The military siege in the village of Bilbês in Beytüşşebap district of Şırnak has been going on for 22 days. Political and civil society actors have so far pressed in vain for an end to the siege and bombing of civilian settlements.

There have been several skirmishes with Turkish soldiers and guerrillas in the region in the past days and weeks. The Turkish army responded to the guerrilla presence with heavy waves of aerial attacks and tank fire. At the same time, the pressure on the village population increased.

A resident of the village, İzzettin Cin, had been detained on August 1 and imprisoned on August 4 for allegedly “aiding and abetting the PKK”. In the scope of the same investigation, Levent Cin was also taken into custody on Saturday after he had been summoned to a gendarmerie station in the Silopi district on the grounds that he had to sign a registration form. The man was taken to Şırnak Division Command.