MEDİNE MEMEDOĞLU

 Colemêrg (Hakkari)- The people living in the Gever (Yüksekova) district of Colemêrg (Hakkari) province have been subjected to rights violations especially since 2016 when military outposts were built. In the district, the entrance and exit of many villages and highlands have been banned because they have been declared as “special security zones''. The people living in villages, which are not declared as special security zones, need to take permission to enter their villages. The villages and shepherds have been subjected to rights violations in the district by Turkish soldiers and police. In the Cilo region of Gever, two shepherds were beaten and threatened with death by the Turkish special forces police.

On July 19, at around 5 am, Turkish special forces police at Wargevik outpost beat two shepherds for grazing cows near the outpost. Two shepherds namely S.Ç. and C.S. were beaten for hours by the special forces police. They were also threatened with death if they were seen near the outpost again.

‘We were beaten for hours’

NuJINHA spoke to the shepherds confirming that they had been beaten by Turkish special forces police. “We were grazing cows on that day. Then they called us to the outpost. We were three shepherds, two of us went there. We were held at the outpost from five to nine. We were beaten and threatened with death for hours. We will file a criminal complaint against them.”

Citizens claim that mines were laid in some areas

NuJINHA also spoke to several citizens claiming that mines were laid in some areas of the Cilo region. Some shepherds working in the region told us that they were often subjected to harassment fire from the outpost while they were grazing sheep. The shepherds said that they have been subjected to harassment fires and violence and they have stopped at checkpoints every summer.