The village of Ormaniçi (ku: Bana) in the Güçlükonak district of Şırnak has been besieged by the Turkish army for two months.

The village was besieged after the eruption of skirmishes between the Kurdish guerrillas and Turkish soldiers in July. A de facto state of emergency has been in place in the village since and there is a ban on entering and leaving the village.

On 15 September, the Governor’s Office in Şırnak imposed a 15-day ban on entering and leaving 5 areas in the vicinity of the village. The residents are not even allowed to take care of their gardens and call on human rights organizations to take action.

Early this morning, Turkish soldiers stormed many houses in the village and a 60-year-old shepherd named Hacı Savun was reportedly taken into custody.