The villages of Kocakoy in the district of Lice-Hani, in Amed (Diyarbakir) and other surrounding villages are under heavy shelling by the Turkish army. Many of these villages are currently burning, with many injured, and an unknown number killed. After heavy shelling of civilian locations, the Turkish soldiers entered the village of Kocakoy. They then proceeded to target homes by shooting and burning houses with families still inside. Local sources have reported that many people in these houses are killed and seriously injured. The Turkish army then proceeded to violently force an evacuation of these villages.

Yesterday, a similar disturbing situation occurred in Şapatan (Altınsu) village in Hakkari’s Şemdinli district. In this village, over 10 houses were demolished and ruined. Smoke is still rising from the homes and the forest areas around as well as several other villages.

The Turkish regime engaged in a similar campaign in the 1990s. During this period, the regime burned 4,000 Kurdish villages and displaced 3,000, 000 people. The regime is repeating the same policy and practice again.

In the previous press release presented earlier today, we informed that the Turkish military forces have attacked the districts of Varto, Semdinli, Farqin, Yuksekova, Nusaybin and Lice, targeting civilians, bombing businesses and houses deliberately and explicitly. Several people are already killed in these attacks.

HDP representatives and deputies have reported that they are witnessing the same strategy as when ISIS attacked Kobane and engaged in a deliberate policy of destruction of the city. Turkey is now adopting the same policy as ISIS in many Kurdish districts and villages in Kurdish parts of Turkey.
The use of military power against civilians is a war crime. The direct bombing, shelling and burning of homes, villages, businesses, streets, farms and the surrounding environment is a terror tactic used by the Turkish regime against innocent civilians.

We call again on all the international community, NGOs, Press and human rights organisations to condemn the dirty war that the Turkish state is engaging in towards the Kurds. The crimes being committed against the Kurds are human rights violations that the Turkish regime needs to be held responsible for by the relevant international bodies and organisations.