Speaker: Thank you Mr. Chairperson. My name is [inaudible], a human rights defender. In the last two weeks, Turkey launched a series of airstrikes on the Kurdish region of north and east Syria. Fifteen civilians were killed. These types of attacks not only destabilize the region but prompt concern over the rise of ISIS once more. Because of Turkey's deliberate strikes on prisons and camps that hold more than 6000 ISIS members. In [inaudible] Turkey is escalating its threats to occupy another main two Kurdish cities. [inaudible]. Which puts the lives of more than 500,000 civilians in danger and will repeat the process of building settlements for the families of extremist groups loyal to Turkey under the pretext of establishing a, so called, bufferzone. At the same exact time, and following the brutal murder of [inaudible], the Iranian government has responded to the peaceful protest with the most intense repression. Especially in the Kurdish cities where until now, the Iranian military forces have killed 125 Kurdish citizens, of whom 15 children and 8 women. Thousands have been insured and more than 5000 arrested. This protest are of course not the first of its kind, given the relentless harassment of the religious and national minorities in Iran over the past 43 years. As the crackdown continues in Kurdistan, many human rights organizations are concerned about the ethnic cleansing, massacres taking place in the cities of Mahabad [inaudible], and Bukan, which are under siege. Moreover, the Iranian government has launched a series of attacks on the Iraqi Kurdistan region by using drones which resulted in the death of over 20 Kurdish citizens. We urge the United Nations and the international community to stop both Turkey and Iran from massacring Kurdish civilians. Intervene to prevent an imminent humanitarian catastrophe in the middle east - protecting the Kurds in 4 parts of Kurdistan.

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