Turkish Soldiers Surround the Etrus

[kurdeng at aps.nl]

Subject: Re: Turkish Soldiers Surround the Etrus Refugee Camp


           id VT22671; Thu, 12 Oct 1995 01:24:43 -0800

---------------------- Forwarded from : mail06672 at pop.net ----------------------

Press Release #2
October 10, 1995

Etrus Camp in Iraqi-Kurdistan is Surrounded by Turkish Soldiers; UN Fails
to Aid Against Food Embargo

        For the past year, Turkish soldiers and their Kurdish
collaborators, the forces of Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), have
harassed Kurdish refugees who had fled from state oppression in Turkey.
Numbering some 16,000 people, these Kurds have had their livestock
confiscated, their food intake reduced, and some of these people have been
apprehended.  Especially in the last month, the KDP have attacked the
refugees, resulting in the deaths of 6 people and the wounding of 9 others.
        According to eyewitnesses, the situation is now getting worse. In
the last two weeks, Turkish secret service forces and their local
collaborators, the KDP, have surrounded the camp, cutting it off from the
outside world. Because of a food embargo against the camp, the refugees
have been left to starve.
        The refugees living in Etrus camp had fled from Turkish state
terror, but the Turkish government refuses to leave them in peace. As the
local harassment continues, Turkey is also making moves at the
international level. During a recent visit to New York, Erdal Inonu,
Turkey's foreign minister, complained to the United Nations that this camp
ought to be closed and its residents repatriated to Turkey.
        The Etrus refugee camp stands a testimony to the Turkish
government's policy of genocide against the Kurds. Aware of this fact, the
Turkish authorities want to put an end to this embarrassment. They,
together with their local KDP collaborators, have claimed that the camp is
full of guns and acts as a safe area for PKK guerrillas. These are baseless
accusations.
        The United Nations is supposed to protect the people in Etrus camp
and provide humanitarian assistance. But according to information reaching
our office, the UN is allowing these Turkish/KDP atrocities to take place
with impunity.
        We view this policy as undermining the impartiality of the United
Nations, making a travesty of basic human rights. We strongly urge the UN
to intervene and rectify the situation.
        In addition, we urge the Red Cross, NGOs, and human rights
organizations to send representatives to the camp and observe the situation
first hand. We also urge the democratic public to form a delegation of its
own to assess the matter.


----
American Kurdish Information Network (AKIN)
2309 Calvert Street, NW
Suite #3
Washington, DC 20008-2603

Tel: (202) 483-6444
Fax: (202) 483-6476
Email: mail06672 at pop.net




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