Turkey Warned Against Going Back to Future On PKK

ISTANBUL — Just as one of the bloodiest summers since the 1990s is turning Turkey’s leaders increasingly hawkish against Kurdish politicians and separatist guerillas, Human Rights Watch offered a glimpse into the dark methods employed two decades ago that scarred the population and sowed distrust toward the state.

Thousands of civilians disappeared or were killed in the 1990s as Turkey’s military pursued a scorched-earth policy against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, according to a report unveiled Monday by the New York-based human-rights group. The conflict has claimed more than 44,000 military, PKK and civilian lives since it started in the 1980s and displaced thousands of people from their villages, Human Rights Watch said.

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