What is the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal against Turkey?
The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal 54th session on Rojava vs. Turkey is a judicial platform established to investigate and prosecute war crimes committed by the Turkish State and its paramilitary forces in North and East Syria since the occupation of Afrin in 2018 up to the present day.
The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal is organized by:
- Department of Foreign Relations and The Committee of Justice and Law of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES)
- Center for Research and Protection of Women’s Rights
- Human rights organizations in Al-Jazira and Afrin
- Association for Democracy and International Law (MAF-DAD)
- European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and World Human Rights (ELDH)
- International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL)
- Kurdistan National Congress (KNK)
- Kurdish Institute of Brussels
- Free University of Brussels (VUB)
The judges of the PPT session:
- Giacinto Bisogni (Italy)
- José Elías Esteve Moltó (Spain)
- Frances Gail Webber (UK)
- Domenico Gallo (Italy)
- Gabrielle Lefévre (Brussels)
- Rashida Manjoo (South Africa)
- Czarina Musni (The Philippines)
More information about the judges
Why a peoples’ tribunal?
Since the beginning of the war in Syria, the northeastern region of the country, including Rojava, has stood out for its inclusive, democratic, and egalitarian societal model. This unique initiative has successfully brought together Kurds, Arabs, Yazidis, Christians, and other minorities under a spirit of peaceful coexistence, based on principles of autonomy, women’s rights, cultural diversity, and social justice.
The Turkish State and its mercenary militias have regularly attacked this region with the aim of dismantling this model, depopulating the area, and conducting ethnic cleansing. However, no significant efforts have been made within the framework of international law to address these attacks, nor has a mechanism been established to hold them accountable. Therefore, the need for a peoples’ tribunal arose to document the facts from the perspective of victims, witnesses, and experts, and to condemn them in the court of public opinion.
More information about the background of the Tribunal
Are there precedents for similar peoples’ tribunals?
Peoples’ tribunals have a long history. Many communities have resorted to them in the face of genocide, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity. This tribunal draws inspiration from the Russell Tribunal of 1967, which exposed war crimes in Vietnam, and the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT), established in Italy in 1979.
The Rojava Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal is conducted with the support of the PPT. In March 2018, a similar tribunal was organized in Paris against the Turkish State, addressing crimes committed against the Kurdish people, including the assassination of three Kurdish women revolutionaries in 2013. The verdict was presented two months later in a session at the European Parliament.
Why focus on the war crimes of the AKP-MHP regime?
Since 2015, the AKP-MHP regime has implemented an extermination policy against the Kurdish people, inspired by the “Sri Lanka model,” which targeted the Tamil population. This approach, known as the “Collapse Strategy,” has been applied not only to the Kurdish people in northern Kurdistan within Turkey but also to Rojava and southern Kurdistan. Advanced weaponry, including drones, chemical weapons, and prohibited gases, has been used indiscriminately against civilians, with no obstacles or reactions from international powers.
What specific war crimes are being investigated?
The investigation focuses on crimes committed since the occupation of Afrin in 2018. These include the forced displacement of civilians, bombing of residential areas, schools, and homes, torture, extrajudicial executions, gender-based violence and rape, ecological crimes, destruction of historical and religious sites, and damage to essential infrastructure like electricity, gas facilities, food supplies, and drinking water.
How is the trial on Rojava against Turkey conducted?
The Tribunal adheres to the principles of fairness and procedural rigor. An international team of prosecutors prepared the indictment. A panel of judges analyzed the evidence presented by witnesses, victims and experts and issued a preliminary statement on February 6 in Brussels, which will be followed by a detailed and reasoned decision, expected on March 26, 2025.
While the tribunal’s decisions are not legally binding, they will contribute to documenting the truth, raising awareness among the international public, and shaping future legal processes.
The preliminary statement by the panel of judges
The Permanent People’s Tribunal (PPT) has issued a preliminary statement condemning the Turkish state for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Rojava, north-east Syria.
They state following: “The pattern of attacks, bombings, shellings, drone attacks and atrocities against civilians, the forced displacements and demographic engineering through replacement of populations, the destruction of power and damage to water supplies, environmental damage, the destruction of cultural heritage and educational institutions, the use of rape, torture, secret detention – are all contrary to international law, constitute crimes against humanity and war crimes, and are indicative of genocide.”
Who participated in the tribunal?
In addition to the panel of judges/jury, prosecutors, witnesses, and experts, the tribunal involved international civil society organizations, intellectuals, political figures, human rights advocates, lawyers, and representatives of various communities.
How can we support the Rojava Peoples’ Tribunal against Turkey?
You can help by disseminating the tribunal’s findings within your community and and sharing its activities on social media:
- Twitter: @rojavaTribunal
- Instagram: @rojava.tribunal
Civil and political institutions that support the Tribunal: