TURKEY: Syrian rebels to be trained as "fighters not killers"

Record ID: 276501

  • Title: TURKEY: Syrian rebels to be trained as "fighters not killers"
  • Date: 11th May 2013
  • Summary: GAZIANTEP, TURKEY (MAY 11, 2013) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF "FIGHTERS NOT KILLERS" WORKSHOP FREE SYRIAN ARMY FIGHTERS LISTENING VICKEN CHETERIAN GIVING LECTURE FSA FIGHTERS IN TRAINING (SOUNDBITE) (English) VICKEN CHETERIAN SAYING: "This is part of the series of workshops that we are organising addressed so Syrian rebel fighters. And the intention is to bring to their knowledge
  • Embargoed: 26th May 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Turkey
  • Country: Turkey
  • Topics: Conflict
  • Reuters ID: LVADDOGZSJPQ7TZHKXW8EBUYAEBM
  • Story Text: Free Syrian Army fighters being trained according to international humanitarian law in Turkey on Saturday (May 11) in the south-eastern city of Gaziantep. Geneva Call, an NGO raising awareness of humanitarian law in conflict zones organised the workshop for the Free Syrian Army fighters in Turkey. An associate of CIMERA, a Geneva-based, private, non-profit organization, Vicken Cetherian was in charge of the workshop.
    Cetherian said, as the Free Syrian Army fighters are copying the practices from Assad army, they are not aware of the crimes that they are committing.

    "And from our experience, we came to a conclusion that in most of the cases, they are certain practices that they copy from the way that the regime is behaving on the ground.
    And they are not conscious that those practices are forbidden. And once we engage with them, we feel that they are ready to listen, and cooperate," Cetherian said.
    A Free Syrian Army fighter calling himself Gamardip who is attending the workshop said, they are being trained to avoid war crimes.

    "In this workshop, we learn how to treat to civilians and the soldiers and obey the international humanitarian law. And they thought us how to implement those rules in our own country.
    They thought us what not to do, to avoid to be found guilty according to the international law after the war is over," said Gamardip.
    Another FSA fighter calling himself, Maan Kantar said the reason for FSA's "mistakes" are due to lack of experience, and clashes.

    "We can say those were mistakes, because they were not intentionally made. It is just because of lack of experience. And most of the mistakes are due do lack of organisation and the clash in-between the hierarchy," said Kantar.
    Geneva call will repeat the workshop in other border cities of Turkey.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register