We remember this attitude from Cizre, silence is compliance" Cizre Co-mayor Leyla Imret who is on a hunger strike in front of the UN for Afrin said: “Europe and the UN should stop being concerned and take a clear stand against Erdoğan’s invasion. Erdoğan is way past ‘condemnation’s.”

We remember this attitude from Cizre, silence is compliance"
Cizre Co-mayor Leyla Imret who is on a hunger strike in front of the UN for Afrin said: “Europe and the UN should stop being concerned and take a clear stand against Erdoğan’s invasion. Erdoğan is way past ‘condemnation’s.”

The hunger strike launched by HDP MPs and co-mayors in front of the UN Geneva offices to demand action against the Turkish state and their allied gangs invading Afrin from international powers continues on day 6.

Among the hunger strike activists, there are politicians who witnessed first hand the massacre committed by the Turkish state in Cizre during the self-government resistances, in front of the whole world to see. One of them is Cizre Co-mayor Leyla Imret.

Imret had frequently called on the UN to prevent her people being massacred while the Turkish state planned for massacres in Cizre, and still carries deep in her heart the fury she had for the UN failing to take action. Imret had called on the UN from across many borders back in those days, but today she is right next to the UN along with many other politicians, demanding an end to the silence throughout the world in the face of the genocide in Afrin.

ANF spoke with Leyla Imret about their goals in the hunger strike and the long process from Cizre to Afrin.

“THE MASSACRE RELIED ON THE SILENCE OF THE UN”

“Yes, I am one of the closest witnesses of the Cizre massacre. The most significant reason for me coming here is what we went through in Cizre,” said Imret and continued: “As the Turkish state prepared for a massacre in Cizre, we as the elected officials of the people called on the UN countless times, but unfortunately the UN was silent then. The UN, by failing to take a stand during the Cizre process, left our people to face the massacre. As the basement atrocities happened in Cizre, the UN never even lifted a finger. As the UN was silent in the face of our calls then, the Turkish state was able to carry out a massacre in Cizre. But if the UN had taken a role that day, the Cizre massacre could have been prevented.”

“WE ARE HERE BECAUSE WE KNOW THE STATE FROM CIZRE”

Imret said they are very well aware what kind of a genocide the Turkish state could commit in Afrin due to what they did in Cizre: “Despite all the calls we made in Cizre, we couldn’t stop the massacre. But today, as witnesses to Cizre, we are at the gates of the UN and we say, we know this state very well, if you don’t take action they will do something worse than Cizre in Afrin. You let us go through this, but don’t let it happen to the people of Afrin. It wasn’t eough that they massacred the people of Cizre, they also destroyed and burned the region. They wanted to change the demographics in Cizre, but our people didn’t let that. Our people continued to live in makeshift barracks and half ruined homes, and prevented the gangs Erdoğan wanted to settle in Cizre.”

“PEOPLE OF AFRIN ARE FACING GENOCIDE”

Imret stated that the very army that burned and destroyed Cizre has invaded Afrin today, and that the Turkish state is doing the same thing they did in Cizre in Afrin today. Imret said: “If the forces there hadn’t taken the people of Afrin outside the city center to protect them, the Turkish state would have massacred the whole population in air strikes. But the people of Afrin are still facing a threat of genocide. This risk continues still, very clearly.”

“UN SHOULD SEND AN OBSERVATION COMMITTEE TO AFRIN”

Imret stressed that the UN failing to take action despite the Turkish state and their gangs’ genocidal practices in Afrin is unacceptable for Kurds: “If the UN continues to display in Afrin the same approach they had during Cizre, they will once again be accomplices in massacres against Kurds. Look, the people of Afrin live with a dependency on aid today, they can’t fulfill their human necessities. These people want to return home under UN supervision, but the UN is still silent. Isn’t the main purpose of the UN to protect civilians and fulfill their needs? The most important one of our fundamental demands is that the UN send a committee to Afrin to observe the threat of genocide in situ.”

Imret said the real goal of the Turkish state is to settle ISIS gangs in Afrin, and stressed that the UN and international powers should take urgent action against that. Imret continued: “Erdoğan wanted to avenge ISIS’ defeat in Kobanê with Cizre, Sur and other cities in Bakur. But all his massacres couldn’t make our people there bow down to Erdoğan. Erdoğan is now invading Afrin so he can revive the almost destroyed ISIS gangs after settling them in Afrin. Those he calls FSA are actually all remnants of ISIS gangs. We are on a hunger strike here to let everyone know exactly that.”

“A CLEAR STANCE AGAINST THE INVASION IS NEEDED”

Imret said the legal definition of what the Turkish state did in Afrin is an invasion in international law, and added: “The UN and international powers should force Turkey to leave Afrin. Otherwise, the terror center to be created in Afrin will turn into a great threat, not just for Kurds but for the whole of Europe. The attack in France today shows that ISIS continues to pose a threat to Europe. Truly, if Erdoğan is not stopped, ISIS will continue with these attacks. Europe and the UN should stop being concerned already, and take a clear stand against Erdoğan’s invasion. Erdoğan is way past ‘condemnation’s. This hunger strike is done to draw attention to these facts. Our demands should be heeded, otherwise Erdoğan will be trouble for all.”

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