International

According to SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel, Turkey must clarify its position regarding the alleged use of chemical weapons against Kurdish insurgents. German parliamentarians and human rights organisations have made the allegations following the unexplained deaths in 2009 of eight Kurds. A forensic report from the University of Hamburg into the use of chemical weapons confirmed that the probability that they had been used was high. Politicians in Germany are now seeking an independent enquiry, a demand which, in a parliamentary question, Van Bommel is urging Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen to support.

Turkey has thus far refused to discuss allegations that chemical weapons may have been used, dismissing the matter as PKK propaganda. According to German Green MP Claudia Roth, however, the autopsy report on the eight dead Kurds has been kept secret. In spring, Roth received photos of the eight Kurdish insurgents, whose bodies had been mutilated, the authenticity of which has since been confirmed by German experts. Turkey is a signatory to the international treaty against chemical weapons. Van Bommel points out that this means that "the accusations must be taken seriously. All doubt must be dispelled. If chemical weapons have indeed been used then Turkey must be brought before the international court."