The Turkish state has put forth all their military and political might in Kurdistan and engaged in special war policies, and still has failed against the guerrilla, so now they tie their hopes to rapists. One of the cities the special war policies have been implemented most harshly is Iğdır, where the AKP is almost non-existent.

IMPOSITION TO BECOME VILLAGE GUARDS THROUGH THE HEADMAN AND GENDARMERIE

The Turkish state has been forcing villages in the Iğdır city center and districts to become village guards since 2016. The gendermerie, accompanied by the village headmen who have been frequently hosted by Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan recently, are imposing the village guard system to villages that are not participating.

One of the villages that are forced to participate in the village guard system in Iğdır is the Saraçlı village in the Aralık district, with a mostly Terekeme population. The village had refused the village guard system in the ‘90s despite all the pressure from the gendarmerie and JİTEM, and now for the last 6 months they are facing another imposition.

Last February, Aralık District Gendarmerie Command had started to force the village guard system on the village, accompanied with AKP member village headman İ. G. After months of threats and pressure, 3 people who are known to be disruptors of peace in the village with a population of 700 had accepted to be village guards. 2 of these 3 people left their weapons and quit shortly after.

MAN CONVICTED OF RAPE MADE INTO VILLAGE GUARD

The Aralık District Gendarmerie Commander wants to have at least 10 village guards from the village, and has resorted to recruiting a rapist. The newly recruited village guard İ.Y. has been convicted of sexual harassment and rape.

With İ.Y., there are now 2 village guards in the village, while the commander continues to pressure the villagers. The commander threatens the villagers at every chance he gets, and forces young residents to be informants about the activities in the village.

VILLAGERS: WE REFUSE TO BE VILLAGE GUARDS

Villagers spoke to the ANF anonymously due to safety concerns and stated that they are deeply disturbed that the village guard system is being forced upon their village. They said:  “As the village residents, we have always refused the village guard system.We have lived together as Terekemes and Kurds in this village peacefully for years. Today they want to force us to become village guards, and when everybody refuses they recruit the people who disrupt the peace in the village.” The Saraçlı village is known for the residents’ leftist tendencies.