JINHA

AMED – Turkish state forces’ blockade of the Sur district of Diyarbakır has entered its 43rd day today. As the blockade continues to violate the right to life of every living being in Sur, animal rights activist Sevgi Ekmekçiler described going through rigorous checkpoints every day to bring kibble to Sur’s street animals. She called for the clashes in Sur to end immediately.

Attacks grow increasingly violent with every passing day in the Sur district of the city of Diyarbakır, violating the right to life, shelter and health of every living creature within the district’s walls. Among those least able to defend themselves against these attacks are the street animals trying to live among violent assaults.

Sevgi Ekmekçiler is the chair of Diyarbakır’s Association for Environmental and Animal Protection. Unable to evacuate street animals from Sur, Sevgi travels inside the besieged area every day to leave pet food along the major avenues in an attempt to help them survive.

“We go as far as we can down the avenue,” said Sevgi. “There are hundreds of cats. Occasionally we run into some dogs. At the very least, they can come out and benefit and then go back to the places where they’re hiding out.” Sevgi said that state forces subject her to strict searches as she attempts to enter the blockaded area every day.

“This war is our war—people’s war, not animals’. But they’re affected at least as much as we are,” said Sevgi. In addition to bringing in food, the Association has evacuated a number of wounded animals; they often find street animals full of shrapnel or with destroyed heads or broken spines.

Sevgi noted that people were struggling just to survive in Diyarbakır and it was often difficult to think about animals.

“We just want this war to end,” said Sevgi. She called for peace to come to Kurdistan for every living thing.

(de-şa/mg/cm)