Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the situation in Cizre, Turkey, and of recent military curfews in other towns in Turkey; and in particular whether they have gathered any evidence of war crimes.

Security operations, including military curfews, are continuing in Cizre and other towns in south-east Turkey against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and its youth wing, the YPS (Civil Protection Units, formerly the YDG-H). One soldier and two police officers were killed on 31 January. It is also reported that around 30 people, some of them seriously injured, are sheltering in a basement in Cizre and in need of medical assistance. The Turkish authorities have said they have tried to provide access to medical care but that PKK attacks prevented their efforts. Our condolences are with the families of the soldiers and police who have been killed, and with civilians caught up in the violence. We are closely monitoring human rights issues in south-east Turkey. We have not gathered any evidence of war crimes.