ANKARA - Noting that Sedat Peker's statement that the arms delivered to El Nusra from Turkey was sent by Metin Kıratlı, the Director of Administrative Services of the Presidency, İHD Co-Chair Öztürk Türkdoğan underlined that international organizations might step in if Turkey refuses to investigate the allegations.

 

State affiliated gang leader Sedat Peker claimed in his 8th video that AKP Government sent arms to El Nusra in the Syria civil war as well as it conducted illegal trade in Syria. 

 

Stating that the arms were sent to El Nusra via SADAT, Peker said that the illegal trade in Syria was done through Metin Kıratlı, the Director of Administrative Services of the Presidency.

 

El Nusra is recognized as a terrorist organization by 10 countries including Turkey.

 

In the report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry into the Syrian Arab Republic, formed by the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council, between July 2019 and January 2020, it was stated that war crimes were committed by Russian forces, Syrian regime, Turkey backed groups and gangs such as El Nusra and El Qaeda.

 

Human Rights Association (İHD) Co-Chair Öztürk Türkdoğan stated that they went to the border from Nusaybin to Hatay for observation in 2013 and prepared a report.

 

Türkdoğan said: "One of the highlights was how the people we call jihadists crossed from Turkey to Syria so easily. A jihadist was crossing the border with a simple card in his hand. We asked how come he was able to cross the border and we couldn't. They said he had a pass. We asked who gave him that card but they didn't answer. The Syrian issue should be investigated specifically, not only in terms of Turkey, but also in terms of Turkey's allies and many countries."

 

'INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS MIGHT STEP IN'

 

Stating that Turkey should apply its own laws regarding Peker's confessions, Öztürk said, "If you carry out operations on the territory of another country, if you turn a blind eye to the activities of paramilitary groups, if you allow weapons to be sent to paramilitary groups, you will not be fulfilling your duty and all of these things will be investigated by other countries in the future. There is a principle of complementarity in international law. If you do research and investigations in your own country, if you bring these investigations before a court, then foreign countries will not interfere with you. They wait for your judicial process to be completed. But if you do not resort to research, investigation and prosecution methods in an issue that concerns the international arena in your own country, then international organizations may step in. This is what awaits Turkey."

 

INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT

 

Stating that many people will be tried and punished according to the Turkish Penal Code if Peker's confessions are true, Türkdoğan said: "On the one hand, there are decisions taken by the UN Security Council for Syria. There is also a violation of those decisions. There are organizations that are on the 'terrorist organizations' list with the decision of the Security Council. There are people who are linked to these organizations.  There are decisions that prohibit supplying them with any kind of weapon. The countries forming the coalition regarding this issue have individual decisions. Therefore, it can go as far as the establishment of an international investigation commission. If sufficient steps are not taken in this regard, there is a model that the UN Security Council applies specifically to Yugoslavia. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia was established and it is still functional. The Yugoslav war has been over for a long time, but the court's appeals proceedings are still ongoing. In Syria, there are crimes that fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. However, since Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran, the USA and Israel are not parties to the International Criminal Court, the UN Security Council can establish a special mechanism. With the decision of the Security Council, the International Criminal Court may appoint the Attorney General and go to the region. More than 500 thousand people died in Syria, millions of people were displaced and very serious crimes were committed. There must be a trial for this and this trial will reveal a lot. This issue must be taken seriously. The allegation in question here is that Turkey is  providing weapons for paramilitary organizations. This is very serious."

 

 

MA / Diren Yurtsever