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Several alternative media organisations, political parties and movements from Latin America condemned Turkey’s bombings against Kurdish people in North and East Syria in a joint statement on Friday.
Latin American organisations said that the Turkish government violated all international norms by launching airstrikes on Kurdish people and by the Turkish armed forces’ alleged chemical weapons use against Kurdish fighters in cross-border operations.
The political parties and organisations from Latin American countries, including Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Haiti, Mexico, Uruguay and Venezuela, also addressed the international community remaining “embarrassingly” silent on the issue.
“The recent bombardment by the imperialist forces in Kobane only shows us that despite the official discourse, the poor peoples of the world do not live in a free world where human rights and the self-determination of peoples are respected. On the contrary, we live in a globalised world where total disregard for life, genocide and ethnocide, war and colonialism are the norm,” the statement follows.
Stating that the Turkish government also targets Kurdish journalists in Turkey and that dozens of journalists are under arrest, the organisations called for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners.
Turkish drones conducting air strikes since 19 November targeted power stations, oil sites, schools and a COVID-19 hospital in Kurdish-held regions in North and East Syria.
The Turkish Defence Ministry said that Turkey is exercising its right of self-defence arising from Article 51 of the United Nations Charter in conducting air strikes against northern Syria and northern Iraq.
Turkey is basing its right of self-defence on the 13 November bomb attack in Istanbul that killed six people. Turkish security forces accused the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the People’s Defence Units (YPG) of the bomb attack.
However, the accused Kurdish groups all condemned the attack on civilians and declared that they had no connection with the bombing.
After the air strikes launched by the Turkish Armed Forces on North and East Syria and northern Iraq on Sunday night, MEPs have called on NATO and the European Commission to put a stop to Turkey’s attacks, saying that Turkey has violated international law.
Also, political parties and non-governmental organisations from Pacific Asia defined the military attacks against Kurds as “genocidal” and called on Turkey to immediately cease their military aggression.
