners were individuals who participated in the demonstration against the Turkish bases in Sheladize in January 2019.”
Locals sentenced to prison for demanding an end to Turkish attacks
Kameran Osman announced that some citizens were sentenced to three years in prison because they had sent a letter to the German Consulate demanding pressure be exerted on Turkey to stop its attacks: “Those who translated these letters into other languages were also sentenced to two and a half years in prison. There are many people who have been subject to pressure for reacting to the Turkish army’s attacks.”
Christian villages evacuated, churches destroyed
The CPT member also addressed the events in the Christian villages of Behdinan and the destruction caused by the Turkish state in the region, saying: “There are dozens of Christian villages along the border, and these have been evacuated. Last year, two churches were destroyed in the Kurdistan Region. Due to the Turkish army’s bombings, Christians in Dola Nehle and Berwarî Bala are unable to perform their religious worship. Christians in the region have also been targeted by attacks, just like Muslim Kurds.”
The governments of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region must claim these lands
Kameran Osman concluded: “Following Mr. Öcalan’s call, the PKK responded to attacks only 11 times. This was a response to direct attacks aimed at them. Based on the data we have, we can say that the governments of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region must claim these lands.”