Turkey: state terror in 'anti-terrorist' guise | World War 4 Report

9.9.15

Turkey: state terror in 'anti-terrorist' guise | World War 4 Report: In the past week, paramilitary snipers have killed at least two Kurdish youths amid ongoing street fighting in Cizre, Şırnak province—as police forces deny local people access to the town's hospital. Vehicles carrying wounded civilians are reportedly turned back by police gunfire when they try to reach the hospital. In Diyarbakir, police have repeatedly used water cannon to disperse crowds of Kurdish residents who have gathered in defiance of a curfew in the city. (ANF, Euronews, Sept. 7)

Human Rights Watch accuses Turkish police of "disturbing abuse" of Kurdish detainees, who have been severely beaten, threatened with death, forced to remain in kneeling positions for hours, and denied medical treatment. The report highlights one case of a 17-year-old boy detained in Silopi, Şırnak, who was denied treatment despite a severe gunshot wound. Some of the detained were picked up on suspicion of being PKK militants when they arrived at the local hospital—and taken instead to jail. (HRW, Sept. 2)