ICC, ICJ and the UN: Investigate Erdoğan and Senior Turkish Officials for War Crimes

Request for Investigation into Alleged War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity by Turkish State Officials

### To:

- **United Nations (UN)**

- **International Criminal Court (ICC)**

- **International Court of Justice (ICJ)**

 

### Subject:

**Request for an Independent International Investigation into potential War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity Committed Against Kurdish Civilians by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Senior Turkish Government Officials**

### Introduction

We respectfully submit this petition to request that the United Nations, the International Criminal Court, and the International Court of Justice initiate an **independent, impartial, and comprehensive investigation** into **potential war crimes, crimes against humanity, and serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law** committed against Kurdish civilians by the Government of the Republic of Turkey under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

### Jurisdiction and Legal Basis

This petition is grounded in, but not limited to, the following legal frameworks:

- **Geneva Conventions (1949)** and their Additional Protocols

- **Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court**

- **UN Charter**, including prohibitions on aggression and violations of state sovereignty

- **International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)**

- **Customary International Humanitarian Law**

### Factual Allegations

#### 1. Systematic Military Operations Against Kurdish Civilians

For more than two decades, Turkish state forces have conducted **repeated military operations** against Kurdish populations within Turkey and across borders in **Syria (Rojava)** and **Iraq**, resulting in civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of civilian infrastructure.

#### 2. Cross-Border Attacks and Violations of Sovereignty

Turkey has carried out **ongoing cross-border airstrikes, artillery bombardments, and ground incursions** into northern Syria and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq **without the consent of the affected states**, in violation of international law.

#### 3. Drone Warfare and Targeted Killings

There is evidence suggesting the Turkish government is involved:

- **Using armed drones to conduct targeted assassinations** of Kurdish political figures and fighters

- Carrying out strikes **inside Iraq and along the Iran–Kurdistan border**, including areas far from active hostilities

- Conducting these operations without due process or judicial oversight

#### 4. Support for Proxy Armed Groups

There is evidence suggesting Turkey has **armed, trained, funded, and coordinated with proxy militias**, including extremist factions operating in Syria, which have been implicated in **abductions, killings, and abuse of Kurdish civilians**, particularly in areas such as **Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh (Aleppo, Rojava)**.

#### 5. Mass Displacement and Civilian Harm

- **Over 150,000 Kurdish civilians displaced** due to military operations and proxy violence

- Reports of **hundreds of civilians killed or forcibly disappeared** in recent attacks

- Civilian neighborhoods subjected to prolonged sieges and deprivation

#### 6. Land Seizure and Permanent Military Presence

Turkey has:

- **Seized land and altered demographics** in Kurdish regions

- **Constructed permanent military bases** inside the Kurdistan Region of Iraq without legal authorization

- Established a long-term military footprint affecting civilian life and governance

#### 7. Political Repression and Arbitrary Detention

Within Turkey, the government has:

- **Arrested and imprisoned members and leaders of Kurdish political parties**

- Removed elected Kurdish officials and replaced them with state-appointed administrators

- Criminalized peaceful political activity, journalism, and cultural expression

#### 8. Prolonged Consolidation of Power and Democratic Erosion

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has held executive power in Turkey for **over two decades**, during which time his government has been widely documented as:

- **Systematically dismantling democratic checks and balances**

- **Suppressing political opposition through arrests, prosecutions, and bans**

- **Curtailing judicial independence and media freedom**

- **Ruling under prolonged states of emergency and exceptional security laws**

- **Using counterterrorism legislation to criminalize Kurdish political participation**

International observers, human rights organizations, and election monitoring bodies have raised concerns that **Turkey no longer meets basic democratic standards**, and that the **concentration of power has enabled widespread and persistent human rights violations**.

This prolonged and unchecked authority is directly relevant to determining **command responsibility**, **state policy**, and **systematic intent**, which are central elements in assessing **crimes against humanity under international law**.

The prolonged consolidation of power by a head of government of a NATO member state raises serious concerns regarding democratic accountability, rule of law, and command responsibility under international law.

 

### Pattern of Conduct

Taken together, these actions demonstrate a **systematic pattern of conduct** that may constitute:

- **Crimes against humanity** (including persecution, forcible displacement, and imprisonment)

- **War crimes** (including attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure)

- **Violations of state sovereignty and the prohibition on the use of force**

### Request

We recognize that the ICC, ICJ, and UN have distinct mandates, and we request that each body act within its jurisdiction to ensure accountability and protection of civilians.

We therefore respectfully request that the UN, ICC, and ICJ:

1. **Initiate an independent international investigation** into these actions

2. **Examine the responsibility of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and senior Turkish officials**

3. **Ensure accountability for violations of international law**

4. **Take urgent measures to protect Kurdish civilians** from further harm

5.
**Seek guarantees for the protection of Kurdish civilians and local self-administration structures**, and demand an end to coordinated actions involving Turkey and authorities or armed actors in Syria, Iraq, and Iran that result in cross-border repression or violations of international law.

6.
**Investigate allegations of arms development, transfer, and military assistance** by the Turkish government to armed groups and proxy forces implicated in war crimes and serious human rights abuses.

7.
**Examine the role of prolonged executive power and democratic erosion** in enabling systematic violations, including the relevance of command responsibility arising from long-term consolidation of authority.

### Conclusion

No state, government, or alliance should be above international law. The protection of civilians and the enforcement of accountability are essential to upholding the principles of justice, human rights, and international order.