"The State Violated the Right to Life by Punishing Collectively”

The Association for Human Rights and Solidarity for the Oppressed (MAZLUMDER) prepared a report about the eight-day-old curfew in Cizre district of Şırnak province in southeastern Turkey.

MAZLUMDER Conflict Resolution Group prepared the report:

“The State violated the inherent right to life by punishing collectively.”

24 paged report includes observations, opinions and requests of MAZLUMDER.

MAZLUMDER delegation observed the quarters in Cizre like Nur, Yafes and Cudi.

Observations

* Telephone network of the district isn’t working. Water supply network was damaged due to bombing attacks so the water supply was cut off.

* Electric transformers were damaged by both security forces and YDG-H so the electric was off during the curfew.

* Snipers shot down people; injured or killed them.

* 12-13 armored vehicles became useless due to bombing attacks.

* Security forces shelled quarters of Cizre district; apartments and gardens were destroyed.

Opinions

* Everything paused during the curfew; electricity, water and telephone lines were off, public services stopped and Cizre people were deprived of basic needs like food and water. Most of the injured civilians couldn’t be taken to the hospitals and died on the way.

* The state intervened in with armored vehicles, heavy guns and explosives and violated the inherent right to life by punishing collectively.

* The curfew, bombardments, the sound of clashes and untrue statements of the state officials about the number of the casualties made Cizre people traumatic and angry.

Requests

* PKK should shun civil environments and YDG-H should stop using violence and illegality.

* The state officials should apologize since they ignored the death of civilians.

* A legal action should be launched against the officials who were responsible for the cut of electricity, water and phone lines.

* Security forces who had willful neglect and defect should be laid off and the legal procedures should be issued against them and so the public conscious should be relieved. (EA/BD)

 Click here to read the article in Turkish