The Permanent People's Tribunal on the "Alleged violations of international law and international humanitarian law by the Turkish Republic and its officials in their relations with the Kurdish people and their organizations" was taking place in Paris on 15 and16 March 2018, at the same time in which Afrin was being occupied by the Turkish state and its proxies. 

The Tribunal in 2018 delivered its verdict finding Turkey "responsible for the denial of the Kurdish people’s right to self-determination, the imposition of Turkish identity, the exclusion of the Kurdish people’s identity and presence, and the repression of its participation in the political, economic and cultural life of the country, interpreted as a threat to the Turkish State’s authority."

In addition, the Tribunal found that "the Turkish state has committed war crimes in the towns of Kurdish South-East Anatolia, including massacres and permanent displacement of Kurds, further revealing the intent to physical elimination of part of the Kurdish people."

Just before the seventh anniversary of the invasion of Afrin, on 5 and 6 February, the Permanent People's Tribunal will hold a session on Rojava vs. Turkey in Brussels. 

The Tribunal will focus on the Turkish state’s attacks on Rojava between 2018 and 2024, and will present them for scrutiny in a broad and documented format. Already, the reports / documents / data made by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, prestigious human rights institutions, and many civil society organizations shed some light on the picture.

The alleged crimes to be tried by the Tribunal are:

– Crimes against humanity committed through forced displacement, targeted violence and systematic repression.

– War crimes, including the use of prohibited weapons and attacks on civilians and vital infrastructure.

– Crimes of aggression aimed at destabilizing the region and violating territorial sovereignty.

It is possible to attend the session of the International People's Tribunal on Rojava vs. Turkey by registering by 15 January to this email: [email protected]