An international petition has been launched online against the Turkish state’s genocidal occupation campaign ongoing in South Kurdistan since April 24. The petition has already been signed by a number of intellectuals, academics, politicians, and human rights activists.

The petition is addressed to Manuel de Oliveira Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations; Nancy Patricia Pelosi, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives; Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission; Joe Biden, President of the United States of America; Barham Salih, President of the Republic of Iraq; Muhammad Al-Halbousi, Speaker of the Iraqi House of Representatives; Mustafa Al-Kazemi, Prime Minister of Iraq; Antony Blinken, United States Secretary of State; Josep Borrell Fontelles, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affaris and Security Policy; Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States; Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region; Rewaz Faeq, Speaker of Kurdistan House of Representatives.

The petition text includes the following:

The Turkish army launched a large-scale military offensive on the border areas of the territory of the Kurdistan Regional Government - Iraq. According to the Turkish president, the goal is to eliminate the PKK presence in the region. However, the Turkish military attacks constitute a breach of Iraqi sovereignty and form an “occupation project” for the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The Turkish forces had already carried out dozens of similar military operations in the region from 1983 onwards, justifying their attacks under similar excuses, leaving dozens of looted villages, hundreds of Kurdish dead civilians, and victims in the villages that were subject to military attacks, in addition to the displacement of thousands of other people towards safer areas, far away from the armed conflicts.

Whatever the claims and intentions of the Turkish authorities, the reality is that the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and Iraqi lands have been occupied by the Turkish forces. Turkey has established forty-seven (47) military bases in the region. These military operations have impacted the civilians and sovereignty of Iraq. In addition, the repercussions on social, political and economic stability are dire; they pose major threats to the territorial integrity of Iraq and the gains achieved throughout Kurdistan. Most importantly, the timing of the last operation is crucial as it took place just hours before the 106th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and the official international recognition of it, especially by United States President Biden. The message to the Kurds is clear: “You will be subjected to genocide, just like the Armenians.”

This operation has raised great concerns among the Kurdish people, who had just resisted the brutal attacks and genocide committed by the terrorist groups of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS). This operation is directed not only against the Kurds, but against the Arabs and all the ethnic and religious components in the region. It constitutes a dangerous and continuous sign of the Turkish aggression against other populations in the region. This was evident from Turkey's deployment of terrorists in Libya and Armenia, and in the areas that it recently began attacking, which clearly illustrates its destabilising ambitions to dominate the region, and leads to an imbalance in the international arena. This clearly confirms the seriousness of the Turkish goals and greed. The PKK, now resisting the Turkish occupation in the region, has played a decisive role in defeating ISIS and other “takfiri” groups, and thus the PKK joined fights which were appreciated by all.

The Kurdish issue is a people's issue, and a political, social and cultural issue with historical roots of a people striving towards freedom, democracy and justice as recognized rights. Civilian issues cannot be resolved by wars, violations and military offensives that lead from one chaos to another and perpetuate violence and instability.

We, as intellectuals, academics, politicians, and human rights activists, call on you to exercise your authority and powers to help stop the Turkish military operations and encourage a democratic and peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue."

List of the First Conveners and Signatories of the Campaign (Stop Turkish Invasion)

1. Shirin Ebadi, Lawyer, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Iran
2. Slavoj Žižek, Political Philosopher and Cultural Critic, Ljubljana, Slovenia
3. Baroness Christine Blower, House of Lords, UK
4. Ghalib M. Ali, Member of Iraqi Council of Representatives
5. Shirin Emin Abdulaziz, member of the Parliament of Kurdistan, Iraq
6. Asos Hardi, Kurdish Journalist, Iraq
7. Rajai Fayed, Member of the foreign affairs commission in the Egyptian parliament
8. Ahmed Bahaa El-Din Shaaban, Secretary General of the Egyptian Socialist Party, ESP
9. Ilhami Al-Meliji, Journalist and Political Writer, Egypt
10. Ögmundur Jonasson, Former Minister of Justice, Iceland
11. Lord Hendy QC barrister, House of Lords, UK
12. Simon Dubbins, UNITE International Director, UK
13. Hoshyar Abdullah, Member of the Iraqi Parliament
14. Mariwan Wirya Qani, Kurdish Intellectual, Writer, and political Scientist, Iraq
15. Niyaz Abdullah, Journalist and Civil Society Activist, Kurdistan, Iraq
16. Atif Moughaweri, Member of the Egyptian Parliament, Deputy of  National Progressive Unionist Party of Egypt
17. Hersh Hassan Hamad, MP, Parliament of Kurdistan, Iraq
18. Sayyed Abdel Fattah, Cairo Centre for Kurdish Studies, Egypt
19. Ahmedy Haji Rashed, Member of Iraqi Council of Representatives
20. Mahmoud Patel, Chairperson, Kurdish Human Rights Action Group, South Africa
21. Kamal Rauf, Journalist, Kurdistan, Iraq
22. Mihemed Emin Pencewini, Writer, Veteran Kurdish Politician
23. Abdullah Mala Nuri, Lawyer, Former MP in the Parliament of Kurdistan, Iraq
24. Arêz Abdullah, Write and MP, Parliament of Kurdistan, Iraq
25. Shavanagh Taj, Trade Union Congress Wales, General Secretary, UK
26. Dr Latif Rashid,  PhD Former Minister lraqi Government and Senior Advisor to Iraqi President
27. Ali Karimi, Kurdish Writer and Journalist, Iran
28. Geoff Shears, Vice-President of the Centre for Labour and Social Studies (CLASS), UK
29. Mike Mansfield QC, barrister, UK
30. Rahi Rahber Said Ibrahim, MP, Parliament of Kurdistan, Iraq
31. Prof Bill Bowring, Birkbeck, University of London, UK
32. Dr. Sherko Abdulla, Satirist, Suleymaniyeh-Iraq
33. Dr Thomas Jeffrey Miley, Cambridge University, UK
34. Mary Davis, Professor of Labour History at Royal Holloway University of London, UK
35. Margaret Owen OBE, barrister, UK
36. Ali Hama Salih, MP, Parliament of Kurdistan, Iraq
37. Ayoub Barzani, Kurdish Researcher and Writer, Iraq
38. Matt Sedillo, poet, US
39. James Kelman, novelist, Scotland, UK
40. Rozhan Shahid Hama Rash, MP, Parliament of Kurdistan, Iraq
41. Sean Michael Wilson, Comic book writer, Scotland, UK
42. Ramsey Kanaan, Publisher/PM Press, California, US
43. Latif Fatih Faraj, Journalist and Writer, KRG, Iraq
44. Dafydd Iwan, Former President Plaid Cymru, Wales, UK
45. Rahila Gupta, writer and journalist, UK
46. Elizabeth Nussbaum, writer, UK
47. Rahman Gharib, Head of Metro Center for Press Freedom, KRG, Iraq
48. Jonathan Bloch, writer, UK
49. Nick Hildyard, policy advisor, UK
50. Abdulhamid Zebari, Journalist, Iraq.
51. David Morgan, journalist and writer, UK
52. Ziyad Jabbar Mohammad, Head of PUK Group in the Parliament of Kurdistan, Iraq
53. Luqman Werdi, Human Rights Activist, MP, Parliament of Kurdistan, Iraq
54. Barry White, NUJ Leeds and West Yorkshire Branch (personal capacity), UK
55. Stephen Smellie, Deputy Convenor UNISON, Scotland, UK
56. Margaret Gallacher, Scottish Kurdish Solidarity, UK
57. Shamol Ashti Saber, MP, Parliament of Kurdistan, Iraq
58. Les Levidow, CAMPACC, UK
59. Meredith Tax, writer, US
60. Professor Dr. Abbas Mustafa Abbas, KRG, Iraq
61. Ozlem Goner,  Associate Professor, City University of New York, US
62. Dr Isabel Kaser, London School of Economic and Political Science, UK
63. Mick Wheelan, ASLEF General Secretary, Uk
64. Lord Hendy QC barrister, House of Lords, UK
65. Geoff Shears, Vice-President of the Centre for Labour and Social Studies (CLASS), UK
66. Mike Mansfield QC, barrister, UK
67. Abubakir Haladni, MP, Parliament of Kurdistan, Iraq
68. Prof Bill Bowring, Birkbeck, University of London, UK
69. Dr Thomas Jeffrey Miley, Cambridge University, UK
70. Mary Davis, Professor of Labour History at Royal Holloway University of London, UK
71. Margaret Owen OBE, barrister, UK
72. Matt Sedillo, poet, US
73. James Kelman, novelist, Scotland, UK
74. Kinêr Abdullah, Writer, Politician, and Women’s Rights Activist, Suleymaniyeh, Iraq
75. Sean Michael Wilson, Comic book writer, Scotland, UK
76. Ramsey Kanaan, Publisher/PM Press, California, US
77. Peyman Izzeddin, Lawyer, Former MP, Parliament of Kurdistan, Iraq
78. Dafydd Iwan, Former President Plaid Cymru, Wales, UK
79. Rahila Gupta, writer and journalist, UK
80. Tara Husseyin, Political Activist, Women’s Rights Advocate
81. Kardo Muhammad, Former MP in the Parliament of Kurdistan, Iraq
82. Elizabeth Nussbaum, writer, UK
83. Jonathan Bloch, writer, UK
84. Tareq Fateh Hasan, Journalist, Suleymaniyeh, Iraq
85. Beyar Omar Abdullah, Political Activist and Journalist, Suleymaniyeh, Iraq
86. Nick Hildyard, policy advisor, UK
87. David Morgan, journalist and writer, UK
88. Barry White, NUJ Leeds and West Yorkshire Branch (personal capacity), UK
89. Stephen Smellie, Deputy Convenor UNISON, Scotland, UK
90. Omar Gulpi, Human Rights Activist, MP, Parliament of Kurdistan, Iraq
91. Margaret Gallacher, Scottish Kurdish Solidarity, UK
92. Les Levidow, CAMPACC, UK
93. Hon. Ian F. Hancock, Professor at University of Texas at Austin, FRSA OBE, USA
94. New name: Bert Schouwenburg, trade union advisor, UK
95. Dr Felix Padel, author, UK
96. Dr Greta Sykes, German/English writer and artist, UK
97. Debbie Bookchin, author and journalist, US
98. Simon Dubbins, UNITE International Director, UK
99. Clare Baker, UNITE International Officer, UK
100. Aonghas MacNeacail, Scottish Gaelic poet, UK
101. Gareth Pierce, lawyer, UK
102. Bert Schouwenburg, trade union advisor, UK
103. Dr Felix Padel, author, UK
104. Hiwa Said Salim, Political Activist, Writer, and Journalist, Suleymaniyeh, Iraq
105. Dr Greta Sykes, German/English writer and artist, UK
106. Debbie Bookchin, author and journalist, US
107. Simon Dubbins, UNITE International Director, UK
108. Clare Baker, UNITE International Officer, UK
109. Aonghas MacNeacail, Scottish Gaelic poet, UK
110. Gareth Pierce, lawyer, UK

The petition can be reached and signed here: