Human Rights Association demands investigation about ‘Gare’

* Photo: İHD

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The Human Rights Association (İHD) has released a statement about the death of 13 security personnel who had been abducted and held by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq.

Making a statement yesterday (February 14), Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar announced that the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) concluded its "Operation Claw Eagle-2" in the territory of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq's north and the dead bodies of 13 people, held by the PKK, were found in a cave in the Gara (Garê) area.

In its statement about the issue, the İHD has said, "It is understood from the statement of the General Staff that the operation also aimed to rescue these abducted persons. What has saddened us all is that these persons have lost their lives and a massacre took place."

Read out by İHD Co-Chair Öztürk Türkdoğan, the statement has read, "We extend our condolences to the grieved families of the ones who lost their lives. We are really sorry that we could not save them alive."

Condemning the ones who caused the death of 13 people, the İHD has underlined that they need to be brought to account before the court.

'Fate and whereabouts of Vardar still unknown'

The İHD statement has noted that the families of some of the abducted officers applied to the association as well. "With the restart of the armed conflicts on July 24, 2015, the PKK/HPG restarted abducting civilian people and security personnel," the statement has read and added:

"Thanks to the efforts of human rights organizations, all of these abducted persons could be rescued alive and reunited with their families."

"20 customs officials abducted in July-August 2015 period were received by the İHD from the PKK/HPG in Iraqi Federal Kurdistan Region and brought to Turkey," the İHD has said and briefly continued as follows:

"As for the soldiers, police officers and intelligence officials who were intercepted by the PKK/HPG during road controls, they have not been released despite the six years that have passed since then.

"According to the applications made to the İHD Central Office, police officer Vedat Kaya was abducted on the Diyarbakır-Bingöl Highway on July 24, 2015; police officer Sedat Yabalak was abducted on the Diyarbakır-Bingöl Highway on July 28, 2015; specialist sergeant Hüseyin Sarı and privates Sedat Sorgun and Süleyman Sungur were abducted on the Diyarbakır-Lice Highway on August 13, 2015; non-commissioned officer Semih Özbey was abducted on the Dersim Erzincan Highway on September 18, 2015; privates Müslüm Altuntaş and Adil Kavaklı were abducted on the Dersim-Pülümür Highway on October 2, 2015; specialist sergeants Sedat Vardar and Ferdi Polat were abducted in central Şırnak province on December 12, 2015; and specialized sergeants Ümit Gıcır and Mevlüt Kahveci were abducted in Hakkari on September 21, 2016.

"Of the abducted ones, the fates and whereabouts of Sedat Vardar and Ferdi Polat had been unknown; two years later, the authorities informed the family of Polat that he lost his life shortly after he had been abducted. As for the fate and whereabouts of Vardar, it is still unknown."

Listing the initiatives it had taken for the abducted persons over the course of this process, the İHD has noted that all of these initiatives failed and the government remained insensitive to the issue.

Call to the parties and authorities

The İHD has made the following calls:

"The PKK, as required by the humanitarian law, is responsible for the lives of the people that it has abducted. Its responsibility in this incident is obvious. If there are still people abducted and held by the organization, we call on in to release these people as soon as possible.

"We are making a call to the state/ government authorities. It is apparent that the General Staff will be held accountable for the possible consequences of carrying out a highly risky military operation in a place where the abducted persons were being held. The government must take a step about this issue and launch an administrative investigation.

"All information and documents relating to the military operations must be shared with the authorized Chief Prosecutor's Office.

"The Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) must investigate this issue and bring it to light by setting up an investigation commission. (AS/SD)