A team of independent Iranian lawyers has written to the United Nations, the European Union and other international organisations to condemn the ongoing Turkish military operations in northern Syria. The letter highlighted the devastating impact on Kurdish communities and the wider humanitarian crisis, accusing Turkey of violating international law and denigrating human rights principles.
In a letter to the UN Secretary-General, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the EU and the UN Security Council, they condemned the continued attacks by Turkish-backed armed groups against Kurdish areas, targeting such recognised forces as the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which the lawyers described as a flagrant denial of the UN Charter, the principle of state sovereignty and the right of peoples to self-determination.
The lawyers said the attacks have resulted in thousands of civilian casualties and internally displaced persons, as well as extensive destruction of infrastructure in northern Syria. The letter warns that these actions have serious humanitarian and legal implications, contributing to regional instability and a deepening humanitarian crisis.
The lawyers argued that under Article 41 of the International Law Commission’s Articles on the Responsibility of States, the international community has a legal obligation to protect vulnerable populations such as Kurds and other minorities from external aggression and violations of their rights.
