​​​​​​​Researcher: When chemical weapons are used against Kurds, international forces turn blind eye

 Since April 23, 2021, the Turkish occupation state has launched genocidal attacks against the regions of southern Kurdistan, and uses advanced and internationally prohibited types of weapons.

 A member of the PKK's executive body, Duran Kalkan, confirmed that the Turkish occupation has been using tactical nuclear bombs against the HPG since 2017.

 And the leadership of the People's Defense Center (NPG) published in a written statement on October 18, recording 17 fighters from Guerilla who were martyred with chemical weapons, and said that the Turkish occupation used chemical weapons and banned bombs 2467 times during the period from April 14 to October 14.

 The head of the Kurdish Institute for Studies and Research and a human rights activist, Nihad Al-Qadi, explained in a statement to our agency that: “It is not the first time that chemical weapons have been used against the people of Kurdistan and the fighters of the Kurdish national parties and forces defending the rights of the people of Kurdistan. The Saddam regime in the seventies and eighties of the twentieth century used weapons  internationally banned chemical weapons against defenseless civilians in southern Kurdistan and Halabja, for example.”

 International silence is an indicator of double standards

 He indicated that in the twenty-first century: "We see that the Turkish regime and its gendarmes are also striking the Kurds, whether civilians or fighters in the Qandil Mountains, Mitena, Serêkaniyê and Afrin, and unfortunately many martyrs and wounded from the Kurds and other nationalities, such as the Assyrian Syriacs who live in the bombed areas,"  With this type of internationally banned lethal weapon, 17 fighters were killed in the recent Turkish chemical bombardment. Unfortunately, the international community has not uttered or moved a finger about what happened, despite a breach of international laws and a violation of human rights and laws on the use of internationally prohibited weapons. This silence gives us a clear indication that  the world uses two different human rights standards, we see it loudly criticizing and condemning if regular weapons are used by some, while it is satisfied with silence and indifference in the largest international violations, especially against the Kurds, and this is what we also noticed during the days of Saddam’s bombing of the Kurds with the internationally banned mustard gas.

 Al-Qadi explained that international powers have prohibited the use of chemical weapons since World War I, due to their great impact on humanity, and the aim of their use is the genocide of any component, people or sect, not to mention the effects of these weapons on the environment, land, animals and plants, as they are lethal weapons, and their effects continue.  Negative impact on the future of the environment, animals and plants for long periods of more than twenty years.

lame democracy culture

 Al-Qadi touched on the duplicity of international powers in dealing with the Kurds, and explained: "For eight months, the world has been busy with a major war between Russia and Ukraine, and the resulting major problems, including the division of the world into parties, some of which support Russia and others oppose it, not to mention the gas energy crises.  Oil and other food issues and rising prices, which have put the citizen in the world in a hysterical state, threatened by hunger, poverty and fear of the coming of energy problems and the bitter cold, which may accompany the heat of the events resulting from this war, but at the same time things are worsening in the way we mentioned.  We find that another deadly fear and terror enters the corridors of the world's countries and their parliaments, which is the fear of a nuclear war, because the conflict between countries has reached the furthest points of contention, and the love of hegemony and control over the other, everyone threatens to use chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. Therefore,  we see that most countries of the world is screaming at the top of its voice to stop the wheel of terror and war by using lethal weapons that aim at genocide.  The number of deaths that may result from the use of chemical weapons,” he continued, “Unfortunately, we do not see this serious stance from the countries of the world and the major speaking countries that raise human rights laws and follow up on international laws that prevent the use of chemical weapons. We do not hear these countries condemnation or even rejection or a word against the use of chemical weapons.”  Turkey has chemical weapons against the Kurds and the Kurdish parties are demanding their legitimate rights.”

 He pointed out that "this duplicity of behavior gives us a painful situation and a clear picture that the world is using two different standards in human rights laws and chemical weapons, and it blew the face to them, and confirms its lack of sincerity in its decisions regarding human and peoples' rights, and may consider the Kurds as second- or third-class peoples."  It is one of the farce of politicians in the twenty-first century, and the lame culture of democracy that we see in the regimes of countries that are silent about telling the truth.”

 They tried in various ways to hide the irrefutable truth

 Al-Qadi referred to the visit of a delegation from the Association of International  Doctors for the Prevention of Nuclear War on September 20-27 to Southern Kurdistan, and said: "In September 2022, the International Doctors' Mission to Prevent Nuclear War in Switzerland and Germany IPPNW approved Turkey's use of chemical weapons in Southern Kurdistan.  And confirmed compelling evidence was presented, documenting the use of chemical weapons against the people of Kurdistan, but unfortunately no party did not heed the call of the doctors. They did not give them the opportunity. Rather, they may have tried in various ways to hide the irrefutable truth, while there are victims, martyrs and wounded who cannot be tolerated, and unfortunately they did not  the international community is also moving, and has remained silent as usual. It is a suspicious phenomenon. The silence about deliberate killing and with prohibited weapons. It is a disgrace to the international community that is silent on the truth.”

Rights activists will not be silent on the silence of the OPCW

 He stressed that the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has a lot of important positions, if it is really an organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons, and not another tool to laugh at people's beards, it must communicate with the group of doctors that visited the region, and provided video documentation and evidence of the use of Turkey  Otherwise, it will lose its name and legal position, because human rights activists will not remain silent on the silence of the OPCW.

 He explained that human rights activists will act in a negative way against the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons if it remains silent.  Previous years, when we noticed the silence of the organization on the bombing of the city of Halabja with chemical weapons by the former Iraqi regime, which made activists move towards merchants and companies who exported mustard gas to Iraq, and put pressure on countries in one way or another, which led to the OPCW's recognition of what happened  against the Kurds in Iraq, and some merchants and companies were prosecuted... Today we need a similar approach if the international community remains silent."

 There is no difference between dictatorships

 On the obstacles faced by the delegation of the International Doctors Association to prevent nuclear war during its visit to southern Kurdistan, he explained: "Personally, I have no information about this prevention, and if it is, then I see that the position of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in preventing doctors from visiting families is not in line with the party's goals and positions regarding the prevention of nuclear war."  The Kurdish issue and its defense, which is an unhealthy and not diplomatic position, thus giving the impression that it is sympathetic to the Turkish regime, as is the case with the world that is silent about the truth.  It will also be silent and obscure the truth that kills the Kurds with chemical weapons, just as you killed members of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in the days of the tyrant Saddam. There is no difference between dictatorships."

 On the 27th of last September, a member of the association, Jan Van Aken, said that they had visited the "Anfal memorial in Chamchamal, Halabja, and Amidieh district, and we tried to reach the villages of Haruri and Kani Massi, because according to some reports available to us that chemical weapons are being used there,  So we wanted to investigate it and get some documents. We also wanted to talk to one of the chemical victims called Haji Abdullah, but the mayor of Amidieh prevented us from investigating and did not allow us to do so.”

Turkey uses NATO weapons in hitting the Kurds and confirmed the President of the Kurdish Institute for Studies, Research and Human Rights Nihad Nihad al-Qadi that the file of chemical weapons and the toxic gases became unbearable, so as to be used by Turkey "Unfortunately notice the silence of the international community on it, not to mention Turkey uses NATO weapons in hitting the Kurds, so personally I see the need for NATO to stop using its weapons in hitting the Kurdish forces."

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