UN demands unhindered access to South-East Turkey

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Turkey-PKK conflict: UN report '2,000 dead since truce collapse



When a man in the Turkish town of Cizre was told his sister had been killed, his family was invited to pick up her remains from the public prosecutor's office.

But all they received were three small pieces of charred flesh - and no information on how she died.

His account from February 2016 is among many included in a new UN report on Turkish government operations in the country's mainly Kurdish south-east.

UN investigators found some 2,000 people were killed in 18 months of fighting, and accuse Turkish forces of serious human rights violations.

The killings, disappearances and instances of torture documented in the report took place during a surge in violence after the ceasefire between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) broke down in July 2015.

In the case of the woman killed in Cizre, whose name was not published in the report, UN investigators found that, when her sister called for those responsible to be punished and she tried to pursue legal action, she was charged with terrorism offences.

As well as thousands killed or detained, the UN says between 350,000 and 500,000 people were displaced by the fighting between July 2015 and December 2016.

Satellite imagery also showed the "enormous scale of destruction of the housing stock by heavy weaponry".

But despite the serious allegations, "no credible investigation has been conducted" by the Turkish government, UN rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein said.

The government had "contested the veracity of the very serious allegations made" in the report, he said.

The administration of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has not commented independently on the findings.

The UN Human Rights Office report relied on confidential and public accounts, satellite imagery and other sources because the Turkish government has failed to grant investigators access to the areas affected by anti-PKK operations.

It recorded incidents that took place during government operations that affected more than 30 towns and neighbourhoods. The most serious abuses took place during periods of curfew imposed for several days at a time, it said.

For its part, the Turkish government did provide investigators with information indicating that the PKK, which the administration considers a terrorist organisation, "had conducted a number of violent attacks that caused deaths and injuries among Turkish security forces and other individuals".

The PKK has also been involved, according to the government, in "kidnappings, including of children; digging trenches and placing roadblocks in cities and towns; and preventing medical services from delivering emergency health services".

Turkey has been fighting a Kurdish insurgency in its south-east for decades.

The PKK launched an armed struggle against the Turkish government in 1984, calling for an independent Kurdish state within Turkey.

Since then, tens of thousands of people have died.

Link to Article - Map - Photos - Video:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-39228548#

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UN report on the destruction and rights violations in North Kurdistan

The UN Human Rights Office on Friday published a report detailing allegations of massive destruction, killings and numerous other serious human rights violations committed between July 2015 and December 2016 in southeast Turkey, during Government security operations that have affected more than 30 towns and neighbourhoods and displaced between 335,000 and half a million people, mostly of Kurdish origin.

The report describes the extent of the destruction in the town of Nusaybin, in Mardin Province, where 1,786 buildings appear to have been destroyed or damaged, and the Sur district of Diyarbakir, where the local government estimates that 70 percent of the buildings in the eastern part of the district were systematically destroyed by shelling. The destruction apparently continued even after the security operations ended, reaching a peak during the month of August 2016. Before-and-after satellite images from Nusaybin and Sur show entire neighbourhoods razed to the ground.

The UN Human Rights Office is “particularly alarmed about the results of satellite imagery analysis, which indicate an enormous scale of destruction of the housing stock by heavy weaponry,” the report states.

Heavy damage is also reported from a number of other towns, including Cizre, in Şirnak Province, where witnesses and family members of victims “painted an apocalyptic picture of the wholesale destruction of neighbourhoods” where, in early 2016, up to 189 men, women and children were trapped for weeks in basements without water, food, medical attention and power before being killed by fire, induced by shelling.

“The subsequent demolition of the buildings destroyed evidence and has therefore largely prevented the basic identification and tracing of mortal remains,” the report continues. “Moreover, instead of opening an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the reported excessive use of force, recourse to heavy weapons and the resulting deaths, the local authorities accused the people killed of participating in terrorist organizations and took repressive measures affecting members of their families.”

The report describes how one woman’s family “was invited by the public prosecutor to collect her remains, which consisted of three small pieces of charred flesh, identified by means of a DNA match. The family did not receive an explanation as to how she was killed nor a forensic report. The victim’s sister, who called for accountability of those responsible for her death and attempted to pursue a legal process, was charged with terrorist offences.”

The report also cited information received from the Government of Turkey indicating that the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which the Government considers a terrorist organization, “had conducted a number of violent attacks that caused deaths and injuries among Turkish security forces and other individuals. The PKK has also been involved, according to the Government, in kidnappings, including of children; digging trenches and placing roadblocks in cities and towns; and preventing medical services from delivering emergency health services.”

The UN Human Rights Office says it has been seeking access to the affected parts of southeast Turkey for almost a year, to independently investigate allegations of serious human rights violations. In the absence of meaningful access, the report – the first in a series – was produced through remote monitoring, using both public and confidential sources, satellite imagery and interviews to gather information about the conduct and impact of the security operations in the southeast of the country.

The report also documents accounts of torture, enforced disappearances, incitement to hatred, prevention of access to emergency medical care, food, water and livelihoods, and violence against women, as well as expressing concern “about the post-security operation policies of expropriation,” citing a number of examples including the Council of Ministers’ March 2016 decision, which reportedly resulted in the expropriation of up to 100 per cent of all land plots in Sur.

Measures taken under the state of emergency following the attempted coup of July 2016, including the dismissal of more than 100,000 people from public or private sector jobs during the reporting period, have also deeply affected the human rights situation in the southeast. Some 10,000 teachers were reportedly dismissed on suspicion of having links with the PKK, without due process. The use of counter-terrorism legislation to remove democratically elected officials of Kurdish origin, the severe harassment of independent journalists, the closure of independent and Kurdish language media and citizen’s associations and the mass suspension of judges and prosecutors have also severely weakened checks and balances and human rights protections.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein acknowledged the complex challenges Turkey has faced in addressing the attempted coup of July 2016 and in responding to a series of terror attacks. However, he said the apparent significant deterioration of the human rights situation in the country is cause for alarm and would only serve to deepen tensions and foster instability.

“I am particularly concerned by reports that no credible investigation has been conducted into hundreds of alleged unlawful killings, including women and children over a period of 13 months between late July 2015 and the end of August of 2016. It appears that not a single suspect was apprehended and not a single individual was prosecuted,” High Commissioner Zeid said.

“The Government of Turkey has failed to grant us access, but has contested the veracity of the very serious allegations made in this report. But the gravity of the allegations, the scale of the destruction and the displacement of more than 355,000 people mean that an independent investigation is both urgent and essential.”

Please follow links bellow:

The full report can be accessed here: http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countrie ... ch2017.pdf

Link to satellite imagery showing the scale of the destruction: http://cern.ch/unosat-sdn/ohchr/turkey/samples.zip

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In order to substantiate facts and ascertain the allegations presented in this report, OHCHR reiterates its request to the Turkish Government for a full and unhindered access to South East Turkey. OHCHR stands ready to provide support
to the Government of Turkey in the spirit of open dialogue and cooperation.

84. OHCHR invites Turkey to consider implementing the following recommendations:

85. Ensure that every loss of life that occurred in the course of security operations in South - East Turkey is duly investigated and that perpetrators of unlawful killings are brought to justice

86. Discontinue the imposition of unannounced open-ended, 24 hours curfews

87. Take the measures necessary to guarantee that security and law enforcement officials do not resort to excessive use of force during security operations;

88. Ensure effective preparations for victims and family members whose human rights have been affected by security operations

89. Ensure guarantees for the right to the truth in relation to alleged enforced disappearances in particular as a first step
in establishing a publicly accessible and complete register of persons killed and detained in the context of security operations

-90. Allow access for independent, victim centred and gender sensitive assessment of the humanitarian and rotection needs of the displaced population;

91. Ensure that reconstruction programmes are planned and implemented through meaningful consultation with and
participation of the affected population including by protecting the cultural heritage of the region and by addressing the root causes of grievances in South-East Turkey

92. While taking note of the preliminary observations of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment following his visit to Turkey, OHCHR encourages Turkey to continue cooperating with
the Special Rapporteur under his mandate

93. In relation to deprivation of liberty, fully respect the provisions of article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. To the extent that Turkey derogates from this provision, following its notification of July 2016, any measures taken in that respect should not exceed those strictly required by the exigencies of the situation in accordance with article 4 of the Covenant
.
94. Carry out an independent review of the effects and extent of the counter -terrorism legislation and measures imposed on unclear grounds and without due process, which result in severe limitations upon the work of journalists and academics; the closure of Kurdish language media; citizens' associations and universities;

95. While taking note of the preliminary observations of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression following his visit to Turkey, including his call for immediate release of all those held in prison for exercising their rights to freedom of opinion and expression, OHCHR encourages Turkey to continue cooperating with the Special Rapporteur under his mandate

96. While taking note of the information provided by the Government of Turkey, including the reasons for the deprivation of liberty of some members of parliament reconsider the collective arrests and/or removal from office of democratically elected parliamentarians and municipal representatives in South East Turkey and ensure that the judicial proceedings
are effectively conducted in line with the principles of the rule of law and in compliance with the State’s human rights international obligations

97. Revoke the provision of Decree KHK/674, which provides for the appointment of “trustees” at the municipal level in South East Turkey and reinstate the democratically elected co-mayors. Ensure in this regard due consideration to the right to vote, women’s rights and the right to be free from discrimination;

98. Take the necessary measures to guarantee that officials refrain from pronouncing messages of intolerance and
that may incite violence, hostility or discrimination and condemn publically such statements

99. Create legal, structural and other conditions to establish a national human rights nstitution fully compliant with international standards, as well as a National Preventive Mechanism under the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, as appropriate

100. Following the declaration of the national state of emergency and the related derogation from certain civil and political rights, revisit emergency measures so that they are limited to the extent strictly required by the exigencies of the situation, meaning that they must be proportional and limited to what is necessary in terms of duration, geographic coverage and material scope.