Afrin-Shehba Lawyers Association co-chair Lezgîn Kor told ANHA about the increased Turkish attacks against Northern and Eastern Syria and said that “the Turkish state wants to revive the Ottoman Empire in Syrian lands.” Kor added that “the Turkish state is deliberately targeting the infrastructure, hospitals and schools of the region. The attacks and actions by the Turkish state are war crimes. With these attacks, the Turkish state wanted to frustrate the project of the Autonomous Administration and revive the Ottoman Empire. It is with these attacks in the background that municipal elections will be held in Turkey [next March]. As elections approach, Turkey wants to hide its internal problems [by turning the attention to the outside]”

War crimes

Drawing attention to the legal dimension of the attacks, Lezgîn Kor said: “The Turkish state is violating international laws and regulations. Articles 1-2 of the United Nations Charter are related to the protection of lands, ensuring security and peace. The third article states that the attacks should be stopped and that a solution should be reached without war, not through military methods, but through dialogue. The Roman Statute said the same. The actions and attacks by the Turkish state are crimes against humanity and Turkey, according to international law, is to be considered a war criminal.”

Call to international institutions

Calling on international organizations and the Damascus government to fulfill their responsibilities against the attacks carried out by the Turkish state, Lezgîn Kor said that they will send the files they prepared regarding the attacks to international courts.