GENEVA

Senior representatives of two non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on Wednesday condemned an ad campaign on public transport in Switzerland by the YPG/PKK terrorist group.

The advertisement campaign on Geneva trams is running with the title “Free Kurdistan” and points out alleged human rights abuses in Afrin, northwestern Syria. 

On Jan. 20, Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch to clear YPG/PKK-Daesh terrorists from Afrin.

According to the Turkish General Staff, the operation aims to establish security and stability along Turkey’s borders and the region as well as to protect Syrians from the oppression and cruelty of terrorists.

Celil Yilmaz, secretary-general of the Strasbourg-based NGO COJEP, told Anadolu Agency the terrorist group intended to launch a smear campaign against Turkey’s operation with the images used in the ads. 

“This morning, Geneva, known as the center of human rights in the world, has woken up to propaganda ads of YPG/PKK supporters,” Yilmaz said. 

“We harshly condemn these advertisements.” 

Ender Demirtas, head of the Geneva-based International Alliance for Human Rights and Development, also condemned the ads. 

Demirtas said an official application had been made to remove the ads from the trams. 

He said a previous attempt by the NGO to place ads on trams about Qatar’s crisis with some of its Arab neighbors was rejected on the grounds that “it was involved with another country’s internal affairs”.

Last summer, a Saudi-led bloc of states including the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain collectively severed relations with Qatar, accusing Doha of supporting terrorist groups in the region.

Demirtas described the practice as a “double standard”. 

Reporting by Bayram Altug:Writing by Handan Kazanci