NEWS CENTER - 131 intellectuals and politicians wrote an open letter to the OPCW, Turkey and Iraq regarding Turkey's use of chemicals in the Federated Kurdistan Region.

 

131 people, including academics, activists, trade unionists, civil society representatives and politicians, published an open letter on Turkey's use of chemical weapons. In the letter published with a request to investigate the use of chemical weapons against HPG members in the Federated Kurdistan Region, a call was made to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the governments of Turkey, Iraq and Federated Kurdistan.

 

The open letter is as follows: 

 

“On the occasion of November 30, the Day of Remembrance of all Victims of Chemical Warfare, we write with deep concern about disturbing allegations of the use of prohibited weapons by the Turkish military in its ongoing military operations against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Moreover, we are writing at a time in which the Turkish state is once again targeting civilians inside Syria and mobilizing for another possible ground invasion.

 

On October 18, local media released video footage showing the impacts of alleged chemical weapons exposure on two PKK guerrillas. Both were among 17 of the group’s fighters who lost their lives as a result of alleged chemical attacks in recent months.

 

The footage followed a report published by the NGO International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) last month that examined other allegations of Turkish chemical weapons use and called for an international investigation based on its findings.

 

In 2021, human rights monitors and local media reported at least once instance of civilian harm potentially caused by alleged Turkish chemical weapons use. The authors of the IPPNW report attempted to meet with the impacted civilians, but were blocked from doing so by the Kurdistan Regional Government.

 

We understand that the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) can only investigate allegations of chemical weapons use when a request is made by a state party. 

 

However, it is our view that these existing mechanisms do not reflect the realities of warfare today. Peoples without states and non-state political and military actors are deeply involved in modern conflicts. So are autocratic regimes that stifle the voices of those who wish to hold their governments to account for their behavior in war.

 

Both of these conditions are relevant here. The Kurdish people do not have a government that can speak up for them. They live under repressive regimes with powerful allies in the West—Turkey, for example, is supported by its NATO allies despite consistent evidence of serious human rights abuses.

 

This means that, while Kurds are disproportionately more likely to be subjected to war crimes and violations of international law as a result of their status as an oppressed minority, they are also disproportionately less likely to have access to justice mechanisms to hold perpetrators accountable.

 

In order to be effective, human rights law and the laws of war must be implemented as universally as possible, free from political considerations. There should be as many avenues as possible for credible allegations of human rights violations and violations of the laws of war to be investigated by impartial international bodies—particularly serious violations like the use of prohibited weapons.

 

Furthermore, these investigations should not simply be aimed at the historical record. They should build towards justice and accountability for all who violate international law, as well as durable political solutions to ongoing conflicts.

 

To that end, we the undersigned make the following recommendations:

 

To the OPCW:

 

Amend investigation procedures to allow greater access to justice and accountability for alleged chemical weapons use.

Investigate allegations that Turkey may have used chemical weapons in Iraqi Kurdistan.

To the government of Turkey:

 

End all cross-border military activity in Iraq and Syria immediately.

Cooperate fully with local and international investigations of alleged chemical weapons use and other alleged war crimes and human rights abuses and hold perpetrators accountable if violations are found.

Return to peace negotiations with the PKK to resolve the Kurdish issue by political means.

To the Kurdistan Regional Government:

 

Allow international investigators full access to impacted regions and communities to determine if Turkey has used chemical weapons in its military operations.

To concerned governments:

 

Request an investigation of alleged Turkish chemical weapons use via existing OPCW mechanism.

End arms sales and security assistance to Turkey.

Pressure Turkey to end cross-border military operations in Iraq and Syria.

Support and assist in return to peace negotiations between Turkey and the PKK to resolve the Kurdish issue by political means.

To international civil society:

 

Support the demands listed here by signing this letter and engaging with relevant governments and international institutions.”

 

SIGNATORIES

 

Souad Abdelrahman, Head of Palestine Women’s Association - Palestine

 

Dr Goran Abdullah - Scotland

 

Ismet Agirman, Kurdish activist - UK

 

Prof Dr Tayseer A. Alousi, Secretary General of the Arab Assembly for Supporting Kurdish Issue and President Sumerian Observatory for Human Rights - Netherlands

 

Dr Maha Al-Sakban, Centre for Women’s Human Rights board member - Iraq

 

Mick Antoniw MS, Senedd Constituency Member, Welsh Labour Group, Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution - Wales

 

Chiara Aquino, PhD Candidate, University of Edinburgh - Scotland

 

Benedetta Argentieri, Journalist and filmmaker - Italy

 

Rezgar Bahary, Journalist - UK

 

Naamat Bedrdine, Politician and writer - Lebanon

 

Walden Bello, International Adjunct Professor of Sociology, SUNY Binghamton, and recipient of the Right Livelihood Award (aka Alternative Nobel Prize) in 2003 - USA

 

Janet Biehl, Independent scholar, author, artist - USA

 

Jonathan Bloch, Writer - UK

 

Baroness Christine Blower, House of Lords - UK

 

Debbie Bookchin, Journalist and author - USA

 

Prof Bill Bowring, School of Law, Birkbeck College, University of London - UK

 

Jane Byrne, Teacher - UK

 

Robert Caldwell, Assistant Professor of Indigenous Studies, University at Buffalo – USA

 

Campaign Against Criminalising Communities (CAMPACC) - UK

 

CND (Campaign Against Nuclear Disarmament) - UK

 

Margaret Cerullo, Hampshire College - USA

 

Maggie Cook, UNISON NEC member - UK

 

Mary Davis FRSA, Visiting Professor of Labour History at Royal Holloway University of London - UK

 

Defend Kurdistan Initiative - UK

 

Mary Dibis, Mousawat for Women - Lebanon

 

Penelope Dimond, Writer and actor - UK

 

Gorka Elejabarrieta Diaz, Basque Senator, Director EH Bildu International Relations Department - Basque Country

 

Federal Executive Committee of Women’s Union Courage - Germany

 

Silvia Federici, Author and Professor Emerita of Social Science, Hofstra University - USA

 

Andrew Feinstein , Executive Director, Shadow World Investigations - UK

 

Dr Phil Frampton, Author - UK

 

Freedom Socialist Party - Australian Section

 

Freedom Socialist Party - USA Section

 

Andreas Gavrielidis, Greek-Kurdish Solidarity

 

Lindsey German, Convenor Stop the War Coalition - UK

 

Selay Ghaffar, Exiled women’s rights activist from Afghanistan

 

Prof Barry Gills, Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science - UK

 

Dr Sarah Glynn, Writer - France

 

Mustafa Gorer, Kurdish activist - UK

 

Kirmanj Gundi, KHRO (Kurdistan Human Rights Observer) - UK

 

Prof Michael Gunter, General Secretary of EU Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC) - USA

 

Rahila Gupta, Chair of Southall Black Sisters - UK

 

Kazhal Hamarashid, Board member of the Toronto Kurdish Community Centre - Canada

 

Niaz Hamdi, KHRO (Kurdistan Human Rights Observer) - UK

 

John Hendy QC, Barrister - UK

 

Nick Hildyard, Policy analyst - UK

 

Ava Homa, Writer, journalist and activist - Canada/USA

 

Srecko Horvat, Co-founder of DiEM25 & Progressive International

 

Dr Stephen Hunt, PiK Ecology Network - UK

 

John Hunt, Journalist - UK

 

Alia Hussein, Women’s Affairs Committee of the General Federation of Iraqi Trade Unions - Iraq

 

Lord Hylton, House of Lords - UK

 

Serif Isildag, Journalist - UK

 

Ruken Isik, Adjunct Lecturer at American University - USA

 

Dafydd Iwan, Former President Plaid Crymru – Wales

 

Jin Women’s Association - Lebanon

 

Ramsey Kanaan, Publisher, PM Press - UK

 

James Kelman, Author - Scotland

 

Gulay Kilicaslan, Department of Law and Legal Studies, Carleton University - Kanada

 

Nida Kirmani, Women Democratic Front, Haqooq-e-Khalq Party – Pakistan

 

Nimat Koko Hamad, Associate researcher and gender specialist - Sudan

 

Kongra Star Women’s Movement – Rojava & Syria

 

Claudia Korol, Founder of Popular Education Collective Pañuelos en Rebeldía, Feministas de Abya Yala - Argentina

 

Balazs Kovacs, Consultant - UK

 

Kurdish Women’s Relations Office (REPAK) – Kurdistan Region of Iraq

 

Şeyda Kurt, Journalist and Writer - Germany

 

Coni Ledesma, International Women’s Alliance (IWA) Europe - Netherlands

 

Dr Anjila Al-Maamari, Center for Strategic Studies to Support Women and Children - Yemen

 

Aonghas MacNeacail, Scottish Gaelic poet - Scotland

 

Fazela Mahomed, Kurdish Human Rights Action Group - South Africa

 

Saleh Mamon, Campaign Against Criminalising Communities (CAMPACC) - UK

 

Dr Carol Mann, Director of Women in War - France

 

Mike Mansfield QC, Barrister - UK

 

Dr Thomas Jeffrey Miley, Lecturer of Political Sociology, Fellow of Darwin College, University of Cambridge - UK

 

Zahraa Mohamad, Journalist - Lebanon

 

Francie Molloy, MP for Mid Ulster - Ireland

 

David Morgan, Journalist - UK

 

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb, Green Party Member of the House of Lords - UK

 

Maryam Namazie, Human rights activist, commentator, and broadcaster - UK

 

Dr Marie Nassif-Debs, President of Association Equality-Wardah Boutros - Lebanon

 

Doug Nicholls, General Secretary, General Federation of Trade Unions - UK

 

Margaret Owen, O.B.E., President Widows for Peace through Democracy - UK

 

Prof Felix Padel, Research associate at Center for World Environmental History, University of Sussex - UK

 

Sarah Parker, Anti-Capitalist Resistance - UK

 

Patriotic Democratic Socialist Party (PPDS) - Tunisia

 

Peace in Kurdistan Campaign - UK

 

Maxine Peake, Actress - UK

 

Rosalind Petchesky, Distinguished Professor Emerita of Political Science, Hunter College & the Graduate Center, City University of New York – USA

 

Dr Thomas Phillips, lecturer in law at Liverpool John Moore University - UK

 

Eleonora Gea Piccardi, University of Coimbra, PhD candidate - Italy

 

Ulisse Pizzi, Geologist, UK engineering consultancy - UK

 

Dr Anni Pues, International human rights lawyer - UK

 

Radical Women - USA

 

Radical Women - Australia

 

Bill Ramsay, Ex-President Educational Institute of Scotland and Convenor of Scottish National Party – Scotland

 

Ismat Raza Shahjahan, President of Women's Democratic Front - Pakistan

 

Trevor Rayne, Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! - UK

 

Gawriyah Riyah Cude, Women’s Trade Union Forum - Iraq

 

Dimitri Roussopoulos, Writer, editor, publisher, political activist - Canada

 

Nighat Said Khan, Women's Democratic Front, Women's Action Forum WAF - Pakistan

 

Dr Michael Schiffmann, Linguist, English Department of the University of Heidelberg, Translator - Germany

 

Paul Scholey, Morrish Solicitors - UK

 

Bert Schouwenburg, International Trade Union Advisor - UK

 

Chris Scurfield, Political activist - UK

 

Stephen Smellie, Deputy Convenor UNISON Scotland and NEC member - Scotland

 

Geoff Shears, Vice-Chair of the Centre for Labour and Social Studies(CLASS) - UK

 

Tony Shephard, Musician and graphic designer - UK

 

Tony Simpson, Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation - UK

 

Radha D'Souza, Professor of law at the University of Westminster - UK

 

Oskar Spong, Operator - UK

 

Chris Stephens MP, Glasgow South West - Scotland

 

Steve Sweeney, International Editor, Morning Star - UK

 

Tooba Syed, Women Democratic Front - Pakistan

 

Greta Sykes, Writer and artist - UK

 

Tim Symonds, Novelist - UK

 

Joly Talukder, General Secretary of the Bangladesh Garment Workers Trade Union Centre - Bangladesh

 

Latifa Taamalah Women’s Committee - Tunisia

 

Shavanah Taj, General Secretary Wales TUC - Wales

 

Lisa-Marie Taylor, CEO of FiLiA - UK

 

Saadia Toor, Women Democratic Front - Pakistan

 

Tom Unterrainer, Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation - UK

 

Prof Abbas Vali, Professor of Modern Social and Political Theory - UK

 

Dr Federico Venturini, University of Udine - Italy

 

Andy Walsh, Chair, Greater Manchester Law Centre - UK

 

Julie Ward, Former MEP - UK

 

Arthur West, Secretary, Kilmarnock and Loudon Trades Union Council - Scotland

 

Prof Kariane Westrheim, Chair of EU Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC) - Norway

 

Alex Wilson, PhD student at York University in Toronto, Ontario - Canada

 

Dr Fiona Woods, Lecturer, Technological University Shannon - Ireland

 

Paula Yacoubian, Member of Parliament - Lebanon

 

Rosy Zúñiga, Latin America and Caribbean Popular Education Council CEAAL - Mexico