There has been a ban against protests and events in place since January when M. Emin Bilmez was appointed as the Van Governor.

Governor Bilmez continues with the “ban against protests and events” even in the summer, when normally almost everybody goes to Western provinces for work or up the highlands. The Van Governorate also banned the Gezginfest, a festival held every year with hundreds of thousands of participants that was supposed to be held last month, for “security reasons”.

Since the government declared a state of Emergency on June 20, 2016, a ban against “protests and events” has been in place in Van, for 953 days.

HDP’s statements and rallies in the city center have also been stopped. Mothers and the people who took to the streets during the hunger strikes were battered and detained.

350 HOUSE RAIDS IN 5 MONTHS

In the first 5 months of 2019, there have been almost 350 house raids in Van. 200 people were detained in these raids and the police ran ID checks in the city center and district centers at least 10.000 times.

HDP’S ORHAN: THE STATE OF EMERGENCY IS NOT OVER IN VAN

HDP Van MP Muazzez Orhan said: “Since the State of emergency, the Van Governorate has banned all democratic activities like any protests, events or street gatherings, which shows that the OHAL continues through the governorate.”

“THEY WANT TO INTIMIDATE THE SOCIETY”

Orhan said: “Their goal is to ban democratic struggle, increase the pressure on society and to intimidate the people. These practices are harming social consensus. They want to leave the public in the dark, cultivate a lack of awareness and condemn us to a life under OHAL oppression. There have been 350 house raids, and 90% of the people detained were released by the court they were referred to. So, these people are detained for such nonsense claims that even the courts don’t arrest them. The police force sees the judiciary as a threat to hold over the society’s head. This must end at once. Throughout the election process, the people’s protest against these practices have shown how wrong they are. Social polarization is on the rise, and that is good for nobody. It is hurting our country. The path for democracy should be cleared.