As the press service of the Association of Russian Lawyers for Human Rights, the Kurdish sources report about the losses of 15 wounded and 5 killed Kurds, as well as targeted attacks by Turkish Army on civilian targets (the information on 21 January 2018, 12.00 Moscow times).
January 21, 2018, the human rights defenders condemned the criminal acts of Turkey undertaken by the state in the framework of the military operation «Olive Branch» directed against Kurdish self-defense groups of West Kurdistan (YPG) and peaceful Kurds in the canton of Afrin, located in the territory of Rojava. Rojava is autonomic territory of Democratic Federation of Northern Syria, a democratic confederation of six cantons with broad local self-government, with a total area of 44,000 square meters. km — Afrin, Kobani, Jizira, Kamyshlo, Hasaka and Shahba (Rakka and East Deir az-Zor are at the stage of cantonal administration), populated mainly by Kurds, the total population is about 3,500,000 people.
According to official sources, Turkey’s air and ground invasion of the territory of the canton of Afrin, launched on January 20, 2018, involved 72 Turkish military aircraft, according to the reports of the Turkish military struck 108 out of 113 targets — it is about deliberately destroying of Kurdish detachments people’s self-defense YPG. According to Kurdish sources, civilians, children, objects of civic significance of the canton Afrin were bombed.
Human rights defenders acknowledge the official YPG statement on the responsibility of Turkey and Russia for the operation in the canton of Afrin: «Russia and Turkey share responsibility for everything that happens in the region.» We emphasize that Russia becomes a criminal partner of Turkey in the massacres of civilians in the region, «YPG .
Commentary of Maria Bast, Chairman of the Association of Russian Lawyers for Human Rights to the situation in the canton of Afrin, Rojava:
— Rojava is a democratic legitimate confederation, where the principles of democracy are observed, a democratic civilization and a lawful state are being built in its most democratic format — wide local self-government. Turkey’s actions are an attempt on the democratic and legal, this gross violation of human rights and freedoms, this gross violation of the norms of international law, guaranteeing the right to self-determination and sovereignty, is an international crime. The territories of the cantons of the Rojava have never been part of Turkey, but are included in autonomy as part of present-day Syria, while Rojava is a democratic and legal confederation tacitly recognized throughout the world, including Russia. Russia’s position in the situation of an attempt on the democracy of Rojava is an accomplice in the crime of Turkey. Under such conditions, Russia shares responsibility for Turkey’s actions in the territory of Rojava and complicity in crimes against humanity in the course of the international conflict.
We condemn the actions of Turkey and Russia and call for the immediate cessation of the military operation against democracy and human rights and freedoms. We also call on international institutions and human rights organizations to intervene in the situation that is developing around the democratic confederation of Rojava.
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