KHRP Condemns Kidnapping of German Nationals in Turkey |
KHRP is deeply concerned by the reported kidnapping of three German nationals by the armed wing of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The individuals, who were part of a 13-member climbing team on an expedition on Mount Ararat, Agri province, were reportedly taken hostage when five PKK fighters approached their camp on 9 July.
KHRP is concerned by this unlawful act, which harkens back to the height of the conflict during the 1990s. Not only does it violate a number of provisions under international law including Article 1(b) of Article 3 common to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 (common Article 3), as well as Article 4(2)(c) of the 1977 Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts (Protocol II), it does nothing to advance dialogue or bring peace to these regions. Further, the killing or harming of those hostages would violate the prohibitions against the murder of and the use of violence against civilians in paragraph 1 of common Article 3 and Article 4 of Protocol II. These provisions have specific relevance to the conflict within Turkey’s borders and are binding for all parties to the conflict.
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