Urgent Call for a Peaceful Resolution to the Humanitarian Situation in Sur District of Diyarbakir

The historical district of Sur in Diyarbakir has been under curfew since December 11 last year. The infrastructure has been largely destroyed by shelling. An estimated 200 people are still trapped in the basements, including 15 children under 10 years of age and an unknown number of wounded people. Civilians cannot leave their homes due to the continuous shelling and dead bodies are lying on the streets. The Turkish authorities acknowledge the presence of 131 civilians and 25 PKK militants. We appeal to the Turkish authorities to enable a humanitarian solution to the crisis in all urgency and to create the circumstances that would allow sparing the lives of the civilians, especially the children. We urge you to suspend the curfew and to put in place a 24 hour ceasefire to allow for the wounded to be evacuated and for people to be able to leave the area safely. Please don't allow for another humanitarian catastrophe like the one in Cizre, where a reported 158 civilians trapped in a basement died. We also appeal to the High Representative Mogherini and EU Heads of State to address the dramatic situation in Sur urgently.  Signatories (on 25 February)

Elena Valenciano (Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights, S&D, Spain)
Michael Gahler (Foreign Affairs Committee, EPP, Germany)
Richard Howitt (Foreign Affairs Committee, S&D, United Kingdom)
Charles Tannock (Foreign Affairs Committee, ECR, United Kingdom)
Mark Demesmaeker (Foreign Affairs Committee, ECR, Belgium)
Yana Toom (Committee of Culture, ALDE, Estonia)
Takis Hadjigeorgiou (Foreign Affairs Committee, GUE/NGL, Cyprus)
Marie-Christine Vergiat (Human Rights Subcommittee, GUE/NGL, France)
Fabio Castaldo (Foreign Affairs Committee, EFDD, Italy)
Rebecca Harms (Co-President of Greens/EFA, Germany)
Bodil Valero (Foreign Affairs Committee, Greens/EFA, Sweden)
Ernest Maragall (EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee, Greens/EFA, Spain)
Ska Keller (EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee, Member of recent delegation to the South East, Greens/EFA, Germany)
Josep-Maria Terricabras (President European Free Alliance, Member of recent delegation to South East Turkey, Greens/EFA, Spain)
Helga Trüpel (Member of recent delegation to South-East Turkey, Greens/EFA, Germany)
Tatjana Ždanoka (Member of recent delegation to South East Turkey, Greens/EFA, Latvia)
Michel Reimon (Member of recent delegation to South East Turkey, Greens/EFA Austria)
Terry Reintke (Member of recent delegation to South East Turkey, Greens/EFA, Germany)