The International Peoples’ Tribunal will deliver its verdict on Turkey and the Kurds on Thursday 24 May at the European Parliament in Brussels.

M. Philippe Texier, President of the International Peoples’ Tribunal, together with the other judges on the panel will read the verdict and explain its content and reasoning.

The Tribunal hearings took place in Paris on 15 and 16 March. The Tribunal had been analysing proposals put forward by the following organisations, among others: International Association of Democratic Lawyers (AIJD-IADL), European Jurists Association for Democracy and Human Rights (EJDH-ELDH), International Democracy and Law Association (MAF-DAD), Brussels Kurdish Institute, Socialist and Democratic Progressive Alliance (S & D), the European United Left-North Green Left (GUE-NGL), the Greens-European Free Alliance (Verts -EFA).

The Tribunal will present its verdict and reasoning between 12.30pm and 2.30pm. Translation will be available in English, French, Turkish and Kurdish.

After the opening speeches, the Tribunal will announce the decision.

In the second part of the meeting, four of the associations within the organizers of the Tribunal will give speeches. A session will be dedicated to politicians and lawyers who will evaluate the decisions and their consequences.

The People’s Tribunal counts among its founders and supporters: Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation, 1984 Nobel Peace Prize Desmond Tutu, linguist Noam Chomsky, philosopher Toni Negri, philosopher Slavoj Žižek, lawyer specializing in human rights Margaret Owen, member of the House of Lords Helena Kennedy, European parliament Eva Joy, writer Patrice Franceschi, ethnologist and filmmaker Stéphane Breton, Queen's Counsel (King's supervisor) Michael Mansfield.

More than 400 people attended the two-day hearings, on 15 and 16 March. The Tribunal was made up of 7 judges from different countries and nations representing the public conscience.

Witnesses talked about the Turkish state's repression and violations of Kurds' political, cultural, social and economic rights.

The Tribunal heard witnesses of the massacres committed by the Turkish state during the self-rule resistance, especially in Cizre, Sur, Nusaybin and Şırnak. Some of the witnesses gave their testimony by Skype as they could not leave the country.

It was stated in the indictment that the Turkish state consciously and in a systematic way carried out these massacres and it was requested that the Tribunal recognise these as war crimes.

The prosecution demanded that the Turkish government and Erdogan be held responsible for the crimes committed.