The Turkish NGO IHH began in 1992 as a humanitarian mission to offer relief to victims injured and displaced during the Bosnian war. They have held Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council since 2004. Since becoming a fully registered NGO in 1995, IHH — The Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief — has accumulated more than 60,000 volunteers for their grassroots humanitarian efforts in 120 countries all over the world.

In the immediate aftermath of the massacre aboard the Mavi Marmara on May 31, 2010, while journalists and activists were detained and isolated from the world, the Israeli government was quick to unleash its own version of events. Although it had no evidence to support the inflammatory claim, government spokespeople were cynical enough to understand that first impressions in the mainstream media are what count, and with this in mind they began to hurl the word “terrorist” in reference to both the victims of their attack and the IHH, one of the main organizers of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla.

In this short film, Cultures of Resistance interviews IHH vice president Huseyin Oruc, who discusses his response to the accusations and the highlights the true humanitarian work of his organization.

The film is also available on Vimeo.