Despite the direct, and various forms of targeting of Turkmen ethnicity in all the cities and areas of their existence, including kidnapping, extortion, bombing and abuse of their lands and property. We see that one of the malicious methods adopted by those who fear the strength and unity of Turkmen society as an original, national component of historical dimensions, and with a civilization can not be bypassed in Iraq and the region, is the use of sectarian and regional division of Turkmen and create internal strife among them. The Turkmen despite of a rich diversity they have, they are under a big tent that brings them together with all Iraqis, is their affiliation within Iraq, their citizenship. The strong association that brings them together with their son of kin and ethnicity inside Iraq and the whole world is the national factor and language with the existence of religious and sectarian diversity and external and internal boundaries separating them.
In spite of all the targeting and assaults, we never heard a formal statement from the local government about the crimes and dozens of operations that targeted the Turkmen in Kerkuk over the past 14 years, which were considered done by unknown persons and did not reveal any details about them. We mention hereby including but not limited to the assassination of the following Turkmen:
1- Brigadier Sabah Kara Al-Toun, director of internal affairs in Kerkuk.
2- Ibrahim Ismail/Director of Education of Tuz.
3- Brigadier Nazim Hussein Ahmed/director of citizenship and civil status in Kerkuk.
4- Consultant doctor Dr. Yildirm Abbas with his brother.
5- Munir Al-Qafli, Chairman of Kerkuk District Council and member of the administrative board of the Turkmen Front.
6- Lieutenant Colonel Aydin Rifaat/Director of the Kerkuk Intelligence Unit and its facilities.
7- Ibrahim Jihad Al-Beyati/Assistant Director of Integrity of Kerkuk.
8- Dr. Haider Zainalabdeen, ENT specialist doctor, whose fate unknown till today after he has been kidnapped in kirkuk.
9- Hayat Safa’ eldin, a young Turkmen woman, and a political activist from Beldroz, Diyala, was killed recently in May, by who they call unknown.
Despite the presence of dozens of groups, belonging to the gangs and mafia are originally Kurdish, they are in Kurdish prisons or at large, they are accused of dozens of crimes in Kerkuk now. We have never heard statements by a government or security in Kerkuk to disclose the details of their crimes or mentioning their ethnicity or from any area or religious sector.
Despite the existence of 60 files in the Iraqi courts in Kerkuk and charges of corruption and theft of public funds by the local government in Kerkuk, those cases were frozen and never dealt with because of the influence of the authority of the local government.
On the contrary, the media reported a few days ago a televised statement by the commander of the anti-terrorist forces of the Kurdish region of Kurdistan and then at a press conference of the governor of Kerkuk accusing the Turkmen and Shiites of the city of Tuz Khurmato of committing those crimes.
We would like to emphasize the following points:
1- it is very strange that the accused person is dealt with according to his ethnicity, sectarian or regional affiliations, and then the security or governmental authorities focus on that in the media and declare a confirmation of charges against him before he is presented to the judiciary court. This is a violation of the basic rights guaranteed by the international conventions and the Iraqi constitution; this certainly carries hidden objectives, some group worked on it, for years to divide the Turkmen.
2 – This clear selective step in dealing with a crime, the life and fate of civilians in Kerkuk for more than fourteen years and Turkmen are under the weight of terrorism and crimes openly. Who are responsible for them and where is capability of the Kurdish security forces to disclose the details of all these crimes, which killed hundreds of Turkmen and Arab civilians, their qualified individuals, and cost them very large amounts of money because of extortion.
3 – a clear distortion of the reputation of the Al Hashid Al Shaabi, their fighters and formations, which is an integral part of the cheap media to block their real role in their fight against terrorist “Da’ash” and secure the areas that fell under the control of terrorists after the withdrawal of the military forces, which Peshmerga was a part of it. The civilians were left without a protector and defendant in cities and provinces in northern Iraq.
4 – A clear and intentional silence and an attempt to evade the crimes of dozens of Kurdish groups accused of various criminal operations in the province of Kerkuk, some of them were arrested and others are at large and are not presented to the judicial and legal system for fear of detection of the parties behind those crimes.
5 – A clear cover-up by the provincial council and the judiciary system in Kerkuk on files of corruption accusing the local government, those are more than 60 cases of corruption and theft of public money.
The destructive acts and abuses of the civil and social peace by the local government in Kerkuk have become intolerable and warn of serious consequences for the future of this diverse city in its composition and population. It needs intervention by all state legislative, judicial and security institutions to put an end to these crimes and atrocities occurring in Kerkuk in the name of democracy.
Turkmen rescue foundation
Media office
Translated by: Gulsen Beyatli
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TURKMEN RESCUE 