The Turkish government is blocking access for independent investigations, Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocate website] said in a report [text] released Monday. HRW claims that the Turkish government is abusing civilians on a massive scale and attempting to cover it up. These alleged abuses include “unlawful killings of civilians, mass forced civilian displacement, and widespread unlawful destruction of property.” HRW reviewed lists of the dead compiled in numerous attacks which show as many as 66 residents, including 11 children, killed by gunfire or mortal explosions during Turkish government [BBC profile] security operations. Witness accounts claim that Turkish forces opened fire on civilians on the streets carrying white flags. HRW also documented widespread property destruction during many of the military operations. The Turkish government has not responded to the public statement [press release] from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) [official website] or its request for permission for a UN team to conduct an investigation within the region.

Turkey and its treatment of human rights are cause for concern due to the growing partnership with the EU caused by the refugee crisis. EU leaders agreed [JURIST report] to a deal with Turkey in March to stem migrant flows, particularly of Syrian refugees, to Europe in return for financial and political incentive to Ankara. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated [JURIST report] that EU states are violating international law by breaking their migrant pact with Turkey by not allowing the country to extradite suspected terrorists. In April the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muižnieks, called on Turkey to focus on human rights [JURIST report] in the wake of their anti-terrorism security measures. Also in April Amnesty International reported [JURIST report] that Turkey has been forcibly returning up to 100 refugees to Syria per day and expressed concern for the possible future of transported migrants.