THEUNSEENTRAGEDIESIN TURKEYANDSYRIA

By Ezra Pavoncelli '25

The recent earthquakes have afflicted a great deal of suffering in Turkey for the past month, leaving debris scattered across the ground and a high number of victims There are people who face another struggle in addition to the already apparent disaster.

Various ethnic, racial, and religious minorities living within the country face both institutional and interpersonal discrimination and oppression. There is a historical basis for Kurdish people migrating to Turkey and Iran after the fall of the Kurdish and Shi’ite resistance and the 1991 Iraqi uprising against Saddam Hussein There are territorial disputes between Turkey and Kurdistan, so the tensions between these groups of people are already a noticeable issue.

The anti-Syrian and anti-Kurdish discrimination not only lingers but is also endorsed and fueled by Turkey’s Victory Party This is a far-right political party led by Ümit Özdağ, and it is said that he has a map of Turkey in his office illustrating the areas in which there is a Kurdish or Syrian majority He warns the Turkish population of a so-called “Silent Invasion,” believing that these areas of Turkey will align themselves with alternate political parties in the country and cause a civil war.

The case is similar for Syrian refugees in Turkey, though their migration is often due to the Syrian conflict and humanitarian crisis This new influx of immigrants within these countries did not come without prejudices against them In fact, the hate crimes committed against these minorities are increasing. Syrian and Kurdish citizens have even reportedly been denied aid in the wake of the disaster, occurring in early February One man reported that he and other Syrian people seeking aid were escorted out of an emergency shelter operated by the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD)

The systematic discrimination also meant that the number of victims in these Kurdish or Syrian majority areas was likely higher than the number reported This misrepresentation is inexcusable The Co-Chair of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, Parvin Bulden, states that the death toll in the majority Kurdish town of Urfa is higher than the reported figure An additional consequence of these decisions that is often overlooked is that minority groups gain an increased distrust of governmental services. This also creates a further saturation of Syrian and Kurdish people within certain areas Furthermore, the aforementioned situation makes it easier for governments to exclude these minoritysaturated areas from various systems that could benefit them In the case of Turkey, it was places like Urfa that suffered the restriction of aid

A disaster like the February earthquakes severely impacts countries like Turkey and Syria, and the rush to provide aid to as many people as possible is a necessity But those services are withheld from people. In times of crisis and suffering, we must put aside our disputes in order to provide appropriate aid to those who need it To be denied access to emergency services and assistance is to be denied a basic right. No human should endure this added pain. When we exclude people from their most fundamental rights, we strip them of their humanity