Yenişehir Municipality trustee Mehmet Güzel evacuated the Fidanlık Camp, which was housing Êzidîs from Shengal that had suffered ISIS cruelty and fled to North Kurdistan in 2014. Fidanlık Camp had been active for 3 years, but the number of its Êzidî residents declined from thousands to only 1250 recently.

Güzel, who was appointed to Yenişehir Municipality as trustee in December, did not want the presence of Êzidîs and sent them to the Disaster and Emergency Management Center (AFAD) camp in Midyat, Mardin and other nearby camps. Municipal officials began to take down the tents at Fidanlık Camp.

GOVERNMENT’S ‘LEGAL STATUS’ DISCRIMINATION

Êzidîs had been surviving with the help of the people of Amed and international NGOs, and were not given the legal status that is given to other Syrian refugees. Doctors Without Border had been treating the Êzidîs that had health problems at the camp. Psychologists from international NGOs were offering psychological support to Êzidîs in order to help them survive the trauma they had been experiencing.