The Forum for Development and Human Rights Dialogue: Turkey is responsible for the increased COVID-19 infections among residents of Idlib in Syria
The Forum for Development and Human Rights Dialogue has warned against the increased COVID-19 infections among Idlib’s residents in Syria which is occupied by Turkey; the matter which may lead to human ‘tragedy’ and crisis within lack and deterioration of health services. In addition, Turkish occupation forces disregard providing of due medical aids to Idlib’s residents according to the International Law which obliges the occupation authorities to be responsible for providing medical aids to the areas subjected to their military forces control.
The civil defense director in Idlib, Mostafa Al Haaj, has assured that Idlib is witnessing catastrophic human situation with unknow consequences and that “the situation is getting worse and we have a rise in the numbers of patients and those need to hospitals and quarantine places in addition to increase of the number of deaths”. He clarified that “this catastrophe has occurred within the health sector inability and lack of intensive care room and respirators, pointing out that the pandemic is increasing which warns against unexpected catastrophe”.
A lot of areas in Idlib are occupied by the Turkish occupation forces so the condition in Idlib is subjected to article no. 42 of Hague Regulations of 1907 which considers a state land is occupied when it is actually dominated by the enemy’s army. Also the common article no. 2 of the Four Conventions of Geneva of 1949 states that these conventions are applied on any land which has been occupied during international hostile operations in addition to cases when occupation forces are not faced by any armed resistance. Besides, the International Law defines the responsibilities of occupation forces in maintaining the public health of the residents of the occupied area. The duties and responsibilities of occupation forces are mainly defined in Hague Regulations of 1907 (articles 42 – 56), the Fourth Geneva Convention (article from 27 to 34 and 47 to 78) in addition to some provisions of the first additional protocol and the unofficial human international law. All these instruments assure that the occupation forces should use all available means to guarantee sufficient standards of health hygiene and public health in addition to providing food supplies and medical care for residents of occupied areas; which did not happen in the case of the Turkish occupation in Idlib in Syria which is facing a human crisis because of outbreak of coronavirus among the residents while hospitals are suffering from lack of necessary medical supplies and requirements.
The Forum for Development and Human Rights Dialogue sees that it is necessary that the World Health Organization should consider this case and warns the Turkish occupation authorities to maintain the public health of Idlib’s residents and to provide necessary medical aids for the residents in areas under their military control.
