JINHA

AMED - Journalists were nearly unable to report news from the town of Silvan yesterday as police attacks on the town resumed.

Last week, Turkish police and soldiers cut off access to the town of Silvan. Three residents died in the heavy clashes. Yesterday, clashes started again, as police attempted to invade the four self-governed neighborhoods. A curfew was in force in the town. Smoke and gunshots rose from the four neighborhoods as youth mounted a defense from their trenches. Even in peaceful neighborhoods, police toured the streets in armored vehicles. They issued announcements warning residents to go inside.

Journalists attempted to leave the municipal building to observe the clashes in the neighborhoods. Armored vehicles cut off the journalists and threatened them with attack if they continued.

Later that day, police entered the city municipal building. Their goal was to obtain the municipality's construction vehicles to fill in the trenches. Since both of the town's co-mayors have been arrested, their assistant Zuhal Tekiner was in the municipality. She told police that she did not have the authority to turn over municipal property. In response, police threatened to detain her. Finally, police forced a municipal employee to take them to the city garage and surrender the keys to two construction vehicles.

Police then threatened journalists from Dicle News Agency (DİHA) and from JINHA who had filmed the events. Police filmed the journalists from their armored vehicles and said "we'll speak with you later."

(şa/gc/mg/cm)