Groups who have taken to the streets with the support they receive from trustee appointed municipalities in Van openly threaten different faith groups. These groups have picked up speed in their activities with the impunity decree coming into effect in the last week. These people dressed in robes and turbans make propaganda on the streets and beat up shopkeepers who protest them, while police refuse to intervene.

The Van Governorate and Police don’t even allow press statements by political parties as part of the State of Emergency, but promptly ignore these groups of robed and turbaned men targeting people of different faiths in person and through billboards, posters, flyers and various other activities.

The images seen in Van on Wednesday have shown the severity of the issue once again.