A disturbing video has emerged from Cizre, Turkey that shows security forces opening fire without warning on a group of Kurdish civilians waving white flags and carrying two dead bodies. Two people were killed and ten others injured. Video was captured by award-winning journalist and photographer, Refik Tekin of IMC TV, who was also injured in the attack but continued filming.
The incident took place in Cizre province of Turkey where currently a curfew has been imposed on the grounds of operations against PKK. Despite the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Turkish authorities do not let ambulances in Cizre to pick up the wounded and the group intended to collect the bodies of the dead and injured with HDP deputy Faysal Sarıyıldız among them.
Turkish Security Forces Shooting Kurdish Civilians Waving White Flag Caught on Camera [GRAPHIC]
In the beginning of the video, people are seen carrying two bodies on a cart covered with blankets while waving white flags. Kurdish locals have been using this method to pick up and bury the bodies of their murdered relatives due to ongoing operations and curfews in southeastern towns. Security forces have been attacking civilians who attempt to retrieve the bodies of their relatives from the street, which is why many of the dead have been left on the streets for days.
The group then appears to be attacked by guns fired from armored vehicles. Journalist Refik Tekin, despite falling due to his injuries, continues to film in a pool of blood while deceased and wounded people are captured by his camera. The ambulance arrived hours after the attack.
Refik Tekin is an award-winning journalist, photographer and cameraman, best known for his work exposing Turkish soldiers and ISIS militants together by the Turkey-Syria border, for which he was threatened by Turkish soldiers. Tekin also reported being tortured by police who dragged and kicked the injured while they were being carried to the ambulance. Pro-government media reported the attack as clashes between security forces and PKK militants, and causalities as PKK militants.
VIDEO: Refik Tekin captured border violation of ISIS militants
Sınırda IŞİD ve Türk Askeri by imctv
CİZRE'DE KURŞUNLARIN HEDEFİ OLAN REFİK TEKİN ÖDÜLLÜ BİR GAZETECİ, FOTOĞRAFÇI VE KAMERAMANDIR pic.twitter.com/m9hSxj0o6c
— bilal gezer (@bilalgezer13) January 21, 2016
International organizations, International Federation of Journalists and the European Federation of Journalists have condemned Turkey regarding the shooting Rafik Tekin. Tekin was transferred to Mardin State Hospital and had surgery in the evening.
Turkey has been imposing recurrent, open-ended and round-the-clock curfews in many Kurdish residential areas on the grounds of fighting against Kurdish militia, which has resulted in more than 150 civilian deaths including children.
The names of 83 murdered by the Turkish State during sieges across #Kurdistan so far, in just 22 days of 2016. pic.twitter.com/G4AWkschnz
— ѕyndιcalιѕт (@syndicalisms) January 23, 2016