MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

Bedlîs (Bitlis)- For a month, military operations have been launched and curfews have been declared in Bitlis, a Kurdish city in southeastern Turkey. In the city, serious rights violations have been committed against people. Recently, eight villagers, including two shepherds, have been taken into custody in the Peyindas (Söğütlü) village of Bitlis’ Tatvan district. The village was blockaded for days. In the region, where the military activities continue, the people have been subjected to torture, detention and arrest. In an interview with NuJINHA, Nurdan İlbasan, Co-Spokesperson of the Party of Greens and the Left Future (Green Left Party) Bitlis office, said that the crackdown on Kurds has been intensified after the parliamentary and presidential elections held on May 14, 2023.

12 people detained in a week

In the city, 12 people, including a woman, were detained in a week. Three of them were sent to prison on charges of “aiding and abetting an illegal organization” and five were released under judicial control. A confidentiality order has been reportedly issued on the investigation against Nasihat Kılıçkıran, one of the detained people. Mehmet Veysel Aydemir, who was detained as injured in the village, has still received treatment at a hospital. Last month, a curfew was declared in the Xûlepûr and Kekulan villages of Bitlis’ Xizan (Hizan) district after clashes broke out in the villages.

During the curfew, the hazelnut trees and gardens of the villagers were plundered and the trees in the forested land were cut down. In the Peyindas village of Tatvan, where military activities continue, the villagers could not bake bread and graze their animals for days. Nurdan İlbasan told us that the villagers have been suffering from the ongoing military operations in the region. “The crackdown on Kurds has been intensified because they voted for us in the parliamentary elections.”

‘The crackdown started after the elections’

The Green Left Party has won two seats in the parliament from Bitlis. “The crackdown on the people of Bitlis started after the elections; military operations began to be launched in villages. Many trees have been cut down in the region until now. The aim is to depopulate the region.”

Operations for a month

Speaking about the military operations launched in Hizan and Tatvan, Nurdan İlbasan said, “The villagers were subjected to serious rights violations especially during the military operations launched in Hizan. A 20-day curfew was declared in some parts of the district. We tried to go to villages, where the curfew was declared; however, we were not allowed. After the operation in Hizan, military operations were launched in Tatvan. Eight villagers were taken into custody after being battered. We know that two people are still missing in the village. After the detentions, we tried to go to the village; however, we were not allowed. On the second day, we could enter the village.”

‘Women were seriously affected by the operations’

Nurdan İlbasan told us that women in the village were seriously affected by the operations. “When we entered the village, we understood that the villagers, especially women, were seriously affected by the military operations and blockade. The villagers could not go out for days because soldiers had their meals in the villagers’ gardens. The villagers told us that they could not even look out the window. We know that soldiers still go with women, who want to milk sheep. The villagers still feel uncomfortable whenever they go out.”

‘The policies in the 90s are still carried out’

Recalling the policies carried out against Kurdish people in the 90s, Nurdan İlbasan said, “The policies in the 90s are still carried out. 30 years ago, villages were burned down and villagers were displaced from their villages. These villagers returned to their villages and rebuilt their lives. However, they are subjected to the same policies now. The aim of the military operations is to depopulate the villages again.”

Nurdan İlbasan told us that the villagers are determined to not leave their villages again despite the crackdown and policies carried out against them.