People's Councils in Raqqa: blocking Euphrates water is assassination of life

The People's Councils in the western countryside of Raqqa today made a statement calling on the international community and human rights organizations to immediately intervene to stop Turkey from the crime of confining the waters of the Euphrates River.

3 May, 2021 09:04

Raqqa

The Turkish occupation state continues to retain the water of the Euphrates River, in violation of the agreements it concluded with both Syria and Iraq, which provide for pumping 500 cubic meters per second, but at the present time it pumps less than 200 cubic meters per second, which foreshadows a humanitarian catastrophe threatening the food security of the regions of North and East Syria.

Members of the People's Councils gathered in the western countryside of Raqqa at the General Council center in the town of Salhabiyah to make the statement, which was read by the council member Badr Al-Ali.

His text reads: "A crime in broad daylight is taking place and continues by the Turkish state, with blocking the Euphrates River waters and an attempt to assassinate life for humans, nature and animals, which is a systematic crime and war against humanity."

Peace projects

"The Turkish regime has expanded its investment projects by building dams and water basins, cultivating more than a million and a half dunums of agricultural land, and trying to sell Euphrates water to the Middle East region under the name of peace projects," the statement said.

He added, "Turkey claims that the Euphrates is a national river under the sovereignty of the Turkish state, and it alone has the right to control the waters of this river, and the truth is that the Euphrates is an international river in which several countries participate, and the division of its waters is subject to international law and agreements."

'Human crime'

From this standpoint, the statement called on the international community and human rights organizations to "stop this violation and this crime against humanity, which aims to starve people, destroy them and deprive them of the most important sources of survival."

The statement promised this crime "against humanity and threatens disaster and requires urgent action by the international community and the United Nations body concerned with the issue of defending human rights."

The statement concluded by saying: "The Turkish state has become a rogue state according to international law, and it does not consider international decisions, and democracy is sinking into a sea of desertification and a storm of Turkish hatred, but we will not give up on our ambitions and our democratic project."

J.O

ANHA