Rojava Conf. in EP: Stop Turkish-ISIS war crimes

by Roni Alasor

Brussels, 15 December 2019 - Middle East Diplomatic - After two days international conference in the EU parliament on Rojava/N.E. Syria, on 11-12 December 2019, the organisers of the conference, European, Kurdish and Arabic politicians, representatives of the international organizations, jurists, researchers, academics experts and participants called to the EU, UN and international community to "stop Turkish-Daesh terror gangs and massacres against Kurds and other ethnical and religious minorities". 

In a Final Statement of the International Conference on North and East Syria (Rojava), the participants underlined that the "turkish state and its islamist-terrorist proxies continuing a heavy crime and terror against Kurds and other Syrians".

The final statement asks to the international community to put turkish state and its terrorist proxies in the international terror-list and bring them to the international court for crimes against humanity. This call includes the “Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as he is primarily responsible for all violations and crimes that have occurred”.

“International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, as Turkey funded, trained, and supported extremist militias and jihadi organizations. The actions of the Turkish government clearly amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, and arguably to genocide. These crimes against the Kurdish people and other components of North and East Syria (Rojava) such as Arabs, Syriacs and Christians require a strong international condemnation. Accordingly, the conference concluded with a set of important recommendations that will be pursued by the formation of a joint follow-up committee, which reports to the EU Parliament, other EU institutions, and relevant international bodies” alarming the final statement.

The recommendations from the international conference are:

1. Full condemnation of the Turkish aggression against and partial occupation of North and East Syria (Rojava) by a resolute stance from the European Parliament and the United Nations, among others.

2. The withdrawal of the Turkish army and its jihadi proxies from all areas they have occupied in North and East Syria (Rojava), including Afrin and Idlib, among others.

3. Securing the safe and dignified return of all displaced people to their homes.

4. Inclusion of all Turkish and its allied jihadi proxies that have participated in the invasion and the ensuing crimes on international lists of terrorist organizations, and the activation of a mechanism of oversight and accountability to ensure justice is served.

5. The formation of a local court with international sponsorship in North and East Syria (Rojava) to prosecute Turkish, jihadists (including ISIS militants), and any other individuals suspected of being involved in war crimes. This includes the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as he is primarily responsible for all violations and crimes that have occurred.

6. The inclusion of the Self-Administration of North and East Syria (Rojava) in the UN-led Constitutional Committee tasked to draft a new constitution for Syria.

7. The consideration of the implementation of a no-fly-zone over North and East Syria (Rojava).

8. The recognition of the Self-Administration of North and East Syria (Rojava) by international institutions such as the EU and the UN as well as foreign states.

The following are relevant treaty violations committed by the Turkish government:

1. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, where the crime of genocide was committed against the Kurds and Arabs in the areas of Serekaniyê and Afrin.

2. International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, where all forms of racial discrimination are practised against the Kurds and various aforementioned minorities.

3. International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights regarding Kurdish and other groups in the areas it occupied in Syria.

4. Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, International Humanitarian Law.

5. Four Geneva Conventions on War and their attached protocols.

6. International agreements on the prohibition of some types of weapons (biological, incendiary, landmines, etc), where white phosphorous was illegally used in Serekaniyê and Afrin.

7. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, where the Turkish state and its allied jihadi groups have systematically targeted women in North and East Syria (Rojava), such as the field execution of Kurdish politician Hevrîn Khalaf and the disfigurement of her body.

8. Convention on the Rights of the Child, where children have been killed and massacred, such as the killing of 8 children by Turkish shelling of Tal Rifaat on 3 December.

9. International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, as Turkey funded, trained, and supported extremist militias and jihadi organizations.

The Rojava conference in the EU parliament was organised by the Kurdish Friendship Group in the European Parliament and representatives of the Self-Administration of North and East Syria (Rojava) in Europe, the International Alliance for the Defence of Rights and Freedoms (AIDL), and the Green / European Union (Free Alliance) supported by the other political groups in the EP.