ANKARA - HDP Group Deputy Chairpersons Meral Danış Beştaş and Saruhan Oluç demanded that the crimes committed by gangs under the name of SMO be investigated in the regions under Turkish control in Syria.
Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Group Deputy Chairpersons Meral Danış Beştaş and Saruhan Oluç submitted a research proposal to the Parliament with the request of investigating the crimes that such extortion, torture, looting, harassment, rape, extrajudicial executions committed by armed groups gathered under the name of the Syrian National Army (SMO-FSA) in the regions under the control of Turkey in Syria for revealing how they were supported and with which resources they were financially and logistically supported after the reflection of the crimes in the international press and the reports of non-governmental organisations.
‘AKP USED THESE ARMED GROUPS’
The justification for the motion is as follows: "The government has almost ignored the crimes committed by these criminal networks and observed by the whole world in the past 10 years. With the civil war that started in Syria in 2011, dozens of armed groups, mostly al-Qaeda-derived, using the Turkish border, emerged and the AKP the government used these armed groups, some of which had also cooperated with ISIS, in its military operations. Armed groups under the name of SMO, to which the government has handed over the administration, provided financial and logistical assistance and protected by taking it under its auspices; According to the report of the Independent International Syria Research Commission affiliated to the United Nations Human Rights Council; It has committed many crimes against humanity such as kidnapping, arbitrary arrest, rape and looting of property against civilians. It was also stated in this report that the government in Turkey did not make any effort to prevent these crimes.
In another report released by Kumi Naidoo, Secretary General of Amnesty International, it was announced that armed groups backed by Turkey committed serious war crimes, however, although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that an investigation was launched into these allegations, it did not make any public statement afterwards.