HPD MP İrmez said the families who refused to leave Şırnak and set up tents on the perimeter of the city were forced to move, that the state threatened the people with “burning them together with the tents”.
In Şırnak on the 8th month of the curfew, families had been living in tents they put up on the perimeter of the city.
The tents were put up in the TOKİ Housing area by the city entrance. Yesterday, the police and the soldiers surrounded the tents and told the families to take down the tents and leave.
When the families didn’t comply, the tents were forcibly evacuated and torn down with armored excavators. The demolition continued into the night hours.
HDP Şırnak MP Aycan İrmez was at the tent grounds and said the police and soldiers raided the area and searched the tents one by one, and gave the families a week to evacuate the premises.
“WE WILL BURN THE TENTS AND YOU ALONG WITH THEM”
İrmez said the week was up yesterday and continued: “They told the families in the tents, ‘Either you leave, or we burn you along with the tents’. They even cut some tents up with knives. The famileis mended the damaged tents and continued to stay in them.”
İrmez said the tents were surrounded and forcibly evacuated by the soldiers and the police yesterday, the families didn’t have any place to go and continued: “These are families whose homes were demolished by the state. None of them have any shelter. They are made to move by force and pressure. The tents are being torn down right now. The families say, ‘We will stay here still, we won’t leave this place’. There are tents put up in many areas in Şırnak. The police and soldiers also went to the other areas and told them the tents will be demolished today.”
“THEY WANT TO EVACUATE ŞIRNAK”
İrmez mentioned that the governorate didn’t allow the 400-unit housing project they wanted to build for the families whose homes were demolished and said: “Right now, the area the people occupy isn’t public property. These areas are private property. They say they received instructions to tear down the tents, but it’s not clear where this instruction is coming from. 80% of Şırnak is gone now. By not allowing this project, they want to evacuate this place and force the people to move.”
“SUPPORT THE PEOPLE OF ŞIRNAK”
İrmez pointed out that the curfew had been in place for more than 8 months, called on everyone to come together around the people of Şırnak and said: “It is time for support, the people never gave up on their land despite all the tyranny from the state for months. Our call is that everybody should support and protect Şırnak. We shouldn’t leave them alone. If this oppression is happening here today, it can happen anywhere tomorrow.”
