The Turkish state has been increasing its martial law practices in Kurdistan. In Van, the Gendarmerie investigated 9.351 people and 5.283 vehicles in one day alone, with 60 units and 458 personnel, which caused a stir in the province.
Van Gendarmerie Provincial Command issued a written statement and announced that 9.351 people and 5.283 vehicles had been investigated as part of the “Trust and Peace Practices-9" implemented with 60 units and 458 personnel on March 30. One person was detained as part of this high security investigation. As the Gendarmerie carried out this operation in the countryside, in the city center, streets were blockaded by the police. Life in the province has come to a halt due to police practices. All homes and shops are being searched thoroughly. The practices have picked up speed before Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Van this weekend.
KAVAL: “THE LAW OF LAWLESSNESS IS CALLED THE STATE OF EMERGENCY”
Lawyer Bayram Kaval stated that these practices make it clear that the whole society is seen as a potential threat, and that they existed before the State of Emergency as well. Kaval said, “The law of lawlessnesshas been instated in Turkey and it is called the State of Emergency. There are intense practices in Kurdish provinces, Amed and Van in particular. These could be seen as routine ID checks or routine preventative searches, but there are many different reasons behind these practices.”
HDP'S BOTAN: “THERE IS AN OPERATION AGAINSTTHE KURDISH PEOPLE”
HDP Van MP Lezgin Botan stressed that there is an aggravated martial law in place in Kurdistan that surpasses the State of Emergency and regular martial law. Botan said 9.000 people being interrogated in one day in one city is evidence that something is not going well: “The population in the US is 300 million, even there wouldn’t be 9.000 people interrogated in one day. This practice means that the whole of society is seen as potential criminals and that there is an operation against the society itself in place. This is a manifestation of the hatred and fury against the people. Only one person out of the nine thousand was detained. For one person, the whole society was put through a search. These are practices to suppress and intimidate the people. Trust and peace can’t be achieved through military and police precautions, but through the society internalizing feelings of democracy and human rights. Or you can implement peace and trust through intelligence activities.”
“THE PRESIDENT IS AT ODDS WITH THE PEOPLE"
Botan stated that President Erdogan is at odds with the people: “We are politicians as well, and we can walk among the people by ourselves. They say they are for the people, then why do they implement these exaggerated practices when the President comes to Amed or Van? What is your problem with the people? My opinion is, if the President can’t comfortably walk among the people on the streets, then he should ask himself. He goes to the Friday prayers with a 400 person entourage. This is a result of their negative policies. They are openly destroying fundamental human rights. Every day there is one minister or the other visiting Van, and these practices continue every day. Cevdet Yilmaz has been in Van for days, and life has been paralyzed. There are shopkeepers, there is the issue of traffic. Why do they do this? This is torture for the people. They close off streets, but who is going to pay for the damages of the shopkeepers there? They stop the daily flow. Is this how politics should relate to the society? This is utter chaos.”
