DIYARBAKIR (DIHA) – “The State responsible for mines” said Serdar Çelebi, a lawyer from the Human Rights Association (IHD), regarding increasing casualties because of mine explosions. Çelebi emphasized that Turkey needs to remove the mines to eliminate the losses. On the other hand Geneva Call also warned Turkey one more time about mine issu.

Mine explosions are still the most significant risk for people who are living in the Southeast and East Turkey. Lawyer Serdar Çelebi from the Human Rights Association (IHD), noted that casualties because of mine explosions are getting increase and Turkey needs to remove the mines to eliminate the losses. Çelebi also pointed that Turkish Republic is violating the international war rules since ignoring the problem.

“There are conflicts lasted 30 years and mines and other explosive ammunition which have forgotten in the Region by the village guards or soldiers. There is no day in the Region without a death or wound because of mine explosion. Government and Turkish Army Forces has to remove or destroy the mines regardless of how or by whom planted as required by international law. And also forced immigrants who want to back to their lands cannot move back here unless mines are destroyed. We should not forget that that mines are explosive even 70 years after.”

IHD Diyarbakir Branch President Raci Bilici also warned the government about increasing casualties because of mine explosions in the area; “Army forces or authorities don’t know where the mines were planted since the mines were planted randomly. It is totally against human rights according to any kind of law. The state needs to show us that the people are not being ignored in this Region by destroying the mines.”

On the other hand, there was a communique, released by Geneva Call about Turkey’s responsibility about mines on 19 April, also warned Turkey to fulfill its responsibilities required by Geneva Convention.
Here are the detail of Geneva Call release as follows: Official Turkish documents published by the Turkish Newspaper Taraf daily confirm that the armed forces planted anti-personnel (AP) mines
in South East Turkey in April 2009. The Turkish Government had previously accused the Kurdish Worker's Party (PKK) of having planted these landmines. The PKK signed the Deed of Commitment under Geneva Call for a total ban on anti-personnel mines and for cooperation in
mine action in 2006.

The mines caused the death of seven soldiers and injured eight others in May 2009. In December, a former Gendarmerie officer claimed that this incident has been caused by landmines planted by the Turkish armed forces and that he had been forced to attribute it to the PKK. In April 2010, after having conducted an investigation into the blast, the Van Chief Public Prosecutor's office indeed concluded that the landmines had been planted by the Turkish armed forces.

In the face of the allegations against the PKK, Geneva Call has repeatedly proposed to conduct a verification mission, but this was always ignored by the authorities, whereas the PKK welcomed the offer.
Today Geneva Call reiterates its request that, when there are allegations of AP mine use by the PKK, an independent verification mission determine whether banned AP mines were indeed used, and if possible, to determine responsibilities.

In 2008, the Philippines government noted that devices, banned both by the Ottawa treaty and the Deed of Commitment, had been used in Mindanao, and alleged that these had been planted by the MILF. Both parties, the government and the MILF, welcomed an independent verification mission, led by Geneva Call.”

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