|
Kurdish Survivors of Turkish Air Strike in
Uludere Froze to Death: NGOs
7.1.2012 |
|
|
|
Locals gather in front of a truck carrying the
bodies of people who were killed in a Turkish
warplane attack in the Kurdish Ortasu village of
Uludere, in the Sirnak province, northern Kurdistan
on December 29, 2011. Photo: Getty
8
NGOS RELEASE ULUDERE REPORT
January 7, 2012
SIRNAK, The Kurdish
region of Turkey, — Eight NGOs, including the Human
Rights Association and the Turkish Medical Chamber,
released a report about the Uludere operation that
left 35 Kurdish civilians
dead. The
report revealed that some victims froze or bled to
death since official institutions failed to react on
time.
Eight non-governmental Turkish organizations carried
out a joint investigation into the military
operation on Uludere in the Kurdish region of
south-eastern Turkey. 35 Kurd civilians died in the
course of aerial strikes on 28 December 2011.
The Association of Human Rights and Solidarity for
Oppressed Peoples (MAZLUMDER), the Human Rights
Association (İHD), the Confederation of Trade Unions
of Public Employees (KESK), the Turkish Medical
Chamber (TTB), the Association of Contemporary
Lawyers (ÇHD), the Turkish Human Rights Foundation (TİHV),
the Turkey Peace Parliament (TBM) and the General
Workers' Union affiliated to the Confederation of
Progressive Trade Unions (DİSK) announced their
findings in a joint press release on Tuesday (3
January).
Solely animate beings
harmed
The report was entitled "Research Related to the
Killing of Inhabitants of the Villages of Gülyazı (Bujeh)
and Ortasu (Roboski) / Uludere district (Qıleban) /
Şırnak Province - Investigation Report". It revealed
findings of the investigation carried out at the
scene of incident.
The report drew attention to the fact that
exclusively living organisms like human beings,
animals and plants were harmed whereas stones,
containers or similar substances in the surrounding
area were not affected. According to the report,
parts of a bomb were found next to a boundary stone.
Nevertheless, the stone and a plastic back
containing bread and olives right next to the stone
remained undamaged. The report furthermore mentioned
that diesel fuel containers were scattered all over
the place but did not break.
The incident happened directly on the border line
between Turkey and Iraq. Thus, the remains of the
explosion could be found on either side of the
border. In this context it was emphasized that by
the time the delegation started their investigation,
no procedures to collect evidence had been initiated
yet and the scene of incident had not been
protected.
Evidence might be concealed
It was stated in the report that no official
institution passed into action after the incident to
reach the injured and deceased. The villagers had to
go to the scene of incident by their own means. This
delay caused the death of some persons who lost
their lives as the result of blood loss or the cold.
The soldiers left the region upon the arrival of the
villagers who brought the bodies to the village of
Gülyazı themselves,www.ekurd.net
the report stated.
Furthermore, it was revealed that the conditions in
hospital were not suitable for conducting autopsies.
Evidence obtained as the result of the autopsies was
not collected according to official procedures due
to the existing conditions. Hence, the report warned
that there was the high possibility of concealing
evidence.
The delegation also drew attention to the situation
of the bodies they saw in hospital. The report
described the bodies as partly burned, torn into
pieces, most of them with cracked skulls and
internal organs visible outside the bodies.
It was pointed out that the impact during the
incident was of a very high explosive power and that
caustic ammunition had been used.
Radio conversations must be
disclosed
The report demanded an investigation into the
incident by the Human Rights Commission of the
Turkish Parliament, human rights committees of the
United Nations and the Council of Europe and
national and international civilian and democratic
mass organizations.
Some of the issues that need to be clarified as
mentioned in the report can be summarized as
follows:
* The incident happened close to police outposts and
watch towers. Guards and other people informed
military units right after the incident. Taking this
into consideration it has to be asked why no
official or person on duty went to the scene of
incident afterwards.
* Subsequent to the incident, ambulances and health
personnel came from Şırnak and other places. Why
were they not allowed to go to the scene of
incident?
* If the pictures taken by the drones gave
information about the properties of the carried load
due to its shape, it has to be clarified whether
there was any information about the load of the
group and whether there were any weapons. It also
has to be cleared up whether a report was released
related to the fact that it was a group of
civilians.
* The amount of ammunition and explosives used
during the incident has to be determined as well as
the target and purpose. It has to be clarified
whether illumination flares were used before the
incident, whether artillery was used and what kind
of bombs was used by the planes.
* Telephone and radio conversations made after the
incidents should be disclosed. This includes
conversations between the planes and the air force
command, village guards, village headmen and the
police or third parties.
Copyright © 2012, respective author or news agency,
bianet.org
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the
content of news information on this page
|
®
