MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

Colemêrg –Women living in the Kurdish cities in Turkey, particularly in Diyarbakır, Hakkari, Şırnak, Mardin and Siirt cities were most affected by Turkish state’s policies of oppression in the 1990s. Women living in rural areas faced more oppression; their villages were burned down by soldiers, their relatives were forcibly disappeared, they were subjected to torture and arrests and they were forcibly displaced from their villages. Kudret Fendik is just one of these women. She was forcibly displaced from her village and had to live in a refugee camp for years. She has struggled for life with her nine children now. But she stands firm despite all the difficulties she faced. “Despite everything, we hold our heads high,” said Kudret Fendik, whose life story is only one of the Kurdish women’s stories.

“We ate only chestnuts for 40 days”

Kudret Fendik was forcibly displaced from her village located in the Şemdinli district of Hakkari province when soldiers burned her village. Kudret settled in Maxmur Refugees Camp along with her relatives. She lived there for four years in poverty. “We lived under embargo in the camp for two years. We ate only chestnuts for 40 days. At that time, I had only three children. We stayed in the camp for four years. Our children were hungry and we hardly found food. We went through very hard times. Then, I decided to not live there anymore. I left one of my children with my husband in the camp and took three children with me to here. We came here using illegal ways.”

They faced war when they returned to Gever

Kudret and her children went to live in the Gever (Yüksekova) district of Hakkari but they faced forcible displacement there again due to the curfew imposed in the district between 2015 and 2016. During that time, Kudret and her children faced many difficulties but despite all difficulties, they returned to the district when the curfew was lifted. “After the curfew, we returned to our home. Only three families lived in our neighborhood. All the doors and windows of our house were broken. There was always an armored vehicle in front of our house. They threatened us and questioned us. We couldn’t sleep at night and we couldn’t go out during the day.”

“They raided our house and killed my husband”

On July 16, 2017, police raided Kudret’s house located in the Güngör neighborhood of Gever and killed her husband Necmettin Fendik. Kudret is now living in her house with her nine children. Kudret raised her children alone. Kudret waited in silence for a while and then told us what happened that night, “My husband was a plasterer. He came home and took a shower. Then, he went to a wedding party. He was so tired and went to bed. We heard the noise of vehicles. When we looked outside we saw police officers in front of our house. They broke our door and windows. They directly entered the house and pointed their weapons on us. I still remember that day very well. They threatened us and took us behind the house. We stayed behind the house for two hours. They threw my nine-month daughter Efrin on the ground. I don’t know what they did with my husband inside for two hours. At the end, they left the house. I saw my husband in blood. My husband was still alive, so police officers called an ambulance. My husband died after he was taken to the hospital. I feel bad when I talk about that day.”

“Despite everything, I never bow down before anyone”

Kudret has struggled for life despite everything, “Now, the state doesn’t accept anything. Four years have passed but there is no process in the case. My husband and I faced many difficulties but we never bowed down before anyone and neither I nor my children will bow down before anyone.”