Latest Reports from Wounded in Cizre: We’re Under Debris

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Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) MPs, Meral Danış Beştaş, Osman Baydemir and İdris Baluken have released sound recording of phone calls they made with the wounded in Cizre district of Şırnak province.

The records suggest armed operation is being carried out against the wounded, and booms are heard. In the next contact, the connection was lost after one of the wounded said “We are under debris”.

The three HDP deputies have been on hunger strike as of January 27.

Ambulances were supposed to get them

HDP Adana MP, Meral Danış Beştaş stated that the record released was lastly made on Saturday and couldn’t hear anything from the wounded since then.

“We apologize to the wounded and their families for having to release these recordings.

“A crisis coordination center involving Ministry of Defense authorities and Şırnak Governor has been formed. We were constantly in touch with the center as well as health units and the wounded in the region.

“January 30, Saturday was when we got closest to retrieving the wounded. It was accepted for ambulances to arrive at a nearby place to wounded, and the wounded to leave and go to the ambulance.

“We were in constant contact with the wounded between the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

“In the first recording, I asked ambulance attendant whether there is any gunshots or booms around, we were told there was no conflict.

“We spoke with the injured in the second recording. I said, ‘When we call you, you will gregariously get out; we’ve come to terms with coordination center on you gregariously leaving. I will call you to leave [the debris] as I hear from them’.

“We phoned the wounded as we couldn’t hear from the coordination center for a long time”.

No connection for 48 hours

In the third recording, one of the wounded asks to Beştaş whether there is any official near them. Right after that, gunshots and booms, screams of the wounded are being heard. Then the connection is lost.

One of the wounded is being heard as saying “We are under the debris” in the fourth recording.

Beştaş afterwards said they tried to contact the wounded yet failed.

She also relayed that they were told in the talk they held with the ministry that conflict erupted in the scene, thus they won’t be to refer ambulance.

“We’ve lost connection since that day, their mothers wanted to go and retrieve them but the mothers too have been taken into custody.

“There is only one reason why we’ve shared the recording, which is to ensure their right to live via this recording if they are alive”.

Why was operation launched?

Baluken also said that an explanation must be made to public and that they must be rushed to hospital if they are alive, otherwise their bodies must be delivered to their families.

“No state can explain in the presence of history and humanity that it cannot organize a life corridor in a distance of 150 meters”.

“Why did ministries of Interior and Health launch an operation exactly when the transfer being conducted in coordination with public authorities in Cizre and Şırnak was about to be materialized?” (AS/TK)