Syrian human rights activists demand the formation of an international commission to investigate the crimes of the Turkish state
A group of Syrian human rights activists announced that they demand the formation of a specialized international commission to verify the use of internationally banned weapons by the Turkish state and its loyalists in north-eastern Syria, as well as the documentation of the Turkish violations.
And today, Wednesday, the 30th of October 2019, a group of Syrian human rights activists held a forum entitled “The First forum of the Syrian human rights activists to demonstrate the legal vision about the Turkish aggression and its violations in north and east Syria”, at the building of the Social Justice Council in Al-Qamishli city north of Syria.
The forum dealt with 4 axes, prepared by human rights activists, the first axis is a commission to document the crime of aggression, the second axis is a commission to document the war crimes, in addition to the commission in charge of the prepared special files, and a commission to document the displacement and demographic change.
These axes focused on the Turkish offense on the areas of north and east Syria, and the negative effects it caused in all fields, as well as affecting security and safety in the area after the defeat of the “Islamic State” organization, and the actions of looting and thefts carried out by Turkey’s mercenaries of those remained of ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra, in Ras Al-Ayn and Tal Abyad after imposing control over them, in addition to the cases of forced displacement.
The forum axes discussed the use of all kinds of heavy weapons of aircraft, tanks, artillery pieces, missiles, and even the internationally banned weapons like the white phosphorus, by the army of the Turkish occupation, as well as the detonations carried out by the mercenaries of ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra in the areas of north and east Syria with the purpose of destabilize the situations and security.
The audience confirmed that the army of the Turkish occupation targeted the prisons of ISIS mercenaries, which are under control of the Syria Democratic forces, to set them free.
At the end of the forum, the participants issued a statement to public opinion, given by the human rights activist, Shirwan Lali, it reads “according to proceedings of the Human Rights Forum held today, Wednesday the 30th of October 2019, which discussed the legal vision of the Turkish aggression on the north and east Syria and its repercussions on the ground, where Turkey followed all forms of violence starting from the non-equivalent war, as it used aircraft, artillery pieces, tanks and all forms of modern technology against individual weapons.
Also the policy of scorched earth through releasing threats of crashing, beheading and burring bodies in trenches, to the execution of these threats on the ground and committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.
And what the Turkish state committed, represented by its president Erdogan and its loyal Syrian opposition factions, of field executions, the use of internationally banned weapons, forced displacement thieving and looting private and public property, changing the features of cities and villages, and housing people in place of other people without recognizing laws, charters and customs as speculated in international legislation, is an obvious materialization of the indifference of the Turkish state and its loyalists, to the International Community and violates its laws and charters .. thus, and after bringing up and discussing this legal vision, we, a group of Syrian human rights activists, announce to adopt the following demands and to work on achieving them:
1 – The formation of a specialized international commission to verify the use of internationally banned weapons by the Turkish state and its loyalists.
2- The formation of a special international court and to conduct the trial of the perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity (field executions, demographic change, targeting citizens directly and displace them, thieving and looting private and public property, and targeting and destroying the infrastructure)
3- The urgent and immediate withdrawal of the armed groups and Turkish army from Ras Al-Ayn (Sere Kaniye) and Tal Abyad (Gire Spi)
4- The securing of displaced people’s return to their cities and houses and the ensuring of their protection.
5- The deployment of United Nations peacekeeping forces along the Syrian – Turkish border, as the United Nations Security Council deemed appropriate, to achieve stabilization and peace in the north and east Syria.
6- We hold the Turkish state responsible for the safety of the captives of citizens and military personnel and demand the urgent release of them and bringing them back to their houses, we also call upon the International Commission of the Red Cross to fulfill its responsibility of monitoring the conditions of the captives and to ensure their release.