Police assault ongoing in Diyarbakır
10:30
JINHA
AMED - In the Sur district of Diyarbakır, police have blockaded the streets since yesterday evening. Clashes are ongoing.
The Lalebey neighborhood is located in the Sur district, Diyarbakır's old city. Since yesterday evening, the neighborhood has been under police blockade. Last night, police forbade citizens from entering and exiting the neighborhood. Police built up forces surrounding the neighborhood on every side, where helicopters circled the neighborhood throughout the night.
Local youth had dug trenches to protect the neighborhood from police invasion. Last night around 4 a.m., the police entered the neighborhood with armored vehicles, attempting to close the trenches. Police advanced with smoke bombs, tear gas and grenades, opening fire at random throughout the neighborhood.
"Come, let's be comrades," youth announced as police advanced into the neighborhoods. Police threw explosives at the neighborhood's transformer, resulting in a large explosion and electricity being cut.
As residents attempted to head to work this morning, police began abducting them to use as human shields in their effort to close the trenches. Snipers have been posted on roofs in the neighborhood. In response, youth have hung canvas awnings across the streets, but police forced one of the "human shields" (a resident named Bozan E.) to take the awnings down. Police have been shouting curses and ordering residents not to leave their homes.
The youth brigades of the YDG-H and women's unit YDG-K have been fighting back against the police from the trenches they have dug. Police with rifles have been posted at every corner and the sound of dozens of stun grenades has rocked the neighborhood since the clashes began.
So far, three locals trying to go to work have been tortured in the middle of the street by police and arrested. Police have forbidden residents from leaving the neighborhood and locals cannot leave their homes due to bullets in the streets. At least one police officer has been wounded in the clashes.
(şa-bc/zd/fk/cm)