Posted on by sheila

Turkey attacking Afrin: Ask you MP to sign the following EDMs

Early day motion 879: CURRENT SITUATION IN AFRIN, SYRIA

That this House is deeply concerned about the current situation of the people of Afrin, who have been subjected to Turkish Government aggression; notes that Afrin has been one of the more stable parts of Syria and that it has become a destination for hundreds of refugees from many cities including Aleppo; further notes that its current population has risen from 400,000 before the war to roughly 750,000; believes that the true victims of Turkey’s invasion of northern Syria are refugees, babies, women and children; further notes that Afrin borders Turkey on the north and is surrounded on its other sides by Syrian government forces and rebel forces including Al Qaeda; recognises that Afrin like other parts of Rojava is run democratically and peacefully with an emphasis on religious and ethnic pluralism, restorative justice, and the liberation of women and economic cooperatives; further recognises that YPG, YPJ and SDF forces, backed by the US, have been the most successful groups in defeating Daesh in Syria; is further concerned that the Turkish government’s recent actions are widely judged to have worsened the prospects for peace in Syria and wider Middle East; condemns the use of violence by Turkey’s Army on the people of Afrin and the Kurdish forces in Syria; and calls on the Government, as a matter of urgency to press the importance of respect for fundamental human rights and rule of International law.

 

Early day motion 877: TURKEY’S WAR ON AFRIN

That this House strongly condemns Turkey’s unprovoked, aggressive airstrikes on Afrin, a Kurdish canton in Northern Syria, resulting in deaths and injuries of civilians; notes that initiating a military attack on a country that has not attacked you constitutes a war crime; understands that neither Afrin canton, nor any other Northern Syrian Kurdish region, has ever attacked or threatened to attack Turkey; further notes that Turkish jets started targeting civilian areas in Afrin on 20 January 2018, including Afrin city, Cindirêsê, Reco, Shera, Shêrawa and Mabeta districts and the refugee camp Rubar; notes that the Rubar camp hosts more than 20,000 refugees who have fled war-torn parts of Syria, and that Afrin itself hosts more than 200,000 internally displaced people which constitutes over half its population; condemns the Turkish military’s alliance with al-Qaeda, Heyet Tahrir El Sam, in coordinated aerial and ground attacks on Afrin, opening up a new and bloody front after seven years of tragic conflict in Syria; believes this can only drag the region into a renewed catastrophe, inflicting hunger, killing more children, creating more displaced people; commends the Kurdish forces in the YPG and YPJ who defeated ISIS in their capital of Raqqa; calls on all democratic forces and public opinion to show solidarity with the people of Afrin, to protest and condemn Turkey’s genocidal invasion; condemns the silence of the international community in the face of these attacks which will legitimise the violation of human and fundamental rights.

Early day motion 872: TURKISH OFFENSIVE IN AFRIN

That this House condemns the Turkish Army’s ground offensive against Syrian Kurds in Afrin; deplores the brutal attacks which have killed civilians as well as fighters from both sides and displaced·an estimated 5,000 people; notes the invaluable support the Kurdish forces provided and continue to provide in the fight against ISIS; further notes that the attack on Afrin was completely unprovoked; highlights that since the offensive began Turkish President Erdogan has arrested 91 journalists, politicians and activists who have spoken out against the attacks; notes that since the Syrian war began, Afrin has become a stable place for Syrian refugees who now cannot escape this new threat; and urges the Government to add its voice to French calls for an immediate UN Security Council meeting.