Drugs and prostitution as a means of Turkish special warfare in Gever

In the Kurdish resistance stronghold of Gever, the Turkish state uses drug trafficking, extortion and prostitution as means of counterinsurgency.

The Kurdish town of Gever (tr. Yüksekova) in Hakkari province is famous for its resistance to assimilation and its support for the Kurdish freedom struggle. Therefore, the population and especially the youth are targeted for counterinsurgency. In addition to harsh repression and violence, the Turkish state also relies on the methods of prostitution and drug trafficking. Under the eyes of the police, forced prostitution and drug trafficking take place in the center of Gever. In an interview with ANF, the affected F. reports on the actions of the Turkish state.

"Young women are used by the police every night in six cafes in the center of Gever," she explains. "The policemen threatened me and also dragged me into this swamp. These cafes mainly sell heroin, cocaine and pills. When the young people are high, the police take pictures of them and then blackmail them with those pictures. The café owners also cooperate with the police."

F. emphasizes that prostitution and drugs are a great danger for Gever. Drugs are available almost everywhere in the district and young people are systematically addicted. For example, she said, a police officer from Osmaniye secretly put drugs in her drink and then made recordings of her. The police then used the recordings to blackmail her, F. said, continuing, "He threatened that if I didn't organize my friends for the police, he would publish the pictures on the Internet."

Members of fascist club sell drugs

Another person affected is A. She reports that members of the fascist Osmanlı Ocakları [Ottoman Hearts] sell drugs quite openly under the eyes of the police in the Yeşildere neighborhood of Gever. Young people constantly buy drugs there and consume them nearby.