Turkey – which is denying it has used chemical weapons – has been a signatory to the chemical weapons convention since 1997.
According to the Kurdistan Freedom Movement and its supporters, however, the use of such weapons has increased since Turkey invaded guerrilla held areas in Iraqi Kurdistan).
Since Turkey’s armed forces invaded northern Iraq on 23 April 2021 there have been reports that it has been using chemical weapons against Kurdish guerrillas in the regions of Zap, Metina and Avasia, the Canary website reported.
These areas are held by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and associated guerrilla forces. The PKK is demanding an end to the repression and authoritarianism of the Turkish state, and is part of the movement for a radical democratisation of the region through a bottom up system called democratic confederalism.
The frequency of the use of these weapons and their lethality has increased in the past two months – there are now reports of over 300 separate uses. The evidence of this international crime and the casualties resulting from chemical weapons use are mounting up.
The Kurdistan Communities Union – or KCK – described the effects of the use of these weapons: "The chemical weapons used by the Turkish state are lethal weapons that cause suffocation, burns, impairment of the nervous system, and cauterization and destruction of tissue. In the areas where these weapons are used, all living beings and nature are completely destroyed. In addition, the remnants of these weapons settle in soil, water and plants, massively endangering the health and survival of the local population for years to come."
Dr Rûken Samsun, who’s a guerrilla fighting as part of the YJA Star Free Women’s Troops, told reporters from Firat News Agency that "these chemical weapons affect human reflexes and nerves. There are also chemical gases that burn and suffocate the human body. Suffocation occurs when living things are deprived of oxygen. Chemical weapons are banned worldwide. The use of chemical weapons against the guerrillas is immoral."
The 5 November KCK statement highlights that Turkey’s chemical weapon attacks affect Kurdish civilians, as well as the guerrillas: "It is well known that chemical weapons are being used not only against the guerrillas, but also against the local civilian population. As a result of the use of these weapons, the civilian population is already suffering from severe health problems that have now reached extremely worrying levels. Many people in the region have been directly affected by the use of chemical weapons and have therefore tried to visit civilian hospitals in the region. However, they are being prevented from doing so by the KDP [authorities in Iraqi Kurdistan] and the Turkish state and are instead being treated in secretly established military hospitals. Although all these facts are known, the crimes against humanity committed by the Turkish occupation forces through the use of chemical weapons are still not recognized. This denial and the accompanying silence or open support provide legitimacy to these crimes."
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