Maat's member: Turkey violates human rights, disregards international laws

Mukhtar said in an exclusive dialogue with Hawar news agency that Turkey has violated the international law and treaties that stipulate the necessity of non-interference in the internal affairs of states, among which is the declaration of the inadmissibility of interference in the internal affairs of countries, which was adopted in accordance with the decision of the General Assembly of United Nations No. 36/103, in addition to Article 2, Paragraph 7 of the United Nations Charter, which provides for non-interference in the affairs of a state.

The text of the dialogue is as follows:

Turkey has been launching attacks on Kurdistan Region of Iraq since April 24^th, what are the risks that you see of these attacks?

The Turkish government and the armed factions cooperating with it are carrying out military strikes against civilians in many places in the Middle East region, as the targeting of civilian targets is ongoing in north and east Syria and in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, in contrast Turkish violations are increasing significantly and rapidly during military operations, disregarding the international law and international treaties.

Meanwhile, the Turkish military operations on Iraqi lands caused dozens of deaths and wounds in the civilians' ranks in the Iraqi border areas, as well as significant damage inflicted to public and private properties and infrastructure.

Despite calls by human rights organizations and international bodies for the Turkish government to stop targeting vital civilian targets in Iraq while respecting its national sovereignty, the Turkish government is still carrying out military operations in a state of lack of serious international accountability for the violations and crimes it is carrying out.

The attack began in conjunction with the anniversary of the massacres it committed against Armenians ... What does this coincidence mean?

This means that the Turkish government does not care about human rights, as targeting civilian sites by bombarding with aircrafts and cannons during Turkish military operations is no less than carrying out massacres against Armenian minorities, and the Turkish government also takes a systematic and hostile pattern against the Kurds and Armenians. Furthermore, the Turkish government's impunity encouraged it to carry out further violations against civilians.

Turkey announced that it intends to establish a base for it in the areas it is attacking, similar to what it did in Syria, and everyone knows the displacement and demographic change operations that it carried out in Syria as a prelude to its separation. What are the goals that it does not announce?

The Turkish government is trying to use the combat against terrorism as an excuse to carry out large-scale operations; Turkification and demographic change in the Iraqi provinces, as markets will be flooded with more Turkish products, not to mention the Turkish language teaching in schools as well as changing places' names to Turkish ones, but the most dangerous things can be the possibility of replacing the population in the occupied areas by Turkey with other groups loyal to it if the citizens displace. This matter comes against the background of the ideologies of the ruling party in Turkey which is trying to extend its control over the lands of its neighbors in addition to the extermination of ethnic and religious minorities contrary to their orientations.

The Central Government in Baghdad and the Regional Government are still silent about these attacks ... Does their silence mean that they agree to them?

Both sides condemn the violations of Iraqi sovereignty rights by the Turkish government, but they do not possess the necessary human rights and political tools to pressure the Turkish government to stop human rights violations that are taking place, especially during military operations, in a manner that contributes to the increase of violations against civilians without providing the necessary protection and accountability.

What is the required role of the Arab League?

The League believes that Turkish military interventions in Arab territories, whether in Syria, Libya or Iraq, have become a source of concern, rejection and disapproval of all Arab countries; however, the League must take a unified Arab position regarding the Turkish forces' violation of Iraqi and Syrian sovereignty, provided that this position includes mechanisms to put pressure on Turkey and force it to stop its aggressive practices, in addition to investigating possible unlawful strikes that killed civilians, punishing those responsible for the transgressions, and compensating the victims' families.

Why does the international community allow Turkey to persist in launching its attacks on the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and the Kurds in general in Syria and Turkey as well?

The Turkish government exercises all forms of international violations despite the attempts of the international community and human rights organizations to pressure it to stop this aggressive pattern towards its neighbors in the Middle East region. However, the efforts to pressure are not sufficient due to the Turkish government's procrastination and its evasion of international responsibility and the use of combating terrorism as a cover to commit more violations.

For more than three months, Turkey has been blocking the Euphrates water and threatening people and life in Syria... What does it mean to cut off the water of a river on an entire country?

Reducing the quantities of the Euphrates River affects the water, food and environment rights of citizens, and based on this matter, the Maat Foundation for Peace, Development and Human Rights issued on April 30, 2021 its warnings immediately after feeling an unprecedented level of human rights concern to the United Nations' Special Rapporteurs regarding the negative effects of Turkish practices on The Euphrates River; cutting off water on citizens in north and east Syria and in the southern governorates of Iraq, Maat confirmed in its human rights warnings that the continued decline of the Syrians and Iraqis' share of the Euphrates waters to unprecedented levels threatens of a humanitarian and environmental disaster, in addition to the disruption of food security resulting from the potential shortage in the quantities of agricultural crops such as wheat, which depend on the river water for irrigation, as well as the possibility of spreading diseases due to the lack of water and its pollution, especially in the absence of water needed for personal hygiene operations with the approach of summer.

Maat also confirmed that the Turkish practices related to reducing the quantities of water flowing to the Euphrates River affect the sixth goal of the sustainable development goals related to providing access to clean and safe water for all citizens at the global level.

On the other hand, the Maat Foundation for Peace, Development and Human Rights calls on the United Nations, Special Rapporteurs, humanitarian organizations and international actors to intervene and pressure the Turkish government to return to international agreements regarding the quantities of water agreed to be supplied to the Syrian and Iraqi side of the Euphrates River.

What is the danger of continuing to cut off the Euphrates water in conjunction with cutting off drinking water on more than a million people in Al-Hasakah and its countryside, and in light of the spread of the Corona pandemic?

The Turkish government armed factions cut off water from the Alouk station in Al-Hasakah Governorate in northern Syria for a period of 16 days from 10 to 26 April 2021 continuously, which threatens the water rights of more than a million Syrians who depend on the station to obtain drinking water and maintain hygiene in light of the spread of Covid-19 epidemic.

The Allouk water station, east of Ras al-Ain, is the main source of water on which more than 600,000 residents of north and east Syria depend, especially in Al-Hasaka city, Tel Tamr town and the surrounding countryside, including al-Hol Camp, al-Arisha Camp, and other camps that include the displaced.

A few days ago, the United Nations issued a resolution calling for hospitals, schools and water not to be targeted in conflict areas in the world, including Syria. How should the United Nations act with Turkey in light of its continuing to cut off the Euphrates water, and what is required of it?

The United Nations must pressure the Turkish government to stop reducing the water level of the Euphrates River by controlling the various dams, which directly harms the water rights of people and affects the lives of citizens and indirectly harms their food security, and it must consult the Syrian and Iraqi governments when establishing any water project on the Euphrates Dam, in accordance with the international agreements signed between these parties, which affirm the need for Turkey to respect the Syrian and Iraqi water rights.

Turkey cuts off the water of the Euphrates and Tigris on one side and deprives Syria and Iraq of them, and on the other hand participates in building Al-Nahda Dam on the Nile, how does Turkey use water to fight the peoples of the region and what are its goals in that?

The Turkish government constantly uses water as a political weapon against the peoples in the Arab region, and the goal is to achieve its various political objectives of controlling and dominating countries by controlling their own water resources in violation of all international and human rights agreements that criminalize the use of water as a weapon against civilians in various political conflicts, and we reject this hostile pattern of use.

D.H

ANHA