Aysel Işık / JINHA

ŞIRNEX - Dilbirîn (17) survived Cizre's basements, known as "basements of savagery," where hundreds of people were burned to death. Dilbirîn told how the state killed the people in the basements. "The state knew that there were civilians in the basements. They came to there to kill people, not save them. All the people in the basements said that they would fight to their last drop of blood and they wouldn't surrender. They didn't surrender. Cizre resisted… Cizre resisted to the end…"

A teenager named Dilbirîn (17)survived Cizre's basement, known as "basements of savagery" where state forces attacked with inhumane methods. Dilbirîn told what she faced in Cizre. Dilbirîn stayed in three "basements of savagery". She went out to find medicine for wounded people in the thirth basement and she couldn't go back to the basement due to intense attacks on the basement. Dilbirîn said that state forces bombed the basements even if they had known, there had been civilians in the basements. Dilbirîn denied the statement of Mehmet Müezzinoğlu, the Minister of Health, about "They open fire on the ambulances.". Dilbirîn said that the area was raked by state forces at the time the ambulances entered to neighborhoods. Abdullah Gün (15) was shot and killed by snipers while he was going out by carrying a white flag on February 11.

Dilbirîn stated that she stayed in first basement five days, in second basements three days and in the thirth basement three days. Dilbirîn visited three basements with her 3-4 friends to find medicine and help the wounded. She emphasized that the state's aim was to annihilate them. "All people in the basements said that they would fight to their last drop of blood and they wouldn't surrender. They didn't surrender. Cizre resisted… Cizre resisted to the end…"

Dilbirîn said that 28 people stayed in first "basement of savagery". "There were 28 civilians in the first basement. Even though the state knew that, they continued to bomb there. They attacked directly without warning. The life in the basement was quite difficult. There were wounded people. There wasn't madicine. We could find food. There were mothers in the basement. The wounded asked for water but we couldn't find water for them. The mothers looked after them.

"We went out to find water. However, the snipers opened fire on us whenever we went out. Once, we tried to get out the wounded. A mother carried a white flag. They shot and killed her. All wounded people were in corridor. I stayed five days in first basement. I had to leave there. They were only wounded people there."

Dilbirîn stated that she saw the wounded in the second "basement of savagery" in the Cudi neighborhood of Cizre. She said that the MPs called them and informed them that "ambulances will come". Abdullah Gün (15) went out to look the ambulances. The snipers shot and killed him. "I hardly went to second basement. There were many wounded people there. The MPs called us and inform us that the ambulance would come to basement to evacuate the wounded. We sent Abdullah Gün to look the ambulance. He was shot and killed by snipers. Her body remained in the street. We couldn't go and retrieve his body."

"I stayed three days in second basement. Our friends asked us to go out. I went out with three friends. We passed to Sur neighborhood." said Dilbirîn.

Dilbirîn stated that more than 100 civilians were in the third basement. "More than 100 civilians were in the third basement. There were five dead bodies in the basement. 2-3 people were seriously wounded. There
was a 15-year-old child. He was seriously wounded. We were not to be able to do anything. I stayed in the third basement three days. I passed to another place with two of friends to find medicine for wounded people. We couldn't go back to basement due to intense attacks." said Dilbirîn.

Dilbirîn said that state forces demolished the buildings with the diggers of Provincial Special Administration. "They demolished the buildings with the diggers of Provincial Special Administration. We had to watch everything. After they demolished the buildings, they loaded the debris on several trucks. A while later, we saw that they retrieved the dead bodies. We saw that they took off clothes of women's dead bodies. Then they took their photographs.

"I am 17 years old. I didn't think that Turkish state would do like that. That wasn't a war. That was a savagery. Our wounded friends said "They would never surrender, even if they were killed. All people in the basements said that they would fight to their last drop of blood and they wouldn't surrender. They didn't surrender. Cizre resisted… Cizre resisted to the end…"

(dk/gd)