NORTHERN KURDISTAN, Turkey, — Following the recent clashes between the Kurdish freedom fighters and the Turkish soldiers, the Turkish army distorted and destroyed the corpses of the Kurdish guerrillas in such a brutal way that the families of the slain guerrillas could not recognise them. The Turkish army had resorted to such brutalities in the 90’s and the photo in which Turkish soldiers were posing with the heads of Kurdish rebels, chopped off their bodies are in living memories.
While the Turkish army executes the captured guerrillas, the PKK guerrillas fulfil the requirements of the Geneva Convention and treat the Turkish captives accordingly. Article 17 of the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War states: “No physical or mental torture, nor any other form of coercion, may be inflicted on prisoners of war to secure from them information of any kind whatever. Prisoners of war who refuse to answer may not be threatened, insulted, or exposed to any unpleasant or disadvantageous treatment of any kind.” Article 3 (a) further stated that “Violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture” are war crimes. Despite the fact that Turkey is a party to this convention it violates the Convention in front of the eyes of the world.
Turkish army has tortured the dead bodies of the Kurdish guerrillas who lost their lives in the clashes took place in Gumushane, Siirt and Hakkari provinces. Some of the bodies were beheaded, their eyes were taken out and their organs were chopped off. These treatments remind Saddam Hussein’s crimes against humanity.
It should be pointed out that this is not the first time that the Turkish soldiers treat the body of Kurdish guerrillas in a savage barbaric way. In the footage bellow the Turkish soldiers were filmed while dragging on the ground and kicking the bodies of two Kurdish guerrillas who had lost their life in fighting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4poAB845Ozc