ANKARA - KCDK-E wrote a letter to OPCW Director-General Fernando Arias, and said: "Break your silence, stop Turkey's use of chemical weapons!"

 

The European Democratic Kurdistan Community Congress (KCDK-E) wrote a letter to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), reminding the use of chemical weapons of Turkey in the Federated Kurdistan region.

 

The letter is as follows: 

 

"Today, the People’s Defence Forces (HPG) published a statement concerning the deaths of 17 of its fighters killed in Iraq in chemical weapons attacks by the Turkish military. For the past two years, Kurdish and international organisations have been trying to draw attention to Turkey's use of banned chemical weapons, which constitute war crimes. In a recent report, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), a renowned, non-partisan organisation, called on the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to investigate these reports. It is the responsibility of the OPCW, and especially the Director-General of the OPCW, to hold its member state Turkey accountable for these crimes. However, at present, the DirectorGeneral and the member states of the OPCW, through their silence, continue to condone and facilitate the Erdogan regime’s continued war crimes despite Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar’s public admission of the use of banned weapons in attacks on Kurds in Iraq.

 

The OPCW exists to eliminate chemical weapons and the threat of their use, and should not allow itself to be influenced by political pressure. Earlier this year, the OPCW issued a statement to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the 1987 chemical weapons attack on the Kurds of Sardasht, Iran, and called for steps to be taken to “ensure tragedies such as Sardasht are not repeated”. A decade after this horrific attack, the OPCW was founded and today 193 countries have committed to the Chemical Weapons Convention. 

 

In the face of ongoing war crimes, the OPCW must serve its purpose and take urgent action, regardless of whether or not the perpetrator of today’s illegal chemical weapons attacks is a member of NATO.

 

The OPCW has shown its willingness to investigate recent allegations of the use of chemical weapons in the region. In Douma and Ghouta in Syria, based on indications of the use of chemical weapons, the OPCW mobilised and sent a delegation to investigate the situation. International action aimed at preventing war crimes and enforcing international treaties should not be implemented selectively. In matters of human rights, action cannot and should not be taken according to political interests. It is now time for the OPCW to heed the call of the Kurdish people and international experts including the IPPNW and address the Turkish military’s use

of chemical weapons. The use of chemical weapons by Turkey and all OPCW member states should be investigated, condemned, and stopped immediately."

 

It was noted that the same mail should be sent by everyone to the following e-mail address: fernando.arias@opcw.org