While those struggling to protect Kobane have been victorious, the Turkish police and army have been on a killing spree.
Turkish border cops shot dead a 30 year old Kurdish woman called Nezahat Celal, as she tried to cross into Cizre in Northern Kurdistan on Thursday. She was reportedly trying to visit her husband who had lived in Turkey since fleeing Syria. Her death is the most recent of many murders of Kurdish people crossing from Rojava into the part of Kurdistan inside Turkey’s borders. Police at the border shoot people trying to cross on sight. In comparison, many Kurdish news sources say that ISIS members are able to cross the border easily.
On 14th January, Turkish military police shot and killed 12 year old Nihat Kazanhan in Cizre. He was the sixth person killed by Turkish police and military in Cizre in 3 weeks. See our previous article here.
One officer out of the three involved in Nihat’s murder has been arrested. The others have gone free.
Nihat’s father told the press: “What kind of conscience would accept this? … One policeman was arrested but there are actually three in the footage. And there are those who gave these orders. My son was killed with a purpose. If the state is sincere, they must apologize from me. Those who cry for Palestine, they become ignorant when our sons are dead.”