GUE/NGL MEPs call for urgent aid for people of Cizre and an end to the confict in SE Turkey

 A humanitarian tragedy is currently taking place in Cizre, one of the towns in South East Turkey which is undergoing a massive military and police offensive by the Turkish government.

Some thirty people are currently trapped in a house, some of them seriously injured and some who have already succumbed to their injuries. They have been denied medical care by the Turkish authorities.

With the impending deaths of more of those people caught up in this violence, human rights and justice are also failing. Alongside human rights organisations and politicians, GUE/NGL calls on the Turkish authorities to provide emergency help to all those in need of medical care in Cizre and other towns and villages in the region.

GUE/NGL reiterates its extreme concern at the events unfolding in South East Turkey and calls for an immediate end to the violence and the appalling massacre on the Kurdish population. The situation in Cizre and other towns in South East Turkey is likely to escalate. Hundreds of civilians have been killed, schools and hospitals are under siege, systematic curfews are being imposed and entire neighbourhoods are in ruins.

The curfews in all these regions must be lifted immediately. The group calls for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the military and police violence against civilians. The GUE/NGL once again insists on the European Union’s role as mediator in order to bring the conflicting parties back to the negotiating table. The EU must stop turning a blind eye to this situation and urgently act to mediate in the face of the severe human rights violations.

GUE/NGL Press Contact:

Gay Kavanagh +32 473 84 23 20

Nikki Sullings + 32 483 03 55 75

European United Left / Nordic Green Left

European Parliamentary Group

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