DİYARBAKIR - Residents of Tonekrak, Pirejman, Berig and Tirmal villages of the Dicle district, which has been under blockade for 7 years, told about their grievances and demanded the blockade be lifted.

 

Entry and exit to the villages of Tonekrak, Pirejman, Berig and Tirmal in Diyarbakır's Dicle district have been restricted by the soldiers since 2015. At the same time, the entrance and exit times in the villages, which have been declared a special security zone since 2009, can be made between 07.00 in the morning and 17.00 in the evening. Stating that the restrictions are extended from time to time, the villagers said that they have been having problems due to the said bans.

 

THE STATE BANS AFFECTS LIFE NEGATIVELY

 

Kadriye Karata, who lives in the village of Tonekrak, which is under a military blockade, said that as a result of the bans, the residents in all four villages are having difficulties. Stating that the lives of the people in the villages were adversely affected by the  bans, Karata said: “As the weather gets colder, people come to their villages to do their work but they can't do their work do to the bans. For example, some have gardens here and need to work in cool weather. But since the entrance to the village is restricted, they are prevented from doing their work.”

 

WE ARE VICTIMS OF THE STATE BANS

 

Explaining what they are going through due to the state bans in the four villages of Kurdistan, Karata said: "Since we cannot go out due to the bans, the sick people in the villages sometimes die. My mother died because of it. The police station here burns both its surroundings and the surroundings of the village every year. Also, they frequently open fire randomly, no matter what time it is at night. This is a threat to both us and all living things in nature.There is no electricity in our villages. We get our electricity from the sun. Our water resources have also decreased due to the drilling wells opened by the police stations.  Our water resources have dried up due to the bombardments. We only have a couple of fountains left. Therefore, we cannot cultivate our lands. Animal husbandry, which is the livelihood of the region, cannot be done. We cannot take care or our animals because we cannot take animals out of the village due to prohibitions."