Connor Hayes spoke with Steve Sweeney, international editor of the Morning Star, about his recent trip to South Kurdistan and the present situation on the ground in Turkey’s war against the PKK. The primary subject of the discussion are the reports of Turkey’s use of chemical weapons against both PKK fighters and civilians in South Kurdistan, and we discuss the cases of and evidence for such attacks, the silence of the international community, including monitoring agencies like the OPCW and the international media, and actions that can be taken by people internationally to try to apply pressure to get Turkey condemned by the international community.

Steve Sweeney is a multimedia journalist, writer and political activist. He is a member of the National Union of Journalists, and the International Editor for the Morning Star newspaper writing on labour and progressive issues with an interest in Turkey, Kurdistan and the Middle East along with Latin America and global liberation movements. He is the co-editor of the Kurdistan Media Project and co-founder of Journalists for Democracy in Turkey and Kurdistan.

Connor Hayes is an activist, researcher, and a student of philosophy. He was a member of the 2019 International Peace Delegation to Imrali.

For further information, please see the following:

Our prior interview with Steve: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32C8dRKGltc&t=164s

Steve’s articles for Morning Star: https://morningstaronline.co.uk/search/results/steve%20sweeney

Please contact Steve Sweeney for any inquiries:
Phone: +964 751 547 5970
Email: [email protected]

This interview is sponsored by the Peace in Kurdistan Campaign (https://www.peaceinkurdistancampaign.com/) and the Campaign Against Criminalising Communities (http://www.campacc.org.uk/).