Sema Çağlak 

 

DİYARBAKIR - Pointing out that Turkey does not recognize the right to life for the Kurds with its war policies and the increasing attacks against Shengal and Maxmur in the last period, women politicians said: ‘’The only antidote against the mentality that does not recognize the right to life is resistance.’’

 

The attacks against Shengal and Maxmur continue as part of the government’s war policies. The Turkish Armed Forces Armed (TAF) armed drone attacked Shengal once again on September 2, and Maxmur Martyr Rüstem Cudî Camp, which was under the control of the United Nations (UN), was hit on September 3. Against the attacks, which the UN and international states remained silent, reactions from many groups, especially the Kurds, rose.

 

Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Diyarbakır MP Semra Güzel and Democratic Regions Party (DBP) executive Hasibe Yazdık spoke to our agency regarding the attacks.

 

‘It does not stop trying to kill people’

 

Semra pointed out that although Maxmur Camp was established by the UN, it was exposed to attacks by Turkey. Semra said: ‘’As we all know, the Maxmur Camp is a camp established as a result of the forced displacement of people whose villages were burned and evacuated by the state, especially in Şırnak and Hakkari in the 90s. A camp established and supervised by the UN itself. But despite this, Turkey does not give up on carrying out attacks here and trying to kill the people who migrated here.’’

 

‘Turkey cannot tolerate to human rights’

 

Saying that approximately 13,000 people in Maxmur have created a life with their own means, Semra continued as follows: ‘’People have greened Maxmur Camp, which is located on a desert-like land, with their own efforts for years, has established their own education system, and has created their own methods and assembly. However, just like the attacks on Shengal in the past days, Maxmur was also attacked. Just as the Kurds were not given life with the attacks on Shengal, the Kurds were not given the right to live in Maxmur. Shengal and Maxmur are two geographies kneaded with pain. But despite everything, there were two geographies that were able to survive and strive to build a free life of their own will. But today Turkey cannot tolerate this democratic right and even the most basic human right. Let go its tolerance, it can see for itself the right to carry out a cross-border operation, to bomb a camp under UN control, by trampling on even its own laws.’’

 

‘Maxmur Camp is wanted to be kept under isolation’

 

Noting that there is an embargo against Maxmur by the Federated Kurdistan Government as well as Turkey’s attacks, Semra stated: ‘’Even the access to cleaning products was very difficult in a process like the pandemic. With the embargoes imposed, entry and exit are prevented and it is wanted to be kept under isolation.’’

 

‘Cooperation and partnership was held at the conference’

 

Pointing out that the attacks took place as a result of the cooperation between Turkey and the Iraqi government, Semra summarized the events in this process as follows: ‘’The ‘Baghdad Cooperation and Partnership Conference’ was held in Baghdad on August 28. Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu attended the conference on behalf of Turkey. Immediately after this conference, first Shengal and then Maxmur were bombed. Just after the conference, the Maxmur People’s Assembly made a statement, saying that warplanes were a great threat and that it had to be stopped as soon as possible. However, neither the UN, the Iraqi government, nor the Regional Government made any statement on the issue and Maxmur was bombed at this stage. The partners of these attacks are also these institutions and organizations. We see very clearly that there was cooperation and partnership at this conference. They had the purpose of attacking the regions where the Kurds were, and they were immediately implemented. But despite all these attacks, neither the people of Shengal nor the people of Maxmur will not bow down.’’

 

‘There is a mentality that does not give the right to live to the Kurds’

 

Stating that Turkey attacked the people of Shengal with the support it gave to ISIS, Semra said: ‘’The people of Shengal, who carried out a great resistance against ISIS, migrated again because of Turkey’s great persecution. Emphasizing that there is a mentality that does not allow Kurds the right to live in any field, Semra said: ‘’The states that have a hand in the attacks are committing crimes against humanity. Everyone should call on the UN and the Regional Government to take action in the face of this crime, and raise their voices against this crime. The most effective antidote against these war policies is resistance.’’

 

‘People are going through a difficult process’

 

Hasibe Yazdık, on the other hand, talked about the migration that took place due to the attacks. Stating that the lives of refugees have become more difficult with the bombing of the camps where they live in difficult conditions, Hasibe said: ‘’People who have to migrate are going through a difficult process. As if this were not enough, they are faced with outside interventions and incidents that cannot be accepted by the human conscience. These incidents create a very heavy trauma on refugees.’’

 

‘The Barzani administration should come to its senses as soon as possible’

 

Underlining that the KDP is as responsible as Turkey for the attacks, Hasibe said: ‘’The KDP is the biggest cause of Turkey’s bombardment and the leading factor that leads to it. It is a situation that cannot be explained in words to point your own sibling as a target to someone and to allow them to be exposed to their attacks. We are very reactive to the Turkish state about these attacks on Shengal and Maxmur. Our reaction to them is likewise to the KDP administration. If we can't trust them, who can we trust? We absolutely do not accept that they sacrifice their own people for the interests of others and cause them to kill them. The Barzani administration should come to its senses as soon as possible and claim to these siblings.’’

 

‘Isolation creates the whole atmosphere of chaos’

 

Stating that the biggest reason for the attacks is the deepening of the isolation against PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan and political prisoners, Hasibe said that the isolation and attacks are related to each other. Emphasizing the necessity of national unity as soon as possible in order for a solution to be formed, Hasibe said: ‘’This isolation creates this whole chaos atmosphere. It is a process that affects not only Turkey, the region, but the entire Middle East. We see that there is absolutely no peace between people without a negotiation, a dialogue way. Our experiences show us this. The result of this is the isolation imposed and the hunger strikes that are currently going on in prisons because of this isolation. We need to join hands and fight together to put an end to the attacks and hunger strikes.’’

 

‘We Kurds want the rights that exist’

 

‘’We express our wishes based on fundamental human rights,’’ Hasibe said and continued: ‘’This is definitely not a privilege or a benefit. We Kurds want the rights that exist in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This is our right and we will never give up on it.’’

 

‘Isolation needs to be lifted and national unity should be ensured’

 

Hasibe said: ‘’In order for this chaos and violence to come to an end, the isolation must be lifted as soon as possible and national unity should be ensured.’’