Cutting off water supplies for Hasaka locals by Turkish occupation and its mercenaries a barbaric act

Patriarch Agnatius Aphrem II of Antioch and All East, Head of the Holy Synod of the Syriac Orthodox Church, has stressed that cutting off water supplies for Hasaka locals by the Turkish occupation forces and their mercenaries flagrantly violates basic human rights.

In an appeal addressing the UN Chief Antonio Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet and President of the European Council Charles Michel, Patriarch Aphrem II regretted the humanitarian crisis in Hasaka, where more than a million Syrian citizens are being deprived of their right in life.

“For more than 10 consecutive days, terrorist groups affiliated to the Turkish occupation have been cutting water supplies for citizens in Hasaka, exposing them, mainly children and patients, to critical health conditions, especially in the light of the spread of Coronavirus pandemic and high temperature that exceeds 40 degrees in that area,” the patriarch said.

 “Using water as a weapon is a barbaric act and a blatant violation of basic human rights. Despite this fact, the international community has done nothing at all regarding this crime,” the patriarch said, holding the international community responsible for the outcomes of this immoral behavior.

Hamda Mustafa