Call for a Peaceful Resolution in Sur Discrict of Diyarbakir

From 22 to 23 March, Terry went to the southeast of Turkey to visit the cities of Mardin and Diyarbakir. Given the ever more escalating situation in the region, she wished to get an on-site impression of the latest developments. Therefore, she met the co-mayors of Mardin and Diyarbakir, different local NGOs, and representatives of the government. The realties in the region are dramatic, devastating and daunting. It is urgent for all political actors to get engaged and work on a peaceful and sustainable solution for the region. Together with other Members of the European Parliament, the co-spokesperson of the Europeans Greens and other Green Party members, Terry wrote the following declaration calling for a peaceful resolution of the conflict:

Urgent Call for a Peaceful Resolution to the Humanitarian Situation in Sur District of Diyarbakir

The historical district of Sur in Diyarbakir has been under curfew since December 11 last year.

The infrastructure has been largely destroyed by shelling. An estimated 200 people are still trapped in the basements, including 15 children under 10 years of age and an unknown number of wounded people. Civilians cannot leave their homes due to the continuous shelling and dead bodies are lying on the streets.

The Turkish authorities acknowledge the presence of 131 civilians and 25 PKK militants.

We appeal to the Turkish authorities to enable a humanitarian solution to the crisis in all urgency and to create the circumstances that would allow sparing the lives of the civilians, especially the children.

We urge you to suspend the curfew and to put in place a 24 hour ceasefire to allow for the wounded to be evacuated and for people to be able to leave the area safely.

Please don’t allow for another humanitarian catastrophe like the one in Cizre, where a reported 158 civilians trapped in a basement died.

We also appeal to the High Representative Mogherini and EU Heads of State to address the dramatic situation in Sur urgently.

1. Ska Keller (EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee, Member of recent delegation to the South East, Greens/EFA, Germany)
2. Richard Howitt (Foreign Affairs Committee, S&D, United Kingdom)
3. Elena Valenciano (Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights, S&D, Spain)
4. Michael Gahler (Foreign Affairs Committee, EPP, Germany)
5. Charles Tannock (Foreign Affairs Committee, ECR, United Kingdom)
6. Mark Demesmaeker (Foreign Affairs Committee, ECR, Belgium)
7. Yana Toom (Committee of Culture, ALDE, Estonia)
8. Takis Hadjigeorgiou (Foreign Affairs Committee, GUE/NGL, Cyprus)
9. Marie-Christine Vergiat (Human Rights Subcommittee, GUE/NGL, France)
10. Fabio Castaldo (Foreign Affairs Committee, EFDD, Italy)
11. Rebecca Harms (Co-President of Greens/EFA, Germany)
12. Bodil Valero (Foreign Affairs Committee, Greens/EFA, Sweden)
13. Ernest Maragall (EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee, Greens/EFA, Spain)
14. Josep-Maria Terricabras (President European Free Alliance, Member of recent delegation to South East Turkey, Greens/EFA, Spain)
15. Helga Trüpel (Member of recent delegation to South-East Turkey, Greens/EFA, Germany)
16. Tatjana Ždanoka (Member of recent delegation to South East Turkey, Greens/EFA, Latvia)
17. Michel Reimon (Member of recent delegation to South East Turkey, Greens/EFA Austria)
18. Terry Reintke (Member of recent delegation to South East Turkey, Greens/EFA, Germany)
19. Maria Heubuch (Greens/EFA, Germany)
20. György Hölvényi (EPP, Hungary)
21. Malin Björk (GUE/NGL, Sweden)
22. Demetris PAPADAKIS (S&D Cyprus)
23. Izaskun Bilbao Barandica (ALDE, Spain)
24. Soraya Post (S&D, Sweden)
25. Barbara Spinelli (GUE/NGL, Italy)
26. Renate Sommer (EPP, Germany)
27. Alexander Graf (ALDE, Germany)
28. Monika Vana (Greens/EFA, Austria)
29. Sabine Lösing (GUE/NGL, Germany)
30. Jytte Guteland (S&D, Sveden)
31. Miguel Urban (GUE/NGL, Spain)
32. Stefan Eck (GUE/NGL, Germany)
33. Maite Pagazaurtundúa (ALDE, Spain)
34. Julia Reda (Greens/EFA, Germany)
35. Ernest Urtasun (Greens/EFA, Spain)
36. Neoklis Sylikiotis (GUE/NGL, Cyprus)
37. Josef Weidenholzer (S&D, Austria)
38. Julie Ward (S&D, UK)
39. Ivo Vajgl (ALDE, Slovenia)
40. Anna Zaborska (EPP, Slovakia)
41. Peter Niedermüller (S&D, Hungary)
42. Neena Gill (S&D, United Kingdom)
43. Stelios Kouloglou (GUE/NGL, Greece)
44. Rosa D’Amato (EFDD, Italy)
45. Brando Benifei (S&D, Italy)
46. Patricija Sulin (EPP, Slovenia)
47. Alyn Smith (Greens/EFA, United Kingdom)
48. Nikolaos Chountis (GUE/Greece)
49. Milan Zver (EPP, Slovenia)
50. Gérard Deprez (ALDE, Belgium)
51. Jordi Sebastia (Greens/EFA, Spain)
52. Ramon Tremose i Balcells (ALDE, Spain)
53. Nessa Childers (S&D, Ireland)
54. María Dolores Lola Sánchez Caldentey (GUE/NGL, Spain)
55. Vincent Peillon (S&D, France)
56. Marietje Schaake (ALDE, Netherlands)
57. Barbara Lochbihler (Greens/EFA, Germany)
58. Eugen Freund (S&D, Austria)
59. Curzio Maltese (GUE/NGL, Italy)
60. Ulrike Lunacek (Greens/EFA, Austria)
61. Teresa Giménez Barbat (ALDE, Spain)
62. Elly Schlein (S&D, Italy)
63. Marina Albiol (GUE/NGL, Spain)
64. Rina Kari (GUE/NGL, Denmark)
65. Javier Nart (ALDE, Spain)