ŞIRNAK - Applying to 5 different places with a petition against the deforestation on his lands in Şırnak, Abdulaziz Güngen said: "There is the permission and order of the forestry directorate in cutting trees."

 

In the Besta, Cudî, Gabar and Cilê Nimêja regions of Şırnak, the deforestation led by the rangers continues unabated. The wood obtained from the slaughter carried out under the supervision of the military for "security" reasons, is transported from mountainous areas to flat areas by tractors. The wood is loaded on trucks and sold in different cities such as Riha, Dilok and Mereş. Abdulaziz Güngen (67), who lives in the center of Şırnak, took action against the massacre in their lands in the Besta region, where they were forced to migrate in the 1990s. Güngen applied with a petition to the Forestry Directorates in Şırnak, Siirt, Bitlîs and Urfa and the Şırnak Provincial Gendarmerie Command against the unwitting destruction of trees in the villages of Çalyan, Mehûjk and Xirbkê Bestê. Güngen, who has not yet received a response to his petitions, said that the Forestry Directorates had a hand in the massacre.

 

PETITIONS ARE UNRESPONSIVE

 

Noting that he is from the village of Xirbkê Bestê and that they were forced to migrate after the village evacuation, Güngen said: "The state says that our trees have been cut for security reasons, and that they are cut in a 500-meter area around the police stations, But they are cutting them all down. We do not want our trees to be cut down. We cannot live without trees when we try to establish a life there again tomorrow. our nature is disappearing, the rains are no longer falling and our livelihood, livestock farming, is ending.”

 

'THE DIRECTORATE ALLOWS TO CUT THE TREES'

 

Stating that the cutting of trees was done after the Forestry Directorates made an agreement with the people who cut the trees, Güngen said: "Once I wanted to go to the area where the tree was cut; however, the Gendarmerie Command said that 'You should go get permission from the forestry directorate. If they allow you, I will take your safety and go that way.' Therefore, cutting trees is also of interest to the forestry directorate. The forest directorate has a hand in this cutting of trees. If they do not have their permission, no one can cut these trees. We do not accept this. We want to return to our villages. Cutting of our trees should be stopped."

 

MA / Zeynep Durgut