Kurdish Villagers Forced to Leave Home

Residents of Ilicak village of southeastern district of Beytüssebap are forced to leave their homes under orders by local military commander, says Selahattin Demirtas of Human Rights Association (IHD).

This is the first time villagers are ordered to leave their homes due to security reasons since 2001 when Asat and Ortakli villages were forcibly evacuated.

According to lawyer Selahattin Demirtas IHD Diyarbakir branch chair "reportedly the area was under military pressure for a long time."

They were informed of the situation last week when they received phone calls from the village and considering a fact-finding trip to the area, IHD officials told bianet. Depending on their findings they may take further actions for urgent judicial and administrative measures, they added.

According to testimonies by the Ilicak village inhabitants the local gendarme commander, in late July, came to the village, gathered the people at the village's square and warned them to leave their houses, Human Rights Association's Diyarbakir branch officials say.

The village inhabitants compelled to leave their homes and had to move formerly evacuated houses across a creek nearby. Some had to stay in tents, " since there weren't enough tents, we had to live in nylon barracks and on open areas," the villagers complained.

Military operations have partly resumed in southeastern countryside when the Kurdish guerrilla PKK in July lifted the unilateral truce they declared in 1999 when leader Abdullah Ocalan was arrested, tried and condemned to lifetime in prison.

Reportedly five inhabitants of the village were taken under custody. After a mine explosion on the road to Beytusseb last week. (YS/NB/YE)