Five hundred and sixty-one Kurdish intellectuals living in different parts of Kurdistan and abroad have shared a joint statement calling on international institutions to take a stance against Turkey, which is accused of using chemical weapons against Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq.

“As intellectuals, writers, activists, journalists, artists, politicians, scientists and ecologists, we strongly condemn invasion, attacks, murders and the use of illegal weapons and chemical weapons,” the statement said.

“The Turkish government is using chemical weapons and prohibited bombs while at the same time it is arresting freedom fighters, journalists and civil and political activists in north Kurdistan,” it added.

The statement also mentioned the silence of the Western countries and the international institutions in the face of allegations regarding Turkey’s use of chemical weapons and asked the United Nations and human rights lawyers to take action against the allegations.

The statement criticised the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which rules the autonomous Kurdistan region in north Iraq, for helping Turkey.

“The KDP does not allow gas masks to be sent to the guerrillas, nor does it grant permission to journalists and international organisations who want to investigate the use of chemical weapons,” it said.