The Council of Europe has urged the Turkish authorities to ensure immediate access to the besieged city of Cizre by independent observers, including by Turkey's national human rights structures, in order to dispel the rumors of human rights violations perpetrated by security forces.
A humanitarian crisis has unfolded in the mainly Kurdish town where residents say they have been unable to buy food or medical supplies since authorities imposed a curfew after Turkey launched a security operation against Kurdish PKK militants in Cizre in retaliation for their deadly attacks.
Pro-Kurdish MPs say 21 civilians have been killed in Turkish airstrikes, and their march to Cizre was blocked by police.
The European Council's Human Rights Commissioner Nils Muiznieks said in a statement Friday that he is concerned about very distressing information he received on developments in Cizre. In the framework of anti-terror operations, a curfew was declared in Cizre, a city of around 100,000 inhabitants in the Sirnak Province in South-Eastern Turkey, on 4 September, reportedly for an unlimited period. Muiznieks added that he received reports that public life, including essential services such as healthcare, and means of communication have been severely disrupted as a result, and that entry and exit from the city have been barred. He said he also received serious allegations of disproportionate use of force by security forces against civilians.
Muiznieks cautioned that the proportionality and legality of the Turkish anti-terror operations must always be very carefully scrutinized by the authorities and by courts, including in the light of relevant international human rights standards. "The current situation, which combines an exceptionally severe interference with the human rights of a very large population and a near-complete information blackout, is deeply worrying in this respect,' according to him.
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