9. Februar 2024

Kurzbeschreibungen zu den in dieser Anfragebeantwortung verwendeten Quellen sowie Ausschnitte mit Informationen aus diesen Quellen finden Sie im Anhang.

Lage von Rückkehrer·innen in der Türkei nach Aufenthalt im Lager Machmour

Ekurd Daily schreibt in einem Artikel vom April 2012, dass im Oktober 2009 nach einem Aufruf des inhaftierten kurdischen Führers Abdullah Öcalan acht PKK-Mitglieder und 26 Flüchtlinge, darunter vier Kinder, aus dem Flüchtlingslager Machmur in die Türkei zurückgekehrt seien. Personen der Gruppe seien acht Monate nach ihrer Rückkehr von den türkischen Behörden strafrechtlich verfolgt und verhaftet worden (Ekurd Daily, 25. April 2012). Laut der International Crisis Group seien die Rückkehrenden von Kurd·innen in der Türkei wie Kriegsheld·innen begrüßt worden. Dies habe die AKP (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi; Partei von Präsident Erdoğan, Anmerkung ACCORD) veranlasst, Pläne für eine weitere Rückkehr von Personen in die Türkei zu verschieben (International Crisis Group, 6. November 2014, S. 2).

Es konnten online keine weiteren Berichte über Rückkehrer·innen aus dem Lager Machmur in die Türkei bzw. die Lage von Rückkehrer·innen in der Türkei gefunden werden.

Nilüfer Koç, Sprecherin der Kommission für Außenbeziehungen des Nationalkongresses Kurdistans (kurdisch: Kongreya Neteweyî ya Kurdistanê, KNK) mit direkten Kontakten ins Lager Machmur, erklärt in einer E-Mail-Auskunft an ACCORD vom Februar 2024, dass im Laufe der Jahre einige Bewohner·innen von Machmur in die Türkei eingereist seien. Die Rückkehrer·innen seien entweder verhaftet und zu einer Haftstrafe verurteilt worden, nachdem ihnen haltlos „Separatismus“ oder „Terrorismus“ vorgeworfen worden sei, oder sie seien gezwungen worden, für den türkischen Geheimdienst in der Autonomen Region Kurdistan im Irak zu spionieren (Koç, 6. Februar 2024).

Probleme wegen (unterstellter) Nahebeziehung zur Arbeiterpartei Kurdistans (PKK)

Es konnten im Rahmen der zeitlich begrenzten Recherche mit Ausnahme der oben genannten Quelle von Ekurd Daily keine Informationen über Probleme von Rückkehrer·innen wegen (unterstellter) Nahebeziehung zur PKK gefunden werden. Die folgenden Quellen enthalten Informationen über die öffentlichen Reaktionen der Türkei auf die (unterstellte) Nahebeziehung der Bewohner·innen des Lagers Machmur zur PKK.

Reuters berichtet im Juni 2021, dass Präsident Erdoğan das Lager Machmur als „Brutkasten für Militante“ („incubator for militants“) bezeichnet habe. Die Türkei werde das Flüchtlingslager „aufräumen“ („clean up“). Ankara glaube, dass Machmur eine ebenso große Bedrohung darstelle wie die PKK-Hochburg in den Kandil-Bergen. Laut einem/r hochrangigen irakischen Beamten/in habe sich die Türkei über aus dem Lager Machmur stammende „terroristische Aktivitäten“ der PKK gegen die Türkei beschwert. Machmur sei im Jahr 2020 türkischen Luftangriffen ausgesetzt gewesen. Erdoğan habe 2021 damit gedroht, stärker auf irakischem Territorium militärisch vorzugehen. Laut einem/r hochrangigen türkischen Beamten/in werde das Lager Machmur als Logistikzentrum bei Angriffen gegen die Türkei oder türkische Streitkräfte genutzt. Laut dem/r Beamten/in müsse das Lager von der PKK „gesäubert“ werden („cleansed“) (Reuters, 2. Juni 2021; siehe auch: The National, 3. Juni 2021; VOA, 21. Juni 2021; Human Rights Pulse, 13. September 2021; MEMO, 25. Mai 2023; Rudaw, 20. Mai 2023). Drei Tage, nachdem Erdoğan mit dem „Säubern“ im Flüchtlingslager gedroht habe, seien drei Personen im Lager durch einen türkischen Luftangriff getötet worden (Reuters, 5. Juni 2021).

Laut Voice of America (VOA) betrachte die Türkei die Bewohner·innen des Machmur-Lagers eher als potenzielle PKK-Mitglieder denn als Flüchtlinge. Der türkische Außenminister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu habe die Drohung des Präsidenten, das Lager anzugreifen, wiederholt und ebenfalls von der Notwendigkeit gesprochen, den Ort zu „säubern“ (VOA, 21. Juni 2021).

Human Rights Pulse schreibt in einem Artikel vom September 2021, dass Ankara das Machmur-Lager als Wohnort von Militanten und deren Sympathisant·innen ansehe. Es sei für die Kurd·innen des Machmur-Lagers nicht sicher, in die Türkei zurückzukehren (Human Rights Pulse, 13. September 2021).

Laut Lacuna Magazine würden viele der Flüchtlinge im Machmur-Lager tiefe Sympathie und Loyalität gegenüber der PKK empfinden. Die starke historische Verbindung zur PKK habe zu Bombenanschlägen durch die Türkei geführt (Lacuna Magazine, 3. Mai 2023).

Rudaw berichtet im Mai 2023, dass das Lager Machmur mehrfach von türkischen Luft- und Drohnenangriffen gegen mutmaßliche PKK-Mitglieder getroffen worden sei. Bei den Angriffen seien Zivilist·innen getötet worden. Ankara glaube, dass die PKK das Machmur-Lager als Übungsgelände nutze. Eine türkische Militäroperation im Februar 2022 habe unter anderem auf das Lager abgezielt (Rudaw, 20. Mai 2023; siehe auch: Rudaw, 19. Oktober 2023).

Der Middle East Monitor (MEMO) schreibt in einem Artikel vom Ende Mai 2023, dass im Lager Machmur hunderte Familien von PKK-Mitgliedern leben würden. Laut der Türkei sei das Lager ein Rekrutierungsstandort für PKK-Kämpfer·innen. Ankara habe in einer Reihe von Sicherheitstreffen mit Vertreter·innen des Iraks die Sorge zum Ausdruck gebracht, dass das Lager zu einem Zentrum der militärischen Aktivitäten der PKK werden könnte (MEMO, 25. Mai 2023).

Im Oktober 2023 schreibt Rudaw, dass die PKK erklärt habe, all ihre Kämpfer·innen aus dem Lager Machmur abgezogen zu haben. Laut Rudaw habe die PKK das Lager für „lange Zeit“ kontrolliert (Rudaw, 19. Oktober 2023).

Quellen: (Zugriff auf alle Quellen am 9. Februar 2024)

·      Ekurd Daily: Kurdish Peace Group sentenced to 61 years in Turkish prison, 25. April 2012
https://ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2012/4/turkey3905.htm

·      Human Rights Pulse: Turkey’s War On Kurds: Kurdish Refugees Threatened At Makhmour Refugee Camp, 13. September 2021
https://www.humanrightspulse.com/mastercontentblog/turkeys-war-on-kurds-kurdish-refugees-threatened-at-makhmour-refugee-camp

·      International Crisis Group: Turkey and the PKK: Saving the Peace Process, 6. November 2014
https://ciaotest.cc.columbia.edu/wps/icg/0032686/f_0032686_26580.pdf

·      Koç, Nilüfer: E-Mail-Auskunft, 6. Februar 2024

·      Lacuna Magazine: Joy, grief and resilience in Makhmour refugee camp, 3. Mai 2023
https://lacuna.org.uk/migration/joy-grief-and-resilience-in-makhmour-refugee-camp/

·      MEMO – Middle East Monitor: Iraq army digging trench around refugee camp in Kurdish region, 25. Mai 2023
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230525-iraq-army-digging-trench-around-refugee-camp-in-kurdish-region/

·      National (The): Turkey warns Baghdad it could 'cleanse' refugee camp hosting PKK fighters, 3. Juni 2021
https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/turkey-warns-baghdad-it-could-cleanse-refugee-camp-hosting-pkk-fighters-1.1234847

·      Reuters: Erdogan says Turkey could target refugee camp deep inside Iraq, 2. Juni 2021
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/erdogan-says-turkey-could-target-refugee-camp-deep-inside-iraq-2021-06-02/

·      Reuters: Turkish air strike kills at least three in refugee camp in Iraq, 5. Juni 2021
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/turkish-air-strike-kills-least-three-refugee-camp-inside-iraq-2021-06-05/

·      Rudaw: Iraqi army attempts to enter PKK-held Makhmour Camp: local media, 20. Mai 2023
https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/20052023

·      Rudaw: PKK announces withdrawal from Makhmour refugee camp in Erbil province, 19. Oktober 2023
https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/191020231

·      VOA - Voice of America: Turkish Operation Increases Conflict Among Kurds in Iraq, 21. Juni 2021
https://www.voanews.com/a/extremism-watch_turkish-operation-increases-conflict-among-kurds-iraq/6207296.html

 

Anhang: Quellenbeschreibungen und Informationen aus ausgewählten Quellen

Ekurd Daily ist eine auf kurdische Themen spezialisierte Nachrichtenagentur mit Sitz in den USA.

·      Ekurd Daily: Kurdish Peace Group sentenced to 61 years in Turkish prison, 25. April 2012
https://ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2012/4/turkey3905.htm

„26 refugees from the UN refugee camp in Makhmour camp in Iraqi autonomous Kurdistan region and eight former members of the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) crossed the border to south-eastern Turkey on 19 October 2009 upon the call from jailed Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan. They followed their own personal decisions as an attempt to push forward the jammed political process of finding a solution to the Kurdish question. […]

Eight PKK members from Qandil and twenty six refugees, including four children, from Makhmour Refugee Camp in Iraqi Kurdistan region arrived in Turkey October 19, 2009 upon the call from imprisoned Kurdish Leader Abdullah Öcalan. While they were initially released by the authorities they were prosecuted and arrested 8 months after their return from exile.“ (Ekurd Daily, 25. April 2012)

Human Rights Pulse ist eine von Freiwilligen geführte Plattform, deren Ziel es ist, politische Entscheidungsträger·innen, Aktivist·innen und Student·innen zusammenzubringen, um das Bewusstsein für Menschenrechtsfragen zu schärfen und eine lösungsorientierte Diskussion zu fördern.

·      Human Rights Pulse: Turkey’s War On Kurds: Kurdish Refugees Threatened At Makhmour Refugee Camp, 13. September 2021
https://www.humanrightspulse.com/mastercontentblog/turkeys-war-on-kurds-kurdish-refugees-threatened-at-makhmour-refugee-camp

„Ankara has long viewed the Makhmour camp as a place where militants and their sympathisers reside. Turkish president Erdogan referred to it as a ‘terror-nest’ and stated that ‘If the UN does not clean (it) up, we will as a UN member’. This is not the first time the refugees would face Turkish aggression as the camp was previously bombed in June 2020. […]

Despite the clear human rights violations and evident military aggression, the United Nations and the United States support Turkish plans to dissolve the camp and send its inhabitants back to Turkey. However, the Kurds of Makhmour Camp cannot safely return there.“ (Human Rights Pulse, 13. September 2021)

Die International Crisis Group ist eine unabhängige, nicht profitorientierte Nicht-Regierungsorganisation, die mittels Informationen und Analysen gewaltsame Konflikte verhindern und lösen will.

·      International Crisis Group: Turkey and the PKK: Saving the Peace Process, 6. November 2014
https://ciaotest.cc.columbia.edu/wps/icg/0032686/f_0032686_26580.pdf

„The PKK [Arbeiterpartei Kurdistans], for its part, overplayed its hand at the Habur border crossing between Iraq and Turkey in October 2009. Some of the first of the insurgents to return home by mutual agreement, 34 people, including eight PKK militants and 26 refugees from Makhmour refugee camp in northern Iraq, appeared in guerrilla outfits and were greeted as returning war heroes by local Kurds. Turkish media coverage of the celebrations as a victory for the PKK stoked Turkish nationalist resentment, causing the AKP [Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi] to backtrack and postpone plans for further returns.“ (International Crisis Group, 6. November 2014, S. 2)

Lacuna Magazine ist ein britisches Online-Magazin mit Fokus auf Menschenrechtsthemen.

·      Lacuna Magazine: Joy, grief and resilience in Makhmour refugee camp, 3. Mai 2023
https://lacuna.org.uk/migration/joy-grief-and-resilience-in-makhmour-refugee-camp/

„Many of the refugees maintain deep sympathies and loyalties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a left-wing opposition party that has been involved in armed struggle against the Turkish state since 1984. This strong historical connection to the PKK has led to continued bombings from Turkey, and the Kurdistan Regional Government places extraordinary restrictions on residents’ liberties and movement, with deadly consequences for the camp’s refugees.“ (Lacuna Magazine, 3. Mai 2023)

Middle East Monitor (MEMO) ist eine nichtprofitorientierte Organisation zur Analyse und Übersetzung von Medienprodukten sowie zur Medienbeobachtung in Bezug auf Berichterstattung zum Nahen Osten.

·      MEMO – Middle East Monitor: Iraq army digging trench around refugee camp in Kurdish region, 25. Mai 2023
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230525-iraq-army-digging-trench-around-refugee-camp-in-kurdish-region/

„The Iraqi army has commenced an operation to dig a trench and establish security observation points around the Makhmour refugee camp, which hosts hundreds of families of members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

The camp is situated on the border between the provinces of Nineveh and Erbil, neighbouring Turkiye says the camp has become a recruiting venue for PKK militants. […]

The Iraqi move is expected to be met with Turkish satisfaction, especially after a series of security meetings between the two countries in which Ankara expressed its concern that the camp may become a centre of military activities for the PKK. […]

In early June 2021, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened that his country would ‘cleanse’ the Makhmour camp. He stated that ‘the camp had become a safe haven for the PKK militants’, explaining that it serves as an ‘incubator for PKK militants and this must be addressed.’“ (MEMO, 25. Mai 2023)

Reuters ist eine internationale Nachrichtenagentur mit Sitz in London.

·      Reuters: Erdogan says Turkey could target refugee camp deep inside Iraq, 2. Juni 2021
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/erdogan-says-turkey-could-target-refugee-camp-deep-inside-iraq-2021-06-02/

„President Tayyip Erdogan has warned Iraq that Turkey will ‘clean up’ a refugee camp which it says provides a safe haven for Kurdish militants, threatening to take its long military campaign deeper inside Iraqi territory. […]

But Erdogan said Makhmour, a camp 180 km south of the Turkish border which has hosted thousands of Turkish refugees for more than two decades, was an ‘incubator’ for militants and must be tackled.

‘If the United Nations does not clean it up, we will do it as a UN member,’ Erdogan said, adding that Ankara believed Makhmour posed as great a threat as the PKK [Arbeiterpartei Kurdistans]'s stronghold in the Qandil mountains further north. […]

A senior Iraqi official told Reuters that Turkey complained last week to Baghdad about ‘terrorist activities launched by the PKK from their camp in Makhmour against Turkey’. […]

Makhmour was targeted by Turkish air strikes a year ago, although there were no reports of casualties at the time, but a senior Turkish official said it was now a priority for Ankara.

‘Makhmour camp is being used as one of the logistics centres in attacks against Turkey or the Turkish Armed Forces,’ the official said. ‘It's time now, it has to be cleansed of PKK.’“ (Reuters, 2. Juni 2021)

·      Reuters: Turkish air strike kills at least three in refugee camp in Iraq, 5. Juni 2021
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/turkish-air-strike-kills-least-three-refugee-camp-inside-iraq-2021-06-05/

„A Turkish air strike killed at least three people on Saturday at a camp for displaced people in northern Iraq, said Rashad Kelali, a Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party official.

The strike on the camp housing thousands of Kurdish refugees from Turkey took place three days after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan warned Iraq that Turkey would ‘clean up’ a refugee camp which it says provides a haven for Kurdish militants.“ (Reuters, 5. Juni 2021)

Rudaw ist ein in der Autonomen Region Kurdistan (Irak) ansässiges kurdisches Mediennetzwerk.

·      Rudaw: Iraqi army attempts to enter PKK-held Makhmour Camp: local media, 20. Mai 2023
https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/20052023

„The Iraqi army on Saturday attempted to surround and enter Makhmour Camp in Erbil province, according to local sources. The camp houses thousands of refugees from Kurdish areas of southeast Turkey and is controlled by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). [...]

Makhmour Camp hosts over 12,000 Kurdish refugees from southeast Turkey (Bakur). The majority of the residents come from villages depopulated during Turkey’s conflict with the PKK. The camp is located in a security vacuum disputed between Baghdad and Erbil and has several times been hit by Turkish air and drone strikes targeting alleged PKK members. Civilians have been killed in the strikes. Ankara believes the PKK uses Makhmour Camp as a training ground with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2021 calling it an ‘incubation centre for terrorism.’ […]

A Turkish military operation in February 2022 targeted a number of areas on the Iraq-Syria border, as well as Makhmour Camp. According to the Turkish defense ministry, the operation sought to target PKK bases.“ (Rudaw, 20. Mai 2023)

·      Rudaw: PKK announces withdrawal from Makhmour refugee camp in Erbil province, 19. Oktober 2023
https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/191020231

„The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) on Thursday declared that it had withdrawn all its fighters from the Makhmour refugee camp in Erbil province. Turkey frequently bombards the camp on the pretext of targeting PKK members.

Makhmour Camp hosts over 12,000 Kurdish refugees from southeast Turkey (Bakur). The majority of the residents came from villages depopulated during Turkey’s conflict with the PKK decades ago. The Kurdish group has been in control of the camp for a long time.“ (Rudaw, 19. Oktober 2023)

The National ist eine englischsprachige, staatliche Tageszeitung aus Abu Dhabi.

·      The National: Turkey warns Baghdad it could 'cleanse' refugee camp hosting PKK fighters, 3. Juni 2021
https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/turkey-warns-baghdad-it-could-cleanse-refugee-camp-hosting-pkk-fighters-1.1234847

„Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdogan warned Iraq on Thursday that Ankara will ‘cleanse’ a refugee camp for providing a safe haven for Kurdish militants, threatening to push his military campaign further into Iraqi territory.

Mr Erdogan said the Makhmour camp, located 180 kilometres south of the Turkish border and which has hosted Turkish refugees for more than 20 years, was an ‘incubator’ for Kurdish militias that belong to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

‘It must be shut down,’ he told the local news broadcaster TRT. […]

‘How long do we have to be patient?’ Mr Erdogan said.

The Turkish president believes that Makhmour camp poses a threat no less than the one posed by the Qandil Mountains, a PKK stronghold also located in northern Iraq.

Ankara last week complained to Baghdad about ‘terrorist activities launched by the PKK from their camp in Makhmour against Turkey,’ an Iraqi official told Reuters.

Security commanders and local officials investigated the Turkish complaint and told the government that the Makhmour camp was controlled by PKK fighters who did not allow access to government forces, the official said.“ (The National, 3. Juni 2021)

Voice of America (VOA) ist der offizielle staatliche Auslandssender der USA.

·      VOA - Voice of America: Turkish Operation Increases Conflict Among Kurds in Iraq, 21. Juni 2021
https://www.voanews.com/a/extremism-watch_turkish-operation-increases-conflict-among-kurds-iraq/6207296.html

„Turkey views Makhmour camp residents as potential PKK [Arbeiterpartei Kurdistans] members rather than refugees.

‘We now care about the Makhmour issue as much as Qandil,’ said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on June 1 in a live interview with the country's state-owned broadcaster TRT. […]

Last week, the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was more direct, reiterating his president's threat to attack the camp. ‘You need to clean this place,’ he told TRT, referring to authorities overseeing the camp. ‘If you can't, we'll do it.’“ (VOA, 21. Juni 2021)