Sixth anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Afrin (January 20)

On the occasion of the sixth anniversary of Turkey’s illegal invasion of the Syrian-Kurdish region of Afrin (January 20, 2018), the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) calls on the German Federal Government to publicly and unequivocally condemn the invasion and subsequent internationally unlawful occupation of Afrin by its NATO ally Turkey and demand the withdrawal of the Turkish army and its Islamist allies from Afrin. “The STP addressed this demand to German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock personally. Unfortunately, we have not yet received an answer,” stated STP Middle East Correspondent Dr. Kamal Sido, who was born in Afrin, in Göttingen today.

Since the occupation, there have been ongoing reports about Turkish human rights violations and war crimes in Afrin. “The Christian community – which once had 1,200 members – does not exist anymore. The last Armenians were expelled, just like the approximately 350,000 Kurds. Thousands were killed or injured,” Sido recalled. “Kurdish schools, the only Kurdish university in Syria’s history, Kurdish cemeteries and sacred sites were or are being destroyed. The number of Kurds in Afrin is on the decline. Their average age is over 70 years. While the community is dying out, Kurdish houses, lands, and olive groves are falling into the hands of Turkey.”

Those who were able to flee from Afrin and find shelter in the north of Aleppo – some of them in tent camps – or further to the north of Syria, are suffering from almost daily attacks by Turkey and its Islamist allies, under the eyes of the United States and Russia. Both states have troops in the region, and they control the air space. “The German Federal Government is not willing to comment on Turkey’s attacks – and even takes side with the aggressor. NATO is sacrificing the Kurdish people in Turkey and the neighboring states, especially in Syria. This is supposed to appease Erdogan, but he discredits the entire transatlantic alliance,” Sido added. “Many Kurds and members of other population groups are accusing NATO of double standards – and rightly so. Against this background, Germany should try to mediate between the Kurds and Turkey. Because no one in the Middle East needs more violence. The people are longing for peace and quiet.”