The Turkish occupying state keeps the Chemical Weapons Convention, signed by 193 countries including Turkey, as a dead letter by failing to adhere to it. It uses chemical and prohibited weapons against the NE Syria and the Mediya Defense Areas while the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons condones Turkey's use of these weapons.
In a statement to ANHA, the human rights activist, Ibrahim Ibrahim, explained: "Turkey has used internationally banned weapons, including yellow phosphorus, in NE Syria. Despite the existence of international laws and texts prohibiting the use of these weapons in any form, Turkey uses them extensively in Syria and the Mediya Defense Areas."
According to media reports, since 2021, the Turkish occupying state has launched 5,045 attacks using chemical and prohibited explosives in the Mediya Defense Areas, and these attacks continue to this day.
Ibrahim further elaborated: "Among the treaties that prohibit the use of these weapons is the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993. Article 1 of this convention prohibits the use of chemical weapons in any region of the world, as their use constitutes a weapon of mass destruction for the area. Turkey is a member of the United Nations Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons."
Ibrahim indicated that: "Articles 3, 4, and 5 of the first section of the Chemical Weapons Convention call for the destruction of chemical weapons and the removal of their damage. However, the Turkish state ignores this convention and uses these weapons in Syria and Iraq."
Ibrahim confirmed: "There are numerous documented crimes, especially in Afrin and Serê Kaniye/Ras al-Ayn, involving the use of chemical weapons by the Turkish occupation, despite the presence of international agreements banning their use, and 132 countries have ratified these laws."
Ibrahim explained: "We submit many requests to the international community to stop the use of such weapons in our regions. Many organizations and human rights advocates have joined this campaign, but we see no response."
He also confirmed ongoing efforts to document all crimes committed by the Turkish occupation in Syrian territories. He stated: "The occupation fights any party attempting to gather evidence of the genocide crimes it commits. Through its intelligence, military, and economic relations, it has managed to halt any international movement to hold it accountable for its crimes, which have remained unnoticed until now."
Ibrahim pointed out that human rights advocates in NE Syria continue to work to raise their voices to global platforms and international powers. They aim to shed light on the crimes committed by the Turkish occupation in the region until it is held accountable for its crimes, which have claimed thousands of innocent lives, amidst the silence of the international community that professes justice and humanity.
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ANHA
