Kameran Osman, a member of the Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT), spoke to Rojnews about the CPT delegation’s visit to the border regions of Southern and Northern Kurdistan, and the regional impact of Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan’s call for Peace and Democratic Society.

 

Osman reported that Turkey increased its attacks by 145 per cent following its February 27 call. “In March, there were 118 attacks and bombings. In April, 210; in May, 510; and in June, 550. When guerrillas symbolically burned their weapons in July, attacks dropped to 18. In August, 16 attacks were recorded, and there were no attacks in September and October. Since 2015, we had never seen a month without Turkish attacks,” he said.

 

Comparing this year’s attacks to last year, Osman added: “Even though there was no peace process last year, Turkey’s attacks this year were higher. Despite the peace process, there were 1,696 bombings this year, compared to 1,548 last year when there was no process. Civilian casualties dropped from 35 last year to six this year.”

 

‘BASES SURROUNDED BY CONCRETE WALLS’

 

Osman stated that Turkey has built 139 military centers and bases in the Kurdistan Region. He said: “Taking advantage of the peace process, the Turkish army surrounds all its bases with concrete walls and constructs helicopter pads within them. Roads and streets leading to these bases are also being built. In the past two months, Turkey has cut down a large number of trees for this purpose. On some days, around 90 tractors transported trees from the Zap, Nêrwe, and Rêkaniyan regions to the Turkish border. These trees are sent to factories in Turkey for furniture production, and the products are later sold back in Southern Kurdistan. Essentially, they are selling our own trees back to us.”

 

183 VILLAGES COMPLETELY ABANDONED

 

Osman also highlighted Turkey’s restrictions on citizens returning to their villages and lands: “There are 1,190 villages in the Kurdistan Region affected by Turkish attacks. Of these, 183 have been completely abandoned. Since the process began, no citizen has been able to return home.”

 

MOSQUES, SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS, AND HOMES DESTROYED

 

“The region’s economic infrastructure must be considered,” said Osman and added: “Mosques, schools, hospitals, and citizens’ homes have been destroyed. If the peace process is to succeed, the Kurdistan Region must be included. All Turkish military centers and bases in Southern Kurdistan should be closed, and citizens must be allowed to return to their villages and lands. The Turkish army must compensate the citizens. The Iraqi and Kurdistan Regional governments are also responsible for ensuring citizens can return safely.”

 

Osman criticized the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) for failing to participate in the peace process. “The regional government has done nothing to hold Turkey accountable for compensating citizens or rebuilding villages. Instead of preventing Turkish operations, they committed a major injustice by failing to record civilian deaths caused by Turkish attacks in official death records. The causes of death are listed only as ‘explosions.’ Both Iraq and the KRG have failed to fulfill their duty to protect civilians,” he said.

 

Regarding the arrest and detention of citizens opposing the occupation, Osman added: “The trials of Behdinan detainees cannot be separated from Turkey’s operations. As CPT, we were able to attend the hearings of 26 out of 81 detainees. Most charges involve aiding the PKK, along with other accusations. Some detainees participated in demonstrations against Turkish bases in Şêladizê in January 2019.”

 

‘PUNISHED FOR DEMANDING AN END TO ATTACKS’

 

Osman reported that some citizens were sentenced to three years in prison for sending a letter to the German consulate urging Turkey to stop its attacks. “Those who translated these letters into other languages were given two-and-a-half-year sentences. Many people have faced pressure simply for protesting Turkish attacks,” he said.

 

He also described the destruction in Christian villages in Behdinan caused by Turkey: “Dozens of Christian villages along the border have been evacuated. Last year, two churches were destroyed in the Kurdistan Region. Due to Turkish bombings, Christians in Dola Nehle and Berwarî Bala cannot perform religious services. Christians in the region, like Muslim Kurds, have also been targeted in these attacks.”

 

‘IRAQ AND KRG MUST PROTECT THESE LANDS’

 

Osman concluded: “Following Mr. Öcalan’s call, the PKK responded to attacks only 11 times, strictly in self-defense. Based on our data, we can say that Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government must take responsibility for protecting these lands.”