In August, following renewal of the conflict with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the Turkish army began operations in the largely Kurdish southeast of the country, imposing military curfews on cities and towns as it engaged in street-to-street clashes with Kurdish guerillas, youth wings of the PKK.
At least 338 civilians have been killed and more than 355,000 displaced, according to HRW researchers. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), an international body producing information on internally displaced people around the world, believes the number of displaced in the renewed conflict is actually much higher – 945,000.
Entire neighbourhoods were destroyed; many homes were damaged during clashes and some were subsequently demolished. Whole areas of cities were razed to the ground, as revealed by satellite imagery published by HRW.
“The curfews also prevent non-governmental organizations, journalists, and lawyers from scrutinizing those operations or any resulting abuses by security forces or armed groups,” stated Human Rights Watch (HRW) in their report.
The blockades have continued after the declared completion of the military operations. This “fuels concerns of a major cover-up,” said Emma Sinclair-Webb, a senior HRW researcher in Turkey.
HRW was attempting to document abuses in the city of Cizre where at least 66 civilians, including 11 children, were killed by gunfire or mortars and another about 130 people trapped in basements were killed.
In April, Turkish police put a stop to HRW’s investigation, blocking the group’s researchers from interviewing family members and witnesses.
HRW expressed concern that, not only was Turkey barring international investigations, but it was not conducting any investigations of its own into the reports of abuse.
“Credible accounts of Turkish security forces deliberately killing civilians, including children, when they were carrying white flags or trapped in basements should be ringing loud alarm bells,” said Sinclair-Webb. “The prosecutor in Cizre should conduct a full, effective, independent investigation capable of delivering justice for the victims.”
The Turkish government has not announced any investigation into reports of abuses in Cizre and, in fact, has taken steps to grant immunity from prosecution to its security forces.
In late June, the Turkish parliament voted to give more powers and authority to the military by granting them immunity from prosecution for actions they take while conducting operations against the PKK. The law will make it significantly more difficult for alleged rights abuses to be properly investigated.
Permission of the military and political leadership of Turkey will be needed before any soldier can face prosecution and the law is being applied retroactively, meaning it covers the actions of the armed forces against the PKK since the war was reignited last July after the failure of the two year ceasefire.
In May, Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, called on the Turkish government to allow access to the region. “In 2016, to have such a lack of information about what is happening in such a large and geographically accessible area is both extraordinary and deeply worrying,” he said.
“This black-out simply fuels suspicions about what has been going on. I therefore renew my call for access for UN staff and other impartial observers and investigators, including civil society organizations and journalists.”
HRW noted that Ankara has not responded to Zeid’s request.
Ankara has justified its military curfews under the Provincial Administration Law, which allows governors to make decisions to ensure “peace and security, protection of the person, public well-being.”
Turkey argues that it is defending itself from terrorism. The PKK has been named a terrorist group by Turkey, the European Union, and the United States.
